Home Cooking

Top Chef - Season 11, Episode 10

Previously on Top Chef: Two restaurants went to war. It seemed that the Green team would be the conquering army, but the scrappy Purple team indulged in some sneaky tactical attacks, such as cooking good food and providing capable service. Uncanny! Justin's huffy sneer every time he receives criticism made another unwelcome return, but it seems to be working for him, as Sara's terrible dessert and abysmal service earned her a one-way ticket back to the WWII thrift store. Nine chefs remain. Who will be eliminated tonight?

Quickfire. Guest judge Hubert Keller joins Padma to explain that for this week's challenge, the chefs will be creating dishes centered around coffee. And not just any coffee, but [brand-of-coffee]! Wow, [brand-of-coffee] is awesome! Oh, did you want me to fill in those brackets? Sure thing. As soon as I receive the same $10,000 check that the chef who wins the challenge gets, I'll get right on that. Now, I'm a big coffee enthusiast, but apparently nothing like Nina, who tells us that she drinks 15 espressos a day. As she is not currently hovering around the ceiling like a hummingbird, I do not believe her. Immunity is up for grabs, but the chefs are lot more interested in the money. A couple of interviews make plain that our economy is still a troubled one, because the grand dreams the chefs have for their prize money includes presentable clothes to replace their threadbare duds, and an air conditioner that actually functions.

The chefs spring into action. A lot of their plans go awry, as Brian attempts risotto that turns into a goopy mess, and Carrie runs out of time before her crepes can be cooked. She hurries to make a coffee custard, instead. Shirley crusts some tenderloin with coffee, and makes a coffee brown butter sauce and blanched garlic to go with it. Sounds good. Stephanie combines goat cheese with sweet potato, and serves it on a crepe with a ham/bacon/coffee jam. When it comes to the judging, Hubert singles out these latter three women for praise, while Brian's risotto sinks him to the bottom, along with Nicholas, whose hazelnut coffee caramel emulsion had an unpleasant texture. The winner of immunity and the generous [brand-of-coffee] cash prize is...Shirley! Yay! I have such a soft spot for her. Especially now that she'll have an air conditioner and won't be walking around the house all sweaty and gross.

Elimination Challenge. Another guest judge joins the panel this week. Actor Anthony Mackie has come home to New Orleans, and tells the chefs that for this week's challenge, they'll be going home as well, in a sense. They're tasked with creating a dish inspired by what they want to eat when they're at home. It's an endeavor that has a lot of emotion built in, which is naturally done on purpose, but is also pretty cool to watch. The last time the show did a challenge like this, they couldn't even bring themselves to eliminate anyone, which I found a big relief. Will they be able to go through with it this time? Let's find out! The chefs have a pretty scant three hours' cooking time, and will be presenting their dishes to the judges and guest diner Leah Chase at her New Orleans institution, Dooky Chase. Tradition or no, that is possibly the worst restaurant name I've ever heard - even if it was a name coined in an era before it started sounding like a poop-themed video game.

Shopping/Prep. Justin tells us that he used to eat squirrel, and while my initial reaction is disgust, I have to remind myself of my try-everything-once rule. You know, within reason. I can't turn my nose up at squirrel before joyfully wandering off to eat sweetbreads. Nicholas is making his daughter's favorite gnocchi, and while it's all very cute, it really cements this season's subtitle. "Top Chef - Season 11: Enough With The Goddamn Gnocchi, Already". Shirley shakes the prep table while kneading bread, and loudly hacks up her pork with a cleaver, momentarily getting on everyone else's nerves. Never mind them, girl! You hack to your heart's content. Brian plans to grill some Korean-style steak, while Travis makes biscuits and gravy. Tom raises his eyebrows when he hears the biscuits won't be made with buttermilk. Oh, please. Buttermilk is delicious, but it's not integral to the quality of a biscuit. Especially one smothered in gravy. Stephanie peers deep into my psyche yet again, and comes up with a mussel dish with pickled peppers that I would punch a nun to get at. Upon arrival at Dooky Chase (snicker), Brian discovers there is no charcoal grill, forcing him to pan sear his steaks. Travis keeps opening the oven to gauge the progress of his biscuits. I would never pretend to be a better cook than any contestant ever on this show, but even I know that you shouldn't do that. Yet another reminder that chefs and bakers rarely intersect. Carrie manages to poach a dozen eggs at the same time, which is the most impressive thing I've seen since the Olympics. I tried to do two the other night, and ruined both of them.

The meal goes out in three rounds. In the first round, Brian's marinated steaks go out with Travis' biscuits and Carlos' delightful-looking cochinita pibil with black beans and pico de gallo. The jam Travis serves with his dish is popular, but the inside of his biscuits are underdone to the point of raw. Yikes. Brian's steaks would have been a lot better if he had grilled them. I guess it's a fair criticism, but I can't help but feel for Brian, since he had a reasonable expectation of kitchen equipment that he wasn't able to use. Carlos' dish is praised from top to bottom. Yeah, that looked terrific.

Round 2 includes Nicholas' gnocchi, which looks pretty homey and comforting. He finds himself missing his family, and starts to weep in his interview. Shirley has used her immunity to take a risk, and presents some dao xiao mian she's not entirely sure will be successful. Stephanie has her aforementioned mussel dish, and I'm hungry just typing about it. The judges find Nicholas' gnocchi soft and delightful. Stephanie's dish is also well-received, while Shirley's is met with more confusion than criticism. Round 3 wraps up the meal, with Justin's chicken thigh gravy served over rice, Carrie's creamed asparagus and egg on toast, and Nina's curried chicken. All of those sound good, though I'd have to think Carrie's dish would be viewed as too simple. The judges apparently have no big problem with it, nor with Nina's chicken, though a couple of judges wish she had served it with rice instead of avocado. Justin's recent slide continues, as his chicken has good flavor, but is too dry. Hasn't dryness been the main complaint about every one of his dishes? He should just start slathering everything in sauce, whether it calls for it or not.

Fret 'n sweat. It's pretty tough to tell which way the wind is blowing, as the judges praise Shirley's noodles (but not the overall dish), Nicholas' gnocchi (but not the overall dish), and Travis' gravy (but not the overall dish). They're less reserved about Stephanie and Carlos, whom they all loved. Carlos, Stephanie, and Nicholas are called to Judges' Table as the top three, much to their relief. Nicholas kids that if he got heat for a dish he poured so much emotion into and that he's made a million times, he was going to wreck up the place. Fortunately, no violence is necessary, as he wins his second Elimination Challenge in a row. That dish really did look wonderful. Brian, Justin, and Travis are called in as the bottom three. Brian's steaks may have had more flavor if he had had access to the charcoal grill he wanted, but fact is, he didn't. Travis' undercooked biscuits are a major sticking point. Literally! *rimshot* Justin insists that he's made his dish a bunch of times, just not recently, because he's a restaurant chef and has to cook the actual menu, [assholes]. That [assholes] is not said out loud, but it hangs heavily in the air. Elimination. Oh, yes. Elimination. None of this you-cooked-your-hearts-out-so-everyone-stays this time. Travis. Please pack your knives and go. No huge surprise, there. It'd be impossible to overlook raw dough; there are few things more off-putting to bite into. He cries a bit as he leaves, but seems to be at peace with the decision. No word on whether he's at peace with facing the conservative father he just came out to on national television when he gets home, though.

Overall Grade: B+