For more, head here.

In other news, food personality Alton Brown announced he’ll be shifting the focus of Good Eats. “”I’ve been busy being clever, but now I want to use what credibility I may have to help people think about sustainability,” he told grist.com in an interview. He even offered to ride along with Greenpeace, saying “somebody needs to sink the Japanese tuna fleet. Everyone’s willing to point the finger, but nobody’s willing to pull the trigger.”

Damn, concerns for sustainability on the Food Network? Maybe they should have a talk with Paula.

Those of you who indulge me enough to read this week’s Morning After column are aware of my general disappointment with this season’s Top Chef. It should be a no brainer: I love to taste, I love to cook, I love to veg (no pun intended) on occasion in front of the TV — I should be in culinary arts heaven. But the Chi-town installment has been an underwhelming affair.

I can sleep tonight, though, for piercingly blue-eyed head judge Tom Colicchio and Co. anointed Stephanie the Top Chef. Still, I felt finalist Richard’s pain and admit that Lisa, after squeezing by time-after-mediocre-time, redeemed herself nicely, cooking-wise. (And welcome back, Chef Ripert! My, how you’ve been missed.)

In other TC news, the Bravo network just announced plans for a junior version of the show. We can only speculate what the 13-16 year-old-friendly tests will be. Quick Fire challenges concerning pizza? Elimination contests themed to favorite movies?

Oh right, they already did that with the adults this season.

Of course, my palate is embarrassingly unrefined compared to that of our own foodie extraordinaire, Brian Ries. Check out his blog while I crack open a celebratory bottle of Lagunitas-bottled, [Frank] Zappa estate Lumpy Gravy beer, comforted by the knowledge that a nice gal finished first (even if a bad apple lasted far longer than she should have).

Last week, though, saw a teensy bit of controversy. The elimination challenge was held at Rick Tramonto’s high-end Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood, where cheftestants were supposed to create an appetizer and entree from what they found in the pantry and coolers. Eventual eliminee Spike (he’s from Clearwater!) had the ill-conceived notion of utilizing a bag of frozen scallops he found in the freezer. That’s a no-no, since frozen scallops almost inevitably turn out dry, rubbery and odd. These were no exception.

At the judges table, Spike continued his poor decision-making by calling out Tramonto for having the bag of scallopscicles in his kitchen in the first place. That’ll be good for your future job prospects, Spike.

Still, not a bad question. And Tramonto didn’t have a good explanation handy. Until now. Both he and Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio recently blogged explanations (Tom, Rick), claiming that some of the food was brought in just for the show. That sounds about right, wouldn’t want a reality TV competition to have to deal with a real restaurant kitchen, would we?

Coming up this week on Top Chef: someone wins! Don’t know who and — as long as it is not Lisa — don’t really care.

Hopefully Molto Mario learned a lesson from that ill-fated Food Network show where he traveled through Italy with his nameless (at least, I don’t remember the name) pal through nigh unwatchable scenes of vaguely food-related hi-jinx. Even the clogged, redheaded demi-god of chefs couldn’t save that bland endeavor.

You may have heard that he’s since contracted to give the same treatment to Spain, albeit with better companions, a much bigger budget and thankfully free from the aegis of those tunnel-visioned goobers who run the Food Network. The result is Spain: On the Road Again, a PBS food show that appears, at least from this sneak peek recently plopped on Youtube, to be mostly about the lifestyles of the rich, famous and hungry. It’s set to air in the fall, in primetime, no less. Of course, PBS’s primetime might be Saturday at 9 a.m.

I love Batali. I like Mark Bittman (at least in print). I can even stand the waspy, prim Gwyneth Paltrow. But the show? We’ll see. Check it out above.

If only this accomplished Cleveland chef, beloved by fellow Ohioan Michael Ruhlman and recently crowned the new Iron Chef America, would take a look at liar-liar-pants-on-fire Irvine’s abandoned project in downtown St. Pete, too. We could use a real celebrity chef in the area, especially one with chops like Symon, in spite of the soul patch.

Whaddya think, Mike? [cleveland.com]

I haven’t updated you on the status of this titannic competition since the beginning because, well, nothing’s really happened. People stammered and stuttered on camera, mediocre food was made to look edible and people were dropped. No big whoop.

Let me help out the judges. If you were still, this late in the game, looking for that indefinable “star quality” out of the final contestants, you may as well give it up. All this show has proved is that almost any schmo with a little training and minimal stage presence can host a show on the Food Network. Is that the message you want to portray, Tuschman and friends? Mission accomplished.

This week, though, things have changed — there’s some drama! The judges slotted JAG into the final two, then managed to pick busty Rory over the milder, but vastly more competent Amy. But wait! Don’t vote yet!

It turns out that JAG likes to pad his resume. Maybe it was a typo – “I meant to say that I had never been to Iraq and I did not graduate from cooking school.” In a tearful confrontation, he comes clean with the judges, who pat him on his back and send him on his way with no hard feelings. Sad, ’cause he was the best cook of the bunch.

That does bring Amy back into the fold, which makes me happy. Her “gourmet next door” or whatever she names her “style” is always just an excuse to bring some serious French cooking into the kitchen. Me likee.

The final battle is up to you. Do you want Busty Horseteeth? Or Frenchy McNoLips? Go vote already.

(It’s Sex and the City, animated, starring bottles of spray salad dressing, guest-starring Mark McGrath, Tim Gunn, and Fabio, just in case you’re afraid to click. Be afraid.)

1. Pretty much all of the Top Chef contestants can cook, some of them extremely well. That has become surprisingly rare in TV food shows.
2. The weekly competitions have morphed from the goofy scenarios of season 1 into interesting culinary challenges, where the framework is just a reason for some fine genre cooking.
3. The judges are a heck of a lot better. Colicchio and Simmons are almost likable.
4. Padme Lakshmi.