Top Chef: Seattle has toyed with us, both as gays and Texans. The first evictee was openly gay chef Jeffrey Jew. Since then, we’ve had just one queer chef to root for: returning competitor Josie Smith-Maleve, pictured. She wasn’t personally popular among the other cheftestants, and they’d been itching for her to go for a while. Last week, when she bested frontrunner Kristen Kish, the world seemed topsy-turvy. So last night, when Josie was finally let go, it felt, sadly, like justice had been served.
Still, that leaves a gay-free zone headed into the final weeks of the competition. Not, though, a Texan-free one. FT33‘s Joshua Valentine — who started as a line cook at Stephan Pyles — is still in the running. Hey, if we don’t have a gay to support, we always go for a Texan.
It’s very moving weekend we have in store. Wheel get right to it.
Yes, we know this is Black Tie Dinner weekend, but if you don’t have tickets by now, you’ve got other stuff to keep you busy — some of it quite great.
It hasn’t officially opened yet, but following a few charity dinners and a party last week, Stephan Pyles’ new restaurant Stampede 66 is putting the finishing touches on the decor (and the menu) prior to a planned opening next week. Here’s a look at some of the pictures you can come to expect.
J. Jerrier, whose Deep Ellum pizzeria 
Mignon has always been one of the more creative steakhouses in town — one that doesn’t really seem like a steakhouse, even though it does red meat like a caveman. “Mignon” just means “dainty” in French, and that’s more the ethic here than in most Texas meat markets: Elegant cuisine. Going wild, then, means both gamey flavors and a sophisticated touch.
