Top Chef: Drunken Pork

08_event

Top Chef: Las Vegas
Pigs and Pinot

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Pair a Dish with Alexia Crunch Snacks
  • Elimination Challenge: Pigs & Pinot – Create a pork dish & pair with Pinot Noir

I didn’t realize one of the questions during the commercials was about Eli and Robin since I was skimming past the commercials while watching it the first time. I ended up talking about it in the recap below. There was a great bit by Michael in the “stew room” towards the end of the show where he was giving Eli a hard time saying that it was sexual tension between him and Robin. Eli looked like he was going to punch Michael if he didn’t shut up. It was hilarious.

Quickfire Challenge

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The guest judge for the episode was restaurateur, Charlie Palmer. After being introduced, Charlie said that he had worked with both brothers in the past, but he would be completely impartial when judging their dishes. Padma said the challenge was going to be about the art of pairing. She said pairings were not easy and it wouldn’t be easy on them. They were supposed to create a dish incorporating a snack food.  They had six different flavors of Alexia snack foods made with real vegetables to choose from. They had 45 minutes.

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Eli
Potato Clam Salad with Fennel, Celery & White Truffle Sauce

While preparing his food, Eli didn’t have confidence that the other chefs had any experience in pairing foods. I have found most of them to be pretty competent, so I’m guessing they have. I don’t think Eli has shown too much to have such an ego. Eli paired his food with the onion snack. Charlie said it had a nice smokiness.

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Kevin
Warm Bean Confit Tomato Salad with Fresh Herbs & Creamed Corn

Kevin also went with the onion snack. He said while preparing his food that while he was eating it in the house, he was always thinking of green bean casserole so he went with that idea, but with a twist.

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Bryan
Seared Rib Eye with Pickles Onion, Sauteed Mushrooms & Chive Puree

Bryan also went with the onion snack. Charlie asked if it was a popular choice because it was a safe choice. Bryan said it was his favorite of the chips.

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Robin
Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Avocado Mousseline

Robin went with the jalapeno snack. She wanted to bring the spicy and sweet together. Padma said it was like a parfait, which Robin agreed with. Charlie said it had quite a “tang.”

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Mike I.
Chilaquiles

Mike said he used the waffle fries as his snack and some hot peppers. Charlie said it had some major heat, which made Mike look a bit nervous that it was too hot.

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Michael V.
Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Pickled Onions & Jalapenos

I didn’t see what Michael paired his dish with and there wasn’t much said about it. While he was preparing his food, Michael said he always thought Charlie liked Bryan better, which Bryan didn’t agree with.

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Ash
Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup with Creme Fraiche, Crab & Red Pepper

While preparing it, Ash said that he didn’t think he was ever at the top since he would get intimidated by what other people were doing, but he was just going to focus on his clean and simple cooking. He paired his soup with the BBQ Bold & Spicy waffle fries. Charlie said the fries overpowered the mellowness of the soup.

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Laurine
Swordfish with spinach, Asparagus & Fava Bean Puree

She used the onion chips as her bread crumbs. Charlie just asked what the fish was since she forgot to say but nothing else was said.

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Jen
Sauteed Pork Chop with Tomato Sauce & Feta Cheese

While preparing, Jen was worried she made her pork chop too early and it would either be cold or overcooked for the judges, especially if they came to her side of the table last, which they ended up doing. They both commented that it was overdone. Jen was incredibly embarrassed.

Losers

  • Robin – He thought it was one of the least successful since the textures were very creamy and he didn’t get the relationship with the chip.
  • Ash – There was something off about the combination of ingredients. They didn’t work well together.
  • Jen – Conceptually, he thought the dish was a good idea, but it wasn’t executed well.

Winners

  • Eli – He was impressed with the idea. The combination of components worked well together. The clams were tender and it was a natural choice to go with that chip.
  • Bryan -He said the execution of the dish was spot on. Pairing the caramelized onions with the crispy onions was a safe dish, but a good one.
  • Kevin – Incorporating the ingredients with the onion was a good way to pair the chip.

Overall Quickfire Winner: Eli

I would say that’s a shocker to me since I still think his ego’s too big based on his statements that others couldn’t do what he did. I think he just happened to do it better. It didn’t seem like he won immunity and it wasn’t a high stakes quickfire either.

Elimination Challenge

Padma asked the chefs to draw knives to see what they would be working with in their elimination challenge:

  • Jen – Wild
  • Michael V. – Cheeks
  • Bryan – Ribs
  • Ash – Tenderloin
  • Laurine – Butt
  • Eli – Belly (Charlie said he was a lucky guy when he pulled it)
  • Robin – Center Cut Chops
  • Mike I. – Shoulder
  • Kevin – Leg

Each knife had a picture of a pig on it so they were all pulling out parts of the pig that they had to cook with. Michael knew that Charlie loved pork. Kevin also loved pork and said it is his most used protein in his restaurant. He was excited. Jen drew the wild card so she got to choose which part out of all the other choices. She went with belly. She told the camera that it had a lot of fat so she knew it would stay nice and juicy. She did not want to pick tenderloin since it could dry out and she didn’t want a repeat of overcooked food like the quickfire challenge. Padma said for their challenge, they would be pairing two of Charlie’s favorite things–pigs and Pinot. They could be cooking for a charity event with a lot of culinary heavy weights there, including Food & Wine magazine. Charlie said the most important part was creating a dish that paired well with Pinot. They would be responsible for 150 tasting portions. Eli felt comfortable with the challenge. He wanted to be the first quickfire and elimination challenge winner of the season.

08_wine

The chefs went to Charlie’s restaurant Aureole and met with his Master Sommelier, William Sherer. He had nine different Pinot Noirs for them to try coming from New Zealand, Oregon, California and France. Each chef had to pick one of the bottle of wines to work with. Some chefs felt more comfortable picking wines since they did it in their restaurants, including Bryan, Kevin and Eli. Eli made fun of other people to the cameras about some people being amateurs picking their wine.

There was some time spent on Robin driving everyone crazy in the house again, mostly because she won’t stop talking. She butts into everyone’s conversation and doesn’t talk with anyone, but at them or at nothing in particular. It would drive me crazy. I don’t think she realizes what she is doing. I wonder how much of an eye-opener the show would be if she saw how much she talked compared to the other chefs in the house.

The next day, the chefs had four hours to cook for the event. Ash was worried his pork tenderloin would overcook. He decided to go with an idea that Mike I. had about doing it cold. I didn’t fully understand what he was talking about at the time, but I was concerned that Ash doesn’t trust any of his own ideas. He starts with one idea and so readily throws it away for someone else’s idea while saying it was a much better one. That will forever make him a sous chef and not an executive chef. Kevin was worried that his dish was the simplest. There would only be three components on his plate so he had to make sure each one was perfect because there would be nothing extra to cover other parts of it up. Bryan was worried since he usually does ribs in 8-10 hours, but only had four to finish. Michael talked about his food style compared to Bryan’s food. Michael said that he traveled more and more quick to take risks with is foods than Bryan who stayed in one place, but became an expert of making one style of food.

Jen wanted to overcome her mistakes of the day before. She was doing a play on pork and beans, but making it a lighter, summer-style dish. Eli was making a heavier dish with pork belly, which was the same part of the pig that Jen was using. Of course, Eli said his dish was more creative and complicated than her dish. Yes, Eli, you are better than everyone in your mind. Mike said that he has made so many kinds of cuisines since he had been there, which is different than the other chefs. While Mike had made a bunch of different style of cuisines, he wasn’t the only one. At least his ego was backed up a bit by some of his wins, more so than Eli, I think. Then, just before they wrapped up, there was a bit of sparring between the brothers, which was really Michael being an asshole to Bryan, which was quite rude, but also funny at the same time.

08_judges

The chefs had one hour to prep at the event before the flood gates were open to 150 people all at once. The judges came in a little bit later. They were Padma, Tom, Dana Cowin (editor-in-cheif, Food & Wine magazine), Toby Young, and Charlie Palmer.

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Michael V.
Root Beer Braised Pork Cheek with 2006 Cuvaison Pinot Noir

Michael said that when he smelled vanilla in the wine after opening it, he made his sauce a bit sweeter with cherries. Dana said the pork was good. Charlie said the truffle bone was really good, which Tom agreed with. Charlie said all the flavors worked really well with the wine. Guests said it was “really yummy.”

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Ash
Chilled Pork Tenderloin with 2007 Sanford Pinot Noir

Ash said he made his dish simple since he wanted the pork and the wine to speak for itself. Dana said the pork was a little bit clammy. Toby said it was overcooked and over salted.  Charlie said it was a big rich wine that needed something big to go with it.

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Eli
Braised Pork Belly with 2007 Terlato Family Pinot Noir

Eli told the camera that he thought he did an excellent job pairing the earthy notes of the wine with the flavors of his dish. One of the guests said the “sauce was phenomenal.” Dana said the carrots had “oomph” and delicious flavor. Toby thought the pork belly itself was great. Charlie said the dish was great, but he didn’t think it was a great pairing.  Ha!

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Kevin
Pork Leg Pate with 2006 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir

Kevin said that all the fat was rendered down and a mayonnaise-based dressing was made from it. Kevin said he lived in Oregon for a while and had been to the winery. He knew there were hazelnuts on the property so he incorporated some in his dish.  Tom thought it was a great decision and good dish. Dana said it was “punched up, really smart, [and] very well thought out.” Charlie said it worked really well with the wine.

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Mike I.
Stuffed Pork Shoulder with 2005 Wairau River Pinot Noir

Mike stuffed it with prosciutto, dates and pine nuts and served it over an orange-blossom yogurt to go with the wine. Dana said the orange in the dish was “incredibly overwhelming.” Tom said he didn’t mind it and he thought it was well seasoned. One of the guests said he got an “Italian feeling and the Middle Eastern thing” when tasting Mike’s dish.

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Bryan
Braised Pork Spare Rib with 2007 Rochiolo Pinot Noir

Charlie asked Bryan if he braised it with the bones. Bryan said he did and then he removed them afterward. Toby said he could taste some orange notes in the wine. Guests loved the puree underneath.  Another guest said that his favorite dishes were Bryan and Michael’s dishes.

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Jen
Braised Pork Belly with 2005 Chanson Clos de Beze Pinot Noir

Padma liked it. Charlie said it was nicely seasoned. Dana said the pork was delicious. Charlie said it went well with the wine.

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Laurine
Pork Butt Rillette with 2005 Chanson Clos de Feves Pinot Noir

Laurine said since she had a French wine, she wanted to do a French-inspired dish. One guest said, “It is not a party in my mouth.” Dana said she would defer to the chefs since maybe it is a perfect rillette, but she said it tasted like “cat food.” Toby said the chutney on top was good and went nicely with the wine, but the rillette was a disaster.

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Robin
Brined Center Cut Pork Chop with 2005 Mischief and Mayhem Pinot Noir

One of the guests said the coffee flavoring was too strong and she didn’t taste any cherry, even though there were cherries on the plate. Toby said, “The overall sensation was one of sliminess.” Charlie said he didn’t taste any “porkiness” to the dish. Tom said it was cut too thin, which led to the lack of pork taste.

Judges’ Table

Padma asked to see Michael, Bryan, Kevin and Jennifer. Sounds like the final four right there!  Padma told them they had the best dishes and the best pairings. Charlie said they were really “spot on” with what the whole event was about.  Charlie told Michael that he was really daring. There were a lot of things going on with the dish, but they worked really well together. He told Jen that it was the lightest pork belly dish he ever had in his life, which was surprising but also good. Toby said one of the challenges she had was up until that point, they had nice, clean American Pinots, but hers was the first European one. He said it was the difference between a shaved and hairy armpit between the American and European wines, which caused Tom to lose it in laughter. Toby said that she did a great job capturing that “funkiness” and earthy tones in her dish. Tom told Kevin that he went deep into the wine and hit all the right flavors, so he thought that not only was the cooking successful, but the pairing was successful. Charlie said it was successful since he really tasted pork, which is important and honestly, he couldn’t have chosen a better wine. It was a great pairing. Charlie got to pick the overall winner. He picked Kevin. As the winner, Charlie invited Kevin to be a guest chef at the 2010 Pigs & Pinot. Kevin was thrilled. He told them that he has a pig tattooed on his arm, so pigs are very close to him.

They sent in Ash, Laurine and Robin. As soon as they left the room, Mike said they hoped the judges would make the right decision. Someone asked who that was and Mike said, “We all know who it is. It starts with a big “R” and a little “obin.” Michael said that he couldn’t even taste the pork in her dish. Mike said that he didn’t even care about the dish at this point, but she just needed to go. Eli agreed with Mike. Apparently, they don’t understand how the competition works with how the food tastes, not the chef’s personality.

Inside, Padma asked Robin what she thought about her dish. She said she stood by her dish. She thought it complemented the wine’s notes. Toby said the pork was cooked well and went nicely with the roulade, but there wasn’t a lot of it. Robin said there was something “luscious about a thin piece of meat.” I’m thinking, “Do people want a thin piece of pork?” Toby said that if he was paying $12 for that, he would have not been happy. Tom said the dish was supposed to be about pork and pinot. He thought the texture of the sauce was a little weird. He wasn’t sure how she thickened it, but it was a little gummy. Charlie said that he asks his chefs to ask themselves about each dish, “Is this a great dish?” and he didn’t think he could say that about her dish.

Padma asked Ash if he was surprised. He said he was, but when he heard what everyone else’s dishes were before they were called in, he wondered if his dish was too simple. Tom said simple is fine, but he needed to develop flavors. He said the wine was “screaming for a lot more notes in the dish” than they could taste. Charlie said the event was about showing the wines in their best light, but in this case, the wine should have been drank as an aperitif. Padma asked if he tasted the dish and if he thought it had enough flavor and seasoning. Ash said that his original dish was not the one that he ended up making, even though he had told Tom when Tom toured the kitchen that his dish was 100% his style of cooking that he was going to finally show them. He described that he was going to make an earthy polenta and smoke the pork loin. Charlie asked why he didn’t do that since that sounded fantastic. Ash said he was an idiot for changing his mind. Tom said he was noticing a pattern where he wanted to do something but then ended up doing something else. Tom said he needed to follow his first instinct.

Laurine said she felt confident going into the competition, but then felt rushed at the end trying to get the rillette done. Toby said it tasted like a dry hash. Charlie asked her how she makes rillette. She started to say she braised it with some chicken stock, and Charlie cut her off. He said, “You do realize that is not how you make rillette?” She responded with, “Uhh…ummmm…” Charlie continued, saying it was actually poached in fat and all the flavors were introduced when it was poached in the fat. He said what she made wasn’t a rillette.

They were sent out. Tom said Robin’s dish had no pork flavor at all. It just blended right into the dish and it didn’t pair well. Charlie said he didn’t think she had any idea about pairing at all. Toby said his biggest problem was the sauce. It was the “gunk you get when you finish off a cup of instant coffee…the stuff at the bottom of the mug.” Tom said Ash’s dish was an amateurish dish. The pork was somewhat dried out. The corn was sauteed, but that was it. He didn’t think he understood how to develop flavor. Charlie said he could call it a rustic dish, but he didn’t execute it well. Toby didn’t like his choice of a the slightly bitter corn, which accentuated some of the less attractive aspects of the wine. Tom brought up that Ash had said he was finally cooking his food and if that was his food, he wasn’t sure about it. Padma brought up that Charlie busted Laurine on the rillette. He said she started with an idea that was never going to come out well. Toby said it wasn’t recognizable as a rillette. It was a pork hash. Tom brought up that Dana referred to it as cat food. He agreed that the texture was definitely off.

The chefs were sent back in. Tom told them the challenge was to prepare various parts of the pig, but more importantly, pair with a great Pinot Noir. Tom told Laurine that, unfortunately, the rillette was not prepared properly. Also, the dish clashed with the wine. Tom told Ash that he was showing a lack of confidence. The dish was very one-dimensional and one-note. It fell flat. Tom told Robin that she didn’t give them enough pig. They wanted more. He thought she second-guessed herself at well. None of their dishes matched well with the wine. Padma asked Ash to pack his knives.

Questions

  1. Ash felt that Padma never liked him and that was part of the reason he was sent home. Watching it, I thought all the other judges were harsher on him compared to Padma. Do you think Padma had something against him and it played into her decision?
  2. Do you think Ash was the right one to send home for his lack of flavors or should Laurine should have been sent home due to her “cat food” rillette that wasn’t a rillette?
  3. How much longer do you think Robin will continue to make everyone crazy before she finally goes? I don’t see her getting to the finals but crazier things have happened.

Photos Source: Bravo

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