Here we meet again. I think it is going to start getting good now! Final 6!!!!

Quickfire Challenge:

Our guest judge is the illustrious Eric Ripert! Hosea is nervous because he is a fish guy like Eric Ripert. The challenge was to test precision and speed in a fish fillet tournament. Round 1 is sardines. They have to clean and butterfly it like Eric’s in 5 minutes. Leah and Fabio were on top. Jamie and Carla were on the bottom. Round 2 is artic char and they have to fillet it. It looks like the bottom 2 are out. Leah gave up, can you believe that? Leah and Fabio were out now. Round 3 is fresh water eel. They have to peel it and fillet it. Since eel is big in Europe, Stefan had a bit of an advantage. So of course he won the quickfire. He invites them to lunch at Le Bernadin the next day. I sense trap (and I saw the preview;).

Elimination Challenge:

They all go to lunch and Eric has selected 6 of their dishes to serve the contestants. Then out comes the knife block. They will have to each recreate one of the dishes. They will have 2 hours to prep and practice with Eric coming by to critique. Stefan gets to pick his course. Then the rest had to pick a knife. It looks like they put together a tray with all the ingredients so at least they don’t have to wonder what was in it. Now on that tray are basically whole fish so we get to see how the portioning is. Leah says how she knows how to do the fish but she was nervous the day before. Come on?!?!?! She hasn’t done well anytime she touches a fish. When critique time happens it seems Stefan is closest. Jamie didn’t even have Eric taste her dish because she didn’t have time for Eric to taste. What does that mean? She didn’t have it done or didn’t want to slow down? Either way I think it is a mistake. Especially she didn’t like the dish when she had it so I think she needed the input.

Stefan: Lobster dish
Carla: Escolar
Leah: MahiMahi
Jamie: Black Bass
Hosea: Monk Fish
Fabio: Red Snapper

Service and Judging:

Fabio got to go first. His bread was overdone. But they thought it was pretty good. Leah is next and she already knows she is off on the miso. Tom says the only favor is ginger and his fish is over done. Then it is Stefan’s turn. His sauce isn’t a light but Eric’s was done in a blender. They think it is really close. Carla is having a problem with her fryer oil. But my question is why did she only have 1 thing of oil going? In the end her potatoes weren’t as crispy but otherwise was very good. Hosea’s fish just isn’t the same. Hosea was still using to much zatar. The fish also didn’t rest before he cut it. Jamie had salty celery and knew it. The fish is well cooked but not quite as well.

So back at judges table they wanted to see Fabio, Stefan and Carla. The winner was Stefan again. Then the rest went in. I am afraid it is going to be Jamie because of the celery but she is so great I don’t want her to go. I don’t find people knowing the fish should have rested and just didn’t comforting at all. Tom says not many people knows that monk fish needs to rest. What? I have heard that monk fish is meaty and then needs to rest. I haven’t even tasted monk fish!

In end it was Jamie that got sent home. NO!!!!

Well, next week we get to see who the final 4 will be. Stay tuned!

Before we get going a couple of things. Carla has to get out of the pastry rut! Leah and Hosea need to keep it in their pants. So hold on for the live blog! (well, live to tivo)

QuickFire Challenge:

The guest judge is Scott Conant. The chefs have to pick a square then they will line up with both a food group and key ingredient. It ends up that everyone’s key ingredient was whole grain oats regardless of your food group. I am interested in how good or bad the eggplant in oats will be. The judge made fun of it. Oats in breading is so not original. I am a home chef and have known about it for years. Really, that is the best they could come up with? So on the bottom was Leah (that fish is biting her again), Fabio and Jeff. Doing to much got Jeff again, he needs to calm it down and pick one idea at a time. On top was Carla, Jamie and Stefan. The winner was Stefan. Again.

Elimination Challenge:

So everyone got Top Chef jerseys/jackets with their names on the back. So here come past season chefs. They are Andrew, Josie, Andrea, Spike, Camille, Nikki, and Miguel. There is a head to head cookoff where they are celebrating the regional cuisine for each team. Stefan gets to pick so he picks the Dallas Cowboys and is going against Andrea. Then everyone else had to choose their teams each. They will have 20 minutes to make a dish and will be doing it in front of culinary students using only the ingredients provided. They had 2 hours to plan their dish and test out some stuff. In judging the judges score a winner (7 points) and the Fan tasters vote for a score of 3.

Miami Dolphins: Jeff vs Josie
Packers: Fabio vs Spike
Seahawks: Hosea vs Miguel
Giants: Leah vs Nikki
49’ers: Jamie vs Camille
Saints: Carla vs Andrew

Looking at her ingredients, Jamie starts to panic a bit. Stefan is sure that Andrea can’t cook and so he doesn’t have anything to worry about.

Serving:

NY Giants: Leah(Strip Steak with Creamed Corn, Snap Peas& Arugula Salad) vs Nikki (Chicken Livers with Onions and Goat Cheese on Challah) Leah scored the touchdown and Nikki got the field goal.

Seattle Seahawks: Miguel (Cedar Plank Salmon with Noodles and Mushrooms) vs Hosea(Crispy Salmon Roll with Ginger-Blackberry Sauce) Hosea won the touchdown 3-1. He also won the field goal.

New Orleans Saints: Andrew(Crayfish Crudo with Spicy Lime Vinaigrette) vs Carla(Crawfish and Andouille Gumbo over Grits) Carla wins the touchdown but not the field goal.

Dallas Cowboys: Andrea(Tex Mex Chili with Fried Corn Chips and Guacamole Coleslaw) vs Stefan(Roasted Pork with Coleslaw and NY Steak with Corn Salad) I have to saw that both of Stefan’s dishes sounded so good. The judges were split so the whole 10 point sat with the fan tasters. And they awarded the full 10 points to Andrea. So Stefan is the 1st old chef to win.

SF 49’ers: Jamie (Crab Cioppino with Olives, Basil and Toasted Sourdough) vs Camille(Miso Sweet Potato Mash with Mustard Crab Meat and Salad) The judges were once again tied but Jamie won the tasters and won all 10 points.

Miami Dolphins: Josie(Warm Rock Shrimp Ceviche with Papaya) vs Jeff(Rock Shrimp Ceviche with Sangria Sorbet) Josie won the touchdown and the field goal.

Green Bay Packers: Spike (Five-Spice Venison with Port Reductions and Micro Herb Salad) vs Fabio (Venison with Mustard Sauce and Mache Salad with Cheddar) Spike won the touchdown due to Fabio over cooking the venison. But Fabio won the field goal.

Judging Table:

So first up are our winners! Toby tasted Carla’s love. Scott actually liked how Jamie cooked. The single winner was Carla! She won 2 tickets to the SuperBowl. Then the losers went in. Fabio said that the venison was done right before he said it on the hot cabbage. Fabio then started to argue about putting acid on salad with cheese. Jeff was angry he got beat by a hot ceviche. He then got told it was because it didn’t have enough flavor regardless of how many techniques he used. In the end Jeff was sent hope. After all Jeff’s talk about Josie not making a ceviche, he poached his shrimp. What a hipocrite.

Now is when it starts to get real exciting because we are getting close to the end. So I will see you all next week!

Here we meet for 1 of the most exciting episodes of the season!

Right off, Leah and Hosea are being held responsible for throwing Ariane under the bus.

Quick Fire Challenge:
Steven Star is our guest judge this week. Apparently he is a huge restaurateur. So they are having to do a tasting for Steven Star of 1 dish. The 2 favorites will be the chef/owner of restaurant wars. They had 30 minutes.

Jamie appears to be the smart one because she doesn’t want to win this one. The bottom was Jeff and Fabio. The top was Radhika with her India Middle Eastern cuisine and Leah won with her Asian inspired.

Elimination Challenge:
The teams are: (Sahana) Radhika, Jamie, Carla , Jeff vs (Sunset Lounge)Leah, Hosea, Fabio, Stefan. Stefan was chosen last! They can plan 1 day and then 6 hours to prep the next day.

Radhika is going to take the front of the house with her restaurant. Leah has to be careful to not get run over by Stefan. They had 1 hour at Pier 1 to spend $5000. At least this year everyone seem to agree about getting unscented candles;). It really seems as if Jamie is going to be running Radhika’s restaurant because Radhika is scared.

Break from the Kitchen—–
What is up with Hosea and Leah? They both have relationships and Hosea says how nothing can happen. Then what are they doing laying down together?!?!! That is not cool! Then kissing a little, also not cool! Hosea says he regrets the kissing but dude! This is effecting the kitchen.

——Back to the Kitchen

Radhika and Carla are going to Whole Foods and Jamie and Jeff are going to Restaurant Depot. For the other team, Fabio and Hosea are going to Restaurant Depot while Stefan and Leah are going to Whole Lunch. Good going Jeff for going into Restaurant Depot’s freezer to look for lamb shanks! It seemed like a very calm trip for both teams.

How is chocolate parfait and panna cotta considered asian? Carla once again is playing pastry chef. I am starting to wonder if she does anything else. Radhika isn’t making any food decisions and Carla wanted her input. That is a total failure of leadership. But Leah seems to be having a hard time getting her prep done. She killed the cod by portioning before deboning. Who does that? You always debone first so you know what you have to work with.

Sunset Lounge Menu: Egg Roll, Sashimi 2 Ways, Short Ribs, Coconut Curry Bisque, Seared Cod, Chocolate Parfait, Panna Cotta

Sahana Menu: Curried Carrot Soup, Grille Scallop with Chickpea Cake, Braised Lamb Shank, Seared Snapper, Baklava, Chocolate Cake, Frozen Yogurts

Service time:

The service side on Sahana seems to fall apart right off the the bat. Radhika didn’t seem to really be on the servers nor did she train them. Sahana’s soup and scallops seemed to go over well. The lamb was done well but they didn’t like the extra liquid (rose water) with the fish. Sahana’s dessert was a bit of a mess. The frozen yogurt wasn’t frozen. The guest in Sahana thought that Radhika seemed really stressed and up tight. She also wasn’t on the floor as much as she should have been. She missed saying goodbye to the judges.

Then the judges went to Sunset Lounge. Fabio was working the room. They didn’t like the egg roll. As Tom said, he had frozen better. Mixed bag on the soup and the sashimi needed salt. The ribs were cooked well but the cod was under cooked and the sauce was bad. The desserts were very good. Tom said that Stefan may have saved the team and definately saved himself.

Judges Table:

Going in we know that Stefan and Fabio really make a great impression and may have compensated for lack luster food that was worse than Sahana. The Sunset Lounge went up before the judges first and they won. The judges said that Fabio and Stefan is what won it for them. Stefan was the individual winner.

Then in goes Sahana. Radhika said she wasn’t sure what went wrong. Rhadika didn’t plan the menu and didn’t cook. Carla said she had a good time and sent out love with them. Tom asked why Carla didn’t tell Radhika so she could at least call it yogurt soup. Tom called Radhika on not leading and not having good front of house. I love the quote from Steven, “you must assume that no one can do their job”. But there was a discussion about not kicking Carla out because if they were strickly on food this restaurant wouldn’t have been up. But Carla’s excuses were a little convoluded (sending out the love). In the end Radhika got the axe (rightfully, so).

So what did you think of this week’s episode? What do you think about Leah and Hosea?

I love Top Chef and, though life has been extra crazy, I am going to get back to timely recaps. But until then, here is the one for this last episode!

Quickfire Challenge:

Hung Huynh (season 3 winner) is the guest judge for the quickfire. Padma uncovers a pile of canned foods. They are supposed to create a dish without fresh food in only 15 minutes. They were terrified! They are all so snotty about using any kind of canned ingredient. Radhika says that she wouldn’t ever use a canned, aged ingredient, “it is something a housewife uses”. Step off babe (yes, hit a nerve). Apparently, Stefan isn’t smart enough of figure out how to open a can of Spam;). The bottom was Leah, Radhika, and Jamie. The top was Hosea, Stefan, and Jeff. The winner was Stefan (I bet Hosea regrets letting him have some Spam).

Elimination Challenge:
First we have the knife draw with different proteins on it and that makes groups of 3. They have to create a family style lunch, including dessert, for 16 people. That lunch is to be centered around their main protein.

They all go back to plan. Stefan and Jamie just kept fighting. Stefan basically refuses to let Carla and Jamie make the menu choices even though he has immunity.

Well, everyone gets in the cars to go shopping and then people start realizing that they aren’t going to Whole Foods. They are met by Chef Dan Barber at the Stone Barn Center. Basically they are farming at this agricultural center so no one really knows what is going to be available. They are cooking for the farmers, their family and people who work there. So the chefs all see the animals and spend a little time with the proteins they will be cooking.

Basically the chefs have butchered meat but it appears they have to break a lot of it down. Also there is a lot of produce laid out for them. Fabio said it took Radhika 1 hour to peel and grill 10 ears of corn. That seems to be a little slow. The lamb team took the lamb meat off the leg bone and that doesn’t make sense because they are supposed to be making a nice home style meal. It seems to be an even bigger mistake because Arianne seems unable to tie off her roasts.

Arianne, Hosea, Leah (Lamb): Roasted Duo of Lamb, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Summer Berry Trifle

Jamie, Stefan, Carla (Chicken): Chicken Cutlet, Lemon-Herb Roasted Chicken, Chicken Ravioli Soup, Nectarine and Strawberry Tartlet

Fabio, Jeff, Radhika (Pork): Seared Pork Loin, Sausage Ravioli with Pesto, Fried Green Tomatoes, Grilled Corn Salad with Bacon, Creme Brulee

Service and Judging:

The soup in the summer wasn’t making sense to people even though the soup was good. The lamb was badly butchered and over seasoned. One person thought it was over cooked. They thought the pesto overwhelmed the pork sausage. Tom didn’t like that the pork team took the pork loin off the bone. Tom loved that Carla used thyme in the tart. Other people loved that Carla tied the lemon in. The judges thought the creme brulee was to sweet. Dan Barber didn’t like the trifle at all.

Jamie, Carla and Stefan got called in first to judges table. They were the favorite! Carla’s dessert was their favorite. All 3 were the winners this week. There seem to be no prize associated with it though. Then the judges wanted to see everyone else. Jeff got slammed for removing the fat. Fabio got slammed for too much pesto on the dish and that overwhelmed the delicate pork. Radhika just did the salad and helped with the dessert and Tom lit into her for that. Arianne broke down the lamb and Padma asked why just Arianne did the lamb. Tom said that the butchering was done poorly and the tying was horrible. Leah didn’t think the roasts were rolled badly. Hosea said that he has broken down lamb and Tom said that he should have spoken up then.

The judges agreed that on the whole the lamb was way worse than the pork. But Tom was bugged that Radhika stood back and didn’t do much. While Hosea should have stood up and butchered but Arianne should have been doing better. Also, Leah didn’t do much and was willing to stand back and watch Arianne fall for the lamb.

In the end it was curtains for Arianne.

I am so excited for the next episode because it is the always fun restaurant wars!