Capital Spice

SPOILER ALERT

If you have not yet watched last night’s season finale of Top Chef All-Stars, you probably won’t want to read this interview just yet.  We spoke with Washington’s own Chef Mike Isabella, chef-owner of the forthcoming Graffiato, for the third time this season just a few minutes ago.  And yes, we talk about how he did in the finale last night.

With that disclaimer out of the way, join us after the jump for the conversation.

Capital Spice: “It is what it is” – You seemed pretty confident at judge’s table and you were definitely pleased with your dishes.  What do you think made the difference in the judges’ minds?

Chef Mike Isabella: It was a nail-biter, and it could have gone either way.  Richard and I both thought that I got the most and the best comments at Judge’s Table…we both thought I won.  Maybe his experience gave him the edge, or one of his dishes was better.  But it was really close.

CS: You made the biggest improvement among the entire all-star cast from your previous showing.  Why do you think that is?

MI: When I watched myself on the Vegas season, it wasn’t really who I was.  This time I held my tongue a bit more and I focused on cooking.  I was more professional and I learned from my mistakes.

CS: Any specific mistakes you were sure to avoid?

MI: Sometimes I’ve made some comments I shouldn’t have, for sure.  I wanted to let my food speak for itself this time, and I think I did that for the most part.

CS: You had a lot of success in the Bahamas – you even beat Michael Voltaggio in a head-to-head competition.  It seemed like you had a lot of fun, too.  What’s your favorite takeaway from the finale?

MI: I found myself as a chef in the Bahamas.  I’ve been focused on Greek and Mediterranean for a long time now, and I felt very one-dimensional as a result.  When I came back from New York I spent some time staging at a few of the best restaurants in the area: the Source, VOLT, Blue Duck Tavern.  It gave me a broader perspective and really helped.  I may not have beaten Blais, but I won for myself – I cooked my food the way I wanted to.  The Last Supper challenge was the only time when I felt like I didn’t do quite as well as I wanted to.

CS: Speaking of Last Suppers…when it came time to assign chefs to Antonia and Richard, you’ve said you made a strategic decision to give Chef Morimoto to Antonia.  In retrospect, do you wish you had gone the other way?

MI: Absolutely not.  For one thing, I’m glad I went head to head with Blais.  But there’s more to it than that.  I’m not sure how many people realize that Antonia worked for Chef Puck for seven years, so she would have had a significant advantage if she were cooking for him.  She probably would have won handily and then I would have been competing with Richard for that second place spot. 

CS: Did you take any downtime when you got back from the Bahamas, or has it been right back to work on the restaurant?

MI: Not much downtime, no.  We’re hard at work on Graffiato, looking at opening in about five or six weeks.  It’s crunch time.

CS: Any new developments in the build-out since we spoke a few weeks ago?

MI: A lot.  The pizza ovens were just put in, we’ve gotten all the ductwork and plumbing installed, and the second floor and basement are all framed out.

CS: I stopped by your new space last night and saw some interesting caution signs out front.  Are there really “Lasers in Use?”

MI: [Laughs] No, but there were.  They were for cutting the concrete when we were working on the floors.

CS: EW.com called your wife cute, which is always nice to hear.  Will she be playing a prominent role at Graffiato?

MI: I want to get her involved as much as possible in the restaurant.  She’s in the industry and she’s already been a huge help throughout the process.

CS: So will we be seeing you again when Top Chef comes calling for the next All Stars season?  Or maybe on a future season of Top Chef Masters?

MI: I’d say I’m done with competing for a while.  I want to focus on the new restaurant, but maybe you’ll see me on the other side of the table, as a judge. [Laughs] That looks like a lot of fun.

CS: Washington was really well represented this season – Carla won Fan Favorite, and she and Spike were both chosen to cook in the finale.  Thanks for showing was DC can do.

MI: I really wanted to bring back the win, but I’m proud of what we did.

CS: Thanks for taking the time again, Chef, and congratulations for doing so well.

MI: Thanks.  Good talking to you again.