| 10/08/2009 |
TOP CHEF 5.2 - Bachelor/ette Party (SPOILERS)
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In case you missed last night's episode here is a quickie recap of what went down and who was sent packing.
We open on Jesse and Eve lamenting about how they have a lot of prove. Jesse comments that she was in the bottom of the last elimination challenge. I think it's a standard response in the Top Chef interviews, to say you have a lot to prove. Who doesn't? You're there to prove you are a Top Chef!
Walking in to the kitchen the chefs are met by Chef Todd English waiting with Padma for the Quickfire. In this Quickfire Challenge, the chefs must roll dice which will determine how many ingredients they must use in their dish. Salt, pepper, and oil don't count in their dice roll.
Laurine rolls the lowest number, with a three. She makes an asparagus, leeks, and lemon soup. I'm far from a chef, but I think cooking with fewer ingredients would be difficult. I can see having one or two main components on a plate that you season and dress up. Yet when every little thing counts and you can only use three things, that would be rough! So I really feel for Laurine at this point.
Jesse doesn't grab a stainless steel pan in order to get a sear on her scallops. Maybe she could just use the ample stainless she has poked through her face parts. I don't have any stainless steel cookware, yet. (My birthday is coming up folks. *wink wink*) So I might have grabbed a non-stick pan out of force of habit, if I was on the show. But whereas Jesse is a trained chef, it makes me wonder how much she can think clearly on her feet.
The brother rivalry is in full swing. Brother Michael pulls out the win with a nitro gazpacho, winning immunity and $15,000. While his Brother Bryan's dish lands him in the bottom, with his poached black cod with carrot, ginger puree & daikon radish sprout.
For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs have to cook for a bachelor/bachelorette party. The boys will be cooking for the bride and the girls will be cooking for the groom. Each team must pair at least two dishes with one of the three shots that the couple loves; a moscow mule, a golden delicious, or tequila.
Ashley has personal feelings about the challenge. She has is clearly bothered about doing a challenge for a couple getting married when she is not allowed to legally marry her partner. Preeti, with her partner of 13 years, feels lame for not being MORE fired up about it, but as she says "this is the world we live in." While I can understand Ashley's point, I do find it a little melodramatic. Will she feel just as strong when a couple comes in to her restaurant for their anniversary? Or any heterosexual couple for that matter?
The bride is a pescetarian. For that alone I find her annoying... You'll eat seafood, but you won't eat meat? I respect your choice to do so, but I find it trendy and a little Gossip Girly. Good luck to the groom with her!
As the chefs fly around the kitchen in a flurry of activity, we get a few snippets from some of the cheftestants. Eve tells us she has a diploma in wine & spirits. This is something you can get? Awesome! Ashely thinks the women need a confidence booster. She thinks some of the men are making complicated dishes and using ingredients some of the women haven't even heard of.
Ashley decides they have enough time and ingredients, so she wants to do two dishes. She decides to make a bay and vanilla panecotta, but admits she is not a pastry chef. Ok, two things... 1) desserts are a Top Chef nightmare. It's rare that anyone likes to do them in a challenge. It's the Kiss Of Death. 2) Why make a second dish when you've got one dish already good to go? Ok so I lied... there is a third point. 3) Even though she suggests that 'we' make a second dish. It ends up being just her doing it and taking credit for it. Jennifer even points out that they should probably just focus on their one dish for the time. Ashley must've meant the royal 'we'.
Hector.. oh! Excuse me. 'Ector cuts it close trying to finish the prep for his tofu ceviche. He scrambles at the last minute to finish his tortillas. The rest of the guys pull together to help him get everything prepped. Will he be That Guy that everyone has to help out each challenge?
The day of the party. Poolside of a fancy Vegas hotel. Preeti uses shiso leaves for garnish on her ahi tuna appetizer. In that heat?! Eve is very focused on her dish and it's lack of flavor. Maybe more salt. That's the perfect thing on a hot vegas day. You won't be thirsty at all.
Ashley is still having issue with the challenge. How is it hard to be gay and do this challenge? Preeti and Ash seem to be focused on cooking. Does it suck to be reminded you can't marry in most places? Yes. But don't act like you're going to be bitter every time you have to cook for a happily married couple? As the bride and groom appear she is voicing her happiness for them that they can legally marry. I feel her. I really do... Trust me! But I find her to be over dramatic. I suppose it makes for good TV.
The highlights!!
Jesse - Chicken in a lettuce cup. She used ginger from the cocktail, but she didn't want to use too much ginger. Her explanation is confusing. The judges didn't get a clear flavor.
Eve - Her shrimp ceviche was bad. The salsa was overpowering. She over complicates her explanation of the dish, which again has too many things going on.
Preeti - Ahi tuna with eggplant. The garnish of shiso leaves are wilted and the dish not professionally done. The judges find the tuna to be way over cured.
Ashley - The judges love her watermelon carpaccio, but her bay leaf and vanilla panecotta they don't like.
'Ector - Tofu ceviche, the judges love it! Todd English comments that it's not easy to work with tofu and make it flavorful. Then, be able to sell it to a crowd.
Bryan - They love his sweet and sour macaroon, filled with guacamole, corn nuts, and corn puree. As a play on chips and guac with a margarita.
Eli - He make a Thai style tuna tartar with ginger, coconut, and puffed wild rice. They love and Gail's tried a LOT of tuna tartar.
Michael - Golden delicious sorbet with a goat cheese crisp, using the same ingredients that were in the shot. Great execution!
After service, the chefs are lounging around poolside. Some of the guys jump in! Laurine questions who'd people would rather see in wet t-shirts. "Girls or fat boys?" Hrm... Also, they must've done this after the party guests or judges were leaving. I'd think that this type of behavior would be frowned upon, seen as unprofessional.
By the way, why does Rachel Zoe still have a show. Who is watching this shit?
At the judges table, Padma calls four boys from the stew room. It's between the brothers, Michael & Bryan. Bryan is the overall winner. I noticed they are not giving away prizes each round for winning the challenge. Instead opting for giving away a cash prize during the Quickfire. That's fine with me... I'm sure everyone was getting tired of only getting a bottle of wine and the guest judges cookbook as a reward.
The girls are called in... Ashley risks being eliminated by making two dishes, one which was not liked. Jesse admits what she did wrong in her dish. She knows her problem, but she make the same mistakes again as last time. With Eve, the judges question if she knows what she is putting together or just hoping for the best. This is not Bob Ross with his happy accidents. Preeti's tuna was beaten up. She didn't seem to know it wasn't a good dish until they told her.
It's looking like Jesse or Eve going home. And Eve is gone... Poor Eve! (Insert your own flourish with long cigarette in hand.) On her way out she says she didn't feel like herself in this setting. She says her combinations are unusual and might not have made sense to the judges. She's not bitter at all, but still... I love it when cheftestants say that the judges didn't "get it". As thought they are the one that is right and it's others that are wrong. Whatever... Good look to you, Eve! See you at the reunion show. |
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I posted this @ 10/08/2009 01:32:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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