Sad as it was to see Jamie Lauren pack her knives and leave “Top Chef” last week, it’s good to see she wasn’t too scarred by the experience. Eater SF has a nice exit interview with Jamie, who’s executive chef at Absinthe in San Francisco (not to step on Bite Club’s toes, but Absinthe is an amazingly good
restaurant that I recommend highly. And yes, scallops are on the menu). She seems to be fine with how she went out, was happy with how the show’s editors portrayed her and says Carla really is as awesome in person as she seems to be on TV. Sounds like she wasn’t a big fan of Toby Young either, though she was tactful enough to avoid saying so outright.

In other “Top Chef” news, rumor has it Season 6 will be filmed in Las Vegas, at the new M Resort way, way, way off the Strip. I’m not too thrilled by this. Though it has its share of top-notch restaurants, Vegas doesn’t seem to have much of a culinary scene. Extravagant restaurants run by celebrity chefs? Sure. But a dining scene needs more than that, something more organic and homey than out-of-town big shots like Emeril Legasse, Thomas Keller and Wolfgang Puck plopping down and setting up shop.

Las Vegas isn’t the center of any sort of regional cuisine, doesn’t have much tradition (99-cent shrimp?), and doesn’t have a whole lot of locally-grown food. There is a Whole Foods in Vegas though, so yay, everything’s saved and they can keep their sponsorship alive. Blah.

I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong and Vegas will surprise me. But God help them if they try a buffet challenge.