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Oh man, I don't think anyone is going to order scallops at Tramonto's Steak and SEAFOOD anymore...

I was just visiting with the corporate chef of Allen Brother's yesterday! Their facility is really one of the best anywhere in the world. Their consistency in cutting is phenomenal. And they also dominate the Prime market and only buy the top tier of the Choice market.

It was pretty discouraging to see former restaurant owners not able to break down a bone-in ribeye. Something tells me Spike has spent a lot of time alone in a corner of the kitchen breaking down meat all day.

Overall, it was a fun episode because it put the cooks into an environment they are more used to and we got to see what they can do.

lisa final 4 = something went wrong along the way. she shouldn't have made it as far as she did. spike, too. aye yi yi.

Peanut butter mashed potatoes sound just awful enough that i want to try them

I thought the final four would include Dale, Richard, Stephanie, and possibly Andrew. Two out of four is...okay, I guess it's pretty bad. ;-)

I never would have guessed Lisa; it makes me wonder exactly how much input the show's producers have, with regard to who gets eliminated in each episode.

Not to be mean but I cannot stand Lisa and her grumpy ass face! Both her and Spike were terrible but at least Spike is entertaining and not totally hard to look at.

I truly wish someone would show Lisa what she looks like standing at the Judge's table with her arms folded and a nasty scowl on her face every single time! Her body language screams "I'm not listening to a word you say" and she just looks like a petulant toddler.

I don't see how she made it to final four, but I will admit I wanted Spike gone more than Lisa. I really think Dale deserved the fourth spot, I didn't care for him personally, but think he's a great chef.

This show was one of my favorites as I'm a huge red meat fan, and I loved that Tom was the expediter so he could really see how they all work in a real restaurant kitchen atmosphere. I was truly shocked that the peanut butter mashed potatoes were liked by the judges as it sounds pretty gross to me, but naturally now I am intrigued and want to try them!

I think I want Richard to win because I'm dying to eat in a restaurant with all that high tech, new gadget stuff turned into great food! I really do like Stephanie and Antonia though, so I'd be happy with anyone except Lisa!

please for the love of crap i can't look at Lisa's busted scowl anymore. Enough with the attitude already. At least Spike is entertaining!

I thought the butchering challenge exposed some interesting weaknesses.

I thought Dale should have been included in the final four instead of Lisa. She does not seem very meticulous or inspired, as a Top Chef should be. Spike comes across as a fairly solid cook, but doesn't always have good judgment.

The others, I am happy with. I initially was unimpressed by Antonia, but she won me over with the $10 family meal challenge.

spokesperson says it wasn't their scallops:

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/05/says-tramanto-r.html#more

A plant huh? What if the scallops were used in a ceviche? Or as a stuffing for something where the frozen nature of the scallops wouldn't have made a difference? I think they were able to turn the frozen scallop into the kiss of death regardless of it's outcome.

Was it worse than Dale's butterscotch scallop?

Was the texture of the scallop that bad? Or was the dish just a flop because nothing stood out? I've had to use frozen scallops before (at school) and they aren't bad. Would I use them now? No, but if I did, they would taste good.

Tramanto's restaurants are known for their highly contrived dishes that are elaborately presented on such things as Versace china, fish bowls, glass, etc. Raw ingredients can be manipulated here in such a way that they do not have to be the most expensive, pristine, fresh (not frozen) I would assume.

Finally, three women in the top four!!!!

spike was ridiculous to try to sear water-logged frozen scallops. seems he was just being stubborn. lisa's perpetual scowl and negativity are so unpleasant. her food seems sloppy and uninspired to me. i would have been much more excited to watch dale in the final four with antonia, stephanie and richard.

It's bizzare to me that Lisa made it this far. The only highlight is that they always eliminate someone immediately in the finale and then it's down to the final three. No doubt that person will be Lisa.

Stephanie seems to be the most well rounded person and talented chef. I think you need both to be a good head chef.

Lisa, on the other end of the spectrum, has a lot of maturing to do before she becomes the head of anything. Her cooking is the weakest of them all and her actions (everything from her foul mouth to the huge chip she seems to bear on her shoulders) indicate to me that she would be a very poor leader.

I didn't think that either Lisa or Spike deserved to be in the final 4. If I remember correctly, Tom Coliccio said that Spike had been in the bottom seven times and Lisa four times (or maybe the inverse). I can't stand Lisa's attitude and the way she is so ready to cast blame rather than take responsibility or be flexible. Spike too was irritating and spent so much energy trying to outmaneuver his competition that he did himself in. I am happy about Stephanie, Richard and Antonia being in the finals---all very talented, all seemingly very nice people.

The final four should be DALE, Richard, Stephanie, Antonia. I miss Spike. He was a hottie.

I prefer that Spike is gone to Lisa, though I like neither and think both their cooking is way below the others', and below Dale's. Yes, Dale should be there instead of Lisa, but he still wouldn't win. He doesn't have the calm and leadership to be a Top Chef. His elimination isn't as disruptive as Tre's last season, who had a reasonable chance at being Top Chef.