'Top Chef: Chicago' Episode No. 4: 'Does it say Val Kilmer in a cow suit?'

Manuel, we hardly knew ye.

This week’s episode of "Top Chef" was all about trimming the proverbial fat, and Manuel was headed for the butcher's block before the show even started. Of course, by that logic, one could also argue that Lisa was predestined to get cut this week—but she drew a great partner in Stephanie and that saved her.

It’s clear that Stephanie is not among the forgettable chefs who tend to get “trimmed” in episodes No. 4-6. (After Manuel, our money’s on Lisa and Nikki.) Again this week, we saw Stephanie finish in the top four. At the dining table with Richard Roeper and Aisha Tyler (what, Michael Phillips wasn’t available?) and again at the judge’s table, everyone seemed to agree that the flavors in her dish were spot on.

Whew. We were worried that a too-literal representation of the “Top Secret” cow scene would do Stephanie and Lisa in—Val Kilmer in a cow suit is not really the image you want in your mind while eating a lovely New York strip, with or without savory caramel sauce. (Also, we’re just not sure guest judge Daniel Boulud has seen “Top Secret.” Then again, you never know.) So we give Stephanie bonus points not only for executing a great dish, but also for gracefully humoring Lisa’s bizarre movie selection.

Other observations:

Most unsettling quote of the night: “… the people that will be eating this food will culinarily crap in their pants when we see what they have for them.” Ah, another gem from Andrew. But he might want to reconsider the imagery before reusing this one.

Most incongruous movie/food pairing: “Good morning Vietnam” as interpreted by Manuel and Spike. Yeah, we love Vietnamese cuisine too. But if we remember this flick correctly Robin Williams didn’t spend a lot of time shopping for fresh produce at the Hanoi market.

Most avoidable error: Doesn’t everyone know by now that Tom’s pet peeves include non-functional garnishes and ill-composed plates? The random garnish-like Swiss chard creation on Manuel and Spike’s plate may have violated both Colicchio commandments at once.

Biggest suck-up: Richard. Tell us he didn’t actually say, “Restraint is one of the things that Daniel taught me.” Oh, but he did—and while Daniel was in the room.

And now, we’re off to the store to stock up on Glad ForceFlex products. There’s just this nagging, uncontrollable urge all of the sudden ...