Michael Schlow on Great Bay, Westborough, and ‘Top Chef Masters’

Michael Schlow thinks Great Bay would have done better in Back Bay or the Financial District. “Great Bay was instrumental in trying to revitalize Kenmore Square, but the reality is, it was a high-end restaurant in a casual neighborhood,” Schlow said during a press conference call this afternoon to promote Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. Great Bay is Schlow’s first restaurant closure and, while he loved the space and staff, when his contract was up shuttering seemed like the best course of action, given the current economic situation and Great Bay’s price point. Schlow’s forthcoming Westborough restaurant, on the other hand, isn’t slated to open for a year or two. When it does, it will offer straightforward American food in a neighborhood that’s “dying for a good restaurant.”

Schlow appears on the first episode of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters on June 10, where he faces off against Fleur De Lys’ Hubert Keller, Aureole’s Christopher Lee, and Tim Love of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and Love Shack in Texas. He prepared for the show by watching a compilation of 25 Top Chef Quickfire challenges. “Like an idiot, I sat down and watched all 25 of the Quickfires in one night and then I basically had a panic attack.” Despite his initial nervousness, Schlow enjoyed the show’s filming, largely due to the competitors’ comraderie. “We’re all friends! We all see each other at food events, but to spend four days together was great.”

Previously: Great Bay to Shutter on Sunday
Michael Schlow Takes It to the ‘Burbs

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Michael Schlow on Great Bay, Westborough, and ‘Top Chef Masters’