Quickfire:

We start off this week with Tom coming in to the house and waking every one up. The he takes them to a breakfast joint for their quickfire challenge to cook eggs. Helene who owns this historic restaurant will be the guest judge for the quickfire. They watched the egg cook and then each took a turn on the line. I just love that people were ordering over hard. That is how I like my eggs and not many restaurants know what those even are. Antonia and Dale were on the top with Antonia winning.
Tom wasn’t going to be at the elimination and then they were given an address to go meet Padma.

Elimination:

Restaurant Wars is on! Each team has an end of this huge raw space but they will share a kitchen. Then they will be serving about 35 customers. They get $1500 in food and $5000 at Pier One Imports. Antonia’s reward is picking her team so she chooses Stephanie and Richard.

Antonia’s Team “Warehouse Kitchen”: They are going fine dining in a casual environment. Stephanie is front of house manager. They have confidence since they won wedding wars together. Antonia is executive chef and Richard is her chef de cuisine.

First Course: Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, Linguine and Clams
Second Course: Trout with Cauliflower, Lamb Leg and Loin
Third Course: Gorgonzola Cheesecake, Banana “Scallops”

Dale’s Team “Mai Buddha”: Both Lisa and Dale wanted to be the executive chef but Dale won the coin toss. They are going with an Asian, family style theme. Spike is taking front of house responsibility.

First Course: Shrimp Laksa, Pork and Pickled Plum Potstickers
Second Course: Butterscotch Miso Scallops, Braised Short Ribs
Third Course: Halo-Halo, Mango Sticky Rice

Anthony Bourdain is filling in for Tom. Warehouse Kitchen says that they are putting Stephanie up front because she has opened up her own restaurant. Mai Buddha were telling Bourdain about their menu and he says how much he loves Laksa so their are a little nervous. Each team got to pick an eliminated contestant to help them. Mai Buddha picked Jen and Warehouse picked Nikki so she could make their pasta. Dale puts a bad avocado in his dessert and then Lisa’s rice got taken off the burner before it was done. Dale is shaken badly. The Warehouse Kitchen seemed to be having a hard time getting the grit out of their clams. Then they waiters come in an hour before service. Stephanie wants to keep everything light and fun. Spike sets one table the way he wants it and leaves the waiters for 20 minutes to set the rest. There seems to be issues with Lisa’s Mango Sticky Rice.

And then the restaurants open……..

Warehouse Kitchen Service: Antonia says that she has seen all the previous season’s Restaurant Wars and it never goes well so she is nervous. The judges show up in the Warehouse Kitchen first. We find out that Jose Andres will be this week’s guest judge. Bourdain says that it is better than he thought it would be. Bourdain likes the lamb and Ted likes that they left the skin on the trout. Bourdain and Ted are not fans of the smear look. Padma was surprised to like the Gorgonzola cheesecake.

Mai Buddha Service: Spike feels the other team are the favorites so he hopes his team wins to send home a true competitor. Bourdain and Ted can’t figure out if it feels more like the back of Prince’s van or Aerosmith’s mike stand. Lisa sees her Laksa as her first big mistake of the show. Bourdain didn’t like the Laksa but Padma liked the Potstickers. Spike is telling the back to make the short rib course bigger. Bourdain disliked the butterscotch sauce. Dale is about to lose it at any point. Lisa is saying that Dale failed to make sure the food was right even though some of it were her mistakes. Padma didn’t like the Mango Sticky Rice and Bourdain said the Halo Halo was baby vomit. Ted said there were bad knife skills. The diners didn’t like dessert either.

Judging Table:

Not surprisingly Stephanie, Antonia and Richard were called back first. They were the winning team. They liked Stephanie’s Gorgonzola cheesecake with concord grape sauce and her pasta. They also like Richard’s Beet Salad. Stephanie was the individual winner and won a trip for a culinary tour in Spain. Then the next group headed in. This is going to get ugly. The front of the house raised the expectations and the kitchen didn’t deliver. They hated Dale’s Butterscotch Scallops. There was to much smoke in the Laksa. Spike came up with the idea of a Laksa but they used Lisa’s recipe. It cam out that Dale had to trust the other 2 because he didn’t know about Laksa. The braised rib was the apparent favorite. It was Spike’s recipe but the other 2 made it. One diner commented that the Mango Sticky Rice was baby food garnished with potpourri. Then Lisa and Dale fought and blamed each other as the person who found the rice. Then Jose called them on not being a team. Jose said he felt Spike took the front to get away from the Dale/Lisa conflict. Spike says that he had plenty to do and that communication failed back there. Spike seemed very self assured that he was safe. They were saying that Dale failed as a manager, conceptualizer and the Butterscotch Scallops. But Lisa had made both of her dishes before and then failed for the competition. The judges felt Lisa couldn’t take anyone’s critic even the judges table. Padma seemed to be disgusted with the lot of them.

In the end Dale was out.

Labels: Top Chef, tv

So here we meet again. The kids are in bed, NerdDad is programming, and I am all comfy with my cookies and my laptop. Let’s go!

Everyone is up the next morning after being up all night the night before. I am wondering if the tiredness will play a factor. Spike is whining about Dale. Andrew is a bit wired and that makes him scary. He says he feels he is either going to stab someone or make great food. Freak!

Quickfire Challenge:

Season 2 finalist, Sam, is the guest job. Salads will be the subject of this challenge. They have 45 minutes to create a modern “sexy” salad. Padma was talking about creating the next Waldorf or Cobb salad. To me that screams a relative simplicity but that is not at all the direction the chefs were going. Lisa seemed to forget when you add bananas in something it really dominates. The bottoms were Richard, Stephanie, and Lisa. The top was Spike, Antonia, and Dale. Spike won!

Elimination Challenge:

Padma and Spike bring out trays of greasy foods. It is the lunch from the Chicago Police Academy. They are going to make gourmet boxed lunches using 1 ingredient from each of the whole grains, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. Spike’s advantage is an extra 10 minutes shopping and 1 ingredient from each food group that only he can use.

So they are off to Whole Foods. Spike is picking chicken breast, tomatoes, bread and lettuce. These foods were picked specifically to mess with people. Andrew has studied nutrition for 2 years so he is sure that he has an advantage. For service they will hand the officers the food with instructions and the officers have to do any microwaving needed to heat it up. They have 2 hours in the Top Chef kitchen to cook and pack to go. “Someone” has turned up Lisa’s rice so it is burned on the outside and raw in the middle. She hope by putting cooking liquid over it that the rice will steam in the microwave.

Spike: Chicken Salad without Mayo, Raw Veggies
Lisa: Veggie, Edamame, and Shrimp Stirfry with Brown Rice, Berries and Yougurt
Richard: Lentil, Quinoa and Tuna Burritos
Dale: Lettuce Cups out of Cabbage and Marinated Bison
Antonia:Curry Beef with Jasmine and Brown Rice, Fresh Berry Fruit Salad
Andrew: Sushi Roll with pureed Parsnip and Pine Nuts as rice, Salmon TarTar with Veggies
Stephanie: Mushroom Leek Soup with Meatballs

I don’t think that Andrew has properly gaged the interest, or lack of, in salmon tartar. So we will see if they like them. Spike is only putting 2 on the table at a time to make people think they are going quick. Andrew didn’t use a whole grain. When he said he was going raw I wondered how you could do a whole grain raw, apparently you can’t.

Judgment:

The judges see Dale and Stephanie first. They are the top 2. They commended Dale for the bison choice and commended Stephanie for good seasoning. The winner was Dale and received a bottle of Rutherford Hill wine and got a trip to the winery in Napa.

Then the judges wanted to see Spike, Lisa and Andrew. They were the bottom 3. Andrew said studying nutrition repeatedly. The judges said it wasn’t hearty like it was supposed to be and he asked if that was in the rules. Padma said it was supposed to be hearty, nutritious and delicious. Ted also said that he didn’t take the audience into consideration. When Tom said it wasn’t good Andrew said 2 people came back for more. Tom said that was only because it wasn’t enough and they were still hungry. Spike was accused of not using the tomatoes, lettuce or bread well. Tom said the combination of olives, grapes and chicken wasn’t good. Spike simply said, “Salty and sweet, what don’t you understand about salty and sweet”. Come on Tom, let one of the punks have it. Lisa’s long beans, shrimp and brown rice were raw. She said that someone messed with the burner. But that didn’t out weigh the other raw ingredients. When the group was asked if there was anything else. Then Lisa pointed out that someone didn’t use a whole grain. The judges said they were aware. Andrew went off and when Lisa said that he would have done it too, he looked like he was going to punch out someone and cry. Andrew is out!

I have to say that I think Lisa was fine in saying something. She knew that she was on the chopping block last week when she had an impeccable dish but had missed a rule. If someone hasn’t said something and then some else was cut, you would hear all kinds of whining. If it would be a big enough deal to complain about later you best say something before judgment.

Labels: Top Chef, tv

Quick Fire Challenge:
Tom joined Padma in the quick fire challenge. The chefs did a knife pull to be separated into 2 teams: Fork and Spoon.

Bride:Antonia, Stephanie, Richard, Andrew
Groom:Dale, Nikki, Spike, Lisa

So for the quick fire is the relay race for the Mise en Place Tray. They need to 1)peel and supreme 5 oranges, 2)clean and turn 2 artichokes, 3)clean and 2 fillets off a monk fish, 4) make 1 quart of mayonnaise. They get a couple of minutes to decide who does what. Right off the bat Stephanie and her team know what they are doing. The other team was having problems figuring out who would do what and Dale is disgusted that the others hadn’t made mayo by hand since culinary school.

Lisa and Antonia go head to head on the oranges. Lisa smoked her. Then we move onto to Spike vs Andrew. Spike was flying and he evened up the race. Then is was Richard vs Dale on the fish. I have to say that I thought they would be evenly matched. They ended pretty much dead even. So then we have Stephanie and Nikki head to head on the mayo. Nikki seems to be faltering whereas Stephanie does this all the time. So Stephanie rocked it out and won! Dale just flips out a bit and punched a locker.

Challenge:

So instead of Restaurant Wars they are doing Wedding Wars. So each team will cater to half the guests (125 guest each) and get $5,000 to do it with. The bride and groom (Corey and JP) run their own restaurant and wedding venue. The team that won the challenge got to choose bride or groom’s side. The chefs will be working through the night.

Groom’s side:
Appetizer’s: Various Flat Breads, Brushetta
Buffet: Tortellini, Antipasti, Filet Mignon, Chilean Sea Bass, Orecchiette with Ragu
Groom’s Cake: Hazelnut Chocolate

The groom is Italian and that is the food choice. Nikki seemed to take control because Spike and Lisa differed to her but she wouldn’t take responsibility. Dale on the other hand was not willing to give over control. So Nikki won’t lead. Everyone believed that Dale was doing to much and not really doing it well.

Bride:
Appetizers: Pizza, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Short Ribs and Blue Cheese wrapped in Phyllo
Buffet: Crispy Chicken, Brisket, Filet Mignon, Creamed Spinach, Potato Gratin
Wedding Cake: Chocolate and Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

The bride is Southern. So mid-west meets the south. Richard instigated the choosing the Bride. Richard definitely has more of a team mentality (ie helping on others dishes) but Andrew didn’t appreciate it. Andrew seems to wants to have his own separate dish.

Judgment:

Gale Gand was the guest judge. I love her and everything I have seen her on. I use her recipes.

So during service everything started shaking out. The winner seemed obvious. The groom’s side had thick and dry brushetta. Whereas on the bride side the judges disliked (ok, I think hated) the chicken dish and the creamed spinach.

Not surprisingly, the bride’s team won. Richard won individually but he deferred to Stephanie since she did the wedding cake. The prize was $2,000 gift certificate to Crate and Barrel so they are going to split it.

When the groom’s team was brought out Dale and Spike got into it. Full out yelling in front of the judges. Dale got slammed for doing to much and not pulling the menu in. Nikki got kicked out for not stepping up as a leader and for bad pasta.

Labels: Top Chef, tv

Quick Fire Challenge:
The guest judge is Art Smith(Oprah’s Chef). The quick fire is a 15minute entree but they could use the Uncle Ben’s products, including the microwavable rices. I am already predicting that Mark isn’t long for this competition. Dale, Richard and Antonia were the top 3 with Antonia winning.

Elimination Challenge:
Inspired by the group call Common Threads, they are to devise a meal for family of 4 that is simple to prepare at home for $10. The key term is so simple a child can do it. They are shopping at Whole Foods and that would be hard. The only way I keep my per meal cost down is by using an ingredient in many dishes. Therefore you use it all.

So after all the whining and moaning at the grocery store all the chefs finally bought all their stuff. So each chef got a kid to assist them. I saw Antonia’s assistant reach out to shake her hand and she gave him 5. Then she tells him that he will “get” to cut all the veggies with the big knife.

Mark says he is concerned because he is doing a curry and his assistant has never had one. Duh! We are in America and most people here don’t eat curries all the time. In the “British Empire” it is considered a comfort food but not here. He needs to either trust the food or change it.

Menus:
Lisa- Roast Chicken with Edamame and Black Beans, Peanut Butter and Apple French Toast
Spike- Pasta Puttenesca, Carrot Soup and Roasted Apples
Richard- Roast Chicken, Apple, Avocado, Beet Salad and Black Beans
Dale- Turkey Bratwurst with Potatoes, Onions, Cabbage and Apples
Andrew- Chicken Pailliard with a Shaved Fennel Salad
Antonia- Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry with Wheat Noodles
Mark- Vegetable Curry, Cinnamon Rice and Cucumber Salad
Stephanie- Couscous with Veggies, Chicken in a Peanut Sauce, with a Apple Yogurt Granola Dessert
Nikki- Roasted Chicken with Mixed Vegetables with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Judging:

Mark got dinged for not enough protein. Dale got dinged for to strong of flavors. They were saying that Antonia’s food was real life for her and they loved it. Stephanie’s couscous wasn’t well cooked and the judges thought that tomato and peanut wasn’t a good combo.

Andrew, Nikki and Antonia were up in front of the judges first. Nikki’s one pot was a big hit. The judges loved the combo of orange and fennel salad in Andrews. They just loved Antonia’s and she won!

The judges then saw Lisa, Stephanie and Mark. Mark claimed the reason he was in the bottom was that Tom didn’t like him. Mark was slammed for just using sweet potato and cucumber, especially with out enough protein. Lisa’s edamame was bland and under cooked. Lisa’s beans were also under seasoned. I totally seconded Art Smith’s comment that couscous just isn’t that hard to cook. Stephanie’s dish was also just to complicated. In the end Mark was out.

Labels: Top Chef, tv

This last week has been nuts with real life so I am just going to give a very brief summary. Go over to Bravo to get more blood and guts.

The Quick Fire was dessert and they were told if they didn’t have a recipe to wing it! How can you not throw together a dessert? I understand baking being a challenge because it is science but not having a dessert? What is wrong with people? You are coming to a cooking competition and dessert has been a problem for people every season so memorize a recipe. Padma did say dessert not pastry. Richard won the quickfire with the banana scallop.

They tell everyone that they are going to 2nd City for a show and it seems no one realizes that it is a trap. Did they not see the Miami night out last season? The 2nd Citiers started having people call out an emotion, color, and an ingredient. The Elimination Challenge was to cook a 5 course meal with each course to be based on an ingredient, color, and mood combo given by the audience. Then they “assume” they are cooking and serving in the Top Chef kitchen. You know what they say about Assuming;)? In the end Jen was sent home.

Later this week I hope to review the next episode in a little more detail!