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I was irritated when they brought the three eliminated chefs back. That seems more about the drama and less about the contest, but I guess you need both for "good TV." At least we got to see Leah get kicked off again. (evil grin)

Creoles are Spanish, too. Still, I don't know that being French of Spanish would have given a better advantage in this challenge than being Southern. The cuisine incorporates a lot of African cooking, which Carla joked she had down pat. Good for her for bringing the soul and winning the challenge.

Why can't it be that, as the judges said, Carla's drink was actually good? I was pleased to see one of the chefs represent people who don't drink.

It was nice to see Stefan served some humble pie. I just hope he learned something from it.

I miss Fabio already...sniff sniff.

"There are so many amazing chefs in New Orleans. Why is it always Emeril who gets the attention?"

This is a very good point. I know he has a restaurant in New Orleans and everything but he's from Fall River, MA!

so glad to see gail! (carla looked pretty happy with her return, too.) toby young was just a disaster. the only amusing part about having him on the show was that tom looked ready to stab him half the time.
and what happened to bourdain this season??? totally missed him.
as for the contestants, is anyone NOT pulling for carla? she may not be the most consistent, but she's cooking her ass off now and is hilarious. i hope she doesn't choke like casey did a couple of seasons ago.

hootie hoo!

I loved this episode - Carla can COOK. She's certainly peaking at the right time, that's for sure. And having Toby "Awful Eyewear" Young on the show made me appreciate Gail Simmons so much more. It felt like Emeril was giving an eulogy, the way he pontificated on Carla's winning dishes. Good grief, Emeril, she won. Have a smile or something. Hootie hoo!

Jeff works in Miami. He's not from there and hasn't spent his entire career there. He knows Southern food outside of his Miami career.

Bringing back the old contestants and then telling them they have to win the challenge was pretty shaky.

What does that say about second chances? Jeff did really well, impressed the judges and his dishes were better than some of the others. That could have been the beginning of a "comeback kid" story.

Some really good looking dishes though last night. It's amazing Carla pulled off that oyster dish! I was worried she was going to mangle her hands trying to get those oysters opened. I was also worried the judges would find grit and shell fragments because she said she's never opened oysters. But her instincts led her in the right direction!

I have to agree with the sentiment that Emeril is not the only, nor the best chef in New Orleans. As a native and current resident of New Orleans, I can testify that Emeril's restaurants are great, but much less consistent than many others.

It is also often frustrating that we get boxed into this idea that New Orleans food has to be fried and include seafood. There is so much more to our contemporary fare than gumbo, grits and crawfish. (I found myself rolling my eyes at the quick fire challenge.) This city actually has a large variety of restaurants with amazing chefs who cook very diverse and interesting cuisines. Many have a local flair, but many do not.

What I appreciate about Jeff and Carla's dishes is that they were influenced by New Orleans but were not something you can easily get off the menu at any tourist trap of a restaurant. Josea's dishes were probably delicious but so cliche...gumbo and pecan crusted catfish...come on! Where's the creativity?!?

I wish Fabio would stay here and relocate his restaurant to New Orleans. I'll admit that we have several good Italian restaurants, but many have a New Orleans flair that is not compatible with real authentic Italian cuisine.

(Oh, and in case anyone is wondering - the New Orleans culinary economy is stronger than ever as we have more restaurants now than pre-Katrina. Y'all come now - ya hear!)

This episode really made me want to go to New Orleans! Yum. I understand how some people get annoyed about Emeril and the food they highlighted but they do that with every city - when they were in Chicago (my home) they did deep dish pizza and tailgating foods. Oy.

I will miss Fabio! His car is poop.

Man, last night was definitely my favorite of the season. I was drooling the whole time, and I haven't ever really tasted Creole food. .it just sounded so good!

I really respect Carla for doing a mock-tail, saying how she always just drinks water at these sort of events. I've noticed that there are plenty of restaurants in NYC that do lovely fruity combination beverages that are sans-booze, so it's not that strange to me.

I think I'm gonna have to figure out how to replicate some of these recipes. Hot damn they sounded great!

ee....I read somewhere that Bourdain was overheard seriously bad-mouthing Padma, her knowledge of food, and ability as a show host. Don't know if this is true, but it wouldn't be a stretch.

I am so glad Gail is back. I loved this episode! Finally a challenge for the season where every dish was great. I mean, pretty much. It was clear who was on the bottom, but there weren't too many complaints about those. Poor Fabio.

cheflaura, you can find a lot of the recipes on Bravo's Web site:L http://recipes.mt.bravotv.com/

I know I'll be trying out my first batch of beignets soon! And if I ever find myself with a lot of oysters sitting around, oyster stew would be next. If only. sigh.

i just love carla.
i want her to win!

I was so worried for Carla when she was still struggling to open those oysters! How did she make oyster stew exactly? Did she just put them on top afterwards??

I am so with you on the Emeril thing! I mean, yeah okay, he's a famous tv personality so they have him as judge. But seriously, if they wanted to give the contestants an example, couldn't they find a restaurant that better represents the long culinary history and traditions of New Orleans? Antoine's, Galatoire's, Brennan's, The Court of Two Sisters?

Also, when I think beignets in New Orleans, I think fried dough and powdered sugar only, no fillings or sauces or whatever. I know in other places beignets are more complex, but... meh.

Carla has totally grown on me! Her personality can be a little kooky, and isn't quite what I'd expect from a chef, but she obviously has the skills. Also, as one who doesn't do alcohol, I'm with her on the drink.

I wanted the final 3 to be Stephan, Fabio and Carla. I will miss Fabio next week! :( I think he's probably really good at what he does, but didn't get to show it in these challenges. I would like to see what he would have done for the final "impress us" menu.

I'm over Hosea. Maybe his food is really tasty? I just haven't been inspired.

Jeff kind of reminded me of Chef John Besh, just a little.

I didn't see the show, and I neither like nor dislike Emeril Lagasse, but the remark made about his comments made me see red...OK, bright pink. Maybe he was a wuss with contestants, but I refuse to believe that behavior like Gordon Ramsey's is necessary to teach, to guide, to instruct. It is never necessary to humiliate and berate someone in order to make an impression on them. In a completely different line of work, I had a supervisor who used such tactics, and when the derision began, I shut down. I stood and took it without comment, but I was playing a lovely tune inside my head till he stopped. I learned nothing from him except how to turn off verbally abusive behavior. If you can't be nice, play by yourself.

I am so happy for Carla. I've been rooting for her for a long time and it's great to see her talent coming to the fore.

If Hosea really doesn't want to be "distracted" by Stefan, perhaps he should stop talking about him all the time. Move on, dude!

i don't understand why everyone seems to think that 'You can't eliminate Stefan.." Sure, he was really strong for for the first half of the show, but then he started slipping. This is the second episode in a row now that he has had SERIOUS flaws in his technique; That fish was overcooked and looked completely unappetizing, and a gumbo just isn't a gumbo unless you really cook that roux dark, how can you serve that in new orleans?! Top chef is supposed to be a one-challenge-elimination show, the judges even talked about that a few shows ago. Now they seem to have forgotten, because despite Stefan obviously being a good chef, his blunders deserved an elimination.