After fighting a losing battle with swordfish, Andrea is the latest Top Cheftestant to receive the proverbial boot. After returning home to Miami, Andrea talked with RealityWanted and other reporters about snarky judges, pea purees and what she really thinks of Michelle Bernstein.

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: Art Smith mentioned being able to sense your aversion to swordfish when he tasted your dish. Did you feel like you were putting less of an effort into this challenge, as opposed to others where the main ingredients were something you prefer to cook with?
A. Andrea: Absolutely not. I thought that was a ridiculous statement that he made. Maybe that’s his job as a judge. I know it’s not all about the food that I love. On that day, the dish didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. But I didn’t agree with that statement. I thought it was bogus.

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: I’d like to know what your take on The Great Pea Puree Debacle of 2010 is?
A. Andrea: I’ve said before [that] it’s almost good that that happened. It takes the focus off the fact that the judges hated my dish. I will say that I didn’t see him take it. However, I know Ed made pea puree, he couldn’t find it, and it ended up on Alex’s dish. I don’t want to point fingers, but there’s a lot of speculation going on. I guess Bravo could prove it if they went over Alex’s receipt form Whole Foods to see if he bought peas. The viewers think he did it.

Q. Do you think the show rewards people who take bold chances?
A. Andrea: I don’t know. That’s a tricky question. The show is interestingly set up. It’s as much mental as it is your God-given talent, if you will. There’s a big mental game going on. And then you’re at the mercy of the four judges on that particular day.

Q. If you had a chance to cook for the Obamas, what would you have made?
A. Andrea: Probably a ceviche or a tare tare. I love braising meat – short ribs, lamb shanks, something like that. It’s hard to say. I’d have to do my work to see what they like to eat. Maybe I should know what the president’s favorite foods are?

Q. What was it like cooking for politicians and members of the media?
A. Andrea: Cooking for them is like cooking for anyone. I don’t think about it that way. I’ve been doing this a long time. I cook for regular people, too. It’s the same. I try to make people happy with my food.

Q. What was the decision like to go on the show in the first place? Was there any trepidation?
A. Andrea: There was much trepidation. I’ve got a family. I’ve got three businesses. I’ve got a lot going on. The reason I did it was that I needed a little boost in my career, although I did have to get pushed and shoved into it. Off the top of my head, I was like, “No, I don’t want to go on TV and jump through hoops.” I don’t have any regrets. The best things I’ve taken away are some really awesome friends, and I’m grateful for that.

Q. About Michele Bernstein, was that played up for TV?
A. Andrea: I don’t know if it was played up on my part. I was visibly uncomfortable, and I don’t know how fair I thought that was. There is a rivalry. I was pretty shocked. I’m pretty sure all those faces you saw on TV were real. We’re in the same town. I absolutely don’t think she is more qualified than I am to be a judge over me, and there is a rivalry. It was an uncomfortable situation. I signed up for the show and whatever happens, happens. I’m not holding animosity. On that specific day, I wasn’t really happy, but I let that go a long time ago.

Q. How has the show affected you since?
A. Andrea: It’s changed the way people recognize me. I’m always a little reluctant to say, “Yeah, that is me.” But then I realized how sweet people are and how excited they are to see me and meet me, so I make an effort to say hi. I try to embrace that. And [people] have been great.

Q. What’s your take on Angelo?
A. Andrea: Angelo wasn’t the most popular cat on the show, but he was very focused. He had a plan and an agenda. I don’t think he was trying to make friends. I think he was playing the game. I kind of distanced myself from him, because I saw what he was about. I would like to know Angelo outside that situation.

Q. Did you have a favorite challenge?
A. Andrea: All the challenges were ridiculous and stressful. I would have to say the one that was the lightest feeling and the happiest was the one at the school with the kids. They made the day a happy day.

Q. I heard that you said you would never do Top Chef again. Is that true?
A. Andrea: I would never do it again, because I think it’s a once in a lifetime experience. It was extremely difficult for me to be away from my family. I’m a control freak, and I didn’t have control in a lot of situations. For that, I wouldn’t do it again. I just don’t feel the need to put myself in that situation again. Just check it off as a life experience. Been there, done that, moving on.

Q. Do you have any advice for future cheftestants?
A. Andrea: It would depend on the person and what they have going on in their life at that point. The biggest bit of advice I could give them would be to not let the mental side of it get to you. The strategies people play around you. Everyone can cook, that’s why they got there. Most people go home because of mental mistakes or their mental state at that time. It’s not a cop out or an excuse. I know where my head was at.

Andrea Keeps it Casual. (Photo courtesy of Bravo TV.)

Congressman Aaron Schock (Republican, for the record) is with Padma in the Top Chef kitchen. As the female (and probably a few male) chefs continue to swoon, he’ll be judging the Quickfire Challenge. You know, because being a politician makes you qualified to judge chefs. To help educate Bravo viewers about the importance of limiting lobbyist spending, the chefs must create a dish to serve to the Congressman – but the dish must fit on a toothpick.

After Padma and Aaron shove sticks down their throats for a while (it was seriously awkward to watch, like the sad beginnings of an eating disorder), the winners and losers are announced.

Alex and his 8,000 flavors were too much for tiny Aaron, Ed’s umbrella-garnished toothpick was all looks and no taste and Kelly’s was just a straight up ‘no.’ And now she’s whining, which is totally unbecoming, especially on her.

Kevin, Angelo and somehow Stephen (sorry, you know it’s true) come out on top, but it’s Angelo’s cucumber/shrimp collabo that land him in The Winner’s Circle with 20,000 extra bucks. Read More

Insanity.

Click here to see The Lamp Post quoted on a big kid blog.

Crazy.

The Lamp Post has been noticed by the big kids! As most of you know, I’ve been blogging for RealityWanted for a while now, covering Millionaire Matchmaker this past season.

More recently, I’ve been asked to cover Top Chef for their site, which – given my love of Top Chef - has been particularly fun.

The only thing better than watching and blogging, however, is the chance to chat with the cheftestants themselves. Lucky for me, that is just the opportunity this new blogging gig has afforded me! Each week, I’ve gotten the chance to chat with that week’s eliminated chef. Until now, I haven’t posted my chats on The Lamp Post (For the record, all my Top Chef coverage can be found over at RealityWanted by clicking here), but I’m going to start carrying my chat recaps over and dual posting them here, for the perusal of you fine folks.

The first chat wrap follows after the jump…enjoy! Read More

This week’s episode of Top Chef: D.C. is not for the weak of heart – or of stomach.

The Quickfire Challenge was to create a dish using ‘exotic’ ingredients. It turns out that exotic is just another word for crazy. Most of the chefs were a bit put off by the idea of cooking yak or llama, but not Angelo. He embraced his duck balls and decided to create a marshmallow ‘o’ ball. That’s right, he was cooking with testes. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on who you ask), Padma threw the chefs a curveball, which would relinquish Angelo from testicle duty. The chefs had to stop their cooking, turn to their left, and cook with that chef’s protein. This left Kevin to deal with the duck crotch.

After the food was tasted (and the balls descended), Stephen, Alex and Andrea were named the worst of the bunch. This did not please Andrea, who was already freaking out about guest judge Michelle Bernstein. Apparently, Andrea and Michelle are quite the adversaries within the Miami food scene. Saucy!

Kelly made the most of the ‘exotic’ challenge, claiming victory with her goat cheese and emu egg omelet. Sounds…neat. I’ll take the judges’ word for it and assume it was delicious.

The Elimination Challenge, dubbed the “Cold War” challenge, required the chefs to create cold entrees. The catch to this challenge is that the chefs were split into two groups and each group became part of the judging panel, critiquing the other chefs’ cuisines. The cheftestants were asked to select the best and worst from the opposing side. Sounds like the perfect chance to throw your enemies under the bus, doesn’t it?

Angelo is helping the others, and the others are suspicious. I have a feeling they have every right to be cautious of his tutelage. In no time, the first group is serving their dishes to the judging panel, including their competitors.

Amanda serves up chicken galantine and the other chefs really nail her. Seems like they’re being a little too picky, but it’s hard to say you wouldn’t do the same in their situation. The group throws some surprising love behind Kevin’s surf ‘n’ turf, before returning to the sass and ripping apart Kenny’s duo of grilled lamb. It’s worth noting that Angelo is particularly harsh, to the surprise of exactly no one. Alex’s sous vide lamb and Ed’s vichyssoise aren’t received much better, though, and in the end, the judging group crowns Kevin the champion – and sends Kenny to the chopping block.

Turnabout is fair play, as the group of overly judgy judges becomes the judged. But that’s after Ed brags about ‘banging’ Angelo’s girlfriend back in the day. Classy gent.

The second group of cheftestants turned judges definitely made their opinions known, but they did so in a decidedly less heinous manner than the first group, although they do attempt to slander Angelo much like the other group did to Kenny.

Tiffany’s peppercorn-crusted ahi tuna is a huge hit, but people aren’t really feelin’ feelin’ the flavor profile in Andrea’s trio of tare tares. Stephen’s chilled beef is as underwhelming as most of his other creations. Angelo’s slow poached Salmon is met with not-so-welcoming stomachs, but Tamesha’s overly spiced rhubarb scallops are public enemy number one, as she is put up for elimination by her colleagues. Tiffany’s tuna is deemed the favorite.

Back in the holding area (better known as the beer room), Angelo tells Kenny that he’s in the bottom three, and Kenny wiggles in his chair rather hilariously.

The judges inform Tiffany and Kevin that their dishes are the favorites of the other chefs, as well as the judges themselves. Michelle Bernstein tells Tiffany that her dish was the most refreshing, but she declares Kevin the challenge winner, prompting a Situation-esque fist pump from Kevin.

Tamesha and Kenny are in the bottom two, and neither of them appears to be able to get their heads around the situation. Tom tells Tamesha that her scallop got lost in the mess of everything else she threw in there. Kenny tries to convince the judges that he’s only in the bottom two because the other chefs are threatened by him, and Michelle Bernstein reminds him that this is her first time tasting the food this season – and that she wasn’t into his dish…like at all. Now that’s comedy!

Tamesha is going home, but because of whose doing? Tiffany reminds us that Angelo had a hand in her dish, questioning his motives and his trustworthiness.

Now there’s something to ponder until next week…