As Wimbledon is to the pro tennis calendar, and the Masters is to the PGA, Restaurant Wars is to Top Chef.
It’s the signature event of the season, after which things start to get really serious as the field of chefs is whittled down on the last stretch to the finale.
Tom and Kevin react to this season’s 5-on-4 imbalance (boo!) and the new twist with two judges tables so that both restaurants have to shine early and late (yay!).
They also dive into the controversy that erupted over Danny’s winning scallop chou farci from a few weeks back. 
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S21 Ep 8: Restaurant Wars

Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh bring their die-hard fanaticism of the hit TV show Top Chef and combine it with their NBA analytical instincts to draft “fantasy” teams, interview contestants and talk about America’s food and restaurant trends. Follow along weekly as the top cooking competition meets top-shelf analysis.

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With her sharp analysis, Mina Kimes can break down any NFL pass coverages or team-building strategy — and Top Chef field. She joins Tom and Kevin to discuss how Season 21 stands up to previous Top Chef seasons, to grouse about Soo’s controversial elimination at the fish boil, and to size up the remaining six contestants in the competition. 


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No chef has built confidence and momentum in recent weeks like Savannah Miller. She bagged a Quickfire win with canned corn beef (!), only to slice her hand open while filleting her fish for the Fish Boil.
Though it looked like she prepared the worst of the six plates, she was spared elimination.
Kevin was on hand in Milwaukee for the Fish Boil, and tasted three of the six fish boil dishes. He shares his impressions of the production, Soo’s beurre blanc, and Miguel’s winning boil.
Tom argues that, even with the new “Quickfire factor” at the chopping block, the judges didn’t make the right call.
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S21 Ep 10: Door County Fish Boil

For weeks, the judges have been threatening to send home not one — but two chefs — if circumstances demand it.
This week, they did just that when they sent a quarter of the remaining field packing in a challenge that highlights the indigenous cuisine of the Northern Plains.
Tom and Kevin note that Kristen is bored stiff by Manny’s generally successful (but tiresome) formula in the kitchen, and celebrate Savannah and Dan for a master class on how to endear yourself to the judges by “embracing the challenge.”
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S21 Ep 9: The Good Land

Few chefs have demonstrated the talent to execute risk in the Top Chef kitchen like Rasika Venkatesa.
Her pretzel-barley cake with honey mustard sabayon and her daal quenelle have been highlights of the season, during which she emerged as a fan favorite.
Rasika stops by Pack Your Knives to talk about her desire to reinvent cooking from Tamil Nadu, which she recently visited on a months-long food tour.
She recounts her trip, which included convincing village fishermen to take her back to their homes to cook snapper with their families.
She also shares her experiences on Top Chef with little formal training, despite rising from station cook to Chef de Cuisine in three years. 


S21 Ep 8: Restaurant Wars

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