Hungry for good TV? Watch "Top Chef"

If reality television were a buffet, "Top Chef" would be a slice of tiramisu. Sure, it's sort of gourmet, but it's got enough mass appeal to be on the Olive Garden menu.

(If you're wondering about the other dishes in the reality buffet, "American Idol" would be overcooked spaghetti, "Amazing Race" would be some greasy but deliciously satisfying lo-mein and "Project Runway" would most likely be an organic lentil burger. Feel free to add any other comparisons that come to mind).

First of all, don't confuse "Top Chef" with similarly named "Iron Chef." Not that I don't have a soft spot for the Asian Invasion hit, but the comparisons end in the title and the fact that they're both competitions involving food. "Top Chef" follows a more generic reality formula: 16 chefs compete in a variety of challenges for a grand prize of $100,000 in seed money, the title of Top Chef and a number of other corporate-sponsored prizes that host Padma Lakhsmi will be only too happy to recite every episode. Oh, and there's a smorgasbord of spicy personal drama, although none have resulted in food fights (tragic!).

This show is for you if any of the following things apply:
1. You love the Food Network but often wonder what it would be like to see Molto Mario slap Rachael Ray
2. You are suffering from "Project Runway" withdrawal (nicknamed "Fierce" this condition causes you to cry uncontrollably)
3. You love food

With Chicago as the backdrop, Season 4 can do nothing but improve, although Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune is lamenting the lack of Chicago-based chefs as judges. But rumor has it that the first episode tackles one of the Windy City's finest culinary traditions - deep dish pizza - and, no, it's not that crap they pass off as deep dish pizza at Pizza Hut.

"Top Chef" premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on Bravo with a special 75-minute episode. Eat up!

-- Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com