A Belated Congrats to New Top Chef Michael Voltaggio (And The Scoop on Why Kevin Didn't Win)!

Divas, I know it's a little late, but I didn't want to spoil for anyone who Tivo-d the finale, so here's a belated congrats to new Top Chef Michael Voltaggio!

While I'll admit to rooting for Kevin, I'm proud to have Michael as a fixture on the Los Angeles dining scene!  He turned in a stellar performance all season long!  I'm a confessed molecular gastronomy lover, and have eaten lots of Michael's grub at The Bazaar (review here) when he used to work there!  I can't wait for the long-awaited renovation of his restaurant in Pasadena, The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel, to commence in April under the steady hand of Bill Johnson.

Next up for the Brothers Voltaggio, or the "Vo-Bros" as I like to call them (for you non-watchers, Michael's brother, Bryan, was the other finalist)?  They've launched a website together and are considering writing a book!  A great idea if you ask me, a fellow book-writer myself.

And as for Kevin, I know he's going to be a big star!  On the down-low, I'm hearing that the reason for his poor performance in the finale was that right before taping, he'd just broken up with his wife of six years!  Poor thing, but I'm sure he'll rebound in no time.  What's that they say?  Chicken soup is good for the soul?  That's right, Kevin, eat lots of chicken soup, or in your case, pork belly soup drizzled with pork fat!

CLICK HERE TO READ A GREAT INTERVIEW WITH NEW TOP CHEF MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO ON GRUB STREET!

The Diva Returns to Animal to Get Her Hands Dirty!

Quail Fry, Grits, Chad, Slab Bacon, Maple Jus

If you read my blog regularly, then you know that Animal is one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles!  I had the honor of making a return visit this Wednesday, and wanted to share it with you.

The brainchild of James Beard Award nominees and Food & Wine Best New Chefs in America 2009 John Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal restaurant does its name proud by featuring hefty hunks of meat prepared with a surprising amount of love and finesse. This is no land for the vegan, nor the weak-willed among you! After Kuzak ordered the Balsamic Pork Ribs with Delicata Squash and Cippolini Onion Vinaigrette, our server complimented him on his bravery and wished him good luck.

Top Chef Finale = Weak Sauce!!!

Hey Divas! Inspired by the New Orleans setting of the Top Chef Finale, I raced home from my after school volunteer tutoring program and brainstormed a divalicious Creole dish! While I waited for my boyfriend, Kuzak, to make his trek home from his office, the Adorable Monster followed me around the kitchen while I made dinner. For tonight's meal, I settled on preparing my version of Shrimp Etouffe served over collard greens and honey cornbread. With this spicy dish, we paired a lovely bottle of Malbec, a wine big enough to stand up to the Cajun spice! Everything turned out divalicious, but I wish I could say the same thing about the Top Chef Finale.

As far as culinary highs and lows go, the Top Chef Finale was a terrible, under seasoned dish that I'd like to send back to the kitchen! Three competitors - Carla, Stefan and Joseah - competed in the finale by cooking the best 3 course meals of their lives. Unfortunately, none of the food dazzled, and the sombre tone of the judges indicated that they felt much the same way I did, ultimately declaring Joseah the winner more by default than by choice. In fact, I can't name one dish that inspired me to want to cook more! Compared to past seasons, overall this year's competitors seemed tepid and pedestrian, and the finale proved no exception. Even Carla, who had emerged in recent weeks as my favorite competitor, seemed to buckle under the pressure of the final episode, producing sub par food. A disappontment to say the least. I only hope they'll have better casting next year. Sadly, even the Monster thought Top Chef sucked, requesting emphatically that he be removed from his comfy spot on the sofa in front of the TV and placed in his pen, where he could bury his fury head in shame under his bed!

So even though Top Chef was weak sauce tonight, the Domestic Diva's dinner delivered! Stay tuned for the Domestic Diva's Shrimp Etouffee with Collard Greens and Honey Cornbread Recipe! Coming soon to a blog near you...

Do you watch Top Chef?

GO CARLA!!!!! You know, I'll be watching the finale tonight! I hope we're all in store for some great food. I plan to be on the sofa with The Adorable Monster, ready to take it all in on my circa 2000 ancient TV! In honor of tonight, I'm going to name her a Domestic Diva! After all, she does it all! C'mon, sister, bring it on home!

Tune in later tonight - for those fans, I'll be blogging about the finale and posting my thoughts!