Top Chef - Season 11, Episode 14
Previously on Top Chef: Jacques Pepin tasked the chefs with emulating one of his signature dishes, but didn't mention that he generally gets more than thirty-five minutes to pull it off. Nicholas took the Quickfire win and immunity. AND IMMUNITY, I SAID. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs split into French and Spanish teams, but nobody wedged themselves in the middle while waving the flag of Andorra. Nina led the Spanish team to a win, while Nicholas' poor dishes sank the French. His immunity shielded him from elimination, so the chop fell on poor Stephanie, instead. Five chefs remain. Who will be eliminated tonight?
Quickfire. The chefs are joined in the Kitchen by Padma and guest judge Roy Choi. Roy helped kick off the food truck craze in Los Angeles with his innovative taco ideas. Innovative Taco Ideas will be the title of my autobiography, by the way. Putting a creative spin on tacos is understandable in L.A., but since we're in New Orleans, today's challenge will be to put a creative spin on something much more regionally appropriate: The Po'Boy Sandwich. Mmmm, I could go for one of those right now. Damned post-new-year diets. The chefs only have twenty minutes to throw something together, and unbelievably, immunity is still up for grabs. Seriously? Someone gets to coast into the final four on a twenty-minute sandwich? Whatever. Padma starts the clock.
Unsurprisingly, with such a tight time limit, the chefs immediately back into their comfort zones. Nina goes for an island feel, Shirley opts for Asian style, Carlos makes al pastor, and so on. When time runs out, Padma and Roy go down the line. Nicholas has a cornmeal-encrusted shrimp po'boy with spicy mayo, fennel, and pancetta. Shirley's Asian po'boy involves catfish in a soy/garlic glaze. Nina has fried Mahi Mahi with pickled onions. Brian makes a po'boy with lobster and gochujang aioli. It also involves pickled cabbage. Carlos has made an al pastor po'boy of marinated pork with chili, pineapple, onion, and roasted garlic. When it comes time for the final decision, Roy basically blasts all five chefs for being boring, uncreative, and too "chefy".
I can't taste the food, of course, so I have no idea if these sandwiches were truly disappointing or not. What I can tell you, though, is that this is not the first time a guest judge who considers themselves a creative genius is an arrogant douche about other people's efforts. I think there's a direct correlation between ego and criticism with some of these judges. It's not attractive. The worst of it is when Roy scoffs about Carlos' dish not being "real" al pastor. Sure, I'll go ahead and buy that from the South Korean American, rather than the Mexican chef from Mexico. Anyhow, though nobody impresses King Roy, the award for the least disastrous po'boy goes to... Shirley! Yay! I'm still a bit gobsmacked that someone just earned final four placement on what was deemed a boring sandwich, but I adore Shirley, so I'm fine with it.
Elimination Challenge. Actor/Director/Unfortunate Beard Haver Jon Favreau enters the Kitchen. His new film, Chef, is briefly described, and I've got to say, it looks pretty intriguing. He tells the contestants that for today's challenge, they'll have to make their dishes using only what can be found in dumpsters all around New Orleans. There's a beat before he tells them that he's totally kidding. Ha! Nice burn. Shirley, in particular, looked like she was about to have a massive coronary. The real Elimination Challenge will be to create a dish that represents a turning point in the chefs' careers. That's vague to the point of pointless. It's not a complaint; I like challenges where the chefs have a degree of freedom. It's just that they can basically make whatever they want and claim it figures into their past in a significant way. The chefs play fair, though, because you can actively see the wheels spinning in their brains. The meals will be presented at a restaurant that serves as a charity to teach culinary skills to at-risk youth. There's an idea I can get behind. I think everyone should work a service job for a couple of years when they're young - it teaches invaluable lessons.
Shopping. Nicholas buys a metric ton of carrots. In the prep kitchen, he sets up some pots, and snaps at Carlos when he moves them to another burner. So yeah, on the one hand, who cares which burner your pot is on as long as they're all functional? On the other, I can't fault Nicholas for not wanting Carlos to interact with his stuff in any way, shape, or form. Nina attempts to make stuffed pasta. She quickly runs into trouble when the heat of the kitchen ruins the dough. She scraps the filled-pasta idea, and goes for fettuccine instead. Brian is working with boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cue the needle scratch on the record. Boneless, skinless chicken breast may be a staple in most American home kitchens, thanks to its affordability, versatility, and health benefits. But to a chef, there's apparently nothing more flavorless or unwelcome. Nina treats Brian's use of it as if he were throwing together a dish made out of goat poop. Towards the end of prep time, Nicholas finds that his quinoa is burnt. It's totally ruined, so he won't be able to use it as the textural element he hoped. He doesn't know if he set the oven temperature incorrectly, or if someone (hint, hint) is sabotaging him. Come on, dude. Carlos is a bit thoughtless, but he's not manipulative or villainous. Sack up and take responsibility for your mistakes. Time runs out.
Service. Shirley has made crispy-skinned snapper with crustacean broth, tofu, and Napa cabbage with melted leek. Yuuuuum. She says that her dish is inspired by the "turning point" of her being on the show (and the Vietnamese shrimp challenge in particular). I'm happy to see that the servers are allowed to have a plate of all the chefs' dishes as well as the diners. Nina brings out her fettuccine with charred calamari, crab, and pine nut gremolata. Does everything sound so great today because the chefs are stepping it up, or because I'm so hungry? Brian has a chicken anticucho with twice-cooked potatoes and a feta walnut pesto. Emeril finds the potato severely undercooked, and the judges are as aghast as Nina was about the boneless, skinless chicken breast. Execute him! Carlos presents braised pork belly with sweet potato puree and a chipotle tamarind glaze. It looks pretty damned tasty. Nicholas brings out his carrots-a-million-ways dish, and explains his problem with the ruined quinoa. The judges agree that there's a real textural problem with the dish, but also that the fish is under-seasoned, which seems to be Nicholas' curse ever since Justin left.
Judges' Table. All five chefs are called in for feedback. Shirley's dish is roundly praised, and her sauces get better by the week. Carlos' dish was thought-out and bursting with flavor. Nina's dish was well-balanced, and the pasta came out perfect. The winner by a hair is... Shirley! Hooray! That leaves Brian and Nicholas in the bottom. Brian is excoriated for his protein choice, and I mean, come on, guys. We get it. Chicken skin is yummy. He didn't murder a prostitute. His underdone potatoes are also a big source of consternation. Nicholas should have just skipped serving fish altogether and focused on his carrots. The lack of quinoa hurt his plan, but not all of the blame for his misfire can be pinned on that. Tom throws it over to Padma for the chop. Brian. Please pack your knives and go. Brian is classy and mature in his final interview, but is visibly surprised by his ouster. Yeah, we thought Nicholas was going, too. I guess we can all take a lesson from this: Using skinless, boneless chicken breast is worse than fifteen Hiroshimas.
Overall Grade: C+
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
European Union
Top Chef - Season 11, Episode 13
Previously on Top Chef: The contestants were told to étouffée off with a swarm of crawfish. A few poor creatures lost their lives for no purpose, as some of the chefs couldn't quite grasp the concept. Stephanie literally couldn't grasp it, for fear of anaphylactic shock. Shirley grasped everything just fine, pulling down immunity with another challenge win. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were tasked with highlighting seafood. Nicholas gave Carlos a shot at personality redemption, which Carlos proceeded to flush almost instantly. Stephanie's fried oysters carried the day, while Carrie got fried. Six chefs remain. Who will eliminated tonight?
Quickfire. As the chefs head to the Kitchen, we learn that Carlos probably won't be invited to many of Nicholas' birthday parties from here on out. After the oven incident and the knife incident, Nicholas is pretty much at the end of his rope. Anyhow, for today's Quickfire, the chefs are met by Padma and guest judge Jacques Pepin. The chefs are appropriately awed by him, and even more so when he effortlessly demonstrates how to make one of his signature dishes: Dover sole with artichoke and tomato. Once he's done, he informs the chefs that they how have thirty-five minutes to recreate the dish as best they can. Ready? Go!
Some chefs are in a better position than others. Nicholas and Shirley have classical French training, and are a lot stronger out of the gate than Carlos, who is self-taught. Still, being able to execute someone else's vision and the ability to recreate the same dish over and over are important skills for a chef to have, so I always like to see this type of challenge. Thirty-five minutes is not long, though, and when time is up, a lot of the chefs' plates are lacking. Nina managed to get her fish cooked, but wasn't able to fully compose the plate. Brian couldn't even get sauce on the plate, and the whole thing looks like a giant mess. Carlos and Stephanie got more tasks accomplished, but fall victim to complaints like watery sauce and undercooked fish. Nicholas and Shirley duke it out for the win, which goes to... Nicholas, who takes his first Quickfire. Surprisingly, the chefs are still receiving immunity for Quickfire wins. Normally, it's a distant memory by now.
Elimination Challenge. So, New Orleans has belonged to quite a few people over the years. Before it became the shining jewel of America, the Crescent City was ruled by both France and Spain, and what better way to honor that rich history than with a reality show challenge? Sorry, I'm a bit punchy tonight. Anyhow, tonight's Elimination Challenge will split the six chefs into two competing teams. One team will present a French meal, and one a Spanish meal. Each meal will be five courses, and must incorporate almonds, chicken, mussels, olives, and chocolate. The chefs won't be on their own, though. Each team gets an accomplished mentor; Dominique Crenn for the French team, and Julian Serrano for the Spanish team. The chefs draw knives to determine which team they'll be on:
France: Shirley, Stephanie, and Nicholas
Spain: Nina, Brian, and Carlos
The mentors get to spend all day with the chefs before service begins, and unlike past mentor challenges, Crenn and Serrano get massive input into the menus being prepared. On the French side, this means Nicholas happily implementing all of Crenn's intricate technique suggestions and delegating tasks to the others, while on the Spanish side, Serrano is more interested in keeping things simple. That simplicity doesn't mean he's easy-going, though. He micromanages every slice and dash of seasoning, while Crenn prefers to kick back with a glass of wine. There's something telling about nationality in that, I'm sure. Stephanie becomes increasingly nervous, because all of this classical French cooking is completely out of her comfort zone, and she has to rely on Nicholas and Crenn to direct her dish.
The next day, the chefs prep their final dishes for the judges. Shirley is making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, which she's never worked with before. She hopes to not set a Top Chef precedent by becoming the first contestant to lose a chunk of her ear. Hehe. Nina has some last-minute cold feet about the simplicity of her dish, though she's confident in its flavors. The French team is working on a delicate "nest" of corn silk that is meant to dissolve on the tongue, or something. It's becoming readily apparent that this battle is going to come down to traditional vs. modern cuisine. Let's see what the judges are in the mood for. Crenn and Serrano join the judges, of course, as does Jacques Pepin and executive chef John Folse. Tough room. Dinner time!
The French team presents:
-Snapper ceviche with dehydrated olives and olive oil ice cream (Shirley)
-Pickled mussels with crustacean jus and toasted ciabatta (Stephanie)
-Chicken liver mousse on a bullion of roasted chicken (Stephanie/Shirley)
-Cornish game hen in a chocolate sauce, the aforementioned corn silk nest, and eggs made with duck fat (Nicholas)
-Almond flan with shaved plum dark chocolate, served with licorice (Nicholas)
The mussels look absolutely incredible, and I'm always up for a good chicken liver dish. The flan sounds good, too, though I'm not a huge licorice fan.
The Spanish team presents:
-Russian potato salad with shrimp, carrots, potatoes and olives (Nina)
-White garlic soup with almonds, crab, and cherry (Nina)
-Mussels in Romesco with crispy leeks (Carlos)
-Chicken and saffron rice (Brian/Carlos)
-Chocolate flan with raspberries (Brian)
They weren't kidding about the traditional style of these dishes. Nina's potato salad looks straight out of a 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping. That said, everything seems pretty tasty.
Naturally, the mentors each pull for the team they assisted. It actually gets a bit testy at one point. The judges have other issues as well, in that both their favorite and least favorite dishes were presented by the same team. They really loved the consommé in the chicken liver dish, but hated the chocolate game hen. Tom compares the corn silk nest to a wad of hair you'd pull out of the tub drain. And...he kind of has a point. There is no fret 'n sweat in front of the screen this week, I guess because it would instantly give away too much information to the chefs.
Judges' Table. The Spanish team is called in first. After a moment of tension, it's announced that they are the winning team. When it comes to deciding the individual winner, there's no difficulty whatsoever. While Carlos and Brian both bought assets to the menu, it's Nina's dishes that really carried the day, and she wins her umpteenth challenge. All she gets is the duty to call in the French team for judgement. This is where it really gets interesting. Shirley and Stephanie's dishes were both good. Great, even. Shirley's ice cream wasn't a homerun, but her ceviche and consommé were outstanding. Not all of Stephanie's components worked, but her mussels were fantastic.
It's Nicholas that has brought the team down. His chocolate game hen was the worst dish of the day, and his flan wasn't much better. But as we all know, he has immunity from the Quickfire win, so what now? Well, there are a couple of options, and the judges lay out the big one bluntly. Nicholas is free to resign so his teammates aren't punished for his mistakes. The judges won't and can't make him, of course, but they make it plain that it's what they want. Still, this isn't so much a cooking competition as a game. A game has twists and rules, and one of those rules involves immunity. Isn't the whole point of it to shield you from just this situation? Nicholas certainly thinks so, telling the judges that he thinks he's cooked well enough to have earned that immunity, and won't be giving it up.
People in some quarters are very angry about this. To them, Nicholas is a sneak and a coward for doing this. They believe he should have nobly fallen on his sword to protect Stephanie and Shirley from elimination. I'd admire him for taking that course, but I can't be angry at him for not. If this were some other sort of situation, sure. But in Top Chef, the chef who made the biggest mistake not going home has happened multiple times. Being good at solving hangman-style puzzles won't help you if you keep landing on "BANKRUPT" on Wheel of Fortune. Knowing the answers doesn't help if you can't ring in first on Jeopardy!. If the dice aren't on your side, you'll lose your shirt in Monopoly. And on Top Chef, if you're on a losing team with a chef that has immunity, you'll get the chop, no matter how talented you are. It's just the nature of the game, and if there's a problem, then it's up to the judges and producers to address the rules, not Nicholas. As far as I'm concerned, he's perfectly entitled to stay, though I'll be disappointed when one of his teammates, both of whom I like very much, gets eliminated.
In this case, that elimination falls on Stephanie. Bummer. There are always certain dishes that make me want to the climb through the TV screen and grab them, and while there are other contestants I may enjoy more and other contestants that may have more raw talent, Stephanie had the highest percentage of those drool-worthy dishes. She's very proud of the work and growth she achieved while on the show, and hopes to come roaring back in Last Chance Kitchen. Really, if you're going to be eliminated, I suppose the best way to go out is with a dish the judges liked. No mistakes to regret; no second-guessing what you should have done differently. It's just the way the cookie crumbles, and in this case, those crumbs made a big mess.
Overall Grade: B-
Previously on Top Chef: The contestants were told to étouffée off with a swarm of crawfish. A few poor creatures lost their lives for no purpose, as some of the chefs couldn't quite grasp the concept. Stephanie literally couldn't grasp it, for fear of anaphylactic shock. Shirley grasped everything just fine, pulling down immunity with another challenge win. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were tasked with highlighting seafood. Nicholas gave Carlos a shot at personality redemption, which Carlos proceeded to flush almost instantly. Stephanie's fried oysters carried the day, while Carrie got fried. Six chefs remain. Who will eliminated tonight?
Quickfire. As the chefs head to the Kitchen, we learn that Carlos probably won't be invited to many of Nicholas' birthday parties from here on out. After the oven incident and the knife incident, Nicholas is pretty much at the end of his rope. Anyhow, for today's Quickfire, the chefs are met by Padma and guest judge Jacques Pepin. The chefs are appropriately awed by him, and even more so when he effortlessly demonstrates how to make one of his signature dishes: Dover sole with artichoke and tomato. Once he's done, he informs the chefs that they how have thirty-five minutes to recreate the dish as best they can. Ready? Go!
Some chefs are in a better position than others. Nicholas and Shirley have classical French training, and are a lot stronger out of the gate than Carlos, who is self-taught. Still, being able to execute someone else's vision and the ability to recreate the same dish over and over are important skills for a chef to have, so I always like to see this type of challenge. Thirty-five minutes is not long, though, and when time is up, a lot of the chefs' plates are lacking. Nina managed to get her fish cooked, but wasn't able to fully compose the plate. Brian couldn't even get sauce on the plate, and the whole thing looks like a giant mess. Carlos and Stephanie got more tasks accomplished, but fall victim to complaints like watery sauce and undercooked fish. Nicholas and Shirley duke it out for the win, which goes to... Nicholas, who takes his first Quickfire. Surprisingly, the chefs are still receiving immunity for Quickfire wins. Normally, it's a distant memory by now.
Elimination Challenge. So, New Orleans has belonged to quite a few people over the years. Before it became the shining jewel of America, the Crescent City was ruled by both France and Spain, and what better way to honor that rich history than with a reality show challenge? Sorry, I'm a bit punchy tonight. Anyhow, tonight's Elimination Challenge will split the six chefs into two competing teams. One team will present a French meal, and one a Spanish meal. Each meal will be five courses, and must incorporate almonds, chicken, mussels, olives, and chocolate. The chefs won't be on their own, though. Each team gets an accomplished mentor; Dominique Crenn for the French team, and Julian Serrano for the Spanish team. The chefs draw knives to determine which team they'll be on:
France: Shirley, Stephanie, and Nicholas
Spain: Nina, Brian, and Carlos
The mentors get to spend all day with the chefs before service begins, and unlike past mentor challenges, Crenn and Serrano get massive input into the menus being prepared. On the French side, this means Nicholas happily implementing all of Crenn's intricate technique suggestions and delegating tasks to the others, while on the Spanish side, Serrano is more interested in keeping things simple. That simplicity doesn't mean he's easy-going, though. He micromanages every slice and dash of seasoning, while Crenn prefers to kick back with a glass of wine. There's something telling about nationality in that, I'm sure. Stephanie becomes increasingly nervous, because all of this classical French cooking is completely out of her comfort zone, and she has to rely on Nicholas and Crenn to direct her dish.
The next day, the chefs prep their final dishes for the judges. Shirley is making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, which she's never worked with before. She hopes to not set a Top Chef precedent by becoming the first contestant to lose a chunk of her ear. Hehe. Nina has some last-minute cold feet about the simplicity of her dish, though she's confident in its flavors. The French team is working on a delicate "nest" of corn silk that is meant to dissolve on the tongue, or something. It's becoming readily apparent that this battle is going to come down to traditional vs. modern cuisine. Let's see what the judges are in the mood for. Crenn and Serrano join the judges, of course, as does Jacques Pepin and executive chef John Folse. Tough room. Dinner time!
The French team presents:
-Snapper ceviche with dehydrated olives and olive oil ice cream (Shirley)
-Pickled mussels with crustacean jus and toasted ciabatta (Stephanie)
-Chicken liver mousse on a bullion of roasted chicken (Stephanie/Shirley)
-Cornish game hen in a chocolate sauce, the aforementioned corn silk nest, and eggs made with duck fat (Nicholas)
-Almond flan with shaved plum dark chocolate, served with licorice (Nicholas)
The mussels look absolutely incredible, and I'm always up for a good chicken liver dish. The flan sounds good, too, though I'm not a huge licorice fan.
The Spanish team presents:
-Russian potato salad with shrimp, carrots, potatoes and olives (Nina)
-White garlic soup with almonds, crab, and cherry (Nina)
-Mussels in Romesco with crispy leeks (Carlos)
-Chicken and saffron rice (Brian/Carlos)
-Chocolate flan with raspberries (Brian)
They weren't kidding about the traditional style of these dishes. Nina's potato salad looks straight out of a 1952 issue of Good Housekeeping. That said, everything seems pretty tasty.
Naturally, the mentors each pull for the team they assisted. It actually gets a bit testy at one point. The judges have other issues as well, in that both their favorite and least favorite dishes were presented by the same team. They really loved the consommé in the chicken liver dish, but hated the chocolate game hen. Tom compares the corn silk nest to a wad of hair you'd pull out of the tub drain. And...he kind of has a point. There is no fret 'n sweat in front of the screen this week, I guess because it would instantly give away too much information to the chefs.
Judges' Table. The Spanish team is called in first. After a moment of tension, it's announced that they are the winning team. When it comes to deciding the individual winner, there's no difficulty whatsoever. While Carlos and Brian both bought assets to the menu, it's Nina's dishes that really carried the day, and she wins her umpteenth challenge. All she gets is the duty to call in the French team for judgement. This is where it really gets interesting. Shirley and Stephanie's dishes were both good. Great, even. Shirley's ice cream wasn't a homerun, but her ceviche and consommé were outstanding. Not all of Stephanie's components worked, but her mussels were fantastic.
It's Nicholas that has brought the team down. His chocolate game hen was the worst dish of the day, and his flan wasn't much better. But as we all know, he has immunity from the Quickfire win, so what now? Well, there are a couple of options, and the judges lay out the big one bluntly. Nicholas is free to resign so his teammates aren't punished for his mistakes. The judges won't and can't make him, of course, but they make it plain that it's what they want. Still, this isn't so much a cooking competition as a game. A game has twists and rules, and one of those rules involves immunity. Isn't the whole point of it to shield you from just this situation? Nicholas certainly thinks so, telling the judges that he thinks he's cooked well enough to have earned that immunity, and won't be giving it up.
People in some quarters are very angry about this. To them, Nicholas is a sneak and a coward for doing this. They believe he should have nobly fallen on his sword to protect Stephanie and Shirley from elimination. I'd admire him for taking that course, but I can't be angry at him for not. If this were some other sort of situation, sure. But in Top Chef, the chef who made the biggest mistake not going home has happened multiple times. Being good at solving hangman-style puzzles won't help you if you keep landing on "BANKRUPT" on Wheel of Fortune. Knowing the answers doesn't help if you can't ring in first on Jeopardy!. If the dice aren't on your side, you'll lose your shirt in Monopoly. And on Top Chef, if you're on a losing team with a chef that has immunity, you'll get the chop, no matter how talented you are. It's just the nature of the game, and if there's a problem, then it's up to the judges and producers to address the rules, not Nicholas. As far as I'm concerned, he's perfectly entitled to stay, though I'll be disappointed when one of his teammates, both of whom I like very much, gets eliminated.
In this case, that elimination falls on Stephanie. Bummer. There are always certain dishes that make me want to the climb through the TV screen and grab them, and while there are other contestants I may enjoy more and other contestants that may have more raw talent, Stephanie had the highest percentage of those drool-worthy dishes. She's very proud of the work and growth she achieved while on the show, and hopes to come roaring back in Last Chance Kitchen. Really, if you're going to be eliminated, I suppose the best way to go out is with a dish the judges liked. No mistakes to regret; no second-guessing what you should have done differently. It's just the way the cookie crumbles, and in this case, those crumbs made a big mess.
Overall Grade: B-
Monday, January 13, 2014
She Shucks Shellfish by the Shoreline
Top Chef - Season 11, Episode 12
Previously on Top Chef: A drumline brought us a drumstick Quickfire. Carrie got down with her bad self, then got back up and won immunity. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs got carted off to college, but instead of playing frisbee golf on the quad, they were forced to serve their food to 500 students simultaneously. Carlos offhandedly implicated Nicholas in an oven-stealing scandal, which raised Nicholas' fury level from zero to nonplussed. Shirley continued her streak of winning when it matters most, scoring a car with nothing more than some Grade-A roast beef. Justin stumbled for the last time, and no amount of self-confidence could save him when his bland plate of flavorless shrimp got him expelled. Seven chefs remain. Who will be eliminated tonight?
Quickfire. The chefs are welcomed into the Kitchen by Padma, guest judge John Besh, and a bucket of live crawfish who are all making desperate bids for freedom. Seriously, it's like a scene in a horror movie, with oceanic cockroaches swarming all over everything. Today's challenge is for each chef to create their own version of an étouffée. I enjoy a good étouffée, but haven't had one in a while. It's a stew made up of a slow-cooked roux and something like andouille (or crawfish in this case) that smothers rice (traditionally), though I presume the chefs are free to do whatever they'd like for now. Winner gets immunity. Ready? Go!
We learn that Stephanie has a violent allergic reaction to particular types of shellfish, so she can't even touch the crawfish. As someone with a misery-inducing allergy to scallops, I empathize. Carrie graciously offers to prep the critters for Stephanie, and Nicholas promises to taste her dish to offer seasoning adjustment advice. Carlos interviews that he's never heard of étouffée, so he's making some bullshit shrimp soup. Um, I believe Carlos may have heard of étouffée once before. Like thirty seconds ago. Dishes begin to come together. Standouts include Shirley's crab étouffée, which uses crawfish stock, and includes cucumber and egg, and Brian's Korean chili paste étouffée with corn, crab meat, crawfish, peppers, and andouille. Yuuuuuum to both of those. Stephanie makes gnocchi, because if someone on this season doesn't make it every twenty minutes, a penguin is executed.
Time runs out. Padma and Besh go down the line. Carrie falls to the bottom with muddled flavors, Nicholas and Carlos didn't sufficiently smother anything, and Stephanie's dish is more of a bisque. That leaves Shirley, Brian, and Nina's spicy Italian-style étouffée (with pasta in a tomato crawfish broth) as the top three. The winner of the challenge and immunity is... Shirley! Yay! I don't know if she's got it in her to win the season, but I'd like to see her go as far as possible.
Elimination Challenge. Padma explains that the chefs will be making dishes that highlight two different kinds of seafood for a shore-side festival at which there will be...1,000 guests. Various chefs have heart attacks before Padma giggles that she's just joshing them, and there will only be 200. Heh. Solid burn, Padma. Before the challenge starts, the guests get to have dinner at Besh's house, which looks lovely.
The next day, the chefs ride to the challenge. Upon hearing that Carlos plans to make a crudo, Brian asks him if he made sure to sharpen his knives to get a consistent cut. Carlos assures him that he has. There's isn't a shot of a vulture circling overhead, but there may as well be. When the chefs arrive at the festival site, they pick their duo of seafood out of a giant truck. The tuna, oysters, and shrimp are snapped up, though I see a lot of people selecting amberjack as well. I don't believe I've ever tried that fish; I'm curious to know how it tastes. As Nicholas shucks oysters, Carlos asks to borrow his sushi knife, because wait for it, his knife isn't sharp enough to get even cuts. At first, Nicholas hardly feels like doing Carlos any favors, and says no. He can't force himself to be a vindictive guy for long, though, and relents. He does plead with Carlos to treat the knife with respect, as it's a special one he got as a wedding present. I hope he and missus were careful unwrapping that one. Carlos is still short on time, and winds up cutting his fish portions in half in order to have enough for all the guests.
Service. A long line immediately piles up at Stephanie's station, because she is frying oysters to order, as well as topping them with some elaborate garnish. The guests are less than gracious about it, like, just drink your free wine and enjoy your free gourmet food and shut the hell up, jerks. Her secondary seafood is raw tuna, and the whole dish is served with pickled chili and mushrooms. Hmm. I've long maintained that I don't like mushrooms, but I do like anything pickled. It'd be interesting to see which side would win out in this case. Brian has made a grilled swordfish, which looks good until he piles fennel relish on top. Nicholas' dish is a bit too frou-frou, and looks like green oyster parfait. Carlos has an amberjack ceviche, and he learned his smothering lesson too late, as the whole thing is buried in peaches. Nina has marinated wahoo tuna (another fish I've never tried) with some salsa verde and pickled vegetables. Carrie has shredded her flounder and oyster emulsion into croquettes with pickled cucumber. That sounds good, but she rightfully worries that she hasn't highlighted the seafood, which is the entire point of the challenge. Shirley has made a ceviche with amberjack and tuna. Her accompanying components (aged soya sauce, lime dressing, toasted pecans, and crispy fried shallots) have me clawing at the screen to get some.
When service is over, Nicholas goes looking for the Knife That Solidified a Marriage, and finds it, covered in crusty bits of dried fish. The show would like you to think this is akin to Carlos casually tossing it into a vat of sulfuric acid. Nicholas is pissed that Carlos treated the knife he loaned him as a favor so cavalierly, especially after the bullshit Carlos pulled in the last challenge. Nicholas is close to the boiling point. Hey, I'm on your side, man. Carlos definitely should have treated the knife more respectfully. But let's just bring the horrors perpetrated on the innocent cutting implement down a few notches.
Fret 'n sweat. Besh thinks the ceviches were too much of a "safe" choice, but that didn't stop the judges from liking Shirley's quite a bit. Stephanie, Nina, and Brian also get some nice praise for their dishes. On the flip side, Carlos' peach/shrimp topping was nice, but completely overwhelmed the fish. Nicholas' dish was overly ambitious. Carrie's croquettes could have been made out of anything, and didn't feature the fish in any way, shape, or form. So we know the bottom three and the top four. The only question is, who's going to occupy the safe middle spot this week? It's Shirley, so Nina, Brian, and Stephanie go to Judges' Table to see who will pull down the win. Stephanie's fried oyster was perfectly elevated by the salad, and nobody even gives her shit for the time it took her to execute them. Brian's sauce was amazing, and Nina gets credit for using wahoo in a creative and delicious way. The chef who highlight their seafood the best is... Stephanie. I don't doubt it; a good fried oyster is about the best thing in the world.
Carlos, Nicholas, and Carrie come out to face the music. Carlos' fish portions were way too small and nobody could taste it under all that peach. Nicholas' dish was too soft and lacked acid. Carrie completely whiffed the point of the challenge, and didn't feature her fish at all. It's actually Carrie's first appearance in the bottom three tonight, but she makes it count, as Padma tells her to pack her knives and go. It was a rough one for the judges, and Padma makes sure to say how much Carrie will be missed in the competition. Carrie is sad, of course, but takes her loss with grace. She has enjoyed every step of the competition, and is proud of how much she learned. Damn. It's getting down to the wire, now. I'm sorry to see Carrie go, but after that episode, I'm even sorrier that I don't have any fish in the place. Me want oyster.
Overall Grade: B
Previously on Top Chef: A drumline brought us a drumstick Quickfire. Carrie got down with her bad self, then got back up and won immunity. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs got carted off to college, but instead of playing frisbee golf on the quad, they were forced to serve their food to 500 students simultaneously. Carlos offhandedly implicated Nicholas in an oven-stealing scandal, which raised Nicholas' fury level from zero to nonplussed. Shirley continued her streak of winning when it matters most, scoring a car with nothing more than some Grade-A roast beef. Justin stumbled for the last time, and no amount of self-confidence could save him when his bland plate of flavorless shrimp got him expelled. Seven chefs remain. Who will be eliminated tonight?
Quickfire. The chefs are welcomed into the Kitchen by Padma, guest judge John Besh, and a bucket of live crawfish who are all making desperate bids for freedom. Seriously, it's like a scene in a horror movie, with oceanic cockroaches swarming all over everything. Today's challenge is for each chef to create their own version of an étouffée. I enjoy a good étouffée, but haven't had one in a while. It's a stew made up of a slow-cooked roux and something like andouille (or crawfish in this case) that smothers rice (traditionally), though I presume the chefs are free to do whatever they'd like for now. Winner gets immunity. Ready? Go!
We learn that Stephanie has a violent allergic reaction to particular types of shellfish, so she can't even touch the crawfish. As someone with a misery-inducing allergy to scallops, I empathize. Carrie graciously offers to prep the critters for Stephanie, and Nicholas promises to taste her dish to offer seasoning adjustment advice. Carlos interviews that he's never heard of étouffée, so he's making some bullshit shrimp soup. Um, I believe Carlos may have heard of étouffée once before. Like thirty seconds ago. Dishes begin to come together. Standouts include Shirley's crab étouffée, which uses crawfish stock, and includes cucumber and egg, and Brian's Korean chili paste étouffée with corn, crab meat, crawfish, peppers, and andouille. Yuuuuuum to both of those. Stephanie makes gnocchi, because if someone on this season doesn't make it every twenty minutes, a penguin is executed.
Time runs out. Padma and Besh go down the line. Carrie falls to the bottom with muddled flavors, Nicholas and Carlos didn't sufficiently smother anything, and Stephanie's dish is more of a bisque. That leaves Shirley, Brian, and Nina's spicy Italian-style étouffée (with pasta in a tomato crawfish broth) as the top three. The winner of the challenge and immunity is... Shirley! Yay! I don't know if she's got it in her to win the season, but I'd like to see her go as far as possible.
Elimination Challenge. Padma explains that the chefs will be making dishes that highlight two different kinds of seafood for a shore-side festival at which there will be...1,000 guests. Various chefs have heart attacks before Padma giggles that she's just joshing them, and there will only be 200. Heh. Solid burn, Padma. Before the challenge starts, the guests get to have dinner at Besh's house, which looks lovely.
The next day, the chefs ride to the challenge. Upon hearing that Carlos plans to make a crudo, Brian asks him if he made sure to sharpen his knives to get a consistent cut. Carlos assures him that he has. There's isn't a shot of a vulture circling overhead, but there may as well be. When the chefs arrive at the festival site, they pick their duo of seafood out of a giant truck. The tuna, oysters, and shrimp are snapped up, though I see a lot of people selecting amberjack as well. I don't believe I've ever tried that fish; I'm curious to know how it tastes. As Nicholas shucks oysters, Carlos asks to borrow his sushi knife, because wait for it, his knife isn't sharp enough to get even cuts. At first, Nicholas hardly feels like doing Carlos any favors, and says no. He can't force himself to be a vindictive guy for long, though, and relents. He does plead with Carlos to treat the knife with respect, as it's a special one he got as a wedding present. I hope he and missus were careful unwrapping that one. Carlos is still short on time, and winds up cutting his fish portions in half in order to have enough for all the guests.
Service. A long line immediately piles up at Stephanie's station, because she is frying oysters to order, as well as topping them with some elaborate garnish. The guests are less than gracious about it, like, just drink your free wine and enjoy your free gourmet food and shut the hell up, jerks. Her secondary seafood is raw tuna, and the whole dish is served with pickled chili and mushrooms. Hmm. I've long maintained that I don't like mushrooms, but I do like anything pickled. It'd be interesting to see which side would win out in this case. Brian has made a grilled swordfish, which looks good until he piles fennel relish on top. Nicholas' dish is a bit too frou-frou, and looks like green oyster parfait. Carlos has an amberjack ceviche, and he learned his smothering lesson too late, as the whole thing is buried in peaches. Nina has marinated wahoo tuna (another fish I've never tried) with some salsa verde and pickled vegetables. Carrie has shredded her flounder and oyster emulsion into croquettes with pickled cucumber. That sounds good, but she rightfully worries that she hasn't highlighted the seafood, which is the entire point of the challenge. Shirley has made a ceviche with amberjack and tuna. Her accompanying components (aged soya sauce, lime dressing, toasted pecans, and crispy fried shallots) have me clawing at the screen to get some.
When service is over, Nicholas goes looking for the Knife That Solidified a Marriage, and finds it, covered in crusty bits of dried fish. The show would like you to think this is akin to Carlos casually tossing it into a vat of sulfuric acid. Nicholas is pissed that Carlos treated the knife he loaned him as a favor so cavalierly, especially after the bullshit Carlos pulled in the last challenge. Nicholas is close to the boiling point. Hey, I'm on your side, man. Carlos definitely should have treated the knife more respectfully. But let's just bring the horrors perpetrated on the innocent cutting implement down a few notches.
Fret 'n sweat. Besh thinks the ceviches were too much of a "safe" choice, but that didn't stop the judges from liking Shirley's quite a bit. Stephanie, Nina, and Brian also get some nice praise for their dishes. On the flip side, Carlos' peach/shrimp topping was nice, but completely overwhelmed the fish. Nicholas' dish was overly ambitious. Carrie's croquettes could have been made out of anything, and didn't feature the fish in any way, shape, or form. So we know the bottom three and the top four. The only question is, who's going to occupy the safe middle spot this week? It's Shirley, so Nina, Brian, and Stephanie go to Judges' Table to see who will pull down the win. Stephanie's fried oyster was perfectly elevated by the salad, and nobody even gives her shit for the time it took her to execute them. Brian's sauce was amazing, and Nina gets credit for using wahoo in a creative and delicious way. The chef who highlight their seafood the best is... Stephanie. I don't doubt it; a good fried oyster is about the best thing in the world.
Carlos, Nicholas, and Carrie come out to face the music. Carlos' fish portions were way too small and nobody could taste it under all that peach. Nicholas' dish was too soft and lacked acid. Carrie completely whiffed the point of the challenge, and didn't feature her fish at all. It's actually Carrie's first appearance in the bottom three tonight, but she makes it count, as Padma tells her to pack her knives and go. It was a rough one for the judges, and Padma makes sure to say how much Carrie will be missed in the competition. Carrie is sad, of course, but takes her loss with grace. She has enjoyed every step of the competition, and is proud of how much she learned. Damn. It's getting down to the wire, now. I'm sorry to see Carrie go, but after that episode, I'm even sorrier that I don't have any fish in the place. Me want oyster.
Overall Grade: B
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