Top Chef: Clunky American Cuisine

Top Chef: New York
Show Your Craft

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a signature hot dog
  • Elimination Challenge: Create a three-course New American lunch menu

What I have noticed while watching this show are the chefs that succeed are the ones that bring their own style into a challenge. The ones that fail are the ones that forget their strengths and are just concerned about doing something that is so out there, they end up doing something that they have never made before or some  technique they are not familiar with. The good chefs can still make something they have never made before, but I think those are ones that are still calling on their strengths. The ones that have the opportunity to make something they have made before coming on the show, know how to make it well, and it still fits within the challenge parameters are the smart ones. They are there to show off their skills, not just to make the weirdest dish out there. If they are going to make the weird dish, then they should have figured out how to do it before they arrived.

Quickfire Challenge

The guest judge for the episode was Donatella Arpaia who is a New York restauranter of about four or five restuarants that Padma listed off. The chefs had to compete against Angelina D’Angelo and her famous New York hot dog. They had to create their own signature hot dog and Donatella would then taste Angelina’s hot dog to see if any of them stood up to Angelina’s one. They had 45 minutes to create their dish.

Fabio said he didn’t know how to make a  hot dog, but he did know how to make sausage so he was going to make a sausage and put it in the middle of a panini bread. Stefan was also going to put his hot dog in the middle of a panini bread. Must be a European thing. Jill didn’t think she could make a hot dog, so she didn’t create one. She used an already made one and made it look like sushi. Radhika said her Indian mother always tried to incorporate American dishes into their food so she was making her hot dog have an Indian twist to it. Hosea was having problems making his hot dogs look long and slender. They were short and stubby. He knew they would look funny but taste good.

Since there are so many chefs, not all of their dishes are shown during the segment. The best and the worst are always shown though so the ones that aren’t shown are in the middle people that weren’t stand outs and weren’t super horrible.


Jill
Summer Roll Hot Dogs Cooked in Chili, Soy Sauce & Rice Wine Vinegar

Padma pointed out that Jill didn’t make her own hot dog. Donatella asked her if she was concerned about making her own hot dog. Jill said she didn’t think she would have enough time.


Radhika
Kabob-Style Sausage with Caramelized Onions, Cucumbers & Tomato Jam

Radhika said she put an Indian global spin on it with a sausage made of lamb and pork.


Daniel
Pork Hot Dog with Horseradish, Mustard, Friend Onions & Garlic Powder

He wanted to keep it traditional New York-style flavors. Donatella asked if he made his own casing and he did.


Eugene
Maki Roll Hot Dog with Pita Bread, Boursin Cheese & Red Onions

Eugene stuffed the hot dogs with cheese. Donatella had a cringing look on her face as she ate it, but didn’t say anything.


Hosea
Pork Hot Dog with Roasted Poblanos, Jalapenos, Smoked Bacon & Red Vinegar

Donatella could taste a smoky flavor. It was the smoked bacon.


Stefan
Italian Sausage on French Bread with Wisconsin Cheese & Irish Tartar Sauce

Stefan called his hot dog a World Dog since the ingredients came from all over the place. Donatella looked confused while she was tasting it.


Carla
Lamb & Pork Sausage with Sauerkraut & Caramelized Onions

Donatella said it was really moist and really nice.


Ariane
Chicken Sausage with Bacon, Celery Seed, Garlic & White Pepper

Donatella said the celery was pretty strong.


Fabio
Andouille Sausage with Goat Cheese, Roasted Bell Peppers & Sun Dried Tomatoes

Donatella said it had a definite Mediterranean feel.


Jamie
Pork & Beef Sausage with Bacon, Onions & Cayenne Pepper

Padma jumped a little after her bite. She had a piece of bone that was in the meat. eek!


Angelina
New York Hot Dog with Mustard, Sauerkraut & Relish

After eating everyone else’s hot dog creations, Donatella and Padma sampled Angelina’s hot dog so they could see if any of the other dished compared. After deciding that Angelina’s hot dog was great, Donatella said some of the dishes were really good, but there were some major disappointments.

Losers:

  • Jill – She was one of the worst ones since she used a store-bought hot dog when everyone else created their own. Then she didn’t do anything with it.
  • Stefan – Donatella said she would not want to go anywhere around the world for that hot dog.

Winners:

  • Radhika – She loved that it was really moist and she embraced the Indian theme. It was really satisfying.
  • Fabio – She liked the flavors and the Mediterranean feel.
  • Hosea – She loved bacon and the flavors. She said he had all the components of a hot dog and in the time constraints, he did an excellent job.

Quickfire Winner: Radhika

She won immunity and could not be eliminated in the elimination challenge.

Elimination Challenge

The chefs would be opening up a Top Chef restaurant in Manhattan. They would be creating a three-course New American lunch menu. Each chef would be in charge of one dish so they had to separate into three teams of five for appetizers, entrees and desserts. They would have two hours to prep before feeding 50 New Yorkers for lunch.  Everyone split up pretty easily. No one seemed like they were stuck on a team they didn’t want to be on.

They all went shopping.  They had 30 minutes to shop at a budget of $2,500 for all 15 of them combined. Hosea wanted to do a crab salad that he does in his seafood restaurant back home. It is with dungeness crab, which they do not have there. I think it is only on the West coast, which I think a seafood guy would know that, so he bought some crab meat in a can. Why not make another dish? Jill got ostrich eggs because she thought it would be original. She had never cooked with it before, but she planned on making a quiche out of it. Jamie saw the ostrich egg and thought Jill was beyond out there and just being ridiculous. Ariane talked about not being a baker, but she was making a dessert. It showed earlier that everyone decided where they wanted to be, so why did she pick dessert?

Teams:

  • Appetizer Group: Fabio, Hosea, Jamie, Melissa, Leah
  • Entree Group: Stefan, Alex, Eugene, Jill, Jeff
  • Dessert Group: Carla, Ariane, Daniel, Richard, Radhika

While the teams were making things, Tom came by to surprise them with a few twists. He told the teams they would be working in his flagship restaurant Craft and the New York guests would be all New York chefs who tried out for the show and did not make it. Angry customers! Good times.

At the restaurant the next day, Fabio was doing something weird with olives. It was something where the outside of the olive was solid, but the inside was liquid. I didn’t understand it, but he said it was good. Hosea tasted his crab and thought it needed some seasoning so he added some salt and pepper. He was very confident about his salad. Jill was worried that Tom might have to wait on her and she did not want anyone waiting on her while her quiche was baking. Carla was worried about her crust. She said it was flaky, but it just wasn’t perfect. Ariane thought her dessert was too sweet. She had other people taste it to get their opinions and they said it was very sweet. She said she wasn’t a big dessert person to begin with so she didn’t know exactly what others would want. Why did she pick dessert again?

Tom expedited the chefs in the kitchen so everything would go out on time. After all the food was out, he would have a taste of everything so he could judge later. The other judges were guest judge Donatella, Padma and Gail Simmons.

Appetizers


Jamie
Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Chili Oil & Mint

Jamie was confident in her dish. She thought if she didn’t win, she would be in the top three for sure. Donatella loved the way the mint was used. Gail said it was beautiful, smooth and rich. Padma said it was very light. One of the guests said it was amazing.


Hosea
Chilled Crab with Citrus Vanilla Dressing, Mango & Avocado

I thought the crab on top of the mango looked incredibly unappetizing. Hosea felt he had a chance to win the competition. Donatella said she had a slimy feeling on her tongue after eating it. Gail said it had a very muddy taste. One of the guests said the crab tasted like it came out of a can. It did! It had the aluminum taste to it.


Leah
Yukon Potato, Seared Scallops with Chives & Green Peppercorns

One of the guests said the scallops were sandy. Padma said the presentation reminded her of the ’80s.


Fabio
Beef Carpaccio with Arugula Salad, Parmesan & Spherical Olives

Donatella, Padma and Gail all loved the olives. They said they were like egg yolks. Donatella said it was a perfect lunch dish.


Melissa
Grilled Avocado, White Peaches, Nectarines & Balsamic Vinaigrette

Padma asked if the dish was enough to stand out and both Donatella and Gail said no. It didn’t seem horrible, but nothing great. One of the guests said they could have done better than that.

Entrees


Jill
Ostrich Egg Quiche with Rice-Pecan Crust, Asparagus & Aged Cheese

Jill felt originality would pull some points for her. One of the guests said it resembled dog food. Donatella said it tasted liked glue.


Eugene
Open Meatloaf Sandwich with Ciabatta Bread, Gouda Fondue & Portabella Ragout

Donatella said the presentation was really bad.


Stefan
Pan Seared Halibut with Micro Greens, Ravioli, Champagne Sauce & Dill Oil

Padma and Donatella talked about how it was really light and not heavy like the quiche. One guest loved the raviolis. She said they were light, rich and very flavorful.


Jeff
Southern Chicken, Honey Mustard & Chorizo Corn Spoon Bread

Donatella said the chicken was seasoned nicely. Pamda was just mm-mm’ing the chorizo. Donatella said that if she has a good chorizo, she is happy. Guests said they had no complaints about it.


Alex
Pork Tenderloin Over Potatoes with Mushroom, Tomato & Red Beet Demi-Glace

Donatella said it wasn’t good at all. A guest said it wasn’t representative of a Top Chef candidate.

Desserts


Radhika
Avocado Mousse with Chocolate Wontons & Chocolate Milk Kahlua Shot

Gail said you could tell Radhika had immunity because why else would she make an avocado mousse. It doesn’t make any sense. Gail said it is sweet guacamole.


Daniel
Ricotta Pound Cake with Toasted Pistachios & Strawberry Lemon Coulis

Donatella said it was New American and he did a really good job. A guest said it was really good. Daniel said he had never made it before, but he knew how to make a berry sauce.


Ariane
Lemon Meringue Martini with Vanilla Cookie Crunch & Cherry Surprise

Padma started choking on the sweetness of it and spit it ou in her napkin. Donatella was waiting to get over the sugar shock.


Richard
Sandwich of Banana Nut Bread, Peanut Butter & Banana Brulee with Grape Gelato

Gail said it was an after school snack. Donatella said her nephews and nieces would go crazy for it.


Carla
Rustic Apple Tart with Ginger Peach Tea, Apple Cider Reduction & Cheddar Cheese

Carla was concerned about the cheese being on the side. I don’t know why she didn’t melt it over the top of the tart. Donatella said it looked like a deli counter, sweaty piece of cheese. Padma said it was light and sweet. It was one of her favorite desserts.

Judges’ Table

Tom joined the other judges after everyone left the restaurant. He said it went fine in the kitchen other than some of the dishes didn’t taste very good. He was disappointed compared to dishes made in the first elimination challenge. He thought that some of the chefs took the phrase New American and decided it was regional American. They made clunky midwestern food that isn’t even being made anymore. Padma said it wasn’t what someone did, but how they did it. Tom agreed and said it needed to be delicious and good.

Back at the Top Chef kitchen, Tom came out to tell the chefs that they handled themselves in the kitchen very well, but the food that came out was not the best. He said they set American cuisine back about 20 years. He asked to see Jamie, Hosea, Ariane, Fabio, Carla and Jill. I liked the way they changed it this year so no one knows who is the winner or loser until the people selected go in front of the judges.

Winners

Padma informed them that they were disappointed with the food overall, but there were one or two bright spots. Tom told Carla that her pastry was really excellent. He wished she had figured out a way to work the cheddar into the dish, but what made the dish was the pastry crust. Padma said it was her favorite dessert. Padma asked Fabio to explain his dish. He explained it and didn’t understand why they didn’t like it so he asked them why he was there. Padma told him that he was there because they did like his dish. They hadn’t told him they didn’t like it or not yet. He was very happy and said that’s why he made it the way he did then, if they liked it. Gail said it was fresh and ripe. She loved the grilled lemon. Donatella said the speherical olives were the star of the dish. Tom said the olives got him noticed so it was a good choice to do it. Padma told Jamie they really liked her corn puree. Tom said the mint was there, but it wasn’t overpowering. He said the chili oil was there, but it only added some heat at the end, which was good. Gail really liked the texture in the dish. It tasted just like pure, fresh corn. Jamie said that’s why she did it. She wanted to celebrate the season and use good product.

They had Donatella announce the winner as the guest judge. She said the winner was the one that surprised the judges and had a delicious dish. Fabio was the winner.

Losers

Padma asked Hosea the idea behind his dish. He said he wanted to do a variation of a crab salad that he makes. Mangos were in season so he used them to make the dish light and fresh. He thought he was called in because he was one of the top dishes. Padma said the comments from the guests said it was too sweet and it was missing a ton of salt. Gail said the crab tasted off. Tom said it just wasn’t seasoned enough. Hosea said that was what he was trying with the lemon citrus. Tom agreed that all the ingredients should have worked, but somehow they didn’t. Gail said Ariane’s dish wasn’t very interesting and didn’t stand out. She said it was something “we do at our restaurant.” Shouldn’t it be something that she does, not “we”? Is she even a chef? She said she was trying to play it too safe. Padma asked if she tasted it. Ariane said she thought it was a little sweet, but it was hard to fix it since she kept tasting it and tasting it and couldn’t tell after a while. Padma informed her she spit it out since it was so sweet. Jill said she put an extra challenge on herself with the ostrich egg since she had never worked with it before. Tom said that she took something special and turned it into anything but something special. It wasn’t very distinguished. Gail said it didn’t taste good and the flavors weren’t harmonious. Jill said she thought the pressure was getting to her but couldn’t give a reason of how she would fix it for the future.

They sent everyone out to discuss. Tom thought it was odd that Hosea was so complacent in his dish. Padma said everyone knew what she thought about Ariane’s dish. Donatella said the sugar was overwhelming. Gail said that Jill had the lamest defense of her dish that she had heard in five seasons. Donatella said Jill couldn’t share her thought process, if she had one. Padma said Jill thought the ostrich egg would make her stand out. Tom said the ingredient wasn’t the issue, but she painted herself in a corner since she didn’t know what to do with it.

They called them back in. Tom told them the first part of the challenge was to make New American cuisine and the second part was to stand out. Tom told Hosea that he had admited he was complacent and that would make him yesterday’s news. Tom told Ariane the competition was too tough and being so-so was never going to be enough. Jill had a good idea with the ostrich egg, but that is only part of it. She needed to make it special and make it unique enough to stand out. A quiche is not going to stand out. Padma asked Jill to pack her knives and go.

Questions

  • Did they send the right person home when they sent Jill for her boring quiche dish over Ariane for the super sweet dessert that Padma spit out?
  • Will Ariane last another week after being in the bottom two weeks in a row?
  • What was up with the crazy sushi / roll hot dogs from Jill and Eugene?

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