Top Chef: Bloody Hot

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Top Chef: Las Vegas
Sin City Vice

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Mise En Place relay race
  • Elimination Challenge: Create a dish based on a vice

What I learned when the episode started was there were three Atlanta chefs that all have restaurants within two miles of one another, one guy (Ash) kept telling the camera he was gay every chance he could, and there were two brothers competing against one another. There were also two people named Jennifer and two people named Michael. I would like to get rid of one of them so everyone only had different names. It is so much easier to do recaps that way!

Quickfire Challenge

The chefs broke up into teams of four. Padma warned the teams that the season would be very Las Vegas-inspired before showgirls came waltzing through the room. The teams were divided up by picking up colored poker chips out of a top hat. Everyone picked out their poker chips. Robin was the only one that picked out a gold chip. Padma informed her that she did not have to compete in the relay race and she also got immunity from elimination.

Tom said they would be working with some of the most popular ingredients in Las Vegas:

  • Round One: Shuck 15 clams
  • Round Two: Peel 30 prawns
  • Round Three: Clean up five lobsters
  • Round Four: Butcher two chops from a prime rib

When the chefs completed a round, they yelled  “Check!” for Tom to come inspect. If they did well, he blew his whistle for them to switch off to another chef for the next round. The teams had two minutes to figure out who would be doing which leg of the race.

Clams

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Preeti, on the Red team, was picked by her team to shuck clams, but she had never done it before. She asked if it was like oysters, which she had done, but they said no. Good pick team! She was taking so long that Tom asked her if she had ever done it before.  Jen Z, on the Green team,  was busy cutting herself while shucking the clams. Mike I and Jen C were both almost done. Mike I thought that no girl should be at the same level as him, while throwing in a “no offense” to make it all better. Dude, it doesn’t make it less offensive. Mike did finish up first for the Black team so they moved onto round two. Jen C finished up second on the Blue team.

Prawns

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While the Red and Green team were still working on clams, Eli on the Black team and Jesse on the Blue team were flying through peeling the prawns.  Eli and Jesse were done at almost the same time.  Red team had about five clams done before the Green team finally finished up the clams and moved onto the second leg with Laurine working on the prawns.

Lobsters

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Ashley was cleaning the lobsters for the Black team while Mattin was working on it for the Blue team. Ashley was struggling to work on her lobsters while Mattin was ripping heads up and pulling all the good stuff out of the lobster so easily. The Red team was still working on the clams and the Green team was still working on prawns. Mattin finished first and the Blue team moved onto the last round in first place.

Chops

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Bryan started on the meat when Ashley finished up on the Black team with the lobsters. Hector was working on the chops for the Black team.  Bryan was cruising on cutting the meat and then cleaning it up. Hector was almost to the cleaning up part when Bryan finished and the Blue team won. The Green team was almost done with the prawns and the Red team never got past the clams.

Now that the relay race was done, Padma informed the chefs that the challenge wasn’t over. Robin did win immunity, but to determine who would be the winner of the Quickfire Challenge, there would be a cook-off among the chefs on the Blue team. She said that the winner would win a $15,000 chip from the M resort. Tom offered Robin a deal to trade in her immunity to be in the cook off for a chance at the $15,000, but she chose to keep her immunity.  The Blue team had 30 minutes to make a dish that featured the ingredient they worked with during the relay race.

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Jennifer C
Clam Ceviche with Citron Vinegar

Jennifer had said she wanted to go with clean, fresh flavors because it was Vegas. I love Vegas but I always think of it as dirty, not clean or fresh. After she plated, she was worried she went too simple comparing her plate to the other contestants.

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Mattin
Lobster with Bay Leaves & Star Anise

Mattin was used to working with lobster since he was French.

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Jesse
Shrimp & Grits with Polenta

Jesse had been concerned since she had never made a dish with prawns in her 14 years of cooking. She said she kept the head on since it was the best part. Tom sucked it out!

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Bryan
Crusted Rib Eye with Caramelized Celery

Bryan used to work in a steak house so he felt comfortable with his dish while making it, but then while he was staring at it on the plate, he saw mistakes that he wouldn’t normally make.

Losers

Tom said all four dishes were good, but he had to pick two that could have been better.

  • Bryan – He loved the caramelized celery, but he did not like the puree. He thought it was bland and a little gritty.
  • Mattin – Tom thought the lobster was perfectly cooked. Tom couldn’t taste the star anise and bay leaf that he had mentioned so he was looking for that flavor to stand out more.

Winners

Tom said he wish he could choose both.

  • Jennifer C – Tom liked that the flavors were nice, clean and tender.
  • Jesse – Tom was impressed in a half an hour, she managed to develop a massive amount of flavor.

Quickfire Winner: Jen

Elimination Challenge

Padma said they wanted to find out about the chefs’ dark side. They had to create a dish based on a vice they were each guilty of. Tom said for the challenge, their teammates would become their competitors. They would be cooking against each other. One person on the team would be up for elimination and one would be up for the win. Robin got to pick which team she wanted to be on and she chose the blue team. The guest judge for the challenge was Wolfgang Puck. Each team member had $150 to shop and the next day they had two hours to cook at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, Cut.

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The teams came out in front of the judges and explained their vice along with their dish.

Black Team

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Mike I
Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Eggplant Puree

Mike said his vices were his hot temper and foul mouth. Mike said the halibut represented the bar of soap his mom stuck in his mouth when he was a bad kid. Gail said that Mike showed experience as a chef with his plate. Wolfgang loved the eggplant. He thought it worked really well. Gail loved that it was focused and concise. She said it was a nice presentation.

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Eli
“Buttered” Scotch with Scallops, Cashews & Beer Powder

Eli wanted to get his arrogance, drinking, bitterness and jaded qualities into the dish. Eli wanted to make sure the sauce was bitter. Wolfgang thought it showed promise with the scallops. He said Eli cooked them right. He was concerned that Eli thought that more was better. He said he didn’t need that much going on with his plate.

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Ashley
Chicken Liver Ravioli with Red Wine Demi-Glace

Ashley said her vices were for red wine and bourbon. She made a dish about how it affects her negatively. No comments were shown for Ashley’s dish so it must not have been too exciting.

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Hector
Smoked Rib Eye with Carrot Puree & Ceviche of Celery

Hector said his vice was smoking cigars so he made a smoky dish. Tom was concerned that Hector had deep-fried the steak. He wondered why he did it. Wolfgang said he could have cooked it on the wood-burning grill and get a smokier flavor. Tom said he didn’t get the dish. He asked Wolfgang what he would do if he went into his kitchen and saw one of his chefs throwing a steak into the fryer. Wolfgang said he would throw the chef in the fryer too.

Blue Team

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Bryan
NY Strip Steak with Parsnip Puree & Bourbon Reduction Caramel

Bryan said his vice after a great steak was a bourbon and a cigar. Gail thought everything on Bryan’s dish was very well executed. Tom said it was a beautiful medium rare piece that was well rested. Tom did say it had too much puree drizzled around it. Wolfgang said that everyone put purees on everything now. He said chefs give customers a steak and some baby food with it.

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Mattin
Buffalo Rib Eye with Madeira Sauce, Zucchini & Mashed Potatoes

Mattin said he was a Taurus, which was known to be stubborn so he went with a cow for his dish. Wolfgang thought it was cooked perfectly, but what he teamed it with made no sense. Padma said the meat was delicious, but it didn’t tell her anything about Mattin.

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Jennifer C
Poached Halibut with Whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch & Black Peppercorn Sauce

Jennifer said her vice was alcohol. She said she tends to do stupid things after drinking it. Gail thought the halibut looked beautiful. She thought the sauce had a great depth of flavor. Wolfgang said they would not get a better halibut than that one. Tom agreed. Wolfgang said he would tell his own chefs that if they didn’t cook the same way, they were out of there.

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Jesse
Braised Chicken with a Whiskey Reduction, Yukon Potatoes & Fried Egg

Jesse said her vices were whiskey and excess. She said her dish was the whole bird. In the kitchen, she was worried about her chicken being too dry. She said she should have cooked it on the wood-fire grill instead of braising it. Turns out she was right to be worried. Gail thought the chicken looked great when it came out. It was fun looking, but the flavor fell short. She thought the chicken breast was overcooked. Tom said he couldn’t get past the dry chicken.

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Robin
Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Chorizo & Bread Pudding

Robin said pork was her vice. She said she attempted pork five ways, but was sad the gastrique did not make it on the plate. Nothing was said about Robin’s dish on camera.

Green Team

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Ash
Poached Halibut with Ratatouille & Parsley Coulis

Ash said his vice was procrastination. He said he took too long to plate, so he only had the sauce on half the plate. No comments to the camera about his plate.

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Jen Z.
Chile Relleno Stuffed with Seitan & Tomatillo Salsa.

Jen said she was hot tempered. Earlier to the camera, Kevin thought Jen Z. was being ballsy with her dish, but didn’t know why she was using seitan. He said everyone hated that. Tom said he loves a good chile relleno and this one was not a good one. He said there was no flavor to it. Gail said the dish was clunky. Wolfgang said that if any of them cooked that dish at home, no one would ever come visit you again.

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Ron
Jerk Bass with Collard Greens & Haitian Hash

Ron said that fish was his vice when it took him 27 days to get from Haiti to the U.S. on a boat. He said he put it in the dish so he could let it go. Wolfgang said the fish was nicely cooked, but there was too much going on underneath.  Gail said he had good intentions and she liked the story. Tom said he wasn’t sure how it was a vice. I agree with you Tom!

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Laurine
Bacon Donuts with Chocolate & Beer Sauces

Laurine said she put all her vices on the plate–bacon, donuts, chocolate and beer.  Padma loved the beer sauce. Wolfgang said they could throw the donut at someone. It was like a golf ball. He did like the sauce and loved the crispy bacon.  He said the donut should be fluffy, like a cloud.

Red Team

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Michael V.
Rack of Lamb with Coconut Sauce & Gnocchi

Michael said he wasn’t sure if it was his vice, but he was going with the general Las Vegas vice of plastic surgery.  He took a rack of lamb and used the sauce from two nice coconuts along with some cauliflower gnocchi. Wolfgang said the gnocchi looked like testicles. Tom thought the story was quite clever. Wolfgang thought the lamb was cooked really well and had a good combination of flavors. Tom said he had an eye for presentation. Gail said he showed some skill. Wolfgang said you have to be a professional to put that together.

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Preeti
Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Sweet Potato Puree

Preeti said her weakness was a Maker’s Mark Manhattan. Padma said it looked beautiful.

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Eve
Shrimp & Scallops in a Curry Cream Sauce

Eve said her vice was she was too complicated. She wished she was a bit simpler. Wolfgang said the seafood and sauce was okay. Gail said she chose to show how complicated she could be, but nothing was in balance. Tom said the scallops weren’t seared nicely.

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Kevin
Arctic Char with Turnip Salsa Verde

Kevin said his vice was procrastination. He said he slowed down things that were usually done quickly and sped up things that were usually done slowly to create a balance. Padma loved the story. Tom said he loved the dish. Gail said the arctic char was cooked with a delicate touch in a way that was interesting. She thought it was really well done.

Judges’ Table

Padma called in Ron, Mike I., Kevin and Jennifer C. into the room. They were informed they had the best dishes of their groups. Tom told Mike that his flavors were wonderful and the dish was seasoned well.  Gail said it was super focused. She said every flavor worked off the flavor she had tasted before it. Wolfgang told Jennifer that her fish was cooked to perfection. He said it was a delicious dish. Gail told Ron she could taste the island flavors in her dish and thought the idea was great.  Wolfgang told Kevin that he loves arctic char, but also loved the salsa verde that was paired with it. He thought it was a beautifully executed dish. Padma asked Wolfgang for the overall winner. He picked the one dish that would be a great dish in any restaurant and their overall favorite, which was Kevin.

The loser group was Hector, Jen Z., Jesse and Eve. Tom told Hector that his dish was advertised to have a lot of smoked flavor, but it lacked it. He also said the idea of deep-frying a steak did not work out well. Hector tried to explain what he was doing with the frying since they fry everything in Puerto Rico, but Wolfgang said it wasn’t a good idea. Wolfgang told Eve that the scallops lacked seasoning and the sauce was blah. There was no flavor or complexity in the dish. He said it felt like she used no spices. She said she toned it down a bit. Gail said she was confused by her saying she made complicated dishes, but then she toned it down. She said what ended up on the plate was not what she envisioned. Tom said his problem with it was the scallops were not seared properly, the shrimp were overcooked, and the sauce was weak.

Gail told Jen that her dish was really clunky. She said there had to be a way to give it a bit of refinement. She said she also didn’t taste all that much heat on the plate. Tom said he didn’t feel like what she wanted ended up on the plate. Jen disagreed saying she had made that dish exactly like that before so it was what she wanted. Padma asked if she used her protein a lot. She said that seitan was a delicious product. Tom told her that it didn’t impress any of the judges that she used it. Gail said that it wasn’t that she used it, that they didn’t like it. She said she didn’t cook it in a way that tasted good. Tom said the chicken breast was the problem on the plate. He said it was too dry. Jesse said it was her fault and she knew exactly what she did wrong. Tom said when she was cooling it down, it needed to stay in the liquid, and she agreed. Wolfgang said he was excited when he had heard about her dish, but the execution failed. Wolfgang told her to work on it and it could become a great dish one day.

The chefs were sent out so the judges could decide. Gail said she was happy that most of them had full comprehension of why they were there. Tom said that with Jesse most of the dish was good. It was conceived well, but she messed up with the chicken breast. Gail liked that she knew what she did before they did. Wolfgang said that Hector showed some imagination, but he needed better execution. Tom said that Hector was also in a very good group. Tom said he didn’t care what Jen stuffed the relleno with, but it wasn’t seasoned or cooked right. It would have been terrible no matter what she used. Gail said it was a mess of things thrown together. Padma said it was a vegan bar midnight special. Wolfgang said he would have to be pretty hungry to eat that. Gail said Eve’s dish turned her off since the shrimp looked so overcooked and so sad on the plate. Gail said she hadn’t thought through the dish in the beginning and at the end, she had no idea what she had put on the plate. Wolfgang agreed the scallops looked sad. He said she could have seasoned it with some spices.

The chefs were called back in. Tom told Hector that his vice was smoking, but the smoky flavor did not come through in his dish. Eve’s vice was she complicates things and Tom said they were confused by her dish. Jen’s vice was being hot tempered and somehow it wasn’t a very good dish. Jesse’s vice was excess and she ended up being too excessive when cooking the chicken so it was overcooked and dry. Padma asked Jen to pack her knives and go.

Questions

  1. Did you agree with Jen leaving first?
  2. Did you agree with Kevin being the overall winner?
  3. What are your vices? Any clue of what dish you would make to show it off?
  4. What would your favorite picks out of each team’s final dishes? Were they the same as the judges?
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