Top Chef: Double Elimination

Top Chef: Washington D.C.
Room Service

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create an adult dish & a baby-friendly puree version.
  • Elimination Challenge: Create breakfast, lunch & dinner courses for the Hilton menu

I loved seeing Bryan back on the show, even if only briefly. Where was Michael? They should make the brothers guest judges more often.

Quickfire Challenge


The chefs were confused when it was Padma and Tom standing in the kitchen when they arrived. They also saw tons of baby toys on a table. Padma said they had a challenge for them that was on a personal level since they both had newborns at home. The chefs were asked to create a dish that would satisfy Tom, Padma and their babies. They were asked to make a dish for Padma and Tom and then a pureed version for the babies. They had 45 minutes and they could use whatever they found in the kitchen. It was also a high-stakes quickfire. Tom and Padma would each be picking a winner, who would receive $10,000. Immunity would not be granted to the winner though.

Lynne and Alex were concerned since they never had to feed a baby. Kevin’s wife is pregnant so he thought the challenge hit home. Tamesha said she had to feed her younger brother a lot when he was a baby. Kelly wanted to prove that she didn’t have to have kids to win the challenge. Angelo said he loves challenging his own son with different flavors so he was excited. Kenny lost his wife when his daughter was just a year old so he is used to being the only cook in the house for her and making her food. Stephen saw what Kenny was making and thought his daughters would choke on it since it had apples in it. He deemed the dish unsuccessful. Um, won’t it be pureed?

Padma and Tom came in and tried all the dishes. Then they each picked two losers and two winners before deciding on the final winners.

Losers


Timothy
Sauteed Lamb with Mushrooms, Shallots & Ginger

Tom found the lamb to be overcooked. He did say the baby food was okay, but the adult dish missed the mark.


Alex
Duck with Spinach, Basil & Mushroom

Tom found the puree tasting too much like the dill in the couscous and nothing else. He also said it was watery.


Kevin
Pan-Seared Duck with Baby Carrots

Kevin didn’t get everything on his plate before the time was up. He was embarrassed to not have finished. Padma said she couldn’t get over the pool of blood that was sitting under the duck.


Kelly
Roast Pork Loin with Grilled Peaches & Ginger

While Padma was trying the baby food version, she spit out a lemon seed. Not good! Pamda said that her meat was cooked fine, but it was a little bland. She just wanted her dish to have more flavor.

Winners


Lynne
Chicken with Sweet Potato & Fruit Compote

Tom said her dish had really great flavors and it was seasoned well. It also translated to the baby food very nicely.


Tamesha
Salmon with Vegetable Chowder & Lobster Stock, Thai Basil & Licorice Oil

Tom asked Tamesha how she made the licorice oil. She said she took licorice power and had it steep in grape seed oil. Tom said he liked that the puree had a little texture to it and it wasn’t completely pureed. He also really liked the licorice oil.


Angelo
Poached Tuna with Fenugreek Broth, Tomatoes, Soy Sauce & Honey

Padma loved that he used fenugreek. She also liked that the baby food looked very elegant since he had made it in layers like a parfait. She said it looked special.


Kenny
Curried Chicken, Mango Salad, Confit of Butternut Squash & Maitake Mushrooms

Padma loved that he used bulgar wheat. She found it flavorful. She liked that it had a little spice to it and it was nothing that a baby couldn’t handle.

Quickfire Winners: Tom picked Tamesha and Padma picked Kenny.

Elimination Challenge


Tom and Padma were joined by Beth Scott, the VP of Restaurant Concepts at Hilton Hotels. Padma said Hilton was looking for a new signature dish that was healthy but still sophisticated. Beth said they were looking for quick, easily executable dishes that could be served in restaurants for busy travelers. Their challenge would be to create breakfast, lunch and dinner options that do all of that. Hilton would incorporate the winning dish on their menu. Tom had a twist though! They would compete tournament style in teams of two. All teams would compete in the breakfast round. Two teams would be picked as safe at that point and everyone else  moved onto the lunch service. Two more teams would be picked at that point as safe and the remaining three teams competed in dinner service. One team would be eliminated. Tom clarified that two chefs would be sent home at the end of the leg. They had two hours to prepare.

The chefs were able to pick their partners. Apparently no one wanted Amanda or Steve. I can understand Steve because he’s a wackjob, but Amanda just did really well during the grilling challenge. Tiffany was worried about being paired with Tim since he had been in the bottom recently. She told him to trust her on the breakfast. She concentrated on that dish with the hopes that they wouldn’t have to go any farther. Ed wasn’t thrilled he ended up with Alex. They are like the odd couple.

After shopping, the chefs got back to the kitchen to see some past contestants sitting there with the judges. There was Mike Isabella from season 6, Bryan Voltaggio from season 6,and  Spike Mendelsohn (with his stupid hat) from season 4, along with judges Beth Scott from Hilton, Nora Puillon (chef/owner of Nora), Tom Colicchio, and Eric Ripert. After the introductions, they had 30 minutes to cook breakfast.

Breakfast


Alex & Ed
Prosciutto Potato Cake, Egg with Lemon Pancake, Bellini Cocktail

They didn’t get it all plated in time so they had hollandaise sauce that never made it to the plate. The plate that Beth and Spike were sharing didn’t have any potato cake. Oops! Ed felt stupid since he said it was his job to put the cakes on the plate and he screwed up.


Angelo & Tamesha
Egg, Bacon & Cheddar Broth

Tamesha told the camera that she had been to Bryan’s restaurant and knew that they had made the egg like he makes it there. When Bryan was tasting it, he wasn’t too thrilled with the consistency.


Arnold & Lynne
Tortilla Espanola with Chorizo & Bacon, Olive-Pear Salad & Papas Bravas

Eric thought it was pretty good. Tom found the texture strange. Spike agreed it was off, but they couldn’t figure out why.


Kenny & Kevin
Poached Egg on Herb Brioche, Prosciutto, Manchego & Spanish Olive Tapenade

Spike said there was too much texture. Tom said there was too much going on.


Amanda & Stephen
Poached Egg, Pancetta, Potato Rosti & Grape Ragout with Hollandaise

Spike said he liked the confit bacon. Mike agreed saying that everywhere you go, you get crispy bacon. Padma wished the pancetta had been cubed and they had rendered the fat off.  That sounds pretty darn fancy Padma!


Andrea & Kelly
Bacon, Cheddar & Wheat Waffle, Poached Egg & Mango, Lime & Mint Yogurt Smoothie

Eric said the eggs needed more seasoning. I think they liked the waffle. It was hard to tell what they said. Nora thought the drink tasted too sweet.


Tiffany & Tim
Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, Asparagus & Bacon Potato Mash in Hollandaise

Bryan said the crab cake was seasoned really well. He could really taste all the elements like the capers and the spiciness. He thought it was very well executed. Tom didn’t think it needed the potato hash at all. Nora agreed and thought it would be much better without it.

Breakfast Winners: Amanda & Stephen and Tim & Tiffany

The rest of them had to move onto lunch. They had 45 minutes to cook it.

Lunch


Alex & Ed
Sea Scallops with Ricotta Gnudi & Broccoli Rabe

They all really liked the gnudi. Bryan said if they had done something different with the ricotta, it would have had a smoother texture.


Angelo & Tamesha
Slivers of Beef, Jicama-Asian Pear Salad with Mint, Cilantro & Kimchi Vinaigrette

Mike was wishing for something crispy, like fried shallots or something. Eric said there was a lot of onions in the dish. Tom said they could take the dish and roll it into something easily portable.


Arnold & Lynne
Tuna Cannelloni with Forbidden Rice Salad & Tomato Vinaigrette

Spike did not see it as an easy dish to execute. Beth agreed. Nora did think the salad was wonderful and refreshing.


Kenny & Kevin
Chickpea Pappardelle Pasta with Grilled Chicken & Tahini Sauce

Eric liked the taste of the roasted nuts. Mike really liked the flavor profile.


Andrea & Kelly
Crispy Skin Red Snapper & Panzanella Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

They asked if the beans were cooked. Kelly said they didn’t have time, but they wanted to add some protein to the dish. Isn’t that what the fish is? Padma said if she would have gotten it at Eric’s restaurant, she would have sent it back. Eric said he never would have sent it out to begin with. Tom then realized what was discussed earlier. He was shocked that they didn’t have time to cook a bag of beans. Um, couldn’t they have microwaved them for a few minutes at least? Wait, do they have microwaves back there?

Lunch Winners: Angelo & Tamesha and Alex & Ed

The last three teams were moving onto dinner. They had 60 minutes to cook it. Kelly and Andrea really got down to business and felt like they really connected and communicated well with one another. Kenny and Kevin seemed to be doing well, but Kevin didn’t like how much horseradish Kenny was adding to the sauce at the end without consulting him first. Arnold thought that Lynne was throwing a fit instead of getting her game face on and cooking. He also wanted her to cook the pasta sooner than she wanted to do it. She said it was fresh pasta and she didn’t want to overcook it so she was going to wait until the last minute. It was stressing Arnold out since they still had to plate and she refused to cook the pasta until she was ready.

Dinner


Kenny & Kevin
Braised Beef Short Rib, Squash, Potato & Carrot Confit & Tempura Horseradish

Beth asked what they were thinking about in terms of the guests. Kevin said that beef and potatoes are what he wants to eat when he’s staying at a hotel.  Bryan said it was all there. Mike said he loved the crispy horseradish.  Padma said she couldn’t taste that it was horseradish. Mike said he could a little bit. Padma thought the jus was delicious. Nora said it was, but there wasn’t enough.


Andrea & Kelly
Braised Beef Short Rib, Polenta, Shiitake Mushrooms & Citrus Gremolata

Spike said it had a real short rib, dark flavor. Mike thought both teams nailed the short ribs. Tom agreed.  Mike thought the polenta was very stiff. Tom said they were both very good.


Arnold & Lynne
Pineapple Red Curry Mussels with Squid Ink Pasta & Focaccia

Spike and Eric said the pasta wasn’t cooked enough. Eric said the sauce was good. Nora loved the balance of the dish. Spike thought it made more sense conceptually more than the other two dishes.

Judges’ Table

The dinner people were all called into to see the judges. Padma told them that one team was going to have the best dish of the day and one team was going home.

Winners

Nora, the guest judge, was able to pick. She said one team had the best flavors. They would get their dish on the Hilton menu. One of them would get a trip to Venice and the other would get a trip to Barcelona.

Elimination Challenge Winners: Kelly and Andrea

Losers

That left the remaining two teams to talk to the judges. Padma asked Lynne and Arnold if they were happy with the outcome. Lynne said she was happy with the flavor of the dish. She did admit the pasta was probably undercooked. Arnold disagreed and thought the pasta was cooked beautifully, which I was surprised since he was so worried about it while they were making it. He said it was surprised the judges were bringing it up. Nora asked if they had planned to have black mussels and black pasta. Arnold said that he thought it was aesthetically beautiful. Lynne said again that she was happy with the flavor of the dish, and I wondered if they just replaying her saying the same exact thing she said at the beginning. She said that it could have possibly been refined a little bit more.

Tom told Kenny and Kevin that the one thing the team that won did that they didn’t do was put a little bit of glaze on their short ribs. Kevin said they were basting it while they were making it in the oven and when they moved it to the stove. Kenny said they stopped when they thought the sodium level was complete. Tom asked if they stopped glazing because it was getting too salty or if they thought it was glazed enough. Kevin started to say he was worried it was going to get too salty. Kenny said he thought it was glazed enough. Eric asked if they had tasted the sauce and if they were happy with the flavor. Kenny said he thought the horseradish carried through quite nicely in the sauce. Eric said he had a hard time finding the flavor of the horseradish in the sauce and in the dish as well.

Tom asked both teams why their dishes should keep them in the competition. Kevin said that he thought they made a dish that guests would like and it was delicious. Tom asked if he was proud of his dish and he said he was. Arnold said that they brought something different to the table than everyone else. He said if he was on a panel, he would want to see a quirky, avant garde approach and that is a direct reflection of who he is as a person.

They were sent out for discussions. Tom reminded everyone that even though not all the chefs have been consistent up to this point, they can only take into account what they made that day. He did appreciate that Arnold and Lynne took a risk. Padma said that squid ink pasta would be a hard sell on a hotel menu. Nora agreed. Eric said it was too bad the pasta wasn’t completely cooked since it could have absorbed a lot of the sauce and connected all the dots in the beautiful dish. Tom said with Kevin and Kenny’s dish, he would have preferred more of a glaze. Eric said he couldn’t detect the various notes of flavor in the sauce. Tom said he also wished they hadn’t put the tempura horseradish in the sauce since it made it soggy.

They were called back in. Tom told Lynne and Arnold that they went outside the box. They gave them a great sauce and a delicious dish. He said the only flaw was that the pasta was somewhat undercooked. Tom told Kenny and Kevin that they were looking for a little more glaze on the short rib and the problem that the horseradish taste in the sauce wasn’t there. Padma asked Arnold and Lynne to pack their knives and go.  Talking to the camera later, Lynne  said she let a younger cook take the lead when she shouldn’t have. Wasn’t it her undercooked pasta that ruined the dish?

Questions

  1. I could see if Arnold and Lynne went home due to their dish not being easy to execute or guests not going for squid ink pasta, so do you think that contributed to them going home or was it just undercooked pasta?
  2. What do you think about two chefs going home? In the past they have had to figure out who screwed up and have sent that one chef home, so in the beginning, I liked it, but in the end, I wished only Lynne was leaving.
  3. Do you think they should have picked the best dish out of only the dinner dishes or looked at the breakfast and lunch ones too for the overall winners?
  4. What quickfire dish do you think would make the best baby food?

Images: Bravo

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