Weekly recaps will be posted THE MONDAY after every episode.
Episode 13
In a Top Chef first, the four final chefs head to Curacao to face off aboard a cruise ship to see who will be the next Top Chef. Savannah seemed to have the most momentum at the end of the regular season, but we'll see if the break halts her momentum at all.
For their final Quickfire Challenge, the chefs will need to create a dish using lionfish and gouda in 30 minutes. The QF performance will also no longer come into consideration when determining the eliminated chef. The lionfish is an invasive species that chefs are encouraged to cook and gouda was brought to the island by Dutch settlers.
Savannah is going to do a crudo. She thinks that after having 6 weeks off since the regular season the time will go quickly. Her strategy here seems sound but it does feel like a cop out dish for the finals. Dan also decides to do a raw dish featuring an agua chile with cheese. Laura is going to do a ceviche so you can see a trend for. Laura is starting to showcase her Latina side more and I think that this will actually help her tremendously in the finals. Combining her skills and culture are the best way to win. Danny decides to make a croquette which I think is a BIG move. Everyone else is doing a raw dish and this is the best way to not only push yourself but stand out from the crowd. He just needs to be sure to execute the fry and seasoning well.
Judges Comments:
Savannah - tasty dish, sauce was so delicious
Dan - Bright acidity, enjoyed it a lot
Danny - Liked that the dish was different from everyone else
Laura - Happy she used another local ingredient
Dan wins the Quickfire! This is his first QF win and a great start to the final. He seems to have a little momentum behind him.
For the final Elimination Challenge, the chefs will need to create an eight course fresh fish tasting menu as a group. Each chef will be responsible for two dishes and the fish will need to prepared in one of the following ways:
Raw
Steamed
Mousse
Poached
Fried
Roasted
Smoked
Blackened
As the winner of the last EC Challenge, Savannah gets to choose the fish and preparations that she wants. This is a great advantage but gives her a lot of room to potentially hang herself. She will need to make a strategic decision here to position herself with an advantage to win. Before they board they will get ten minutes and $100 to go to the floating market and purchase produce. Since only Savannah knows what she wants to and can do, everyone else will need to find good ingredients that can be used in multiple ways. Dan says he's going to cast a wide net and I think he is on point with the strategy. Danny finds a fruit that he was compared to as a kid, called canepa. This could come in handy down the line when he has to tell his journey through food.
The chefs go to a special dinner where Morimoto personally cooks for them, since he is an ambassador of the fresh fish program. At the end of the meal they get the list of available fresh fish options.
Atlantic Salmon
Black Bass
Black Grouper
Dorade
Monkfish
Rainbow Trout
Red Snapper
Sea Bream
Stripped Bass
It will be interesting to see how they plan for the meal. If I was Savannah, I would see how the conversation developed and what people want to use before making a final decision on her fish. The chefs discuss and come up with the following break down:
Course 1: Raw - Atlantic Salmon (Savannah)
Course 2: Steamed - Black Bass (Laura)
Course 3: Mousse - Sea Bream (Danny)
Course 4: Poached - Dorade (Dan)
Course 5: Fried - Striped Bass (Savannah)
Course 6: Roasted - Grouper (Laura)
Course 7: Smoked - Rainbow Trout (Danny)
Course 8: Blackened - Snapper (Dan)
Savannah has dishes in mind based on things she's done in her restaurant. Danny has done a fish ball with a mouse in the past. Dan's strategy is to do a preparation that nobody wants to get the fish that he wants so he chooses blackened. Laura challenges him though, as they both want the Snapper and Grouper. They end up splitting the fish with Dan taking the Snapper and Laura taking Grouper. The 2.5 hours of prep is relatively uneventful, with no glaring issues for anyone.
Course 1: Raw
Savannah - Sake cured salmon roll, salmon tartare, twice fried plantain, ginger dressing
Judges Comments: A lot of flavors packed in, it was a nice little bite. Sauce was a little grainy but a good start.
Course 2: Steamed:
Laura - Black bass recado negro, squash, fried plantain
Judges Comments: Banana leaves were not cleaned and were giving bitterness. Fish was cooked well.
Danny's mousse didn't steam the way that he wanted but he doesn't have time to cook it longer. He decides to serve it anyway as there isn't much he can do.
Course 3: Mousse
Danny - Sea bream mousse, fines herbes salad, scotch bonnet & green garlic spheres
Judges Comments: Loved the spheres and the sauce but the mousse was not right.
Course 4: Poached
Dan - Poached dorade with coconut & turmeric, yucca fritter, grilled pumpkin, & chili-garlic crisp
Judges Comments: The fish is raw and not poached correctly. The flavors were good though and felt like the Caribbean.
Savannah has 40 minutes left and doesn't see her dish coming together. She starts to get concerned as she has all these components but it doesn't feel like a dish to her.
Course 5: Fried
Savannah - Fried striped bass baguette, pepper kosho, aji amarillo aioli
Judges Comments: Cooked well, the best execution of the fish so far, too much break and the fish cooked too small. Played it safe.
Laura feels like her dish looks perfect as she plates.
Course 6: Roasted
Laura - Grouper with guajillo pepper glaze, guajillo - xo emulsion, pineapple broth
Judges Comments: Some of the fish is undercooked, not raw but not cuttable. She also explained baking, not roasting. Sauce seemed split.
After this dish the judges discuss how the dishes are not up to par. This will come down to who was the least bad, not who was the best.
Danny knows that he needs to nail this dish after his first course. He hopes this will guarantee his spot in the finale.
Course 7: Smoked
Danny - Smoked rainbow trout, plantain pumpkin puree, hazelnut lemon relish
Judges Comments: Texturally really nice, good citrus, an amazing throughline between the hazelnut and smoke
Course 8: Snapper
Dan - Blackened snapper, butter-poached potatoes, mandarin butter sauce & dill oil
Judges Comments: Favorite dish of the whole meal. Comforting. Juiciest piece of fish they had all day.
After service, it doesn't feel like there is a clear winner here. Each chef had highs and lows and it will be interesting to see how the judges rate them.
Laura - banana leaves didn't feel cleaned for her steamed dish. For her grouper dish, lots of discrepancies with her cook and the sauce looked curdled.
Savannah - not sure that's the best way to showcase salmon. Her fry was great but the combination of the fish size and bread made the fish seem like an afterthought. Too dry, no creativity.
Dan - poached fish was raw, didn't flake. Flavors of the sauce were good but the fritter was not successful. Blackened snapper was great, the five spice gave it great flavor.
Danny - they didn't like the mousse but they liked that he pushed the envelope. The spheres were really interesting. The smoked dish was unexpected and it was nearly a perfect dish.
It seems like Savannah and Laura are on the bottom based on the judges feedback.
Danny wins! He will be joined by Dan in the finale. It is now between Laura and Savannah for the final place.
Laura is eliminated and Danny, Dan and Savannah move on to the finals. There is a somber mood though as the chefs know they all could have done better. Kristen gets emotional as she talks about the finale to the chefs encouraging them to have fun and enjoy what they're doing.
In League News, our final rankings have been determined since nobody has a Top Chef candidate left.
It's officially a three-peat. Congratulations to Team Keber, this is their league record setting third win in a row! We have a new league dynasty after the Alex Bua reign of terror. This is Val's fourth league win as she had a solo win for Top Chef New Orleans. She is now the winningest player in Top Chef League History. Brett is tied with Bua for second most league wins at 3.
Team Gaskin Waldfogel came in second after a dominating season where they were in either first or second place the entire season. Unfortunately, their season took a turn in week 11 and they were never able to recover. In third place is Team Hutty who was only behind TGW by 1 point. He laid low for most of the season before making a big push with his final table in week 12.
Team Stroose ended up in fourth place after being as low 10th this season. They were in 10th or 9th place for 7 weeks this season but were able to catch up with their final table. Only 3 points out of the money, they came close to giving Hutty a run for his money.
Final League Standings:
1) Team Keber
2) Team Gaskin/Waldfogel
3) Team Hutty
4) Team Stroose
5) Team Sean
6) Team Becca/Scott
7) Team Fordin
8) Team Steven H
9) Team Reuben/Liz
10) Team Leshner
Episode 12
With only 5 chefs left and the Last Chance Kitchen winner determined we're in the home stretch. Manny has some how rode the middle and bottom to the final 5. Since episode three he has been in the bottom 5 times with no top table appearances. He almost went home last week but he skated through again. We'll see if his luck continues to carry him into the finals.
This episode features one of my favorite Quickfires, the pallet challenge or blind taste test. This is when the chefs blind taste test 26 ingredients and have to guess what they are. Then using the correct ingredients they guessed each chef needs to create a dish using those ingredients. The chef with the most points at the end is the winner plus a chance to get more cash with the winning dish. It will be brutal if this is what is used to determine the Eliminated Chef and you lose because it's based on your pallet. It's hard to tell who is doing well due to the editing but it seems like Dan struggles despite thinking he has a great pallet.
At the end it turns out that the challenge was in alphabetical order by ingredient.
9/26 Ingredients Correct: Dan and Savannah
13/26 Ingredients Correct: Danny
15/26 Ingredients Correct: Laura
23/26 Ingredients Correct: Manny
Manny wins the blind taste test portion of the Quickfire, this is his first win since Episode 1.
The chefs are then given their correct ingredients to start cooking their QF dish. Savannah is feeling a little humbled by her performance but feels good being able to cook with only a few items. Dan's ingredients are much more random and he struggles to find a good concept. He ends up making some eggs to even get something on the plate. He worries with could come back to bit him later. Danny's only protein is steaks so he plans on making a dish around that. He pairs a "unique sauce" with it that would only be made in the Top Chef kitchen. Laura wants to utilize as many of her ingredients as possible which is classic Laura this season. Manny is making an edamame puree that he's done before but thinks his dish may be too spicy.
Favorite:
Savannah - Fried pork chop, faux caesar with cheddar & horseradish-kalamata olive sauce
Judges: Beautifully cooked and lost the sauce
Laura - Mussel escabeche with umeboshi, anchovies, & herbs, rosemary cracker, watermelon & gooseberries
Judges Comments: Liked the hervacious notes notes and sweetness
Danny - Grilled flank steak with watermelon & gooseberry jus, okra with parsley, anchovy & horseradish gremolata
Judges Comments: LOVED the sauce, made it work.
Savannah wins her third QF challenge in a row!
Least Favorite:
Manny - Salmon crudo with edamame-jalapeno puree, parsley & gooseberry relish
Judges Comments: Salmon was one dimensional, needed seasoning
Dan - Grilled flank steak, scrambled eggs with hooks cheddar & horseradish, red wine & sour cream sauce
Judges Comments: Was a complete train wreck, had a smell
Dan will be in trouble if he is in the bottom of the EC judges table.
For the final Elimination Challenge in Wisconsin, the chefs must create a dish that exemplifies their culinary growth during Top Chef. They will have no parameters except $150 to shop at a specialty store, $200 for Whole Foods, then 3 hours to prep a dinner for the judges and local chefs. Laura receives an extra 30 minutes for winning the last EC.
Manny is making a dish that he knows he can crush. He felt the same way about his risotto though so we'll see if this plays out like he plans. Danny has an idea for a dish but is struggling with his story around the dish. While he doesn't feel like his cooking has changed he has honed in on what to put on the plate and keeping it simple. He's going to try and focus on that for this dish. Dan won a challenge with walleye earlier in the season and plans to revisit that ingredient. He's also struggling with a story. He can't find the lemongrass he needs at the last minute. Savannah is looking back to week 1 where she had to roast a chicken and plans to do a spin on that. She has been doing really well the second half of the season and wants to keep her momentum up. Laura is trying to show her growth but still struggles with editing her dish. Her goal is going to show her growth without over complicating the dish like she's done so many times this season.
The chefs enter the kitchen to start their three hours of prep before their last service in Milwaukee. Savannah is making a dish that normally takes a long time to do. She will attempt to do it in three hours and it will need to be perfect. Manny thinks it's a risk since it is a potato dish. Manny doesn't seem to have a strong story behind his dish and Savannah questions it. She thinks he's doing something easy and putting the story second. Danny is trying to make good food and will figure the story out later. He's going to try and get redemption from the tea service that went poorly during restaurant wars. Laura is going to be making a dish that ties her Mediterranean flavors with her Mexican heritage. She doesn't usually cook with the Mexican flavors but thinks she can combine them well.
Savannah - Potato pave, burnt onion & cherry ham, chicken sauce reduction
Judges Comments: Nice pave, took a lot of guts, adored the sauce. Her story was really good as well.
Manny - Snapper a la veracruzana with creamy potatoes & saltines
Judges Comments: Some of the fish was raw compared to other perfectly cooked pieces. Had nothing to do with his journey in Top Chef
Danny - Soba cha mushroom broth, mushroom puree & cod
Judges Comments: Not a subtle dish but it is good. Didn't read the tea aspect and how it ties to the dish. "Good miss"
Dan - Smoked walleye & potato dumplings with lemongrass, tumeric & brown butter emulsion
Judges Comments: Really heavy, had too much smoke. Both the story and the dish were muddled.
Laura - Lamb manti with barbacoa sauce
Judges Comments: Pasta is pure love, a delicious bite
Based on service it seems like Savannah and Laura are definitely on the top, Manny is definitely on the bottom. Danny and Dan could go either way. Savannah wins and heads onto the finals with an advantage! That is her second EC win this season. Laura also makes it to the finals with her dish.
In the end, you can't serve raw fish and Manny finally gets eliminated.
The final four chefs heading into the finals are Savannah, Laura, Dan and Danny. Savannah definitely has some momentum and we'll see if anyone can catch her. They will all go home for a few weeks before meeting on a cruise shop for the finale.
In League News, Sean was the only person who picked Savannah to win and walked away with 13 points this week. This catapulted him into second place ahead of Team Keber, he now has 79 points to their 77. Sean was ranked as low as 8th in week 10 before his comeback. Team Gaskin/Waldfogel got 3 points this week and are still in first place with 86 points.
Before accounting for the final table, here is where everyone stood:
1) Team Gaskin/Waldfogel
2) Team Sean
3) Team Keber
4) Team Becca/Scott
5) Team Hutty
6) Team Stroose
7) Team Reuben/Liz
8) Team Fordin
9) Team Steven H
10) Team Leshner
Once final table points were taken into account, we saw some shake ups across the board to create the below final rankings:
1) Team Keber
2) Team Gaskin/Waldfogel
3) Team Hutty
4) Team Sean
5) Team Becca/Scott
6) Team Stroose
7) Team Fordin
8) Team Reuben/Liz
9) Team Steven H
10) Team Leshner
Teams Keber, Hutty, Fordin and Stroose were the only two teams with 30 points from the final table. This saw them all take a jump in the rankings heading into week 13. Team Keber is now in first place with 107 points, TGW is in second with 101 points and Team Hutty is in third with 97. Final rankings will all come down to Week 13 picks as nobody has a potential Top Chef winner on the board!
GET YOUR PICKS IN!
Episode 11
Once again, we are back to 6 chefs after Laura wins Last Chance Kitchen, rejoining the group. We'll see how she performs this time around as she was consistently at the middle/bottom until she was eliminated. With so few chefs left, there is nowhere left for her to hide.
As the chef's enter the Top Chef kitchen, Tom has finished making a lobster stir fry for Kristen and Gail. This week's Quickfire, the chefs must play a game of 24 questions with Tom to help recreate the dish he made. This is an AMAZING QF Challenge. I always love to see Tom cooking and when he challenges the chefs it's even better. Each chef will have 4 questions to ask Tom to narrow down what the dish is. They will all be able to ask one question to start, then three more once time starts and they begin to cook.
Once time starts Michelle and Manny run to the dish and see what is leftover. This is a big brain move, it's surprising they are the only two people who do this. Everyone else runs to the pantry to begin and cook. They seem to have a hard time narrowing it down, until they figure out lobster is the protein with 11 questions left. After that they start to really narrow the dish down and Savannah begins to figure out that it's a stir fry. She also notices that there are woks in the kitchen for the first time. She asks Tom if the challenge is a salad or not to keep people off her trail. This is such a power move, I'm really loving her confidence right now. At the end of the challenge, she is the only one who makes a stir fry. Hopefully she got the flavors well and it's an easy win for her.
Favorite:
Savannah - got the wok and the vegetables were close to Toms
Michelle - look wise, it was good but needed a bit more cooked
Danny - looked good and had a lot of the ingredients
Savannah wins the QF and bounces back after an injury and poor EC challenge last week. This is her second QF challenge win in two weeks.
Least Favorite:
Laura - too salty
Manny - too much lime juice
Dan - looked nothing like it but tasted great
For this week's Elimination Challenge, the chefs must create a dish that is directly plated on a table top. Since Danny won the last EC he will have an additional 30 minutes to cook. Laura wants to do something sweet. Michelle is thinking about brunch, but is worried about the execution. As she shops she seems flustered without a clear direction. Manny wants to do squid risotto which we all know is a very risky move. Tom told him last week to swing for the fences with his food, and this is how he plans to do it. Danny's first reaction is to do a paella, it's a great communal dining experience. Laura does a meal like this at her restaurant so she is feeling very comfortable with this challenge. Savannah is going to do a bunch of small seafood bits for her table. Dan is doing a cold dish, as he thinks that it will sit better on the table. This seems like a good strategy if he can put flavorful food out.
During the 2 hours of prep time in the Top Chef Kitchen, everyone seems to be moving along well. Michelle is struggling with her plating and is worried about how her lack of finesse in the kitchen will affect her this challenge. Dan is struggling to cook his beats all the way through, he's worried they won't get done in time. Savannah is stressed about her octopus and wishes she used the pressure cooker. It's definitely not going to be tender like she wanted. After the prep time all the chefs go back to their hotel and work on their designs. It's here that Michelle has the idea to do a mosaic which I think is a very smart move and different from what everyone else is doing.
Danny begins his day of cooking by taping off his table to get his design lined out and starting his paella rice. Danny ends up burning his rice and starts to panic that his dish may be ruined. He decides to pivot and salvages everything he can of the rice. Dan finds that his beets have finally cooked and feels relief as he starts his prep. Laura is feeling energized after surviving last chance kitchen and thinks she can win the competition if she stays focused. Dan is taking more artistic inspiration for his dish and making the table look very colorful. Manny has saved the last 30 minutes for his risotto but has to plate and cook the seafood all at the same time. Of course, he's worried about the risotto now that he has to plate it. Michelle is worried about her biscuits and that they may need more time to cook. As she plates, she accomplishes the mosaic but feels like there is too much white space. As Savannah and Laura prepare their dishes for service there is a big contrast. Savannah is chaotic and Laura is very tranquil.
Danny - Paella with black rice & piquillo pepper puree, fram of black garlic, zucchini & creme fraiche purees
Judges Comments: Love the border, especially once they realized its the sauce. The white space was very thoughtful and it tastes really good.
Dan - Beet tartare with beet puree, fried kale & pumpkin seed puree, with fried kale salad & candied pumpkin seeds and "puffin"
Judges Comments: Very playful and fun, artistic, love the puffins and can really build a great bite with all the options on the table
Manny - Squid ink risotto with crab, scallops & shrimp
Judges Comments: Seafood was overcooked and there was too much heat. Risotto seized up and needed more liquid.
Michelle - Cured salmon, salmon mousse, beet biscuits, pickled beets with capers, egg with caviar, fig & bacon jam, seasoned potato chips
Judges Comments: Feels almost weird that it's so bunched up, biscuit is uncooked, collectively doesn't work
Savannah - Kombu cured salmon nigiri with mustard green wasabi, shrimp tempura with yuzu salt & yuzu ponzu daikon gane, boiled & grilled octopus with wasabi, seared tuna with black garlic soy glaze, oyster with aji amarillo sauce and caviar
Judges Comments: Incredibly thoughtful, loved her minimalist approach, octopus has a bad texture, oyster at the end is nice
Laura - Rose, sour cherry, pistachio & honey sauces with clotted cream, sour cherry & honey maras, with meringue & baklava
Judges Comments: Loved the baklava, she did an amazing job and everything is done nicely
After service, it seems like it's pretty clear where the divide between Top Table and Bottom Table falls. Manny and Michelle seem to be the most in danger of going home.
Top Table:
Laura
Danny
Dan
Laura wins the Elimination Challenge! This is her first win of the season and HUGE coming out of Last Chance Kitchen.
Bottom Table:
Manny
Michelle
Savannah's octopus was off but she had a beautiful table and was in the middle overall. Michelle is eliminated and another one of the big players from the regular season goes down in crunch time. I'm super surprised that Manny has continued to survive this long, it seems like his time has been coming for a while now.
In League News, Sean had a BIG BIG week with 17 points. He was the only team in double digits this week besides Team Stroose who had 13. Stroose jumped from 9th to 7th place this week but it is unlikely to make a big difference in the long run. Team Gaskin/Waldfogel had their first negative points of the season with a -1 for the week. Luckily Team Becca/Scott and Team Keber only had 1 and -1 points respectively so their 1st place lead is safe for another week. Meanwhile though, Sean jumps from 8th place to 4th place and is now only 4 points behind TBS in the rankings. He's one place out from the money at this point with only one or two weeks of picks left.
Michelle being eliminated was a big blow to people's final tables, with 6 teams having chosen her as a finalist. With five chefs left, we will know who the final table is next week and additional points will be awarded. Still lots of potential scenarios to see how this plays out.
This week we will only be picked an Elimination Challenge Winner and a Eliminated Chef, get those picks in!
Episode 10
After the double elimination last week we are down to 6 chefs as we head into Episode 10. Danny, Dan and Savannah are the hot chefs right now and we'll see if they can carry this momentum into the finals. Savannah was very much coasting by earlier in the season, but in the past 5 weeks has been in the top table 4 times, winning once. She seems to be stepping up at the right time but this week's episode will be a good heat check for her. In the opening scenes of the episode you get a good glimpse of her confidence right now as she's started to win.
This week's Quickfire Challenge involves a meat raffle. When the chef's meat gets drawn, they can select whatever piece of meat they want to use for their dish. The meats include a wide range from steak to canned corned beef. Manny gets chosen first and takes the rib eye. Savannah goes for the canned corned beef and shocks everyone. Danny says that this is showing her confidence and I agree. So chooses the spam (which they couldn't use the name for most likely because of sponsorship rights) as he grew up eating and feels comfortable with it. Michelle is using the ground chicken and struggles with her chicken nugget dish. Obviously scary for those who picked her for their top table now that the QF challenge counts at the judges table.
Favorite:
Soo - liked the rice and silkiness of the egg
Savannah - surprised them, liked what she did with the canned meat
Savannah wins the QF! Her hot streak continues and her confidence is very apparent.
Least Favorite:
Manny - too much acid which overpowered the meat
Michelle - too much batter and was raw
Danny - meat was over rested
Dan - too much greenery, wanted more meat
The chefs change into their street clothes and head out back to learn about the Elimination Challenge. They are greeted by a group of Top Chef All Stars and the judges including Greg, Shota, Mei, Sarah, Justin and Jeremy. For this week's EC, each chef will be putting on their own fish boil with two sides for 100 diners. Local boil master Torch gives the chefs a demonstration to show them how to boil. Despite being from Wisconsin, Dan does not like a fish boil and seems not interested in the challenge at all. Kristen then throws in a last minute twist where the All Stars will be doing the shopping for the chefs. The All Stars will draw knives to see who they shop for, except for Savannah who gets to choose as the last week's winner, she chooses Shota.
Shota - Savannah
Gregory - Soo
Mei - Manny
Sarah - Michelle
Justin - Danny
Jeremy - Dan
Each All Star will have $500 and 30 minutes to shop. So the chefs will not know what their ingredients are until they receive the ingredients the next day at the boil. The chefs will each get 5 minutes to meet with their All Star before the shop to explain their vision. The All Stars head to Whole Foods to relive the glory days of their seasons. Michelle gets really lucky with Sarah because they both cook southern food. I also think that Greg and Soo are a good combination as well. Mei doesn't seem to think Manny is doing enough with guacamole as a side. Everyone seems to have easy shops. Danny seems really happy with Justin's shop, same with Savannah and Shota. Manny isn't going to make tortillas due to time but Mei got him both masa and pre-made just in case.
The chefs begin their prep for the boil. Danny decides to brine his fish in advance which I think is a great idea. He decides to de-bone the fish to order which seems like a risk but he's the best one to pull this off out of the group. Savannah is doing a kimchi soup dish inspired by Korean street food. She cuts her hand badly during prep and needs a medic. In a badass move she has the medic cauterize the wound and decides to move onto other non-fish items while she regroups. Soo has a loose idea and Gregory hopes he can find direction with the ingredients he got. Soo seems to be using a lot which could overcomplicate what should be a simple dish. All the chefs seem to be struggling with the physicality of the challenge. Working in sand is hard and they have to be moving a lot between their prep station and boil pot.
Danny - Sofrito boil, salsa verde, carrot slaw, french bean & bonito salad
Judges Comments: Fish had a lot of flavor and was cooked perfectly, slaw is stunning
Before her service, Savannah is worried about the flavor of her dish. She seems to be struggling mentally but is doing her best to push through.
Savannah - Kimchi gochujang boil, baby potatoes, smashed tofu salad
Judges Comments: Fish is bland and not a fan of how she cut it, potatoes were good but the salad was not
Soo - Pineapple curry fish boil, fish sauce beurre blanc, twice-cooked potatoes, crispy corn miso slaw
Judges Comments: Corn is raw and saw dusty, the pineapple butter is really good
Dan - Red curry boil, coconut & herb slaw with peanuts, fingerlings with duck fat & shiro dashi oil
Judges Comments: Fish is cooked well, the broth worked out and is giving it a lot of flavor, wanted more spice
Michelle - Cajun boil, charred corn & kale salad, potatoes with sausage, peach & garlic butter sauce
Judges Comments: Looks beautiful, fish is cooked well, spice is good, told one story
Manny - Mexican boil, tostadas with guacamole, mexican white rice with corn & chipotle lime butter
Judges Comments: Fish flavor was good and compliments the rice, first person to give citrus on the fish, felt too safe overall
After service I think Danny, Dan and Michelle are on top, with Savannah, Soo and Manny at the bottom. If it comes down to the Quickfire, Manny will most likely be going home since both Savannah and Soo were on top.
Top Table:
Michelle
Danny
Dan
Danny wins the EC this week! It is his third Elimination Challenge and seems to be the strongest chef heading into the home stretch of the series.
Bottom Table:
Manny
Savannah
Soo
Soo gets eliminated and heads back to LCK. Savannah gets lucky after winning the QF and lives to cook another day. It will be interesting to see how she responds after this past week and her injured hand.
SPOILER ALERT: The winner of LCK has been crowned and is now included on the picks submission form for this week.
In League News, I found an error in the Week 9 scoring sheet that was not accounting for Michelle being on the bottom. Points are updated for that week, which had some people losing at most 1 point. This did not have a major effect on any team in the overall rankings.
This week there were A LOT of points to go around. Every team except Team Fordin were in the double digits with Team Reuben/Liz and Stroose leading the pack with 16 each, behind them was Sean with 15 points. Team Keber had 11 points compared to Team Becca/Scotts 12 but they still hold onto a 2 point lead for second place. Team Gaskin Waldfogel had 13 points this week and is in a commanding 11 point lead over Team Keber.
Episode 9
We're officially past the halfway mark of the season and have only 8 chef's left in the competition, with the threat of having a dual elimination hovering over everyone's heads. Manny feels bad about Kaleena leaving but after being reminded two people could have gone home, he feels better to still be in the competition. He started off hot this season but has been hovering around the middle or low side of things ever since week 2.
When the chef's arrive in the Top Chef kitchen they are greeted by Kristen, Tom and Gail standing in a giant cranberry bog. With immunity off the table for the rest of the season, moving forward Tom and Gail will be joining each Quickfire Challenge to taste the chef's dishes and they will now come into consideration when choosing the chef that goes home. This seems like a benefit for the chef's but will make picking winners each week more challenging.
For this week's Quickfire, the chefs must make a dish featuring cranberries. It should be in a baked good or only in a sauce, they need to be creative. The favorite dish will win $10,000 in cash. Soo is worried about the tartness of the cranberries and gets some other berries to offset that flavor. Dan is worried about the QF challenges now as he feels the pressure of Tom being a judge. Savannah feels comfortable with this challenge as she was prepared to do a cranberry dish as part of her show prep. Laura takes a risk by using walnuts which can be grainy but wants to the risk. Danny wants to make cranberry butter for some fish but is having an issue creating juice from the cranberries. Amanda thinks that this is a risk pairing cranberry's and fish. But looking at her dish, feels like it may be too basic.
Favorite:
Dan - took a cranberry sauce and flipped it on its head
Danny - seabass was perfectly cooked and were impressed with his multiple use of the cranberry
Michelle - loved how she found sweetness in the beats and it created a nice combination
The winner of the QF is Danny! This is his second QF win of the season and could potentially help him with EC if something goes wrong later on.
Least Favorite:
Laura - sauce had too much grit because of the almonds
Manny - the cranberries got lost among the other flavors
Amanda - the sauce felt expected, could have been more creative.
The next Elimination Challenge will have the chefs create modern dishes only using Native American ingredients. They are not able to use any of the following ingredients:
Dairy
Wheat flower
Cane Sugar
Pork
Beef
Chicken
There is no shopping, they will have access to a pantry filled with indigenous ingredients curated by the guest judges, Sean Sherman and Elena Terry. Before the chefs begin to plan their meals they are taken to have a meal with Elana and Sean who provide them with examples of Native American food. Manny feels the connection between this food and his native Mexican cuisine. Laura asks them about breakfast and feels very inspired by the food they taste. Savannah asks about how they baked one of the cakes they had for dessert. She wants to make a dessert as the last time she was in the top table. Michelle is excited to work with smoke, which was a big ingredient in the cuisine. Amanda is going to use some meat to make a tartar.
When the chefs enter the kitchen, Soo describes it as like being in a mosh pit. Everyone is fighting over ingredients in the pantry to create their dish. Savannah gets squash and plans on making a squash cake. Amanda is working with elk, which she describes as being out of her wheelhouse. She's hoping it can be a good substitute for venison. Danny finds elk caul fat which is something he's never used to bind things together, but has used other kinds before so goes for it. Laura is going to make a fancy tamale, while Michelle is working with a rabbit. It's easy to overcook it so she wants to be careful. To keep it juicy she plans on using the pressure cooker. Soo is making a gnocchi using corn and rice but he's never done this before. Dan doesn't want to make a meat dish but is using it to fortify the flavors of his sauce. Manny plans on replicating the rice cake they ate the day before.
Tom and the judges arrive in the kitchen to check on the chefs. Amanda is nervous as she didn't have a good QF so she needs to go big during the EC. The judges hope they can tell that it is actually elk. They are worried about Soo's gnocchi staying together. Savannah is stepping up to the challenge of really cooking the way Native Americans did. Dan is struggling preparing his dish and is generally getting tired because of his illness and how long he's been in the competition.
Before service Michelle throws her rabbit in the pizza oven to crisp it up, this could be risky and dry it out. She adds her jou and pours it over to bring some moisture back instead of serving it on the side. Soo is struggling to keep his gnocchi together and needs to add eggs to try and bind it together better at the last minute. Amanda wants to put two tortillas on the plate but is running out of time. Danny is not happy with how chewy his dish is, hoping that the other flavors help him out.
Michelle - Acorn squash polenta cake, braised rabbit, smoked onion & mushroom
Judges Comments: Texture of the cake is soft, rabbit is really tasty but kind of try, salt overpowered the smoke
Amanda - Elk tataki tartare, confit mushrooms, pipian rojo & duck fat tortilla
Judges Comments: Not too sure what she had wanted to do with the corn cake but it's not crispy, overall disjointed
Danny - Pheasant crepinette with mole & roasted sunchokes
Judges Comments: Sunchokes were beautiful, lots of flavor, but can't taste the pheasant or berries because of the sauce
Laura - Duck tamal wrapped in mustard greens with huckleberry sauce & haroset
Judges Comments: Way too much happening here, wasn't making sense and couldn't pick the flavors apart
Dan - Sunflower choke with braised goose & aronia berry puree
Judges Comments: Really enjoyed how he honored one ingredient, texturally fun to eat and loved the sunflower choke
Soo - Roasted butternut squash, huitlacoche puree, & wild rice gnocchi
Judges Comments: Really enjoyed it, like the brightness of the berry sauce, beautiful simplicity
Manny - Duck breast with braised mustard greens, wild rice cake, ancho, guajillo & plum sauce
Judges Comments: Liked the rice cake and the greens worked well with it, the duck was too chewy
Savannah - Squash & maple jelly cake with aronia berries, grapes & plum jelly
Judges Comments: Nailed it, used a lot of ingredients in a subtle way, let the dish tell her what it wanted it to be
After service it seems like Savannah, Danny, Dan and Soo are most likely on the Top Table this week with the rest as candidates for elimination. That being said, the QF dish could give some of the bottom chef's the edge to stay in the competition, specifically Michelle.
Soo, Savannah and Dan have the favorite dishes of the day. An overall theme was how they each treated the ingredients for their dish. The winning chef for this week was Savannnah! This is her first EC win of the season. She has been on the top table 3 out of the 4 past weeks and has finally broken through.
Michelle, Amanda and Laura are on the bottom table this week. Michelle's rabbit was dry and the cake was too soft. Her dish was also missing the smokiness they were expecting. Amanda's sauce was too much and overpowered the elk. Overall her concept was confusing and could have been simplified. Laura's dish felt very soft overall and that there were a few different dishes going on in the same dish. Since they take QF dishes into consideration I think it's between Laura and Amanda to go home. After showing judges table, this assumption is correct as the judges decide who can go home and/or if they both should be eliminated.
The threat of a dual elimination comes true and both Amanda and Laura are sent home.
In League News, we saw four teams all get double digit points this week because they picked Savannah:
Team Keber
Team Reuben/Liz
Team Gaskin/Waldfogel
Team hutty
Steven H forgot to submit his picks again this week and has fallen down to 6th place with a combined -2 points the past three weeks. Meanwhile TGW has build a 10 point lead over the next closest team in 2nd place. With their big week Team Keber has propelled themselves over Team Becca/Scott into second place. They currently have a 2 point lead over TBS going into the 10th week of the season.
Episode 8
It's one of the biggest weeks of the season, RESTAURANT WARS! While we are getting down to half of the cheftestants, there still seems to be a lot of the "weaker" chefs still hanging around. Last week per Tom, "they cooked the best food so far," but it was a lone bright spot in an otherwise non competitive season.
As we come into the 8th week of the season we are left with 9 chefs. Of those 9 chefs, 2 of them have won more than one EC, none have won more than one QF and all of them have been on the bottom table at least once. Michelle has been the most consistent chef either being on the top table or winning 5 of 8 weeks. Danny is next not having been in the bottom table once with 3 challenge wins. Dan had a slow start but has been at the top table or won 3 out of the past 5 weeks.
This week's Elimination Challenge is an old school Restaurant Wars. The chef's will have to create a restaurant from scratch that features the following:
3 Course Menu with 2 options for each course
1 person assigned as Executive Chef
1 person assigned as Floor Manager
Remaining team members assigned as Line Cooks
The teams will have to build their restaurant from scratch.
Since there are uneven numbers Michelle gets to pick which team she is on. The chefs get to separate themselves into teams which is always a nice twist. That being said, it doesn't seem like there is much drama as they separate easily.
Team 1 (Dos by Deul)
Kaleena
Laura
Soo
Manny
Team 2 (Channel)
Dan
Danny
Amanda
Savannah
Michelle then chooses to join Team 2. Before Michelle goes to Team 2, I do think that the teams were very even. Michelle joining Dan and Danny really gives Team 2 the advantage with skills based on the season's stats so far.
Team 1 begins to work on their concept and all agree that they want to do fusion, Mexican & Asian. Laura volunteers to do FOH and Kaleena decides to do expo'ing. These are two high pressure situations for two people who have not really rose to the occasion this season, except for Kaleena who came back from LCK. Team 2 decides to have Danny be Executive Chef with Michelle at FOH. These seems like two really strong choices for the two most high pressure positions. They decide that their concept is going to be modern American seafood to cover all of their diverse backgrounds.
As they shop, Channel starts to doubt their concept as they do not feel like it's as cohesive as it could be. They all feel inspired by water and feel like Dan's dish doesn't fit. As they talk it over Dan decides to make a smoked trout dish and they resolve the issue relatively easily. Team work makes the dream work. BUT then another bump in the road as the store has no trout, they pivot again and switch to walleye.
While Dos by Duel shops, Soo can't find the rice cakes that he wants at the store but tries another version to see if he can make it work. Manny is worried as the store does not have the white fish he wants. They need to serve 75 people but there's not enough fish to do that, so they start to discuss picking a new protein. In the end they choose pork tenderloin, a dish Manny has never ate before. This has all the signs of a poor tactical decision that gets someone sent home.
The first day of prep ends with little to no drama. Michelle is concerned that Amanda's gumbo won't be good since it's vegetarian. She has a lot of prep to do before going to FOH and feels a little concerned about the reservations. Dos by Duel decides to not do a dessert which may or may not work in their favor. They feel it is an advantage but the other team is doing a dessert so it will depend on their overall concept if it makes sense or not.
Both teams come into the kitchen for the second day of prep. As the servers come in to prepare for the day both Michelle and Laura seem to be prepared with materials for their staff. Both teams are happy with how the restaurants look but I do not think they are as good as past seasons. It definitely felt more of a temporary vibe than we've seen before.
Danny has created standardized tickets for the serviers to make sure that he understands what's coming in. This is a real big brain move and will really help with their services, especially since it's a set menu.
During the first seating, Michelle does not check in with the judges table and is worried about how much she should be around. Tom comments on this as she passes by them. She also misses them on the way out and feels like this puts her at a disadvantage. At Dos by Duel Kaleena does not seem to have an organized system for her tickets. Both Soo and Manny are confused and they fall into the weeds a bit. The judges have to ask about their last course before it arrives. Overall the food seemed good but the judges initial comments were about the concepts. Channel didn't seem cohesive enough and the last course at Dos by Duel seemed like another restaurant.
At the second seating, Michelle steps it up and makes sure to greet the judges as they sit down right away. Danny decides to not stop service for the judges to provide everyone the same experience. This is a terrible decision but if they get the food out on time the judges won't notice. But the judges end up waiting 30 minutes for their first dish and comment on it. Meanwhile Kaleena is melting down in the Dos by Duel kitchen. Laura is bringing out wrong orders and Manny and Soo are going to have to pick up the slack firing dishes last minute. Tom and Kristen start to notice the slow start and comment on it. Rough start all around and the food continues to take too long throughout service. Overall the judges felt that Channel was a restaurant with too many egos and were not collaborating well. For Dos by Duel they felt the theme was more clear to begin with but they left more confused than when they started.
Dos By Duel
First Course
Kaleena - Dungeness crab aguachile with tostada
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Needed more acidity, melon washed the flavors out.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Like the flavor profile but was flat. The chip was not good.
Laura - Beef tar tar
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Worried it had too much going on but worked really well together. The sauce work was phenomenal.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Really good flavor, nice dish but didn't need the rice cracker.
Second Course
Manny - Miso butter shrimp
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Beautifully cooked but the kimchi drowns out the jicama.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: None of the ingredients shine together, couldn't taste the latin flavors.
Soo - Rice cakes with salsa verde
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Delicious, savory, spicey, acidic.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: The rice cakes are hard to chew.
Third Course
Many - Beef Tenderloin with mole negro
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Mole is ridiculous.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Beef is cooked perfectly, really enjoyed it.
Team Dish - Ssamjang marinated pork tenderloin
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Needed more attention.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Slightly underseasoned, didn't need the pineapple.
Channel
First Course
Dan - Smoked walleye salad
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Bright, tidy, really well seasoned.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Liked the playfulness, it was really good.
Savannah - Scallop chawanmushi
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Seasoned well, texturally amazing.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: The mushrooms overpower the rest of the dish.
Second Course
Amanda - Vegan gumbo z'herbes
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Not eating like gumbo, but tasty.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: The ingredients were fighting each other.
Danny - Grilled carrots & clams "New England Clam Chowder"
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Texture of the carrots with the sauce and clams is really good. Kind of confusing concept wise.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Carrots were perfect and the sauce was really good.
Michelle - Fried catfish with dirty rice
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Smoked oyster sauce is the best part.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: The smoked oyster part is the star and the rice was undercooked.
Third Course
Dan - Maple Cremeux
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Nuts are really nice, a lot of balance. Tom doesn't think it has enough maple.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Enjoying it but almost like a bowl of the best dessert garnishes.
Amanda & Danny - Honey Custard
Rnd 1 Judges Comments: Super tasty, great texture and well balanced.
Rnd 2 Judges Comments: Really successful custard.
Hard to tell who won here, they both had issues with service, they both had issues with menu/concept cohesion and there were both hits and misses food wise. This seems like a very close decision.
The winning restaurant was Channel. I honestly thought that this was going to go the other way until it came out of Kristen's mouth. The overall winner from Channel was Dan. This is his second EC win of the challenge and second EC win in 4 weeks.
Dos by Duel seems to really struggle with their chips and accoutrements. The collaborative dish was not well received and was the least successful. It's hard to pinpoint the issues with that dish so it will most likely fall on Kaleena because she was the Executive Chef. I think the service was good enough to save Laura which means Kaleena is most likely going home.
Kaleena gets eliminated and heads back to LCK for the second time.
In League News, only Team Keber and Team Fordin chose Dan this week. They led the group in points with 15 each. Tema Keber moves up to 4th place after while Team Fordin moves up to 4th. Steven H has another low scoring week and falls down to 5th place. Team Gaskin/Walkdfogel scores zero points, while Team Becca/Scott score 2 closing the gap between first and second place to only 4 points.
Remember we will begin submitting blind picks this week!
Episode 7
We come into this week with 9 chefs left and 1 week away from the mid-season mark that is Restaurant Wars. With Rasika being eliminated, one of the top competitors is gone and the season seems more up for grabs then ever.
The chefs enter the Top Chef kitchen and are greeted by Top Chef Master, Bryan Voltaggio. For this week's Quickfire Challenge, the chefs must create a dish using the flambé technique in 20 minutes. The QF this week will be worth $10,000, one of the largest QF prizes of the season.
Danny wants to buy a house so is focused on this cash prize. Kaleena is making a kim chi donut but wants to make sure the alcohol is not super overpowering. Amanda wants to flambé everything in the dish but that seems like it may be too much.
Before announcing the least favorite and favorite dishes, they throw a wrench into the QF. To win the QF, the three chefs who have the favorite dishes will have to cook again. The winning chef will now get $20,000 if they win.
Favorite:
Danny - Agua chili really stood out.
Amanda - The baked Hawaii had the perfect bite
Kevin - It was their favorite based on texture
For the second round of today's QF, they now have to use fire to give them the perfect char technique in 20 minutes. Danny wants to create a perfect bite of fish using branzino, Amanda is going to do a grilled pork chop but picks up veal instead and Kevin is making a green curry squab. Their final dishes were as follows:
Kevin - charred squab breast with green curry yogurt sauce, panko-fried squab leg & toasted almond
Judges Comments: WReally well executed but needed more char on the squab
Amanda - Glazed veal chop with grilled & charred corn relish & peach pickles
Judges Comments: Charring technique was great but was a little undercooked
Danny - Charred branzino with charred poblano puree & charred avocado
Judges Comments: Cook on the fish was done really well
Danny wins this week's QF and $20,000. This is Danny's 1st QF win of the season and is looking like the front runner with Rasika now gone.
They then bring out Amar Santana and Milwaukee's famous racing sausages to introduce the Elimination Challenge for this week. As a team, the chefs must create dishes featuring 5 different sausages for a head to head challenge.
The chefs draw knives and the teams are:
Blue Team
Savannah
Kevin
Soo
Dan
Manny
Yellow Team
Kaleena
Danny
Michelle
Laura
Amanda
They seem pretty even skill wise but it will be interesting to see.
The game will be played with 5 head to head innings and each innings featuring a different sausage. Each chef must make one dish. The Milwaukee sausages will race and the order they finish will be the order that the dishes are served. Each inning the votes will be tallied, and the chef with the most votes will get a run. The Team with the most runs will win and one chef will be made MVP and overall winner. One or Two chefs that lose their head to head round will be eliminated. This is the last week of immunity, there is NO MORE IMMUNITY moving forward. I personally don't think we'll see two chefs go home, as that will make the teams for Restaurant Wars uneven. Most likely next week will be the double elimination.
As the teams strategize, nobody seems to want the hot dog on the Yellow team. Michelle really wants to prove herself after a poor showing last week. Kevin is making a risotto but as Dan points out, this is not a historically great move on Top Chef. Tom chews people out for this. Danny is worried about being on the same team as Laura as he got destroyed by her sucking up the budget the last time they were on a. team. Laura plans to make her own sausage, which I actually feel is a good strategy. Take the dish fully into your own hands. As the teams check out they seem to be doing really well with budget and no issues arise.
The 5 Sausages race and the final order of service will be:
1) Hot Dog
2) Polish
3) talian
4) Chorizo
5) Bratwurst
Amanda, Laura and Danny have not won a team challenge yet so they are feeling some pressure. Soo is going head to head with Danny, who is on a heater. He needs to win or he could be up for elimination. Laura is going up against Manny who is comfortable with chorizo already. As Kevin is making his risotto he decides to make a sauce, hopefully this is a good decision as he's already fighting uphill.
1st Inning: Hot Dog
Yellow Team: Danny - Bacon wrapped hotdog, cabbage, beets
Blue Team: Soo - Corn dog, wasabi, hoisin, bonito flakes
Judges Comments: Batter to dog ratio was perfect, really crispy. Most fun corndog.
Soo wins 9 votes to 6 and takes Danny down in the first round. Really close match.
Blue: 1
Yellow: 0
2nd Inning: Polish
Yellow Team: Michelle - Polish sausage etouffee with creamy grits
Judges Comments: Reminded them of home with an explosion of flavors.
Blue Team: Savannah - Sausage pierogi, apple & fennel salad
Judges Comments: Really good but needed more sausage.
Michelle crushes Savannah in a 13-2 landslide.
Blue: 1
Yellow: 1
All tied up going into the risotto round.
3rd Inning: Italian
Yellow Team: Kaleena - Potato gnocchi with italian sausage ragu, calabrian chili
Judges Comments: The gnocchi's were perfect, toppings amplified the flavors. Ragu was perfect.
Blue Team: Kevin - Italian sausage risotto, roasted parmesan & fennel emulsion
Judges Comments: Flavor was good but way too much cheese. Better risotto they have had on the show but not enough.
Kaleena stomps all over Kevin with another 13 - 2 vote.
Blue: 1
Yellow: 2
Yellow goes into the 4th inning trying to wrap things up.
4th Inning: Chorizo
Yellow Team: Laura - Chorizo kebab tacos
Judges Comments: The only differentiating factor was that it was too spicy. But she made her own which was great.
Blue Team: Manny - Chorizo & cheese tetela with roasted tomato sauce
Judges Comments: Balance of heat is why he won. Really balanced dish overall.
This seems like the closest vote so far as the judges prepare to vote. Manny wins 9 - 6 to tie it up. Both were fantastic dishes.
Blue: 2
Yellow: 2
This will all come down to the last round, Amanda vs Dan. They are close friends so the emotional stakes are high.
5th Inning: Bratwurst
Yellow Team: Amanda - Caraway spaetzle, bratwurst, caramelized onion
Judges Comments:
Blue Team: Dan - Potato pancake sauerkraut & herbs
Judges Comments:
The chefs vote....and Amanda crushes Dan 12 - 3 to secure the win for the Yellow Team.
Final Score:
Blue: 2
Yellow: 3
At the judges table, the chefs are told that this was the best cooking they've done all season.
The MVP and overall winning chef was Michelle. She goes from bottom to top in one week and that is her second EC win of the season.
Kevin gets eliminated because his dish was too cheesy.
In League News, A LOT of people riding the Danny and Michelle train right now. It's obviously hard not to, with these two being the most successful chefs this season. At this point, it's hard to see how anyone else could challenge them.
This week Team Gaskin/Waldfogel finally overcame Steven H to take the first place. Steven had more points this week, again choosing the QF winner, the EC winner and the Eliminated chef BUT he submitted his picks after the deadline and will get a zero for the week. This propels TGW and Team Becca & Scott firmly into the top two spots. Steven H is now 8 points back of TBS, with they are only 6 points back from TGW.
Team Fordin is leading the battle for 4th place with 33 points but Sean and Team Keber are right behind him within two points each. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Team Reuben/Liz who have gone from first to worst during the first half of the season. After starting in first place they have essentially dropped rankings each week and are now tied for 9th place with team Stroose.
We head into Restaurant Wars with the remaining 8 chefs. This will be the last week that we submit open picks, after week 8 all picks will be submitted via form. While the season may seem out of reach for some, it's been unpredictable and I think that we'll see some sleeper picks make noise during the second half of the season. Keep getting your picks in!
Episode 6
The episode opens with Kevin talking about his struggles, he's been on the bottom 2 times in the last 5 weeks and really needs a good week. Kaleena makes it through the first round of LCK and brings Soo with her, who had to win through LCK to make it to the main show. He is the official 16th contestant. I think he'll come in having a good rhythm as he's been essentially doing QF challenges each week. This will most likely not be good for some of the lower level chefs. Because there are two chefs coming back, there eventually will be a double elimination.
For this week's Quickfire Challenge, the chefs have to make a dairy based dessert. Manny is worried about making a dessert as it's not something that is in his wheelhouse. He had a strong start but has been in the middle or bottom two of the last three weeks. A lot of people chose him to be in their final table and even be Top Chef but he hasn't been performing to that level at all. Danny's wife is a pastry chef so he feels the pressure to make sure he doesn't embarrass her. Dan is going to make a vegan recipe but add dairy to it, he searches for dark chocolate but doesn't find it until he checks Laura's station. It does feel like she rubs some of the chefs the wrong way, last week she sucked up the budget and this week she is hoarding dark chocolate. Kaleens was eliminated because of a dessert and now has to make one her first QF back in the Top Chef Kitchen.
Least Favorite:
Manny - Churro was tasty but had too much moisture
Dan - Everything had a mouthy peanut butter texture
Danny - The cream puff needed more time in the oven
Favorite:
Kaleena - Caramel custard was smart and savvy
Michelle - the elements contextualized dairy in a beautiful way
Amanda - Brought diary in a lot of ways
Michelle wins the QF, it's her first QF win of the season.
Matty Matheson is this week's guest judge. The Elimination Challenge for this week's episode is all about cooking with chaos. The chefs needs to create a dish that breaks the mold of culinary convention. They will have 20 minutes and $150 dollars to shop at a specialty shop of their choice, plus whatever is in the Top Chef pantry.
Rasika is excited for this EC as she's been taking risks during the competition and they have been paying off. She thinks she can get even more out of the box with this challenge. Savannah is going to try and re-make a dish that didn't work earlier in her career, this seems like a good strategy. Kaleena goes to the Latin market for her shop as she's going to use burrito flavors. Soo hasn't formally finalized his dish yet but this may work for him as it does resemble chaos. At the last minute he changes his protein from chicken to shrimp. Manny is burning tortillas but Tom doesn't understand what his dish actually is. Michelle is stuffing her pita's the night before to make the next day's prep easier.
Laura - Tahdig, yuzu kosho sauce, quail eggs, salmon & seaweed salad
Judges Comments: Wish it was more flavorful, very orderly in plating, opposite of chaotic
Amanda - Black garlic pappardelle with cumin lamb ragu, xo sauce, celery leaf & shrimp chips
Judges Comments: Getting the wrong pasta texture, but the lamb ragu was flavorful. Was just a pasta dish.
Soo - General Soo's shrimp with salsa verde & salsa roja
Judges Comments: Chaotic for sure, texture was great.
Manny - Esquites "risotto" with burnt tortilla aioli
Judges Comments: Really surprised them, had rounded, balanced flavors. Did seem a little safe.
Kevin - Potato with raspberry, tarragon & white chocolate
Judges Comments: Went for it and could sense the chaos.
Michelle - Vietnamese shrimp & pork arayes, puffed rice & herb salad
Judges Comments: Was very Vietnamese focused but didn't get much out of it. Dish was overcooked.
Dan - Okonomiyaki funnel cake with seafood, bacon, pickles, caviar & herbs
Judges Comments: Really ambitious, could be on a menu in a lot of restaurants.
Rasika - Crab & eggplant with mushroom conserva, dukkah & garlic tahini
Judges Comments: Missed the flavors, felt slimy after being steamed.
Kaleena - Trash Burrito agnolotti with ancho chile & morita cream
Judges Comments: Did a really nice job replicating the flavors but not technically perfect.
Savannah - Potato souffle with golden milk, tropical fruit & mustard greens
Judges Comments: She did it! Was so good, couldn't wait to talk about it.
Danny - Scallop chou farci with yuzu kosho foam
Judges Comments: Beautiful, technical, lucious.
Seemed like a much more successful cook overall for the chefs with some clear folks on top and bottom.
Top Table
Soo - The shrimp was so good, and the sauces were beautiful.
Danny - Beautiful, simple, subtle dish but was chaotic all at the same time.
Dan - Was so good, would add it to their restaurants. Seafood was perfectly cooked.
Savannah - Defied logic in a good way.
Only Danny and Dan have been on the top table this season so far if this group, and shows there is some parity here in the competition. Danny wins the EC.
Bottom Table
Rasika
Michelle
This is NOT a good bottom table for the league. Every single person in the league has one of these two chefs or both of them in their final tables. Many of which have them as their Top Chef. Both had issues with their flavors, with Michelle botching her cook.
Rasika gets eliminated. This is going to BUST a lot of people's brackets if she cannot make it through LCK. 6 out of 10 teams in the league had her in their final table with two people having them as their Top Chef. A brutal reminder that oit only takes one bad dish to send you home.
In league news, Steven H continues to battle Team Gaskin/Waldfogel for first place. They both had strong weeks with Steven H getting 12 points and TGW getting 9. These two teams have been in either first or second place every week this season and are within 1 point of each other in total points. Team Becca/Scott has another strong week with not only the weekly high score, but also the most weekly points scored all season at 16. This is their third week in a row with double digit points and are now in 3rd place tied with Sean. Only 5 points behind TGW in second place, they are on pace to compete for the top spot.
Episode 5
We are down to the Top 10, which seem surprising because I feel like there is still a lot of fat to be cut. A lot of the chefs have been underperforming or not rising to the occasion.
The chefs are given money to spend at Dane County's Farmers Market, the largest producers only farmers market in the country. The chefs have to shop for the ingredients before they hear what the challenge is. This is a great twist and one which I do not think has happened before on the show.
The chefs run into the market and start to shop. Dan is not running due to his illness, but I feel like that helps him stay centered and not get rushed or frazzled. Savannah did some preparation at her local farmers market before the show, which is a really good idea. Kevin talks about shakshuka which is an underrated breakfast dish. Rasika gets bratwurst and predicts a grocery shop between the chefs. I think the brat is a great item to shop.
This week's Quickfire Challenge is inspired by chef Carson Gully, the first African American chef to host a cooking show. The chefs will have to choose from ten different sauce recipes from his cookbook. The chefs then have to put their spin on the sauce and pair it with a dish using the ingredients they got from the market.
During Rasika's turn, you can hear the chefs talking about her winning again. She is stomping the competition right now and is on a completely different level then most of the chefs. They are all playing catch up to her coming into this week.
Least Favorite:
Michelle - Raisin sauce clashed with the egg
Amanda - Sauce was gloppy
Kevin - Everything was missing texture
Favorite:
Chary - Fresh and had a kick
Laura - Hit the balance
Many - Very homey meal
Charly wins his first QF of the season! He has been in the middle or bottom all season so this may be the push he needs to get some more wins under his belt.
For this week's Elimination Challenge, the chefs will host the first ever Top Chef supper club. Amongst the groans of the chefs they draw knives as this is a team challenge. Each team will have to prepare a menu that includes:
Relish Tray
Fish Dish
Chicken Dish
Beef Dish
Dessert
Before they start, they get to go to the Harvey House to experience a supper club for inspiration. Each team will have $1,000 and 30 minutes to shop, then will have 2 hours to prep and cook before service. Green team will serve first to 40 supper club locals and the judges.
Green Team
Amanda
Charly
Danny
Laura
Manny
Purple Team
Dan
Kevin
Michelle
Rasika
Savannah
Michelle and Rasika conflict over who is going to do the friend fish. Rasika has immunity so she should back down here but Michelle takes the L and goes for dessert. I never like when people back down so we'll see how this plays out. Dessert is always highly criticised but if you nail it you can win.
Both teams struggle with the financial constraints they have with only $1,000. Each chef essentially has $200 to feed 40-50 people. At check out, the negotiations start to happen about what can be cut from the shop. Rasika has immunity and steps up here by giving her ingredients back for the Purple Team. The Green team is set back by Laura who has a lot of ingredients and alcohol. They go from $600 to $900 after she puts her items through and chaos ensues. Danny gets the short end of the stick and is visibly upset leaving Whole Foods. Manny ends up giving him some vegetables to help him out.
Amanda and Savannah are going head to head on the Katsu dish. She is cooking the signature dish from her pop up and seems very confident. She has been like Charly and been in the middle to bottom so far, we'll see if her confidence pays off here. Dan's chicken liver is tight and Charly starts making his fish early to ensure he has enough time. The last time he undercooked the fish so he's hoping to not make the same mistake twice. Danny's Tahini is more seasoned than he'd like it to be.
Green Team
Danny (Pickle Tray) - Pickled vegetables, black garlic tahini, labneh with za'atar, smoked whitefish & frena bread
Judges Comments: Tahini is oversalty but good with the bread. Overall positive to neutral feedback.
Charly (Fish Dish) - Epis-rubbed fried trout, coconut epis sauce & preserved lemon pikliz
Judges Comments: Sauce is fresh and tasty. Underseaoned and the fish is overcooked.
Amanda (Chicken Dish) - Hot chicken katsu, szechuan mala spice, apple miso mustard sauce with red cabbage & sauerkraut relish
Judges Comments: Thought she knocked it out of the part. Technically did everything nice.
Manny (Beef Dish) - Ancho crusted New York strip loin, pommes puree & cilantro, epazote & marcona almond salsa verde
Judges Comments: Loved the almond salsa verde. The meat was flavorful but the fat hadn't been rendered which made it tough.
Laura (Dessert) - Four Leches - tres leches cake with brandy cherries & chocolate brandy cocktail
Judges Comments: Too soggy, too much milk mixture and very sweet.
Purple Team
Dan (Pickle Tray) - Crudites in "soil", steak tartare chick liver mousse, pickled shallots & fried seed toast
Judges Comments: Hit the nail on the head with his relish tray.
Rasika (Fish Dish) - Semolina fried snapper, peanut & jaggery dip & smoked sturgeon herb sauce
Judges Comments: Severely salty, especially the green sauce.
Savannah (Chicken Dish) - Chicken tonkatsu, white sturgeon caviar emulsion & sweet pickled cabbage
Judges Comments: Tastes really good.
Kevin (Beef Dish) - Beef tenderloin with sherry jus & confit potatoes
Judge Comments: Too undercooked not good.
Michelle (Dessert) - Coconut bread pudding with pineapple cream sauce
Judges Comments: Classic supper club dessert, needed more pineapple and sauce.
It's hard to tell after service which team one. Both teams struggled with certain dishes.
Purple team wins! Kind of surprised by this but it's hard to tell without them going directly head to head. The winner of the challenge is Dan, who gets his first EC win of the season. They bring the Green Team up next, who had their least favorite dishes. Danny's dish gets some praise before they go after Laura for how she used her budget. Manny is next up with his undercooked beef before Charly gets knocked for his fish cook and seasoning. Amanda was the favorite dish of the group.
Charly ends up being eliminated after winning the QF.
In League News, there was a lot of movement this week. After three weeks in the number 2 spot, Team Gaskin/Waldfogel have finally surpassed Steven H for 1st place. While Steven had a slow week with only 1 point, the TGW had a week high 11 points to claim the top spot 32 to 30. Both Sean & Team Keber were second in points this week with 10 each. They are now tied for 3rd place after being tied for 6th place last week. Team Becca/Scott also had 10 points putting them in a three way tie for 5th place with Team Reuben/Liz and Team Fordin. Both of the latter teams came in with negative points this week, their first of the season. TBS were as low as 10th place three weeks ago but have risen every week since, this may be a team to watch in the upcoming weeks.
Episode 4
No Quickfire Challenge this week as chefs will travel to Madison along the Frank Lloyd Wright trail. For the Elimination Challenge this week, the chefs make two dishes inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and the theme of duality
This will be a team challenge where the chefs have to choose their own partners. Letting the Chef’s choose their own partners is always interesting as you can see where the alliances lie. Charly is paired with Michelle which would normally put him in a bad place as she has immunity but for this challenge her immunity extends to him.
The chefs pair up into the following teams:
Manny and Kevin - Light vs Dark
Charly and Michelle - Chicken vs the Egg (Have immunity)
Danny and Rasika - Similar vs Different
Dan and Amanda - Poverty vs Wealth
Alisha and Kaleena - Land vs Sea
Laura and Savannah - Comfortable vs Uncomfortable
As the chefs tour the different FLW homes, they each gather different inspirations for their dishes. Kevin and Manny were both on the bottom last week, and dub themselves Team Power Bottom. Charly finds inspiration in Burnham Block and the people that bring it to life. Kaleena expresses how she struggles with taking the inspiration she feels and translates it to the plate. It seems like her and Alisha are struggling a bit but that doesn’t quite spell disaster yet.
Laura and Savannah try to express duality between sweet and savory. Savannah decides to use a spice from Laura that she’s never used before, this could be a gamble. Danny and Rasika try to go a more direct route by creating the same dish but with different flavors and aesthetics. Amanda and Dan go a more political route to try and showcase poverty and wealth by using peasant ingredients to create something elegant. Michelle and Charly are inspired by Burnham Block and seem to get their concept together very easily. They have nothing to lose so they might as well shoot for the fences. Kenny and Manny also decide to go sweet and savory and seem like their concept is coming together.
Alisha and Kaleena decide not to tell anyone what their dishes are. While this is normally not the case, I do like this strategy. Don’t let anyone put doubt into your mind about what you’re doing.
The chefs enter the kitchen with 3 hours to prepare their dishes. Laura seasons Savannah’s sauce. I do not like this move as you never want to put your dish in someone else’s hands. If they are on the bottom, this decision will come back to haunt them. Alisha struggles with her prep while Kaleena goes off memory for her crust. Kaleena needs a couple hours for her dish to set and Alisha seems concerned. As they get closer to service the trouble keeps going as they feel the pressure of the clock. Dan is also trying to get his dish to set and begins to worry as it’s not cold enough. He decides to use liquid nitrogen for the first time with Amanda’s help.
Similar vs Different
Danny - Scallop mousse, zucchini & green chartreuse
Rasika - Daal quenelle, pickled beets, carrot puree & rasam
Judges Comments: They achieved their goal, you can see the structure and the food looks like architecture. The dishes contrasted well.
Poverty vs Wealth
Dan - Leek cannoli with potato mousse, potato tuile, pickle and kombu salad
Amanda - Angel hair pasta with scallop, caviar, kombu oil & seafood broth
Judges Comments: Like the story but the leek is not cooked enough. Seafood was cooked nicely but they both overthought the plating of the dish.
Before service, Alisha and Kaleena seem to be having a complete meltdown. Alisha takes control and they get their dishes out.
Land vs Sea
Alisha - Aguachile with shrimp, cucumber & lime
Kaleena - Mushroom & goat cheese cheesecake, sesame tuile, candied mushrooms & spruce syrup
Judges Comments: Kaleena’s cheesecake had too hard a base. The dishes clash and they do not see the inspiration. This looks like the first team that is definitely on the bottom.
Light vs Dark
Manny - Chicken & mushroom fiori with sauce poulet au vin jaune
Kevin - Warm praline chocolate mousse, bitter chocolate tuile & mexican vanilla ice cream
Judges Comments: Love the story but “it doesn’t have a happy ending.” The technique was not there for Manny’s dish. Kevin’s dish was smart and tasted good. It looks like Kevin may save them from elimination this week. One nailed it and one didn’t.
As Charly goes to plate, he runs out of NO2 to charge his mousse. He ends up scooping the mousse out with a spoon to get the dish plated.
Chicken vs the Egg
Charly - Djon djon, egg mousse, chicken skin, pickled mushrooms & peas
Michelle - Mushroom biscuit with chicken liver mousse, sous vide chicken & stewed apples
Judges Comments: Seasoning was really good, there were a lot of flaws technically but still delicious. Doesn’t feel like Charly made an egg dish but more of a rice dish.
Comfortable vs Uncomfortable
Savannah - Dry aged ribeye, mushroom tempura, beet & daikon oroshi and wild pistachio sauce
Laura - Filo pastry, pistachios, pistachio foam & raspberry sauce
Judges Comments: Losing the duality, the concept went over their head. Savannah’s dish needed acid but Laura’s dish was too sweet.
It’s hard to tell who is on top as they all seemed to have flaws, except Danny and Rasika. They are the only team that I believe will be guaranteed top table. Lot’s of candidates for the bottom table, I think it will be a close one with Kaleena and Alisha the most likely team to be eliminated. At the end of service the judges comment there is a clear winner and clear loser. They only call two teams to judges table and you can tell isntantly where they fall.
Top Table:
Danny & Rasika
Bottom Table:
Kaleena & Alisha
In a Top Chef first, they eliminate Kaleena & Alisha without even going through a full judges table. Danny and Rasika take the win. Gail comments that it wasn’t even close, they were the clear winner. Only one of them will take home immunity though and the true winning chef will be Rasika. She is most likely the clear Top Chef favorite right now having won 2 EC’s and 1 QF.
In League News, another week of big points across the board! 6 teams hit double digits with Team Keber and Team Fordin in the top two spots with 13 points each. This shook the rankings up significantly and we now have a 3 way tie for second place between Team Reuben/Liz, Team Fordin and Team Gaskin/Waldfogel with 21 points each. Team Steven H is still in first place with 29 points after another strong week.
Episode 3
To start the episode we get to know a little more about the chefs. Kevin comments that Top Chef US is much harder than Top Chef France. I wonder what makes it harder, I'm sure there is good talent in France. Danny and Rasika start a run club. Dan is revealing more about his Kennedy's disease and it's honestly impressive that he can compete after seeing the prep he does to start the day.
Karla Hall and Clea Duvall are the guest judges for this week's Quickfire Challenge. Always nice to see Karla back in the Top Chef kitchen, she is a true legend of the show. For this weeks QF, the chef's have 30 minutes to create a dish pairing cherries with mystery ingredients. Rasika get's to choose first since she won last week's EC. She then chooses Danny next and we're off to the gym class picking!! Manny gets picked last and chooses soy sauce. This is not surprising since he has been on the top the last two EC's.
Everyone feels like peeling the cherries is taking a long time, that was something I didn't consider when looking at the time allotted. Fresh ginseng is such an odd ingredient, it will be interesting to see what Michelle can pull through. Rasika is going to go veg, which can be a gamble but I think this is a good challenge for it. Kenny struggles with his concept again. As time runs out Savannah is not happy with how her chicken liver mousse set.
Least Favorite:
Charly - the earthiness of the beats did not pair well with chocolate and cherry
Kenny - the dsh felt disjointed
Alisha - cabbage was undercooked
Favorite:
Savannah - chicken liver and cherries came together nicely
Rasika - balanced the different cherries really well
Kevin - the cherry's brought everything alive
Rasika wins the QF! She is going to start to have a target on her back after her early season success.
For this week's EC, each chef will be responsible for creating one dish featuring cheese for 100 diners at the first ever Top Chef Cheese Festival. The winner of the EC will be determined by the diners while the judges table will determine the least favorite. I like this as it has the chefs playing to the crowd, not the judges. It could produce some less fancy dishes because of that.
The chef's draw knives to determine what cheese they will use in their dish. Kevin gets brie and he is feeling really good. Manny gets cheese curds and is nervous, he would have preferred a Mexican cheese. Rasita is trying to do fermentation in two hours, she seems worried but it doesn't matter because she has immunity. This is a great time to shoot for the fences.
A lot of croquettes are being done for this challenge. This is going to end badly unless they are all amazing. As always they will be judged directly against each other. It's also so boring. They need to be creative to win elimination challenges. Croquettes seem like a layup. This also makes it easier for the non croquettes to stand out. Being different is memorable in a competition judged by the diners.
Michelle comments that you need to play to the audience, this is a good sign. Kenny comments on the heat forecasted for the next day, this will inevitably cause challenges for a lot of the chefs. Kaleena is using store bought pasta and this makes me extremely nervous. Dan is making gnocchi by hand so it can be done. Tom will 100% comment on this. As Kenny tries to explain his dish to Tom and Karla, he looks completely shook. Dan slips and falls because Laura didn't clean up a spill.
At service, Savannah is stressed because it's so hot. Everyone is having issues trying to either set or fry their croquettes. This will not make them be able to cook and prep as fast as they need to. Charly predicts that Tom is going to talk shit about them all making croquettes. Good to know what your future holds. Acceptance is key. Kevin is really hustling the charm, that can help to get the diners to remember you.
Danny - 15 year cheddar fritter with cheddar lime mornay
Judges Comments: Great way to start, batter is beautiful
Amanda - Raclette arancini with mornay dijon sauce
Judges Comments: Very french, cuban sandwich vibes and the rice was cooked properly
Alisha - Ham and Brick cheese croquettes with a sherry aioli
Judges Comments: Another really nice fried ball, very balanced
Manny - Potato croquette with cheese curds and beer gravy
Judges Comments: Really salty, disappointed that the curds are just on the place
Charly - Yucca croquette with canela cheese and tomato mango sauce
Judges Comments: Croquette is underseasoned, couldn't taste the cheese
Kaleena - Bellavitano mac and cheese
Judges Comments: Really took a queue from the cheese, made a tasty dish
Savannah - Oaxacan cheese quesadilla with whipped avocado and hatch chili
Judges Comments: Kristen thought it had too much cheese but everyone else liked it
Kevin - Brie croquettes with mornay, ham and truffle
Judges Comments: Nothing positive to say about it, the breading was too thick. The Worst croquete they had so far.
Dan - Sancho cruz manchego with potato dumplings, cheese foam and olive tapenade
Judges Comments: A good dish that still felt light and summery
Laura - gouda reserved potato croquette
Judges Comments: Didn't get the cheese, didn't get the mustard flavor
Kenny is of course running out of relish before the judges show up. More time management issues.
Rasika: Dumbaron blue cheese paniyaram
Judges Comments: Really nice dish, the rice cake was fantastic
Kenny - Crab rangoon salad with gorgonzola creme
Judges Comments: Didn't get the cheese at all, too watery
Michelle - Coconut curry collard green with a please ridge reserve potato fritter
Judges Comments: Fucking Fantastic.
Top Table (Crowd Favorites):
Kaleena
Michelle
Dan
After tallying the diner votes, the winner of the First Annual Top Chef Cheese Festival is Michelle!
Bottom Table:
Kenny
Manny
Kevin
Kenny's dish was more about the crab, the cheese got lost and the dish was very wet. Kevin had trouble with the heat and that was why he made the double coating. It was still under seasoned though. Manny did nothing to the curd besides put them on the plate. At first it seemed Manny could be going home but after further deliberation it doesn't seem as clear.
Kenny gets eliminated. I thought there was a glimmer of hope from him last week, but it was not enough to get over his struggles. He now goes to face Soo in LCK.
In league news, there were points abound this week. Every team got points this week minus Team Leshner who is still in the negatives. Steven Houde comes in strong, sweeping the week by picking the QF winner, the TC winner and the Eliminated Chef all correctly. He walks away with a dominant 18 points on the week and is now firmly in first place ahead of Team Gaskin/Waldfogel. Team Gaskin/Waldfogel also had a strong week along with Team Hutty, both with 13 points each.
Next week will be a DOUBLE ELIMINATION so a great chance to get some points!
Episode 2
In week 2, we will finally see the first episode of the season with a Quickfire and Elimination Challenge. Manny has immunity this week, it will be our first glimpse at how the cheftestants use it.
Joe Flamm, Top Chef Colorado winner and the last chef to win TC as a QF winner is a judge. He knows Dan and Alisha, so the pressure will be on for them during this QF. It doesn't seem like having a relationship with the judge helps you in these competitions. This week's QF is to make a dish incorporating hops. Only Amanda has worked with hops before going into the QF. With no immunity on the line, the chefs will be competing for $5,000.
Since this is the first QF, there is a hectic feeling amongst the chefs. Kenny should be the most comfortable as he did the cook off last week, which is the closest thing to a QF we've seen this season. That being said, He does still seem to struggle mentally. He thinks his farro is too al dente but plates it anyway because he's worried about time.
Kevin decided to make a dessert, which I think is a great move. People usually avoid them unless it's required by the challenge. Laura also made a dessert, making rice pudding. Danny is struggling to manage the Top Chef kitchen while making a hop sauce. I originally thought that the sauce would be a good idea but it turns out terribly bitter and he has to completely pivot.
At service, it doesn't feel like Kristen and Joe liked a lot of the dishes, they were not shown giving much of a reaction to any dish good or bad.
Least Favorites:
Kenny - Farro was undercooked.
Danny - The sauce was bad.
Valentine - The smoke in the duck was not good.
Favorite:
Laura - Rice pudding with hops was a good way to infuse flavor.
Michelle - Sauce with strawberry balanced the hops.
Kevin - Composed it well with good flavors.
Laura wins with her rice pudding and takes the first QF win and $5,000. Only one team picked Laura this week, Team Reuben/Liz.
For this weeks EC, the chefs, split into two teams, were asked to create seven-course progressive menus elevating the following bar snacks: popcorn, pickles, pretzels, mixed nuts, potato chips, olives, and toasted corn kernels. The meals were served inside the Historic Miller Caves.
This will be the first team challenge that we see. It's always interesting because you can see the chefs personalities a bit. The chefs draw knives and are split into two teams. Looking at the teams the Red Team has more of a fine dining background.
Yellow Team
Savanna - Pickles
Alisha - Olives
Michelle - Toasted Corn Kernels
Dan - Popcorn
Manny - Mixed Nuts
Kenny - Potato Chips
Rasika - Pretzels
Red Team
Kevin - Olives
Danny - Pickles
Laura - Mixed Nuts
Valentine - Corn Kernels
Charly - Potato Chips
Amanda - Pretzels
Kaleena - Popcorn
Red team's decision making process seems more calm than the yellow team. They decide to do two desserts, which is a contrast to the Yellow team who had Dan and Rasita both willing to do desserts and Dan backed down. I generally don't like this move but he takes it in stride and doesn't seem to worry about pivoting.
First Course
Yellow (Pickles)
Savannah - Cucumber & melon Salad with shredded pickles and cream cheese
Judges Comments: Nice Balance, wanted more pickles. A good start.
Red (Olives)
Kevin - Canapes - Olive tapenade & toast
Judges Comments: Was too salty, all they tasted was the olive.
Overall they thought Savannah's was a more composed dish. It looks like Yellow will take this round.
Yellow: 1
Red: 0
Second Course
Red (Pickles)
Danny - Quick cured pickled salmon
Judges Comments: Wasn't cured enough but had a clean taste.
Yellow (Olives)
Alisha - Salmon riette with olive chimichurri
Judges Comments: Not refined enough.
Danny seems to win, Red takes the course.
Yellow: 1
Red: 1
Third Course
Red (Mixed Nuts)
Laura - Badrijani Nivzit, georgian eggplant rolls
Judges Comments: A little aggressive, not sure where they go after these bold flavors.
Yellow (Toasted Corn Kernels)
Michelle - Roasted corn kernel and crab biscuit.
Judges Comments: Don't really know what's going on but it was delicious.
The Yellow Team takes this round.
Yellow: 2
Red: 1
Fourth Course
Yellow (Popcorn)
Dan - Popcorn mousse with clams
Judges Comments: Pulled the dish off, it was weird but works.
Red (Corn Kernels)
Valentine - Beer and corn kernel soup
Judges Comments: Is it a soup or sauce, way too thick.
Yellow Team comes through again.
Yellow: 3
Red: 1
Fifth Course
Yellow (Mixed Nuts)
Manny - Guajillo & mixed nut mole
Judges Comments: Waiting for a dish that was composed like this.
Red (Potato Chips)
Charly - Potato crusted mackerel
Judges Comments: Puree was lacking, one of the macarels was raw.
You can't have raw food, another round for the Yellow Team
Yellow: 4
Red: 1
Sixth Course
Before this comes out, Tom and Flamm are not liking the concept of two desserts. Both seem to trash the idea openly.
Red (Pretzels)
Amanda - beer and pretzels pre dessert
Judges Comments: This pre dessert is better than a lot of other dishes they had today, good balance
Yellow (Potato Chips)
Kenny - Potato chip tave
Judges Comments: Plate was spot on and tasted like a sour cream and onion dip.
This was one of the closer rounds but still seemed like a Yellow win.
Yellow: 5
Red: 1
Seventh Course
Yellow (Pretzels)
Rasita - Barley pretzel cake
Judges Comments: Took a huge risk but paid off.
Red (Popcorn)
Kaleena - Buttered popcorn budino
Judges Comments: Elegant, simple, safe but a touch overcooked.
Rasita blew this one out of the water and it seems like she could win it all. Another round for Yellow.
Yellow: 6
Red: 1
After all the rounds, Yellow Team seems to dominate despite the Red Team having a more of a fine dining background.
Yellow Team takes the win! Overall, they had good use of the ingredients and really tasty food. Rasika's dessert and Manny's mole were the stars of the show along with Kenny's pave. We finally got to see him find a bit of a groove and cook. Rasika wins the EC! Nobody in the league picked her to be in their top table but 2 teams picked her to be eliminated.
The Red Team comes to the judges table and it looks like it could be a bloodbath. Kevin gets called out immediately for his salty dish. Charly is next in the line of fire and is called out for his raw fish. Valentine's soup was way too thick and missing the toasted element. Based on the feedback it seems like it's between Charly and Valentine before Valentine gets eliminated and heads to Last Chance Kitchen.
Only Steven H picked Valentine to be eliminated and scored 3 points. Unfortunately 2 of his 3 top table picks were in the bottom and he ended up with only 1 point this week. Team Reuben/Liz were the only team to pick Laura and with her QF win they are in first place after Week 2 with 5 points. Steven H holds down second with 1 point, tied with Team Gaskin/Waldfogel and Team Leshner. Those are the only four teams with more than zero points so far this season. Note though that Team Keber started both of the last two seasons with negative points in the first round before winning, so still a lot of game left to play!
Episode 1
The new season of Top Chef is officially underway! Outside of new host Kristen Kish, we also saw some other changes to the format. These changes will not only make Top Chef more competitive but will add a new layer to the gameplay.
15 Cheftestants arrived at the Top Chef kitchen to find all three hosts there waiting for them. It was announced that there would be a few changes to the format of the competition. These included:
-
No immunity given to the Quickfire winner
-
The QF will receive cash prizes all season long
-
Winner of the Elimination Challenge will receive immunity for the next week's EC
Outside of these changes to the competition we also saw some changes to the show format:
-
Judges now give talking heads
-
They provide feedback right after the challenge
We'll see if they last the whole season but it seemed like they added some good context to the challenges and really raise the pressure of the chef's on the bottom table.
For the first episode, there was no QF Challenge. I personally love this as it throws the chefs right into the mix. They also get no test run on how to manage the clock, which I assume someone will have an issue with.
This weeks Elimination Challenge had the chefs separated into three groups led by host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio, and judge Gail Simmons, each of whom assigned their group a unique test: Gail's group had to create stuffed pasta dishes; Kristen's group had to make soup; and Tom's group had to prepare roasted chicken dishes (which were required to include both white meat and dark meat).
Really great challenge to start the season off because it's an individual challenge so we can see what each chef can do. On top of that, they have to play to the judges strengths as they choose the dish. Stuffed pasta is great as pasta always causes issues in previous seasons. Soup is a great dish to get to understand a chef. It's all about flavor and seasoning. And finally, the roasted chicken. As Tom put it, cooking 101 but shows which of them have good fundamentals.
After drawing knives the chefs are split into the below groups:
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Gail's Group (Stuffed Pasta): Alisha, David, Kévin, Michelle, Rasika
-
Kristen's Group (Soup): Amanda, Charly, Dan, Laura, Manny
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Tom's Group (Roasted Chicken): Danny, Kaleena, Kenny, Savannah, Valentine
A few people in Gail's group seem wary of pasta but they have to fight through now. Michelle is a pit master and hasn't made pasta in 20 years but may it feels like she is ready to tackle the challenge.
The chefs have 30 minutes and $200 to shop then 2 hours to prep and cook the next day. Nothing better than the rush of the first shop! It's pretty uneventful all things considered except that Kevin has never had to shop, despite participating in Top Chef France. In certain versions they do not have to shop and was briefly touched on last season.
As the prep period begins the Pasta group starts first. It was interesting that you could clearly see how they staggered the cooks in this EC. Oftentimes it's edited in a way that makes it look like it's all happening at once. David and Alisha are doing stuffed gnocchi which will give the judges a direct comparison. This rarely works out unless both dishes are amazing.
The Soup group comes in next to start cooking. Dan is doing a Mediterranean soup based on the restaurant they are cooking in, I like this idea in concept as it really ties everything together concept wise. Manny is trying to use the pressure cooker for the first time, it's the best tool in the kitchen but we'll see if he can pull it off. These are a classic bottleneck for chefs throughout the years. Amanda is combining the three challenges into her chicken and dumpling soup but it seems like she's being complex for the sake of being complex. Not a great strategy.
Finally the chicken group arrives and everything seems fine for this group. They are all focused on making sure they cook the chicken all the way through. They get to use an amazing wood fire oven which seems like a great kitchen tool. During prep, Danny's chicken is not cooking fast enough and he starts to panic. Cranks the oven to 500 degrees but he's going to need to be hands on to not overcook it. Kenny forgets the dark meat so he doesn't finish his plate. First fatality of the clock.
The judges are sitting at the Chef's table for service. Talk about first episode pressure, nowhere to hide mistakes and really increases the pressure on the chefs. David gets questioned by Tom about the timing of making his gnocchi. That is when the pressure begins, Tom is seeing you for the wrong reasons.
Pasta Group
Kevin - Squid ink raviolo with stuffed lobster and shrimp
Judges Comments: Flavorful and seasoned well, pasta was too thick
David - Stuffed gnocchi with spec and chicken liver gravy
Judges Comments: Little bit of a miss, wasn't even really stuffed and too much sauce
Rasika - Keema stuffed kozhukattai
Judges Comments: Loved the initial flavor profile, but it wasn't a pasta dish
Alisha - Ricotta gnocchi stuffed with mushroom bechamel
Judges Comments: Flavors were good but the pasta was under seasoned, won over david for sure
Michelle - Ricotta and lobster stuffed pasta in charred corn sauce
Judges Comments: Loved the thinness of the pasta, did a better job then most for not making pasta, seems like clear winner
After their service the judges then bring them out right away for judging to tell them their favorite. Michelle wins the pasta round. David has the least favorite dish and is in danger of going home.
Soup Group
Charly - Corn and ham soup with pickled shrimp
Judges Comments: Good texture but shrimp not pickled enough
Manny - Green pozole with chicken
Judges Comments: Kristen describes it as everything she wanted, everyone gave it high praise
Danny - Tomato and fennel broth with seafood
Judges Comments: Every bite presented something new, seasoning was incredible
Laura - Yuvalama mint yogurt soup with bulgur meatballs
Judges Comments: Loved the idea but it was too busy, felt like two different soups put together
Amanda - Chicken and dumplings with citrus gremolata
Judges Comments: Tom instantly said gremolata is way too salty, almost inedible. Seems like clear bottom dish.
Three good dishes, two bad ones. Harder to tell who will win between Manny and Danny but Amanda seems to be on the bottom for sure. Manny wins this, Amanda is on the bottom because of the salt in her dish.
Chicken Group
Kenny - Pho butter roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and scallions
Judges Comments: Big miss not getting dark meat on the plate but was still good
Kaleena - Roasted chicken with spiced curry
Judges Comments: Chicken doesn't stand up to sauce, driest chicken and more about the sauce
Danny - Fines herbes roasted chicken
Judges Comments: Danny's gets good feedback despite his struggles. Everyone liked this and it seems like a winner
Savannah - Roasted chicken with avgolemono with potato puree
Judges Comments: White meat was super moist, was a focused dish but sauce was watery
Valentine - Roasted harissa chicken
Judges Comments: "Too mish moshy" buried in all this extra stuff, more shashito peppers than chicken
Danny seems like a clear cut winner but lots to choose from for the bottom. Kenny ends up at risk of elimination because he did not complete the challenge
Top Table:
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Michelle
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Manny
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Danny
Bottom Table:
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David
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Amanda
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Kenny
Manny takes the first EC win and the first immunity of the season.
Before they announce the eliminated chef, there's another twist and there is going to be a cook off. The three chefs need to make a good plate of food, that's it. Least favorite dish is going home. 20 minutes on the clock with anything that's left in the kitchen.
This seems like an advantage to David as that is what he does at his restaurant. Will not be a good look if he comes out of here empty handed. David loses his protein to Amanda and immediately seems to panic, off to a poor start.
Kenny is going to make a salad which I love, ballsy move but can showcase your seasoning and technique.
Amanda is super focused on her seasoning as she should be. Needs to turn it around after the EC.
David - Poached shrimp with sungold tomatoes in coconut cilantro broth
Kenny - Vietnamese cabbage salad with shrimp
Amanda - Snapper crudo hominy puree and crispy tortilla
None of the dishes seems like they were put together well. David gets eliminated which is not surprising. He does look really heartbroken about it but he came in too confident.