Can ‘Top Chefs’ stand the heat of the Big Apple?

New York - They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

And after four seasons in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, "Top Chef" has landed in New York City, which many argue is the top city in the world for gastronomes. With nearly 19,000 restaurants and world-renowned chefs including Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert and Bobby Flay, the competition to excel in the Big Apple is fierce.

"The New York dining landscape is such a unique one," said Dale Talde, a season four contestant who returned to work at Buddakan, a popular restaurant in New York City’s meatpacking district, after he finished filming. Talde pointed out that within a few blocks of his restaurant, you could dine at “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto’s eponymous restaurant, Mario Batali’s Del Posto, "Top Chef" head judge Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market.

Talde’s ideal challenge for the season five cast? Work on the line at Buddakan, which serves a jaw-dropping 1,100 covers on a Saturday night.

"The New York scene is always busy and it’s always going," he said. "You don’t want to know who the VIPs are that are sitting out there because the pressure is just so high."

The challenges of shooting in the Big Apple
Lee Anne Wong, a season one contestant who has gone on to work as a culinary producer for the show, said the nonstop nature of the New York dining scene made it a bit more difficult to schedule shootings on location at restaurants, pushing some shooting to 6 a.m.

And New York’s food media didn’t make it any easier.

"The show is based on confidentiality and we have to keep everything a secret," Wong said. "And we had people following us around, bloggers stalking us and people camped outside the chefs’ apartment."

Harold Dieterle, the season one winner who later opened the successful Greenwich Village restaurant Perilla, thinks the buzz and excitement of the city might put some extra stress on the contestants of the already cutthroat show.          

"The level of the guest judges probably going on the show will be pretty ridiculous," Dieterle said. "When I was in San Francisco, one or two of the judges were really culinary icons, and now they are in New York, which arguably has the best restaurants in the country. I would be shaking a bit if I had those people critiquing my food on a regular basis."

Dieterle would like to see the contestants take advantage of the diversity of the area and head out to the farms in the Hudson Valley, the beaches of the Hamptons and the culturally rich outer boroughs of the city.

Outspoken season four contestant Andrew D’Ambrosi — known for lines like "I have a culinary boner right now" — thinks the new contestants should get a grittier view of the city.

"I would do a challenge where they are stuck in an abandoned subway and they must forage for food on the tracks and make a dish," said D’Ambrosi, who has worked at famed restaurant Le Cirque since the show ended but is taking a new job at a private dinner club. "It would really test their creativity."

Can a ‘Top Chef’ make it in NYC?
While the grueling challenges of "Top Chef" help contestants hone their skills and the notoriety the show provides can help boost a career, former contestants agree that it doesn’t guarantee success on the New York City restaurant scene.

Last December, season one contestant Dave Martin took over as executive chef of Crave on 42nd, hoping to bring hype to the restaurant, which was in debt. But the combination of a location on the far west side of Manhattan along with a slowing economy forced the restaurant to shut its doors this fall.

Opening a new spot has also gotten harder. Talde said he is working on creating his own restaurant, DQN (Dale’s Quality Noodles), which would feature fare like Vietnamese sandwiches and noodle soups, but that it's difficult to find financing in the current economy.

Nikki Cascone, a season four contestant who already had an established New York City restaurant, 24 Prince, before she appeared on the show, said it has helped her business, but you have to keep working hard.

"We don’t come home and expect to be Jean-Georges after a six-week competition on television," Cascone said. "Your life changes, but it changes because your expectations of yourself become much higher."

More from TODAY Last of eight World War II-vet brothers fights on | Video 10 most gorgeous mother-daughter pairs in Hollywood Ambush makeover! Luxurious new look for laid-off mom 15 last-minute holiday gifts  | Holiday tips galore Audio slideshow: Year in Pictures 2009 | Vote

MORE FROM FOOD & WINE

Food & Wine Section Front

Scottos' brunch: Nutella pancakes, polenta eggs   Fresco’s famous crab cakes with avocado salsa Yum! How to make a whole baked fish in a snap Tyler Florence’s pork roast with apple stuffing Treat yourself! Giada’s favorite holiday desserts Warm up with Giada’s tomato soup and panini Giada’s holiday treats for Santa (and Rudolph) Flourless chocolate espresso cake with berries 10 food trends to look for in 2010 Sandra Lee's cash-saving holiday recipes Food & Wine Section Front   Add Food & Wine headlines to your news reader: