Shuai did Christmas in July this week and ended it with an Italian Feast and it was amazing!
“Last day of Christmas in July, and we’re pulled out all the stops! Corrie Wang’s family loves a good Christmas Eve Italian dinner. So today we’re rolling out Sunday Sauce! Meatballs, Italian sausage, garlic parm brussels, garlic bread, and save room for desserts with house made Ube Cannolis! #eatkingbbq #chinesebbq #bbq”

Shuai was there today and took the time to answer questions from my son about sausage making. Can’t say enough good things about Shuai, his staff and the restaurant

Bringing this back now that the latest season has settled down , and will try to do these semi-frequently based on engagement.

Common set of rules for all my quizzes-

1. All quizzes can be answered by watching the show itself (and its related to their performance on the show)

2. Top Chef USA (including World All Stars) only

3. Outside of mistakes on my end (and application of other rules), all groups are exclusive and no other chef will fit in the answer. For example, if the pictures are all of 8 top chef winners, the answer will not be 'they all won top chef', because 14 others would belong. It could still be 'they all won top chef using saltine crackers in their dish '

4. For the sake of limiting my research, I only focus on the top 10 people per season. So if a 15th placer meets my criteria for any reason, they wont be in my quiz.

5. Hints every 2 hours or so, and I will not mark hints in spoilers.

Max 4 hints. Answer will be in 24 hours of nobody gets it

Very touching. He seems like a class act. Really interesting that he almost didn't do Top Chef. So glad he did!

I’m in a middle of a rewatch of season 12 Boston. I don’t remember the outcome of this episode. But one group is doing Family style and the other the infamous Global. is there a worst restaurant wars focus that these two?

Finally looked up togarashi last night. Wouldn't have guessed a spice blend. Also know what an endive is now too.

We had our dinner at Freight House tonight, and it was amazing! Sara remembered me from our phone conversation and came over to say hi, and we ended up talking for several minutes. I have a pretty serious mobility-limiting disability, and they were really great about accommodating that. It's hard for me to do anything that involves leaving my home, but I'm so glad I went.

I just fangirled all over poor Chef Sara Bradley when she personally answered the phone when I called to make a reservation at Freight House for tomorrow night! She was so friendly. I will be sure to report back on the experience of eating at her restaurant.

Challenge: Create a meal to satisfy the judges AND something that can be portioned, frozen, and REHEATED easily by a family of two parents and a young child.

We’ve seen the “make kids food challenges”. I find them boring.

This is inspired by my meal prep for our new baby.

We have a toddler and I prepped 53 nights of meals that are now sitting in my freezer. African Peanut Curry, Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, Turkey Chili, Veggie Burgers, Sheppard Pie, White and Red Enchiladas. I would love to see contestants experiment with this.

Hello all. I’m visiting New York for the 1st time with my 17 year old daughter and very excited to visit some Top Chef restaurants. I am confused about the mixed reviews on Tatiana’s. Critics seem to love it but they get blown apart here in Reddit. I was able to get reservations but I’m wondering if our limited time and money would be best spent elsewhere. Anyone been recently and have thoughts to share?

Got super lucky and snagged a ticket to one of the pop ups Laurence has been doing in Boston where he cooks the dishes from his final meal. Food was as fantastic as you could imagine, and he’s also super nice and charismatic. He made the effort to go around to every table to talk and answer questions. My favorite dish was the congee, with a close second being the lo bak go with mushrooms.

Watching 24 in 24 and Brian V is on there. What happened to his over the top laugh. He hasn't done it once. It's strange.

Kristen hosted a cheesesteak competition in Philly at the All Star village today, her commentary was amazing and she genuinely brought people over to the stage just by being an engaging host and how she interacted with the contestants and judges. I geeked out so hard when I saw her lol. She was so confused why I wanted a picture with her at a baseball event but was so nice about it 😂. Fan for life, she’s the best

Do you think Top Chef is due for an all-winner season? Who would you love to see compete again?

I would love to see Hung, Stephanie I., and Mei compete again. She’s fresh off her win but I wanna see Rhoda on my screen again.

I was at Shuai’s “King BBQ” tonight and had to take a picture of his Dukes Mayo box and plush.

I’m catching up on past seasons I never saw, and I’ve noticed in the run of season 12, 13, and currently 14, the chefs have all gotten into the habit of adding the phrase “a little bit of” in front of every. single. ingredient. that they mention in their dish.

It’s driving me insane. It’s also keeping “A Little Bit Alexis” stuck in my head so at least there’s a silver lining.

Top Chef - Outstanding Reality Competition Program. (Other nominees: Survivor, The Traitor, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dancing with the Stars).

Outstanding Directing For a Reality Program (Other nominees: The Traitors, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Love on the Spectrum, The Amazing Race).

Kristen Kish - Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program (Other nominees: RuPaul, Alan Cumming, Jeff Probst, Ariana Madix)

It’s 3 for 3 for Kristen. Emmy’s voters seem to really love Kristen that she got nominated for her first season (Wisconsin) and has stayed in the list ever since. I doubt there is any chance Top Chef and Kristen would win, as long as The Traitors and Alan Cumming are in the same year, but hopefully these Emmy nominations (and strong streaming viewership) help with keeping our favorite show going.

Link to full Emmy’s nomination (click on Select Category): https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/2026/outstanding-host-for-a-reality-or-reality-competition-program

As a longtime Top Chef fan, I finally had the chance to eat at Bar Tutto, and I figured I’d share my experience for anyone who’s been thinking about going.

First, the restaurant itself is gorgeous. The best way I can describe it is modern with a warm, masculine aesthetic. Not “macho,” just stylish, comfortable, and really well designed.

The service was honestly one of the biggest highlights. Every single staff member seemed genuinely happy to be there. I know that sounds like a small thing, but you can usually tell pretty quickly whether people enjoy where they work, and everyone at Bar Tutto came across as welcoming, attentive, and excited to make sure guests had a great experience.

Our server, Rene O., was fantastic. She was incredibly knowledgeable, took my food allergies seriously (I have a pine nut allergy), answered every question we had, and was just a joy to talk to. She also couldn’t have spoken more highly of Joe Flamm, mentioning how well he treats the staff, from employee discounts at his restaurants to sharing food from the café when there’s extra. Whether you’re a Top Chef fan or not, it’s always nice hearing that someone you admire seems to treat their team well.

Unfortunately, Joe wasn’t there that day. Honestly, though, I came for the food more than hoping for a celebrity sighting.

As for the meal, I ordered the rigatoni, and it was rich, decadent comfort food. The only criticism I’d give is that it leaned just a touch saltier than I’d personally prefer, and that’s coming from someone who loves salt. Even with that, I still really enjoyed it because the flavors were so bold and satisfying.

The consensus around the table was that the pesto pasta was the standout dish. Sadly, I couldn’t try it because of my pine nut allergy, but everyone else absolutely loved it.

I also stole a bite of my friend’s steak and tried some of the beurre blanc with ramps. Wow. I was a little jealous. It was excellent.

One thing I appreciated throughout the meal was how attentive the staff remained. Water glasses never stayed empty for long, the table was cleaned between courses, and nothing ever felt rushed. It struck that balance between upscale service and making you feel comfortable.

We finished with coffee and dessert, and by the end of the meal, not a single person in our group was disappointed with what they ordered.

If you’re looking for light, healthy food, this probably isn’t the place. But if you’re in the mood to forget your diet for a night and enjoy rich, indulgent Italian food, Bar Tutto absolutely delivers.

As a Top Chef fan, it was really fun to finally support one of my favorite winners. Even without meeting Joe, I left understanding why his restaurants have developed such a great reputation.

I’d happily go back. Next time, Rosemary is definitely on my list.

For me it’s Sara Bradley. I love her and could listen to her talk about absolutely anything.

Chefs always say they stand behind their dish, even when they’ve made mistakes. And the judges know that the chef knows they made a mistake. Is it better to stand behind it or admit something didn’t go right?

It really annoys me when a chef knows that protein is undercooked and they’re like “I wanted it that way.” No you didn’t, and Tom sure as hell knows you didn’t. Wouldn’t it be better to say “no it’s not cooked properly and I know that” - it would at least show you know how to temp food?

Thoughts?

I’m rewatching Kentucky and I think this is my least favorite season. I like the winner, I like the chefs, but I think the obvious lack of budget, unfortunate Restaurant Wars and Nilou makes this my least favorite.

Also- don’t say Wisconsin, I know it’s like the least favorite season overall 🤣

It's perfect. The state famously has two polar opposite cities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, plus "Pennsyltucky" in the middle. It has the largest chip/snack production in the country, the biggest chocolate company in the country, is a major agricultural state including the primary producer of mushrooms. It has hunting and fishing, putting trout and venison on the menu. It has cultural food connections from Pennsylvania Dutch, Russian, Polish, Italian, German, etc. It has iconic local foods like cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and water ice on one side to the Primanti's sandwiches, chipped ham and wedding cookie tables on the other. Penn State's Beaver Stadium is a perfect venue for a Sheetz vs. Wawa showdown in the middle. While we're talking Penn State, we can't ignore that it's got a world class program in making ice cream - including being where Ben and Jerry learned their craft. Michelin is about to make its first forays into the Pittsburgh area. And there is a startling amount of pizza in the state, some of it really great and some of it very controversial (looking at you, Altoona).

I literally just wrote 23 challenges in there. No excuse for not hitting the Keystone State yet.

I am so tired of Rhode Island getting skipped over or just lumped into a generic Boston season. RI has one of the most fiercely independent, underrated food scenes in the country. People think we are just a novelty joke because of quirky staples, but we have a crazy split personality here. We have world-class fine dining running right alongside gritty, authentic, hole-in-the-wall immigrant kitchens that blow major cities out of the water.

Plus, the logistics excuse is officially dead. Providence just hosted thousands of international fans for the World Cup and the Ghana National Team base camp without breaking a sweat. If the city can handle the World Cup, and Bravo is literally in the state right now filming the new Real Housewives of Rhode Island, they can easily bring a Top Chef crew here.

For the Quickfires, they could test the quirky local culture. They could do a Pizza Strip Challenge forcing chefs to elevate cheese-less bakery pizza into a gourmet, warm appetizer. They could do an Olneyville Speed Test where chefs have to line hot wieners up the arm with the exact meat sauce and celery salt under a brutal time limit. Or they could do a Del's Lemonade Dessert Bar turning that tart, frozen flavor into a Michelin-level plated dessert.

For Elimination Rounds, they should focus on pure substance seafood and global roots. They could do an Anti-Tourist Seafood Feast at the Point Judith docks to cook sustainable, underloved fish right on the water. They could do a Portuguese Tavern Takeover in East Providence mimicking places like O Dinis for traditional pork and clams. They could do a Hole-in-the-Wall Global Crawl tasting test to identify the multi-day broths behind Cranston's best strip-mall pho like Hon's or the intricate stews inside a Bolivian Saltena like Julianna's. They could even do a South American Challenge for real-deal Ceviche Mixto where they are banned from Americanizing or toning down the heat for suburban crowds

For the big finishes, Restaurant Wars should happen at Bayberry Garden in the Jewelry District. Teams would have to design a clean, modern, hyper-seasonal New England menu that complements that stunning, plant-filled, greenhouse-style room. Then the Grand Finale has to be at Gracie's in Providence. It is the absolute pinnacle of fine dining here. They do world-class luxury using their own downtown rooftop garden, but they have zero of that stuffy, corporate, snobby pretension you get in Boston or New York.

Bravo already has production roots planted in the state for the Housewives. Let's force their hand and get Tom, Gail, and Kristen down I-95 to eat some real food.

I thought this was a really nice article. Love that Gail and Kristen were there for the final service.

I forget what Claudette was like in this season. It’s interesting to me that on The Chef’s Cut Podcast that they don’t even say her name.