Top Chef: Crush Worthy

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Top Chef: Las Vegas
Season Finale Part 1

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

  • Quickfire Challenge: Create a dish that features Napa’s signature crop, the grape
  • Elimination Challenge: Cater a Crush party for 150 people

This is the episode where the chefs actually got a break between the Las Vegas challenges and these two finale episodes. In Las Vegas, they were doing challenge after challenge without a break, but they finally had some time to recuperate, not be secluded, and have a bit of a breather. That has been great for chefs in the past while others ones lost their game when they came back. I find the last part sad, so I like it when chefs are actually able to keep it together and do their best work in the finale.

Quickfire Challenge

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The chefs arrived in Napa Valley at a train station. A train pulled in, with Padma showing off her baby bump, and Michael Chiarello, chef and owner of Bottega. He would be the guest judge for their last quickfire challenge.  They would be cooking with Napa Valley’s signature crop, the grape. They would have 30 minutes to cook and create a dish. They would be cooking and serving it on the Napa Valley Wine Train. It was also their last high-stakes quickfire. The winner would receive a third generation Toyota Prius.

Jennifer was worried since she didn’t work with grapes much in any of her regular dishes. Kevin was worried since he gets motion sickness easily.  Michael grabbed a small prep table away from the rest of the kitchen area when they walked into the train kitchen car. Bryan wanted it too, but Michael got to it first, so that annoyed Bryan.

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Kevin
Honey & Fromage Blanc Mousse, Glazed Grapes, Olive Oil & Sea Salt

Padma said, “So dessert first?” Michael said he liked the olive oil. He said overall, Kevin did a nice job, but he was looking for a little bit more grape love in the dish.

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Michael
Grape Leaf Stuffed with “Couscous,” Vinegar Glazed Grape & Scallop Kabob

Michael C. asked if he grilled it right on the vine, which he did. He said he liked the use of the leaf, wine and piece of a vine in the dish.

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Bryan
Roasted Hen, Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, Concord Grapes, Ruby Quinoa & Arugula

Michael questioned him using a concord grape. It was one of the grapes they had to work with, but it isn’t from Napa. He said besides that, the bacon overpowered the grape taste.

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Jennifer
Sauteed Chicken Livers, Clams, Cabernet Grapes, Wild Mushrooms & Tendrils

He really liked the mix of meat and clams together. He said he wanted to steal it for his restaurant.

Overall Quickfire Winner: Michael.

He said he picked the chef that told a story with his food and did the best job showcasing the grape.

Elimination Challenge

The chefs headed out to the Rutherford Hills Winery where they met up with Padma and Michael Chiarello. Padma informed them that the winery was hosting the season’s end Crush Party, where the employees and friends celebrated the end of a harvest season. The chefs would be doing the catering. Padma told them that they would be celebrating what is locally available to the chefs. She said, besides salt and pepper, if it was not raised or grown locally, it would not be available to the chefs. They would be creating two dishes for 150 people. One dish had to be vegetarian and one had to feature a local protein. They would be shopping at a local farmer’s market before heading over to Brix’s restaurant to prep and cook for five hours before serving the party.

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Kevin thought the challenge played to his strong suits since he cooks 100% locally in his own restaurant in Atlanta. Bryan said he picked the location of his restaurant in Maryland because he wanted to be near agriculture. He loved being at the market shopping. Jen was having a hard time figuring out what to make. She said she had so many ideas, but she needed to edit them down. After hearing that Kevin and Bryan chose beef as their protein, she went with duck.  Michael felt that many people were not used to eating farm fresh eggs, so he wanted to make a perfect egg for his vegetarian dish. Kevin talked about how Michael’s dishes are very complex and he knows that Michael has called Kevin out for making simple dishes. Kevin wanted to win just so he can show that simple cooking can win since it all comes down to flavor.

Tom came around to talk to the chefs and see what they were making.

Kevin

  • Protein Dish – Grass-fed Brisket with Pumpkin Polenta & Marinated Root Vegetables
  • Vegetarian Dish – Roasted Beets & Carrots with Carrot Top Puree & San Andreas Cheese

He asked Kevin if he thought five hours to prep altered the way he was prepping his dishes. He said no, but he was worried about how long it would take his grass-fed brisket to braise since it would take a while. He didn’t see any time issues with his vegetarian dish.

Jennifer

  • Vegetarian Dish – Chevre Mousse with Honey Mushrooms, Braised Radishes & Basil
  • Protein Dish – Grilled Duck Breast, Braised Duck Legs, Squash Puree & Foie Gras Vinaigrette

Tom asked Jennifer if she was nervous during her time off before coming back. She said she tried not to think about it so she wouldn’t psych herself out.

Bryan

  • Vegetarian Dish – Goat Cheese Ravioli, Delicata Squash Puree & Bronze Fennel
  • Protein Dish – Fig-Glazed Short Ribs, Celeriac Puree, Wax Beans & Wild Arugula

After Bryan explained all his food, Tom said he was looking forward to eating it. Both of his dishes sounded really good to me and would be what I would order off the menu, even though Kevin’s dishes would be my second choice.

Michael

  • Vegetarian Dish – Vegetable Pistou, Heirloom Tomato Coulis, 63 Degree Egg & Fennel
  • Protein Dish – Turnip Soup with Foie Gras Terrine, Poached Pear & Glazed Turnip

Tom didn’t really say much besides wishing Michael good luck.

After meeting with everyone, Tom told the camera that it would be tough for Kevin to braise the short ribs in five hours, but he was willing to see if he could do it. He thought Jen seemed a little nervous, but he said that the nerves have given her the energy she needs to get  through in the past. He said both of the brothers’ food was more complicated and he knew they both want to win for themselves, but also thought the family bragging rights were the main reason.

Two hours before service, Jen noticed that the wood-fire grill would not keep the coals burning. They kept dying so she decided to switch to a duck confit, but that meant she lost the smokiness in the duck. About twenty minutes before service, Kevin said that his short ribs were not tender yet, but they were headed to the table regardless. Michael had no idea if his eggs were ready or not. He said they would be poached or not and he wouldn’t know until he opened them up at the party.

The chefs set up at the party and then guests started arriving. Padma introduced the judges for the party, which were Tom, Gail Simmons and Michael Chiarello.

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Bryan – Vegetarian Dish
Goat Cheese Ravioli, Delicata Squash Puree & Bronze Fennel

Gail said the flavor of the squash was beautiful and delicate. Michael said he nailed the texture on it. Tom said the sauce itself was slightly bland. Padma said it could just use some crushed black pepper. Tom said it needed salt and pepper.

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Bryan – Protein Dish
Fig-Glazed Short Ribs, Celeriac Puree, Wax Beans & Wild Arugula

Padma said it also needed a touch of salt. Tom agreed. Michael said he got a grain of salt and it really brought the whole dish up.

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Michael – Vegetarian Dish
Vegetable Pistou, Heirloom Tomato Coulis, 63 Degree Egg & Fennel

Tom said the flavor was nice. He liked the combination of the egg and the vegetables, but the egg almost overwhelmed the vegetables. Michael agreed saying the vegetables were cut too small. Padma said she would have liked her egg slightly more cooked. It wasn’t appetizing to her.

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Michael – Protein Dish
Turnip Soup with Foie Gras Terrine, Poached Pear & Glazed Turnip

The event organizer said it was really good. Another guest said it was amazing. Tom said it all melted together in his mouth. He said the sum of the parts was much greater than everything individually. Michael said he would have loved a bit less sauce so that the foie gras, which he viewed as the king of the dish, would really stand out.

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Kevin – Vegetarian Dish
Roasted Beets & Carrots with Carrot Top Puree & San Andreas Cheese

Gail said the colors in the dish were strikingly beautiful. Padma said it was a simple dish, but seasoned in the most complex, robust way. Michael said it was a brilliant use of local ingredients. It was perfectly seasonal.

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Kevin – Protein Dish
Grass-fed Brisket with Pumpkin Polenta & Marinated Root Vegetables

One guest said he just wanted a  huge plate of the brisket and he was thinking of stealing his friend’s plate. Padma called the brisket ropey. Gail agreed that it was a perfect adjective. Gail did love the polenta. She loved the texture. Tom asked if that made the dish though. He said he hated to say that the meat almost had a “tinny” quality to it.

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Jen – Vegetarian Dish
Chevre Mousse with Honey Mushrooms, Braised Radishes & Basil

Padma said there was no lack of salt in the dish. Gail agreed while she choked on it a bit. Michael said the basil added a nice note to it. Tom really liked the composition of the plate with the goat cheese, earthy mushrooms and radishes. Michael said looking at it, he wasn’t sure how it all worked together, but after he tasted it, he thought each part had a foot in each season, which is what the harvest was all about.

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Jen – Protein Dish
Confit of Duck Breast, Braised Duck Legs, Squash Puree & Foie Gras Vinaigrette

One guest said the duck “hit it out of the park” and thought it was spectacular. He thought some of the other dishes were lacking in acidity, but he thought Jen’s dish was the entire package. Michael thought it had a lot of really nice elements to it. Tom said usually when there is duck, it is masked with sweet flavors, but he liked that the dish tasted like duck. Michael really liked the use of the entire duck.

Some random guests were asked for their favorites. One guy thought Bryan’s dishes had better flavor and texture than the other dishes. Another guest said he started with Kevin and his dishes were still his favorite. Sheamus Feely, executive chef of Farmstead Restaurant really liked Michael’s soup. He also liked the poached egg. Anne Gingrass-Paik, executive chef of Brix Resataurant, was very impressed by all the food that came out of her kitchen.

Judges’ Table

All the chefs were brought in front of the judges. Padma congratulated everyone on a great season. Tom talked about the high level of professionalism among the chefs. Michael C. said they showed a great amount of respect towards the Napa valley in their dishes.

Michael C. told Kevin that his vegetarian dish was stellar. He said top to bottom, there wasn’t a single thing wrong with it. It was perfectly seasoned. Tom said it was stunning in its simplicity. He said he knew some of his competitors would look at it and think that it was just a roasted beet and a roasted carrot top, but restraint can go a long way and he thought it was well done. Gail thought it was pretty bold to serve brisket that way. She asked if he thought it was tender enough. Kevin didn’t think it was tough, but he did think it still had a toothsome quality to it. Gail said it looked beautiful but it was tougher than she expected. Tom asked Kevin if he was 100% or 80% satisfied with the dish. Kevin said he was very happy with it. Michael asked if he had 24 hours, would he have cooked it the same? Kevin said it was a good question and he wasn’t sure. He said that since the texture of the polenta was so soft that if he made the brisket too tender, the consistency of the dish might become too mushy.

Bryan said for the vegetarian dish, he chose what he thought would showcase fall flavors and it would have a level of simplicity. Gail said she didn’t think it was simple at all. She said it had a lot of subtlety to the dish. She found the pasta dough to be perfect. Padma thought the pumpkin was really delicious. She said she could have used a little more seasoning in the mushroom sauce. Bryan said due to the time constraint that Kevin was dealing with for the same piece of meat, he decided to take it off the bone and braise it. Michael C said he was surprised at the level of flavor he got in such a short period of time. Gail said she could see the fig in the glaze, but she couldn’t taste it. She was disappointed since she really wanted to taste it due to figs being at their peak.

Tom asked Michael where he got his inspiration for the soup. Michael said he didn’t have all his tricks with him that he usually does so he was finding it in the food. Gail said some of the flavor of the vegetables were lost due to them being so small. She thought making them rustic would have added and not detracted from the dish. Padma talked about the white of her egg was really colorless and runny. Michael said he might have not have shaken enough of it off before giving it to her. Tom questioned why he wouldn’t pay attention when he knew it was the judges at the table that he was giving the dish to. Tom said he enjoyed the foie gras dish a lot. Michael C. said he was surprised at how all the elements came together in his mouth. Gail said the soup itself was bitter, but she found that when even eating it all together, she still ended up with a lot of soup. Michael said he ended up with a lot of terrine so he could have used more in the dish, but he was nervous about running out so he didn’t portion it out correctly.

Tom told Jennifer that the goat cheese dish was an interesting combination and he was saying it in a good way. Michael C. said the touch of basil with the citrus together was beautiful. Padma thought it had a touch too much salt. Michael C. asked if she used the flake salt, which she did, and pointed out that he wrestles with it all the time since it doesn’t melt right away, leading some chefs to add too much in after tasting it again. Gail asked why she chose the duck as her protein. She wanted to utilize the whole bird. Michael C. said they all commented on the great “duckiness” and how the flavor of the duck really came through. Tom said when he walked through, she said she was going to grill it so he wondered where the confit came from. She explained how the coals had cooled down too much and she wouldn’t have had time to get them back up again. He asked if she would have preferred to grill it, if given the choice, and she said yes since she wanted the smokiness in the duck.

The chefs were sent out. Michael C. said it wasn’t so much that someone did a bad dish or not, since all the dishes were good, it was about who made the biggest mistake. Starting with Jen, Michael C. said that he loved the goat cheese, but he thought it was too salty.  Gail said in its simplicity was an idea that was so striking that she had to take notice. Michael C. said he wished he could have seen the duck dish as she had originally conceived it with the grilled duck and crispy duck skin on top of it. He thought it could have gone a long way. Gail thought the best part of the dish was the foie gras vinaigrette and they only got a tiny drizzle of it. Tom said she was still thinking through her dish and it never came together for her.  Moving onto Michael, Tom said that he loved about young, fresh chefs who are willing to risk it all since he took a bite of the foie gras dish and thought that the soup was a bit bitter, but the foie gras was rich and nice, and then the pear really brought it all together. Gail said at the end it was so bitter because there was  so much more of the soup than anything else. Tom said in the egg dish, it was not separated properly and he was sloppy in presenting it. The egg was too big and overwhelmed everything on the dish.

Gail said she fell in love with Bryan’s ravioli. It swept her away. She said the goat cheese added a sourness that she thought was great. Tom said overall, it needed a little salt and pepper. Tom liked the short rib dish. He was sad that the fig got lost in the braising liquid, but it was a good dish. Michael C. said he took two dishes with a high degree of difficulty and he delivered. Tom said what he loved about Kevin’s dish was he took two ingredients, beets and carrots, and he made a dish out of it. He said it took a huge amount of nerve to do that. Gail said there was a ton of flavor in the carrot tops and that was new to her that something with so much flavor could be done out of something so simple. Tom thought the flavors were good in the brisket dish, but he couldn’t get past the stringy texture of the meat. Tom said it needed more time to braise.

The chefs were called back in. Michael C. got to pick the overall winner. He said the winner was the chef that made the most of the farmer’s market, seasoned their food as close as perfectly possible, and really let the ingredients sing. He picked Bryan. He got to leave the room knowing he was in the finale.

Tom told the remaining three that they all performed very well. He said in each one there was something missing. He told Kevin that in his vegetable dish, it was a perfect example of how to take simple ingredients and make them shine. On the other hand, the beef dish was a little on the stringy side. He told Michael that the foie gras dish was a great example of going out on a limb and making it all work, but on the other hand, in the egg dish, the mistake was made where he didn’t make sure that the egg was clean and ready to serve. He told Jen that she seemed a little scattered and unsure of herself. He said letting the fire burn out when she wanted to grill duck breast made him think that something wasn’t happening for her, but the duck dish was a nice dish and the flavors were good. He said the goat cheese dish was a little on the salty side. He said it was a tough decision and he would be happy to eat in any of their restaurants any time. Padma asked Jen to pack her knives and leave.

Questions

  1. Did you think that Jen was unfocused in this episode or was Tom remembering what she had done in previous challenges in Las Vegas?
  2. Would Bryan have been your pick as the winner or would you have picked someone else?
  3. Who do think will be the Top Chef winner?

Photo Source: Bravo

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