by Michael Lamp

 

If you're like me, your TV has been preheated and waiting for this premiere since the Voltaggio brothers battled it out in Vegas for last year's coveted culinary crown. I never could resist good alliteration.

 

It's the season premiere, so there are too many cooks in the kitchen (literally) to mention them all by name. If you care to review the entire list of cheftestants, click here.

 

After meeting one another atop DC's Newseum, this season's would-be top chefs are thrown into a classic, first Quickfire Challenge. There's some peeling of potatoes, some fancy dicing of onions and some breaking down of chickens.

 

At the conclusion of the kitchen Olympics, Angelo, Kenny, Timothy and Kevin remain standing. Kind of a blow to the ladies, eh? The final fours guys will create impromptu dishes to determine the winner.

 

Padma and Tom (oh how I've missed these two!) taste the four plates, and it's a no for Timothy and Kevin almost immediately. It's pretty clear that Angelo and Kenny are going to be two of this year's heaviest hitters. Angelo takes the first Quickfire Crown, which translates to $20,000. Apparently, this season of Top Chef has an interest group size budget. It's worth pointing out that Angelo appears to be his own biggest fan, which is never a favorable trait.

 

Wasting no time, Padma announces that the first elimination challenge of the season is to prepare a dish that reflects each chef's hometown. The final four from the first challenge get to pick their groups for the elimination challenge. The catch? Their "group" is actually who they will be competing against. A loser from each group will be on the chopping block.

After an inaugural trip to Whole Foods (the political/culinary puns will not end, so get used to it), the chefs head to the Top Chef kitchen to prepare their dishes. Angelo continues to be a bit of an egotist, comparing his flavors to an orchestra. Yawn.

The judges begin to make their rounds, sampling all the dishes. Eric Ripert, who happens to be one of my very favorite chefs, joins Padma, Tom and Gail as a full-time judge this season. I'm very excited by this news.

 

The judges - and Washingtonians - are getting things off to a hilariously sassy start, criticizing most of the dishes for being over fried, under seasoned, not a proper representation of the home states or just plain unappetizing.

 

There were a few standouts, though. Kenny, Angelo, Alex and Kevin were the judges' favorites in week one - and Angelo was their very favorite, winning with some fish and bacon foam. Fancy. For Stephen, John, Jacqueline and Timothy, however, the Top Chef road could be a rather short one, sans deliciousness. One of them is about to peace out.

 

After the usual tongue lashing from Collichio, season seven's first victim is John. He got the axe because his maple mousse, uh, didn't taste like maple.

 

Judging by the preview clips, we're in for a great season seven, filled with guest appearances from plenty of DC's A-listers (ahem, Nancy Pelosi). See you next week!

 

Top Chef: DC airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

Follow Michael at twitter.com/mjlamp

 

For more Top Chef links, visit SirLinksALot.net