Mike Isabella took some time out of his busy schedule growing his D.C. area restaurant empire to head back to Bravo for another round of ”Top Chef.”
This time it’s ”Top Chef Duels,” a nine-episode series that pits two chefs against each other in each episode. Isabella will face off against Antonia Lofaso, his rival during ”Top Chef All-Stars.” The D.C. chef ended up in second place during that season, and he and Lofaso had a lively rivalry that turned a little more friendly when a challenge revealed they were actually distant relatives.
See a trailer for Top Chef Duels below.
The structure of the show hasn’t been fully outlined, though it appears each chef gets to challenge their opponent to cook a specific dish, if this video showing Richard Blais challenging Marcel Vigneron to cook “a burger that’s actually recognizable as a burger” is any indication.
What Isabella favorite could come up for a challenge for Lofaso? The chef’s crack-like pepperoni sauce, perhaps? Or maybe he’ll pull a move similar to Blais, picking a dish upon which he has built an empire. Blais owns four burger joints; maybe Isabella will challenge Lofaso to pizza a la his Chinatown — and soon, Richmond— restaurant Graffiato?
Isabella’s episode will air Aug. 20 at 10 p.m., and he’ll host a watch party at his restaurant, Kapnos and G on 14th St. NW, that evening starting at 9 p.m.
