Top Chef: Cookie Monster and a Salty Fiasco!

Find out what went down on last night's episode. Who was sent home and why?

By Marc Malkin Feb 17, 2011 6:45 PMTags
Top Chef Allstars, Elmo, Cookie MonsterBravo; Sesame Street

It's not every day you hear Padma Lakshmi recite, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?"

But she did during last night's episode of Top Chef—and it's not because her baby was on set. You see, contestants had to make cookies for the Quickfire Challenge, and the guest judges were Elmo, Telly and...Cookie Monster!

So what did this week's eliminated chef think when the puppet trio popped up in the kitchen? Plus, find out if tired tastebuds were to blame for being sent home:

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Last night's elimination challenge was inside a Target. The cheftestants were only allowed to cook with equipment and ingredients they found in the store.

In the end, Angelo Sosa was told to pack his knives last night after the judges found his baked potato soup too salty. I caught up with Angelo this morning from New York City, where he's getting ready to open his new restaurant, Social Eatz.

Anthony Bourdain wrote in his blog that when you saw Elmo, Telly and the Cookie Monster that you looked like someone "had just taken a dump" in your lap.
Wow, that's so eloquent. I think the thing is you never know the motive. You see Padma walk in the room, getting a little weird and it's like, OK, what's going on? It's like you're a detective on a crime scene. You're trying to figure things out.

Were you nervous when you saw them?
No, they're not scary. I thought it was awesome. My son is almost three now and he loves Elmo. The whole time, I was like, I want to win this for my son. [FYI: He didn't. Dale did.]

You said you hadn't made a cookie in 25 years! How old are you?
[Laughs] I'm an old cat.

No matter who was sent home last night, it was going to be for a pretty simple dish. It's not like you were going to be able to make anything too complicated at Target.
It was at a Super Target...I was surprised that they had a pretty good array of stuff. But I think all of us had to change our game plan a little bit. It's not like Target has filet mignon and foi gras and caviar.

Do you think Dale deserved to win? He made grilled cheese with a clothes iron!
Let me put it this way, I stand behind the judges 100 percent. I never question it. They're professionals and they've done it longer than I have. Who am I to question them?

You went home because your dish was too salty. Was there anything you could have done to make it better?
I think at that point in the middle of the morning—it was like three in the morning—I had tasted my soup so many times I think my palate became desensitized. When I went to the judges' table I was shocked it was salty because I'm like a compulsive taster.