| 10/08/2009 |
TOP CHEF: 5.7 At Home Is Where The Heart Is (SPOILERS)
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Top Chef was kind enough to give me a reprieve last week. Just when I was getting in the swing of writing these recaps. You'll forgive me? I'm rusty.
Previously on Top Chef... Everyone hates Robin. Eli really hates Robin because he claims she used her cancer to her advantage to win over the guest judge. Douche. A drunkenLaurine spouted off about Robin winning. Ron went home.
We open in the Top Chef Barbie House to Ash commenting on how could have easily gone home last week. And he's right! He didn't go to culinary school, yet here he is competing with some great competition. I personally don't think he'll win it. But I do appreciate the fact that someone without a whole lot of formal training can really make it in the culinary world. Ash has a little Chef Crush on Brother Michael.
Brother Michael would like to tell you about his family. He wants to win so he can justify the time away from them. Which is admirable... He's not taking it lightly that he's off gallivanting around while they're at home missing him.
Uh-oh! Wait... We're talking about Ash & Michael this early in the episode. This can't be good for them. Editing loves to let you feel sorry for a competitor right before they get kicked off. *bites nails*
Jennifer is not feeling well, but she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her. She's having none of your pity. She wants to kick ass. She's had to cook while sick before. Ok ... Now I'm not a the Sanitary Police. But depending on what kind of 'sick' she is... wouldn't that be kind of unhealthy to the people who eat her food? If she's all drippy andcoughy around things that other people are eating? Just a thought.... Maybe I'm over-thinking it and it's just a womanly sick. No offense. I'm just trying to be delicate here.
QUICKFIRE!!!
Tyler Florence will be the guest judge today on Iron Che-... wait... who? I had to double check the channel I was on. Dissension in the food ranks! Kevin explains who Tyler Florence is... as he dances around the subject of Tyler Florence's cooking shows on That Other Food Network... Wait? Can I say that? The other channel that is actually dedicated to food.
The challenge is sponsored Cookster.com And boy howdy is it about Cookster. Cookster. Cookster. Cookster. Now can I have some money for promoting the site as well? Because... Damn! Padma is getting really good at spokeswoman gig.
The challenge involves taking a pull at a slot machine and making a dish based on the three words that come up on the slot wheels. A mood... a taste/texture... a cuisine... This sounds like fun! The combinations that might come up are pretty interesting.
Oh it's also a High Stakes Quickfire!
Kevin pulls: Stressed, Hot & Spicy, Asian. Immediately, I think of my Korean step-mother and her kimchi. Oh... and Kevin doesn't cook Asian food. Ever.
Mikey I: Stressed, Umami, Asian. He explains Umami is not salty, not sweet, not sour, not spicy... It's umami. I believe the term he's looking for is savory.
Jennifer: Adventurous, Nutty, American. This sounds like the tag line for a movie. A bad movie... Starring Brenden Fraiser or Vin Diesel in a comedic role.
Eli: Stressed, Umami, Latin American.
Bryan: Adventurous, Tangy, Asian.
Robin: Stressed, Umami, Middle Eastern.
Michael: Adventurous, Crunchy, Asian. For me... that would be eating at this sushi place called Blue. The dish? Simply enough, Sushi Blue. I swear it has frosted flakes on the outside of the sushi roll. It wasn't bad.
Ash: Tired, Tart, Italian. Every time I hear tart I think of tart the personal quality. Not the flavor. Hopefully someone plays on that.
Ashley: Blue, Cheesy, Middle Eastern
Everyone who has umami is fighting for the mushrooms. Mikey has cooked all kinds of food, but not Asian. So he's a little worried. Ashley isn't too keen on her draw of Middle Eastern food. Of all the options... I'd say Middle Eastern is the one I'd hate to get. I hear Middle Eastern and I think earthy, lots of rich spices, chicken dishes, flat breads, yogurt sauces.
Robin is picking up on the clear vibe that even though she won the last Quickfire, some people see her as undeserving. Well, good. At least she's aware that people are kind of rooting against her in the house. Not that I approve, but at least she's not clueless.
Jennifer thinks that your mood and personal life she stay out of your work. She's doing what she can to live by that sentiment, even though she feels likeluke-warm death.
Highlights!
Mikey made a raw mushroom salad with yuzu emulsion.
Ash cooked up a "Pantry" Pasta Puttanesca. HA!! I love it! Someone DID play on the word 'tart'. Puttanesca being the pasta sauce that the 'ladies of the night' would use to lure the men into their brothels. Puttanesca also being VERY close to a swear word in Spanish if I do recall correctly. It is a delicious sauce. Very olive heavy.
Brother Michael gives yuzu curd with whipped Greek yogurt & seaweed cracker. I'm sorry, but nothing about this sounds good to me.
Eli offers up a mushroom ceviche. You know SOMEONE had to make a ceviche. The thing is... I'm not sure how a mushroom would hold up to being 'cooked' in an acidic liquid like what is typically done with seafood.
Kevin puts out a char-grilled pork with Vietnamese herb salad.
Robin gives us root vegetable hash with cumin and curry oil. I don't really think of cumin and curry as being Middle Eastern. Padma agrees... and then Robin finally agrees too. Way to stick up for your dish.
Ashley has made feta pudding with sumac dusted halibut. Ok. Feta I love... Sumac... isn't that like one of those poison things people get on their skin. Yum?
Jennifer cooked up Maine diver scallops with pistachios and salmon roe.
But who was in the bottom? Robin and her Middle Eastern 'curry'. Jennifer and her 'adventurous' salmon roe which people have been doing for years. Eli killed umami with the overwhelming citrus in the ceviche.
Winners? Mikey! Kevin! Michael! He was most particularly impressed with Kevin's dish since he'd never cooked Asian food before. Now while I'm a huge Kevin fan... I do have to wonder how Tyler would know for sure that he'd never done Asian. He could be lying. He's not, but he could be. He still wins and wins big. He has a choice. Take $15,000 or immunity? He takes the money. WOW! I would've taken immunity. The money is nice, but beingguaranteed to be one round closer to the big prize is better. I would've taken immunity. But Kevin has balls and the cooking chops to back up his confidence. Go Kevin.
Ashley admits she would've also taken the money. If you're going to win, win on your dish being good. Not because you got pushed through with help.
Commercials!
Why are the Jonas Brothers selling houses on Million Dollar Listing? They don't make enough money as it is? Rachel Zoe season finale? She still has a show... Good grief!
Elimination Challenge!
Padma meets the chefs at the Top Chef Barbie House and brings them outside to discuss the tough economic times. As a result people are cooking at home more. Family style dinners. The chefs will pair off by drawing knives. The knives will also tell them what secret ingredients they'll be using to create their family style dish.
The other guests for the at-home dinner party are Nancy Silverton and her crazy hair and glasses, Govin Armstrong. Takashi Yagihashi, and Tom Douglas. All chef and restaurant owners.
Jennifer voices her concerns about cooking for these guys and being nervous. The confessional is so vague it could've been recorded at anytime. Mikey talks about who he doesn't want to work with, Robin. As the Anvil Of Irony looms dangerous over his head... Robin pulls her knife. She's partnered with... Mikey! Can you hear thecartoony whistle of the falling Acme Anvil?
A majority of the Top Chef Pantry has been moved into the Top Chef Barbie House Kitchen. There are ten chefs cooking in the one kitchen. With the one stove. With the four burners.
Team Michael & Ash (Team Mash) grab a couple Macy's-provided woks and set up in another room. Michael suggest ravioli and Ash agrees, and they're off! Kevin & Jennifer are paired up and find their ingredient bag to be full of Asian condiments andbok choy. So I guess Kevin will have to draw from his extensive asian culinary background and pull another recipe out of his ginger ass, and win? Again? We'll see. Ash & Eli are going the gnocchi route. She's made gnocchi before and does it daily at her restaurant. Topping it with prawns brings some concern. Mikey & Robin are also bagged with a bagful of Asian ingredients. His plan is to take the lead and win it on his own. Let Robin do her thing and just do it by himself so she can't eff up his dish.
Jennifer is seen in a better mood. Hrm... her 'sickness' sure lasted a short period... of time...
Michael is ordering Ash around and he perfectly ok with that. Refer back a couple recaps where ash makes a crack about being "on top." Same joke applies here. Michael admires his skill and knows that one day he'll be a great chef. Robin is adding her two cents and Mikey is really just steamrolling her with his ideas. Robin doesn't want to be in charge, but wants her input. Mikey gives her little things to do and throwing out hercontributions.
Chef Tom comes in for his Sniff 'n' Sneer wearing a VERY purple shirt. I'm far from a fashionista, but dude does NOT look good in purple. As he cruises by Ash & Eli he smirks at the idea of putting prawns on gnocchi. They question him about his reaction, but he can't really give direction or correction. Just question. I think that's a shame. I think they need a TimGunn-esque person to come in an independently sample the dishes and offer tips. Did Chef Tom just use the term d-bag? Awesome! He breezes through an interview with Robin and Mikey who are clearly in a tense mood. Ash & Brother Michael are working as hard as they can when Tom comes in. Brother Michael explains his dish which sounds like a deconstructedcarbonara . I think he's stuck on the last challenge. I'm not sure about the idea honestly. The flavors sound good, but... eh.... Kevin & Jenn are doing Korean BBQ... which Mark would agree, reminds us of one of our favorite scenes from a little LisaKudrow show called The Comeback. "You see a box of puppies... I see Korean BBQ!" Ahh... Good times...
As Tom gives us a rundown of the challenge and what's going on in the Top Chef's Barbie Kitchen, he mentions that... basically... the person who fucks up the least while only having one stove/oven and a grill to use... will be the winner. Nice vote of confidence!
KITCHEN FLURRY!!
Ashley is cooking prawns because Eli wouldn't want to touch them with a ten foot skewer. Brother Michael blows a fuse. Literally. So now his halibut isn't searing properly. He goes on to say that once you start to cook fish you can't stop. It doesn't like that. Mikey sees that Robin is burning the tuna. Not charring... burning. Fine line. Back to Ashley, she notes that the gnocchi she handed off to Eli to cook is now WAY saltier than it was before. Sabotage on Eli's part? Hrm...
Padma is playing the hostess with the mostess. Seriously... she seems so gracious. I want to hang out with her and just travel around eating. To continue with the endorsements, Tyler Florence from that other food network... not to be confused with the Food Network (notice the capitalization)... explains what the Food Council is. I, honestly, black out at this point from overload. Just cook already!!! I'm pretty sure Judge Toby does too.
Highlights!!
Ashley & Eli want to do a play on surf 'n' turf. Grilled spot prawns with red beet creme fraiche sauce, gnocchi & kale. Correct me if I'm wrong, but surf 'n' turf is usually a land animal and a sea animal. I'm not getting it. Half the time the issue with the chefs is that the explain it wrong and that gives the judges the wrong idea of what they were trying to make. Guest diner Tom Douglas pretty much calls out the prawns from Ashley & Eli as the biggest offense you could make against the planet. I don't know if he owns stock in prawns or what, but dude.. harsh!
Team Mash do a play on a carbonara (deconstructed, but probably over used the word last episode). Pancetta-wrapped halibut with egg yolk ravioli, asparagus & fennel salad. What I love about this dish is that the 'salad' consists of about as much greenery as two blades of grass. And it's a SALAD!!! Sell it people!!!
Kevin & Jennifer BBQ Kobe beef, with cardamom, tomato, ginger broth. Tyler loves it. He loves everything about it. The broth is excellent and really brings the dish together.
Laurine & Bryan serve a pan roasted halibut with sherry-chorizo vinagrette, yellow corn cake and avocado mousse. See? Now let's break this down. Yellow corn cake = Jiffy corn bread mix. Avocado mousse = guacamole. Cooking is easy!! It's all in how you explain it. The can't get enough of their halibut. Compared to Team Mash and their halibut.
Brother Michael is worried about his fish, as he should! Ash says it was Michael's dish, but he takes blame for not questioning him more. He let his Chef Crush get in the way. His brother, Bryan, is worried for him.
He did you know people don't like Robin. She apparently thinks out loud. She doesn't shut up. She talks all the damned time. If you don't know that people find her the fool, the editors have added jaunty music to set the mood.
At Judges table they call Kevin & Jennifer and Laurine & Bryan. Kevin & Jennifer didn't really have a team leader they just worked well together. They LOVED the broth and wanted more. InLaurine & Bryan's dish they loved the sherry-chorizo vinaigrette. I'm curious to make something like that and see how it goes. I'd love to know how they did it. Laurine credits Bryan for being the driving force behind the dish.
And the winner is... JENNIFER!!! Her first win! She's stoked! She wins a $10,000 gift card form Macy's. She went from sick to the bottom to winner in 24 hours. Not bad. I'm rooting for you to go all the way.
Back in the Stew Room, Kevin is asking about the dish that Team Mash put together. Portion size. Components. Plating. Bryan has had enough... you can tell he's worried about his brother and it comes out directed at Kevin. I don't think Kevin was being judgmental. I don't think Bryan was out of line. Kevin was curious. Bryan was stressed. The moment passes.
As they question they question Team Mash on their dish Brother Michael knows the fish was overcooked. He's no fool. He faults bad luck with the fuse being blown and the power going out. Tyler doesn't buy it and chides him for using it as an excuse. Is it? Really? Because, yes it'sunfortunate... but how many options did they really have? I think this goes back to what Chef Tom said on his walk through . The winner will be the person who fucks up the least. Maybe they didn't screw up on purpose, but they did have accidents happen. Tom doesn't think it was the right fish. Um... well that's what they had?! They couldn't go shopping. So they conceptually put together a bad dish.Padma questions Ash on if he was ok to playing sous chef to Brother Michael. Ash pays Brother Michael what I think is the biggest compliment. Also, shoots himself in the foot. "It's like asking if you mind washing paint brushes forPicaso ." He tries to back-peddle a little and say that he doesn't want to go home. He does want to prove he can be a great chef. I think he will be... but not against this crop of competitors. Sorry Ash.
Eli speaks up when asked if they were happy with the dish. Some of the prawns weren't cooked properly. Eli was unaware. The gnocchi was SUPER salty. Ashley didn't notice til it was too late. One thing I've found annoying with Ashley is that she corrects her answer as she's giving them. "Do you think ____." She answers... "Sure. Yeah. I mean yes." Which always comes off as annoyed and slightly disrespectful. Like a child who's been caught and knows she did something wrong. She knows what the answer she should give is, but can't resist displaying her rude-itude by coming off slightly pissy. Eli claims very specifically how much involvement he had in each dish. It seems like he's not going to overtly throw Ashley under the bus, but he's not going to go out taking credit for something unless he has to do it.
Ash didn't do much. Michael did the lion's share. Does Ash go for not contributing more and just following. Does Michael go for not making a better dish or leading better? Eli had his hand in everything, but what did he screw up or not screw up. Same for Ashley... She was responsible for a lot and gave direction a lot, but was it the bad leadership?
Who's going home?! It's Ashley.... Who takes it better than I would've imagined. She is gracious and obviously disappointed. I'm actually sad to see her go. In the bigger scheme of things... now who will be the villain in the finale? If it's a finale where everyone is liked and they all get along with each other, it will be boring. I'll still watch and love it. But without someone to root against... it takes something away from the person you're rooting for.
Ok.... so here is the part where I whore myself out a little. Do you like this recap? Tell a friend. Have the come read the recap. Can't see it on Facebook? A quick message or two and I can put them on a blog to be viewed by all. Comments about the episode? Leave them here. Feedback? Drop me a message! Thanks for reading guys! |
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I posted this @ 10/08/2009 01:41:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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