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After a nice long week off from blogging and a return to the continental US, I am back and ready to write my new blog. First things first, sorry about the style of writing I adhere to when I am doing the blog. For me, writing in this stream of consciousness way seems to work best for me. So to all the English teachers out there, this is the best I got ... really .... At least things are spelled right and there aren't any grammatical errors (at least not that I am aware of; Bravo edits these babies.) But feel free to keep those comments coming; I love seeing what my readers have to say. Now onto the critique...

Let me start by saying that I felt like this week's episode was a walking advertisement for a combination of things: nice plug for Macy's when they are feeling the pain of the economic downturn ... and the Web site Cookstr.com. Can't say I have ever heard of it, but I am sure they will have thousands of hits after the show airs, not to mention the usual hubbub about Glad and it's like watching a 45 minute commercial. The plugs are becoming more and more obvious and it's starting to get a wee bit obnoxious, but, I get it ... the show and network have got to make money somehow.

I have to say I thought the Quickfire was interesting. I love the idea of pulling a slot machine, which is completely random and all based on luck, just like it is in Vegas, so it leaves nothing to chance. I was surprised at the number of chefs that landed on umami. It seemed like the odds were high to pull that sucker. I was impressed with Kevin and his ability to crank out some bad ass Asian food (twice) when he has no background in it. Though, in my opinion Asian is really one of the easier cuisines to cook even when you know nothing about the technique. If you know the flavors, which almost all basic home cooks do (ginger, garlic, soy, chili, sesame), then it really isn't that difficult to come up with something delicious if you are a technically-skilled chef like Kevin is. So it wasn't surprising to see him pull out the win, and I was impressed with the fact that he didn't take immunity. It is nice to see someone who believes in their ability enough to run off with $15,000. I'd be interested to see what other chefs would do (I for one, would have taken the money. Lord knows I could use it!). I also thought brother Micheal took an impressive risk with the dessert and was impressed with his flavors as well. I love the combination of yuzu and coconut and yogurt, and the seaweed cracker ... that was definitely my favorite dish just judging visually. I am certainly starting to really like Micheal V. and his style. He does some cool stuff. I think out of all the chefs I would be eager to try his food the most. Second is Kevin and then his brother Bryan. I felt bad for Jennifer for being sick. That really sucks, especially while in a kitchen. Cooking and being sick is crappy. I have done it many times and in fact I am home sick today from work with the flu as I write this. There are some days you really shouldn't be in a kitchen, so I can understand why it is that she ended up in the bottom three when your head isn't completely in the game because it's clouded by fogginess.