Top Chef: Frozen Choice

Top Chef: Chicago
High Steaks

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: butcher and cook a perfect steak
  • Elimination Challenge: prepare one appetizer and one entree each in a steak and seafood restaurant

I love that there are so many women so close to the final four. I would still be thrilled to trade out Lisa for Dale though. She should not still be here.

Quickfire Challenge

The chefs are delivered to a meat purveyor called Allen Bros. The chefs had to butcher some dry-aged long-bone rib-eyes. Spike had an advantage since both of his grandfathers were butchers. They were given an entire rib rack. They had to cut individual chops from the rack with the bone being frenched. They were given an example of what it should look like when it was finished. They were given 20 minutes to cut seven chops.

The other chefs struggled with it. Spike flew through it. When the time was up, they packed up the meat they had completed and took it with them back to the Top Chef kitchen.

When they arrived, they were greeted by Padma and the guest judge for the episode, Rick Tramonto, who is the chef/owner of Tru & Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood. He is also a James Beard award winner and cookbook author. To finish the challenge, they had 30 minutes to cook a perfect tomahawk steak for Rick. Rick was looking for medium rare.

James went by each chef, cutting into their steaks to see how well they did and asked them how they prepared it.

Richard
He roasted, grilled and charred it with the torch.

Lisa
She cooked it in a pan.

Stephanie
She cooked it on a stove with butter and oil.

Spike
He cooked it over an open flame with a bit of rosemary underneath it on the grill and then added salt, pepper and olive oil.

Antonia
She started it on the grill and finished it in the pan with some thyme, garlic and butter.

Losers:

  • Stephanie – He didn’t like the butchery on it. He said the tomahawk steak is almost like a lollipop, but hers was not that way. Her steak was also undercooked.
  • Richard – Butchery was inconsistent and his steak was also undercooked.

Winners:

  • Lisa – Her steak was cooked really well and her steak was cut perfectly.
  • Spike – His butchering was amazing and his cooked was done well.
  • Antonia – He loved the crust on her steak.

Quickfire Challenge Winner: Spike

Elimination Challenge

For the elimination challenge, they are going to take over Rick’s steakhouse the next night. They would be responsible for one appetizer and one entree each. They would need to create the menu based on what is available in Rick’s kitchen. They would have three hours to create and prepare their appetizers and entrees. As the winner of the quickfire, Spike had first pick of protein for his appetizer and entree.

When they arrived, Spike went in and grabbed the tomahawk steaks since he fell in love with them on the first day. He had in his mind to use scallops and he found some frozen ones in there, so he went with those. When the others saw he took frozen scallops, they thought he was crazy.

Lisa wanted scallops, but when she saw they were frozen and didn’t look very good, she was happy picking something else. She went with shrimp and New York strip steak. Antonia grabbed a bone-in ribeye. Stephanie grabbed some tenderloin. Richard was going with beef tenderloin. Lisa was going to make a peanut butter mashed potato side dish to go with her steak. She wanted to show the judges flavors and dishes they had seen before.

Tom told the chefs about an hour before service that he would be in the back with them expediting service. I liked that since he would be able to see how they are handling everything in the back.

Just before service, the three VIP guests that would be dining with Padma, Rick and Gail Simmons were brought back for introductions. It was all the past Top Chef winners: Harold, Ilan and Hung. They all offered advice to the remaining chefs. Harold said for them to stay true to themselves and cook their own food. Hung told them don’t worry about being fan favorite. Ilan told them not to shave anyone’s heads. Also, everyone was dressed up as if they were eating in a nice steakhouse, except for Ilan who was in a t-shirt.

Appetizers


Lisa
Grilled & Chilled Prawns, Lemon Zest & Tomato Salad, Crostini

Hung thought it needed a little more sugar. Padma and Rick agreed that the lemon made the entire dish. Gail didn’t like that she chilled the shrimp. She would have preferred it hot.


Richard
Hamachi with Crispy Sweetbreads, Radish, Avocado & Yuzu

Hung thought it was good. Rick said it was delicious. He said it was great with the hot and cold. Ilan said it was really good. Padma asked Rick if he would put it on his menu. He said he would in a heartbeat.


Spike
Seared Scallops with Hearts of Palm & Oyster Mushrooms

Harold said it could use some acidity. Hung said the mushrooms were good. Padma said the hearts of palm didn’t seem fresh (Spike did get them out of a can). Ilan said something seemed dehydrated in the dish. Harold said it all tasted the same and there was nothing texturally interesting about it.


Stephanie
Sweetbreads with Golden Raisins & Pine Nuts

Harold thought it was very impressive. His only criticism was that he would have liked to see the pine nuts toasted. Overall, he thought it was solid. Hung loves sweetbreads. He loved the tartness of the entire dish and the crunchiness of the fennel. Gail said that everything Spike’s dish was missing, Stephanie’s dish had.


Antonia
Mushroom & Artichoke Salad, Poached Egg, Bacon Vinaigrette

Gail thought it was not a very successful dish, but the egg was poached perfectly. Rick said the dish fell apart. It was too soggy with the lettuce. There was no presence of artichoke. Harold said it was very hit and miss.

Entrees


Richard
Beef Filet, Potato Puree, Turnips & Pickled Brussels Sprouts

When it was put down in front of Gail, Hung said that it was one rare cut of meat. Ilan said tenderloin is his least favorite cut of meat. Harold said that when he put all the elements on the plate together, it really works, which made Padma say that it should have been put altogether to begin with. Ilan said it was not a relaxed dining experience, but a project.


Lisa
N.Y. Strip Steak, Apple Caramel Sauce & Peanut Butter Mashed Potatoes

Gail was nervous about the potatoes before she tried them. Rick really digged the potatoes. He loved the nuttiness and the smokiness of it and how it worked well with the apples. Ilan found the steak under seasoned. Hung agreed. Gail said the entire dish was unbalanced and the piece of meat she got was very thin compared to others on the table.


Spike
Tomahawk Chop, Sweet Potato Puree, Brussels Sprouts & Cipollinis

Ilan thought the meat was better alone with nothing else. Harold said the crust on it was nice. Gail said she thought he had added honey too it. Harold agreed saying it was too sweet. Ilan said that the episode before the finale, he was expecting his mind to be blown. Rick responded with, “Yeah, it was okay.” He didn’t not look overly thrilled.


Stephanie
Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms & Apple Sauce

Padma said it was really gorgeous. Harold wanted to finish the whole dish and he might have been moments away from licking his entire dish. Hung loved that it was compact and he could taste everything in one bite.


Antonia
Bone-In Ribeye with Fennel & Cipollinis, Shallot & Potato Gratin

Ilan said he was falling in love with the fattiness in the piece of meat. He was worried it was very rich. Rick thought it was the best dish out of all of them since it was the most rounded.

Judges’ Table

Padma asked Richard if he had made the appetizer before. He said he had not. Tom asked if he would put it on his own menu. He said he would maybe tweak one or two things. Rick said it was an outstanding dish and the only change he would make is to add more sweetbreads to it. It was one of his favorite dishes of the night. Gail said for his main course, the meat was inconsistent. Some plates were more undercooked than others.

Tom complimented Stephanie for never showing any pressure in the kitchen. Rick said the sweetbreads were cooked beautifully. They were lush in the middle and crunchy outside. He liked the sweet and sour tastes. Padma asked if she was happy with her entree. Stephanie said she thought the sauce could have had a bit more acidity and bite to it. Padma asked if she had made it a lot, but Stephanie said she had never made it before.

Gail told Lisa she loved the lemon in her appetizer, but she wished the shrimp was warm. She thought it congealed with the butter. Rick struggled with the dish. He couldn’t get his mind around it. Padma asked if she had made the potatoes before and Lisa told her she had made it tons of times before at her last job. Rick said when he read it, he wanted to hate it, but not after he tasted it. He said it was technically done a little bit better, it would have exploded the dish. Tom had issue with the meat where it was cooked more on the top side than the bottom side.

Antonia said she made what she likes to eat when she goes into a steakhouse. Rick said the steak was cooked perfectly. Tom said the entire dish looked like it belong in a steakhouse.

Gail told Spike that her pieces of meat were cooked well and rested well. It tasted good. Tom questioned Spike’s judgment of choosing the frozen scallops and then after seeing them, not sending them back. Rick said that as a chef, he has to go with the best ingredients, and change his direction if the ingredients are quality. Spike responded that they were in Rick’s walk-in freezer. Rick said, he would take the shot that they were there but Spike had to take the shot that he used them.

They were all sent out. Spike said he couldn’t believe he said the walk-in comment once he was outside. Rick said that Stephanie did really well on both of her dishes and she was very well-rounded in her execution. Gail said that Stephanie always gives her something new that she will remember. Tom said Richard’s first course was great, but Padma pointed out that his entree kind of fell apart. She thought the whole should be better than its parts. Gail said his appetizer was the single most impressive dish of the entire night. Tom said Antonia’s steak dish was the best one. Rick said he couldn’t stop eating it. Gail said that Antonia cooks from the heart and it shows in her food. She is very thoughtful about the food she does. Tom had issues with both of Spike’s dish. He said Spike talks about cooking simply, but it doesn’t turn out very well. He said he made a bad decision with choosing frozen scallops. Tom said his main issue with Lisa and her cooking is that she is slightly apathetic to what she is doing. Padma said she has an amazing palette, but she focuses more on flavor than technique. Tom said that technique is how you make flavor. I’m confused since she is called out for not having dishes seasoned well many times this season. They all agreed that Lisa’s shrimp dish was their least favorite,but were torn on the entrees. They decided that Spike didn’t put enough effort into his main dish since he spent so much time on his scallops.

The chefs were called back in. Rick announced the winner of the challenge. He said the one person that really stuck out and brought the whole thing home for him through the appetizer and entree was Stephanie. As the winner, she received Rick’s latest cookbook and she will receive a suite of GE’s appliances they have been using on the show (stoves, microwaves, fridges). Of course, she will also be going to the finale in Puerto Rico. Tom told Richard his appetizer was their favorite appetizer so he’ll be going to Puerto Rico. He looked so relieved with that news. Antonia was their favorite entree and she’ll be going too. The three of them were asked to leave, leaving Lisa and Spike.

Tom told Lisa she had been at the bottom of Judges’ Table five times and Spike had been there seven times. He told Lisa that they did not see her be ferocious enough in her cooking. They felt she was holding back. He knows she has passion, but they want to see it in the food. Tom said that chefs make choices about what goes on the plate, but he made a huge mistake with the scallops. He loves that Spike talks about simple flavors, but it has to be perfect when cooking with simple flavors. Padma asked Spike to pack his knives and go. That means Lisa was going to Puerto Rico!

Why Lisa? Why is she still here? I would have rather Spike go instead of her. I really like Stephanie, Richard and Antonia. I would love to see Stephanie win, but I would be happy if anyone won over Lisa.

Questions

  • Should it have been Lisa’s time to go or was it correct to send Spike home for his bad choice on the scallops?
  • Who do you think will win the finale?

Photo Source: Top Chef

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