http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/08/09/TOP-CHEF---Guilty-Pleasures.aspx Tonight’s episode of TOP CHEF was my kind of show. Ice cream and hangover snacks, now that’s what I call food! This week’s Quickfire Challenge had the contestants creating creamy ice cream and decadent toppings. Of course, everything looked delicious. In fact, I’m surprised there was any left over for quest judge, Chef Govind Armstrong, to taste. As if that culinary delight wasn’t enough, the elimination-round involved quintessential snacks for hangovers. This is the kind of stuff that separates the amateur cook from the top chef, so to speak. I mean come on, you have to know your basics, before you can be considered one of the best, and you don’t get more basic than food that can quell the alcohol induced munchies … right? I know this kind of challenge makes a lot of the contestants moan and groan, I think they feel it’s beneath them. Remember Harold’s reaction when he – and the other contestants from season one – where given the challenge of turning vending machine crap into edible delicacies?  But, this is TV folks, and watching these people – who, in many cases, are highly trained in the culinary arts – being forced to work with ingredients they wouldn’t serve to their cats, is just pure entertainment. Even better, is the fact that they are so good that some of them actually manage to turn this everyday food into works of art. The level of talent and creativity on this show never fails to amaze me. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/08/09/TOP-CHEF---Guilty-Pleasures.aspx 77 60