When atmospheric townhouse restaurant Bobo opened this fall, an instant scene came along with it. But so did kitchen trauma when opening chef Nicolas Cantrel (now Bagatelle) was out after only a few months tenure. Then Jared Stafford-Hill (ex-Hearth) stepped in. His new menu--and green initiative--is finally drawing more attention than the celeb patrons, the name (a David Brooks-coined combo of bohemian and bourgeois), and the gorgeous interior design. I chatted with the chef recently about exactly how he's making his mark.

KS: What do you bring to the Bobo equation and what changes did you make to the menu to reflect that?

Jared Stafford-Hill: Well, I'm somewhat of a Bobo myself. I'm a creative type that enjoys the finer things in life. So I think I bring a passion for the highest quality ingredients and some refinement and luxury to the Bobo equation. The jamon Iberico and beef Fiorentina with oxtail soffrito are dishes that show that.

KS: Which dish on the menu do you feel is the most "bohemian?"

JSH: The charcuterie rustique (pork rillettes, parsley'd ham terrine, frisee and bacon salad, pickled pearl onions and carrots) because it's authentic, traditional country food.

KS: Which dish is the most "bourgeois?"

Photo courtesy of Bravo

So long Erik. Soggy corndogs do not make tasty block party food. And what was up with carting out a plate of slop to Rick Bayless and passing it off as tacos with a fine dining twist? Oh wait, that was the challenge ...

This week, we turn our attention to New York transplant Dale Talde, the sous chef at Buddakan who clocked time at Jean-Georges' Vong, along with Opera and Spring (where he worked with fellow castmates Stephanie Izard and Valerie Bolon) in his native Chicago. The cheftestant, who worried on last night's episode about sacrificing "elegance" in presentation at a neighborhood street party, notes that his strengths are in Modern Asian cuisine--Chinese, Japanese, Thai--everything but Filipino. "I cannot cook Filipino food to save my life," he said. Somehow we doubt it.

VM: In the first episode, at least how the clips painted you anyway, you're portrayed as a p-r-i-c-k. Is that fake or real?
"I'm Asian, not the tallest dude in the world and I look like I'm 12. In the kitchen, you have to have a presence about you or you're gonna get eaten alive. You're always running at 100 percent. You don't know when to stop. I have no off button."

VM: Yeah, chefs are pirates.
"I've gotten a lot better about my temper. I've learned to start to relax. You can't go around throwing plates. You'll give yourself a heart attack."

VM: How is the "Top Chef" environment different from your own kitchen?
"When it's your kitchen, it's a collaborative effort. The executive chef, the chef de cuisine, we're a unit. You really have to massage each other's egos here. You can't really say, 'Hey, ---hole, put those ducks in the oven."

VM: What flavors did you grow up with?
"I had home-cooked food everyday. My parents were always like, 'Why are you going to go out when we have food cooked here?' I love Filipino food ... kare-kare, oxtail ... but I'll leave it up to them. I just don't want to make it. I think it must be an Asian parent/child thing."

VM: So you knew Stephanie and Valerie before the show?
"Yeah, Stephanie and I worked together for a year (in Chicago). Our chef de cuisine, Jeff, was a mentor. When Val stepped in (on the set of the show), it was a total shock, but that was cool."

VM: Why do you want to be the next Top Chef?
"I think it's the next progression in my career. I've got that swagger. I used to want to be an emcee when I was kid. I still have part of that rock star in me."

To say Michael Psilakis has a lot on his plate at the moment is an understatement. He mans the stoves at Michelin-starred Anthos; is in the midst of moving Upper West Sider Kefi and opening a restaurant with another concept in its place (though he's not giving details); and he's somehow finding the time to write a memoir/cookbook for Little Brown. We recently caught up with the refreshingly humble chef to discuss everything from what's on the menu at Mia Dona to whether his name will be on the awning at his next restaurant, a la his collaborator, Donatella Arpaia.

KS: The crispy rabbit at Mia Dona, which I'm calling "rabbit in a bucket," is finger lickin' great! What inspired that brainstorm?

Chef Michael Psilakis: We have an amazing, big bar at Mia Dona and I wanted to come up with some great bar snacks. Obviously wings fit into that category, but I wanted to take it to another level. I thought about working with rabbit instead of chicken, and we serve them with potato chips made from pickled potatoes and cucumber remoulade. It's a fun dish and it sells like crazy.

KS: I noticed pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon on the menu. Were you concerned about that being too lowbrow for the neighborhood?

Like the rest of the food-loving, TV-watching world, we're more than a little obsessed with "Top Chef." And our chat with Chicago's Stephanie Izard marks the first in a series of interviews we'll be doing with some of this season's contestants. Have a question you'd like one of the contestants to be asked? Send it our way.

Stephanie Izard, who emerged victorious in the second challenge on last night's season premiere of "Top Chef," had already wowed Chicago with her inventive takes on seafood. In fact, everyone in the Windy City let out a collective sigh when she suddenly closed her restaurant Scylla--which in addition to being named after a mythical sea monster was arguably one of the hottest tables in town--to travel. What? You broke up with us? Just like that?

But wouldn't you know it, Izard has made a comeback, quietly contending in a stew of egos. Last night's gussied-up version of duck l'orange--a braised duck roll with orange reduction sauce--stunned Rocco, Tom and Padma. Izard spoke with Citysearch Wednesday from Honduras, where she is honing her scuba skills. "Scuba is my second love," she said. Naturally.

What was the audition process like?
"I've been a big fan of the show since the first season. I knew Dale (a runner-up on last season) and he encouraged me to go for it. I figured what the hell. Why not? It was a fun process. We got to meet with the producers. A few of them came into Scylla so I basically just sent them everything on the menu."

How is working in this environment different from your own kitchen?
"Being in a new kitchen is always a challenge. There are 16 of us running around like crazy people. It's a little bit more chaotic than most kitchens."

What other food do you like working with?

Zak Pelaccio has been an unstoppable force ever since he emerged on NY's dining radar in 2003. After initial praise at Williamsburg's Chickenbone Cafe, he has since wielded his whisk at 5 Ninth and Fatty Crab, and has scored consulting gigs at 230 Fifth, Borough Food & Drink and most recently Chop Suey. The city's busiest chef was kind enough to chat with us  about his ubiquitousness, what he's up to next and who else in the culinary field has cool hair.

KS: How does consulting for a restaurant differ from being the in-house chef?

Chef Zak Pelaccio: Another word for "consulting" is "advising." Perhaps that adds a bit more clarity to the role. I offer advice to an operator as to dishes they may want to serve, recipes, etc. However, it is at the operator's discretion to accept that advice or not.

KS: What are some of the rewards of being a consultant instead of the in-house chef?

ZP: For me, the opportunity to consult came about during a point in my life where my personal life required greater immediate attention than anything else. Consulting/advising afforded me the ability to maintain a steady income while not being responsible for day-to-day operations and therefore spend some necessary time with my son through what was a difficult couple of years.

KS: What is your response to critics (i.e., Eater) who feel that you collaborate too much?

Scores of lovers will be swarming V-Day favorite One if by Land, Two if by Sea on Thursday, and if they could stop staring deeply into each other's eyes for a minute, they might notice something different is afoot in the romantic carriage house. The food has notably improved, thanks to new exec chef Craig Hopson, late of Picholine, who has not only transformed dinner dishes, but added delectable bar bites like these seductive frogs legs hailed by our friends at Grub Street. Today on Chef Talk, Hopson weighs in on kitchen ghosts, which dishes compete with all those fireplaces and chandeliers, and which chef he'd like to take down in a duel.

KS: How did you put your own stamp on the legendary beef wellington?

Chef Craig Hopson: I'm making it more consistent. I've been through many butchers to get the cut and quality right, and by trying many recipes to get the mushroom duxelles how it should be. I am also garnishing it seasonally--right now it is with roasted baby vegetables.

KS: Which dish of yours do you feel is destined to become the next "beef wellington."

CH: The Gruyere gnocchi with wild burgundy snails. It gets great comments for its strong, assertive flavor, and it's rich but not heavy. People like it because it's offbeat and exotic.

KS: The restaurant was once the residence of Aaron Burr, and it is said that his ghost haunts the spot. Have you seen any ghostly activity in the kitchen?

CH: Yes, stuff goes missing all of the time. I made a batch of brioche once and let it rest overnight in the walk-in. The next day it was nowhere to be found, and everybody looked. But the day after that it reappeared.

KS: Aaron Burr famously killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. If you had to challenge another chef to a duel, who would it be?

CH: Escoffier, because he's already dead, so it would be an easy fight. Plus, having his ghost in the kitchen would push out our resident ghost of Burr.

After a long, touted run in Atlanta, chef Sotohiro Kosugi packed up his knives and came to the Village this past summer. Winner of Food and Wine's  Best New Chef of 1997, Kosugi's Japanese cuisine is now wowing New Yorkers so much that Frank Bruni even gave Soto a shout-out as one of the 10 best new restaurants of 2007. Here, in part one of a recent interview with Kosugi, the sushi sensei spouts his views on everything from his favorite brand of knives to the mercury/tuna scare via a recent email chat.

KS: What is your preferred brand of sushi knives?

Chef Sotohiro Kosugi: I use seven different knives everyday for different tasks. Besides my Kyocera ceramic knife (for fruit) I use Sukenari brand. It's a high carbon steel knife handmade at a small factory in Yatsuo, Japan. My entire family--my grandfather, father, brother and two uncles, all sushi chefs--use this brand so it is a family tradition. Many of my knives have been with me since I started cooking in 1981. When I go back home to Japan, I visit the factory and bring in my knives for minor adjustments and major overhauls. This is the reason I am able to use these knives for such a long time--large factories don't provide this service. 

KS: What is your take on the recent New York Times story on high mercury levels in tuna?

SK: I feel sad that many journalists often use partial facts in order to get readers' attention. I would ask the writer of that story to please also study the benefits in tuna as well, like the benefits of selenium and DHA, for example. The Japanese have known about tuna's mercury content for a long time, but we also know about the benefits of other nutrition in tuna. If people are very concerned about mercury levels my conclusion is always the same: Eat with balance. Balance of meals is the key to a healthy life.