Top Chef

Aaaaalright. It's no surprise that H is a fan of Top Chef. In New York, he downloaded the latest episode to watch in the uber plush bed of our hotel. He stuck it out to the end too, even though the bottom half of the episode was mysteriously cut off, and he couldn't see any of the dishes, and the video stopped just as they were announcing who would be out of the competition.

Dedicated man, eh?

Somehow I haven't become involved in Top Chef. I *gasp* hadn't heard about Colicchio's restaurant until we were in the cab on the way there. Given that most reality show hosts are chosen for their looks and charisma, not their talent, I didn't presume that he had the resume that he does.

The experience at Craft - and I'm in agreement with H, it is a delightful restaurant, and underrated from what little I know of the ratings game - piqued my interest. And just for fun, I found my way to the Bravo website, where each week the winning dish is presented in a video how-to.

Delicious looking, no? A bed of delicata squash puree is the foundation for hand-made goat cheese ravioli, topped by hen of the woods mushrooms and a mushroom reduction.

But let's be real. Is anyone out there attempting these recipes? Did they even finish? Because it took that very professional chef twelve minutes, and he had prep cooks. And creative editing. And four gas burners. And an accent.