Author Topic: Top Chef 10  (Read 15278 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Top Chef 10
« on: February 02, 2012, 11:12:56 AM »
Bravo TV greenlighted Top Chef 10 by announcing today that casting will be Feb. 21 to March 2.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2012, 01:30:17 PM »
Thanks to Peach we have this set of interesting insights on Top Chef:

Envelope Emmy Roundtable: Reality Show Hosts Get Real

by Elena Howe, Los Angeles Times, June 21

Padma Lakshmi: I don't. I mean, we have a great team that goes out and scouts. And we changed the show in the last season, just that we let you watch the last cut [of applicants]. And so we did have a hand in it this time. But it's better, I think, not to, for us anyway, because I'm a host, but like Heidi, I'm also a judge. So it becomes difficult. Usually, when we start the season, we know loosely what the challenges are. We have field producers who map that out. Sometimes we do have to change them, because not everything that is a great challenge works on TV. And for us, I think this is different than "Runway," you can see if a dress fits well. The audience can't taste at home. So they're really relying on us as judges to describe that experience, that sensorial experience. And so that becomes a challenge.

Lakshmi: For us, the people who wind up being attracted to the show, yes, they're much more savvy. But not only has that been so because of "Top Chef," it's just because the advent of food television as a whole has been so great. The competition is so fierce now that we have James Beard nominees who are actually just contestants and Food and Wine best new chef and all that because of the exposure it gives you to restaurateurs and very established chefs who are in the position to give you a job [or] invest in your new restaurant and things like that. It's no more just about being on TV.

Lakshmi: I do think that is why the shows do well, because it's very compelling to see someone so passionate about what they do, whether they're making a skirt or a soufflé.




Offline coolio

  • Big Brother Updaters
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1081
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2012, 04:08:16 PM »
EEK!  So excited. I really didn't like last season. Too much drama. Hopefully this season will be as great as All-Stars or Season 7.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2012, 10:51:36 AM »
BRAVO MEDIA CELEBRATES THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF "TOP CHEF," WITH A NEW SEASON IN SEATTLE

"Top Chef: Seattle" Premieres Wednesday, November 7 at 10 PM ET/PT. Wolfgang Puck will be a Judge.

NEW YORK - September 19, 2012 - Bravo Media premieres "Top Chef: Seattle," the tenth season of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series, on Wednesday, November 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Famed chef and restaurant mogul Wolfgang Puck joins as a judge this season, alongside Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Hugh Acheson and Emeril Lagasse with Padma Lakshmi returning as host, as 21 chefs compete for the top crown.

The franchise has catapulted nine "Top Chef" winners' careers. This season the competition goes back to the basics, with culinary challenges that require a mastery of the primary skills of a chef. The "Top Chef: Seattle" chefs will be pared down week by week as they compete to out-flavor, out-cook and out-do their competition. The winning chef will receive $125,000 furnished by Healthy Choice, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and will earn the title of "Top Chef." The Emmy Award-winning Magical Elves return to produce "Top Chef: Seattle" with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz as executive producers.

Following are the 21 "Top Chef: Seattle" hopefuls:

· Lizzie Binder, 37 - Napa, California
· Tina Bourbeau, 42 - New York, New York
· Chrissy Camba, 30 - Chicago, Illinois
· Stephanie Cmar, 27 - Boston, Massachusetts
· Micah Fields, 28 - Los Angeles, California
· Eliza Gavin, 38 - Telluride, Colorado
· Anthony Gray, 35 - Macon, Georgia
· Jeffrey Jew, 34 - Washington, DC
· Gina Keatley, 32 - New York, New York
· Kristen Kish, 28 - Boston, Massachusetts
· Danyele McPherson, 31 - Dallas, Texas
· Daniel O'Brien, 32 - Washington, DC
· Carla Pellegrino, 43 - Las Vegas, Nevada
· Jorel Pierce, 28 - Denver, Colorado
· Sheldon Simeon, 30 - Lahaina, Hawaii
· John Tesar, 54 - Dallas, Texas
· Joshua Valentine, 32 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
· Bart Vandaele, 41 - Washington, DC
· Tyler Wiard, 41 - Denver, Colorado
· Brooke Williamson, 33 - Los Angeles, California
· Kuniko Yagi, 35 - Los Angeles, California

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/09/19/top-chef-seattle-premieres-wednesday-november-7-at-10-pm-et-pt-and-wolfgang-puck-joins-as-judge-989304/20120919bravo01/#w434hItRkYritDIY.99

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2012, 08:37:18 AM »
Top Chef 10 telecasts start on BRAVO this Wednesday night at 10pm.
« Last Edit: November 05, 2012, 09:00:04 AM by apskip »


Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2012, 12:26:11 PM »
TC10, Ep. 1
This episode featured mini-competitions to determine which chefs would make the final list of 15 going to Seattle. Each one of those competitions was hosted by one of the 4 Top Chef judges:
Tom Colicchio – demonstrate basic skills, then work as a line cook in Craft restaurant
Wolfgang Puck – “make me an omelet” in 45 minutes
Emeril Lagasse – “Make me a soup” in 45 minutes
Hugh Acheson – “make me a really nice salad” in 45 minutes

Chefs evaluated by Tom (Los Angeles)
Anthony - used a paring knife on a deboning a duck breast
Jorel -filleted chicken instead of cutting it up
John - salmon mangled initially but fish station in restaurant service good
Micah - mangled a black bass
Lizzie perfect tortellini

Chefs evaluated by Wolfgang (Beverly Hills)
Chrissy
Eliza
Kuniko
Tyler
Daniel
Carla

Chefs evaluated by Emeril (Las Vegas)
Tina
Stephanie
Kristen
Jeffrey 
Joshua

Chefs evaluated by Hugh (Dallas)
Bart 
Brooke
Danyele
Gina
Sheldon

Chefs cut by Tom were Jorel and Anthony. Chefs cut by Wolfgang were Daniel. Chefs cut by Emeril were Tina and Stephanie. Chefs cut by Hugh were Gina. That takes the original group of 21 chefs down to 15.

My initial favorite chef is Bart. We'll see how he fares.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2012, 05:17:34 PM by apskip »

Offline ZBC Company

  • aka spoler
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 5095
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2012, 12:54:13 PM »
this season turn be the wroster

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

  • RFF's Goodwill Ambassador
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 43875
  • No more wire hangers EVER!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2012, 03:28:09 PM »
 I just saw this weeks coming attractions and my friend Josie is one of the returning Chef-testants!!  man she was tight lipped about it! :lol3:
zero, zilch, nada, nothing!

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

  • RFF's Goodwill Ambassador
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 43875
  • No more wire hangers EVER!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2012, 04:37:38 AM »
YES :yess:  Josie is safe!! I gotta say  there was no way production was going to let any of the 3 vets go home just yet.

Josie was more vocal  in last nights episode.  Which is the way I have always known her to be so maybe this time around she will get to the end!! I know she has been doing so much out there since her season so  her confidence  and the ability to change on the fly will  help her . Especially since  her season the caliber of people have  increased greatly.

:cheer: Josie!!
zero, zilch, nada, nothing!

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2012, 05:16:46 PM »
TC10, Ep. 2

The judges for the Quickfire were previous Top Chef competitors Josie from TC2, CJ from TC3 and Stefan from TC5. The TC10 chefs made up 5 groups of 3, each with its own color identification. They had 20 minutes to use Seattle area fresh seafood to create a dish. The seafood choices include crab, crawfish, razor clams, Dungeness crab and geoduck. Here are the teams creating dishes:
Blue Team Sheldon, John, Kuniko
Green Team Micah, Kristen, Tyler
Grey Team Jeffrey, Bart, Brooke
Orange Team Lizzie, Chrissy, Carla
Yellow Team Eliza, Danyele, Joshua

The winning team was Kuniko, John and Sheldon.  The winner of immunity for the elimination challenge, determined from that group by knife draw, was John.
For the Elimination Challenge the judges were Tom Douglas, a noted James Beard Award winner and owner of several Seattle area restaurants, Tom, Padma, Emeril and Gail Simmons. The challenge involved cooking in the Seattle Space Needle’s restaurant. A dish had to be completed in the 47 minutes it took for the Needle to make one complete revolution and then it had to be served. The teams were the same as before, except that the producers threw in a huge twist by inviting the team of Josie, CJ and Stefan to compete in TC10. Here are the dishes created and presented:
Blue Team Sheldon, John, Kuniko - Chili Oil Poached Cod with Dashi, Spot Prawn Shabu Shabu
Green Team Micah, Kristen, Tyler - Crispy Seared Salmon, Local Vegetables & Spot Prawn Butter Sauce
Grey Team Jeffrey, Bart, Brooke - Pan Roasted Halibut, Mushrooms, English Peas, Wheat Beer with Herb Sabayon
Orange Team (Lizzie, Chrissy, Carla - Poached Salmon with Seasonal Vegetables & Beurre Blanc
Yellow Team Eliza, Danyele, Joshua - Pan Roasted Cod, Mushrooms, Fava Beans, Picked Green Apple & Garlic Scape Pistou
Red Team Stefan, CJ, Josie - Quail Breast with Confit Spot Prawn, Cherries & Porcini

Carla/Lizzie/Chrissy had a very fine dish, as did Kuniko/John/Sheldon. Josie/CJ/Stefan did badly due to Stefan overcooking quail beyond medium-rare. The team of Jeffrey/Bart/Brooke also was judged with bad performance, primarily due to Jeffrey’s halibut being way overcooked. Brooke knew this but failed to warn Jeffrey.    Danyele/ Eliza/Josh cooked cod. Kristen/Tyler/Micah cooked salmon.
The dish of Kuniko, John and Sheldon was again the winner. This time Kuniko won for poaching ling cod in chili oil in an excellent way.
Jeffrey was judged slightly worse in performance than Stefan and eliminated.

So, is this fair to have previous chefs competing against new ones? I say NO WAY! There is no circumstance under which Stefan (who finished #2 in season 5) cannot make it to the TC10 finalist list, even though he almost got eliminated in this episode of TC10.  CJ is also a very skilled chef and likely to be a finalist. Josie, it doesn't matter because she is not a real threat.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2012, 09:38:10 AM by apskip »


Offline kiki

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1155
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2012, 12:14:44 AM »
For me this was a boring episode. I thought all the dishes were almost the same and nothing really exciting but what I hated the most was the sudden camera movements on the faces of the chefs as they stood in front of the judges. It was as if they wanted to present them as gladiators before the fight. I really hated the over dramatic tone they tried to give.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2012, 09:45:14 AM »
I do not agree with Kiki on past episodes being boring, but this Thanksgiving episode definitely was not.

TC10, Ep. Ep. 3

This episode began with 17 chefs remaining. The Quickfire was judged by Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine magazine and a frequent top Chef judge. The challenge was to take a dumpling type off a world map and make it in 1 hour. Some of these were easy but others were excessively hard. Each one had to contain a wrapper, a filling and a sauce. The chefs were given 5 minutes with a Kindle Fire in a co-promotion to find a recipe. The dumplings presented for Dana’s tasting were:

Kuniko – failed to present anything due to not managing her time well
Bart - Potetball (Norway): Potato Ball with Lamb & Fired Spaghetti
Brooke - Siomay (Indonesia): Chicken & Shrimp with Peanut Sauce & Diakun
Carla - Fufu (Africa): Chicken & Lamb Filling with Red Sauce
CJ - Pierogi (Poland): Veal & Pork Filling with Demi-Glace
John - Kroppkaka (Sweden): Potato Dumpling with Bechamel Sauce
Josie - Mandu (Korea): Pork, Tofu, Shiitake Mushroom Filling
Kristen - Momo (Nepal): Pork & Chicken Liver with Ginger & Cumin
Micah - Manti (Kazakhstan): Ground Lamb with Dates, Curry & Cinnamon
Sheldon - Jiaozi (China): Pork & Dumpling Filling with Shiitake Mushrooms
Stefan - Klopse (Germany): Ground Lamb, Mashed Potatoes & Capers
Chrissy, Danyele, Eliza, Elizabeth, Josh, Tyler – I believe these were not shown

The worst dumplings were Kuniko (none), Carla (a mess with a fufu) and Brooke (could not find rice flour so no wrapper). The best dumplings were by Josie (mandu from Korea), Stefan (klopse from Germany) and Micah (manti from Kazakhstan). Josie had the winner and got immunity for the Elimination Challenge.

The Elimination Challenge was to prepare a Thanksgiving meal with turkey, sides and desserts with prep work at the Top Chef kitchen and 5 hours cooking at the Fare Start charity facility for their staff and volunteers. The chefs were split into one group of 9 (Grey team) and one group of 8 (Red team). CJ assumed some leadership of the Red team. Tom Colicchio and Emeril Lagasse were brought in to provide advice and support to the Red and Grey team, respectively. Tom was promoting an Italian style thanksgiving meal and Emeril a New Orleans style thanksgiving meal. Tom’s team got to learn a recipe for risotto and pancetta dressing. Emeril’s team got to learn his recipe for gumbo. Here were the dishes created and presented:

Grey Team
Josie – turkey, which looked great on the outside but was almost raw in the center
Danyele – Emeril’s mother’s stuffing
Tyler – gumbo, which earlier was perfect was low after roux was added with seasonings
Kuniko – potato pave, was bland and way undercooked
Sheldon – braised greens with ham hocks, with greens undercooked
Brooke – sweet potato buttermilk biscuits
Kirsten –assiette of root vegetables, parsnip truffle puree, creme fraiche, underseasoned
John – mini pumpkin pie
Chrissy – white wine and pecan bread pudding

Red Team
CJ – turkey and dressing, which did not have good outside color but was delicious
Carla – carrot soup (Tom thought it was cabbage due to her accent), super
Bart – Fennel, Gorgonzola, Orange & Pumpkin Seed Salad
Josh – sweet potato ravioli with pecans; comments were tough outer layer
Micah – Brussels sprouts with insufficient salt
Lizzie – potato puree with 50% butter content (Joel Robuchon style per Dana Cowin)
Eliza – Chocolate Tart with White Chocolate & Mint Syrup
Stefan - Pannacotta with Orange Cardamom Crisp & Candied Pecans

Judging is done without the direct assistance of Tom or Emeril. Padma, Gail and Thierry Rautereau (Top Chef Masters 3 competitor) joined with Megan Karch, Executive Director of Fare Start.

The winning team due primarily to the turkey was the Red team. The individual honors went to CJ, Carla and Lizzie. The big winner was Carla, who again made no friends this episode.

The losing team had Tyler, Sheldon, Kuniko and Josie called up. Josie had immunity so she was safe even though she probably would have got sent packing if that were not so. Tyler’s sin was a gumbo that was off but not horrible. Sheldon’s greens were also off but not horrible. Kuniko’s potato pave was unquestionably the dish that was hoorible, so she got the axe.


Offline TexasLady

  • Forum Moderator
  • RFF Assistant Administrator
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 24166
  • So much to watch, so little time!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2012, 10:09:49 AM »
I lost my love of Top Chef and especially with Tom Colicchio when Stefan lost to Hosea, in season 5. Imagine my surprise to learn that they have brought Stefan back to compete again.

I will have to catch up on this season!  :hoot: :hoot:

The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #13 on: November 29, 2012, 02:13:17 PM »
TC10, Ep. 4

This episode started with Stefan making a move on Kristen, rubbing her feet. More cooking and less baloney is desired by me.

The Quickfire was judged by Top Chef Masters 3 contestant Naomi Pomeroy. It was to use anything butchered off a side of beef to create an interesting, tasty meal in one hour. The dishes presented were:
Bart - Double Cut New York Steak
Brooke - Grilled Hanger Steak with Smoked Onion Figs & Cauliflower Puree
Carla - Sirloin Medallion Wrapped in Bacon, Asiago Risotto with Marsala Sauce
Chrissy - Grilled Hanger Steak with Brown Butter, Parsley & Radish Salad
CJ - Top Round Tartare, Raw Juniper & Kohlrabi
Danyele – not shown
Eliza - Grilled Flank Steak with Cherry Cognac Reduction, Asparagus & Potato Cake
Elizabeth - Braised Foreshank with Turnips & Dill
John - Braised Oxtail, Potato Gnocchi with Roasted Vegetables & Celery
Joshua - Beef Meatballs with Creamy Polenta & Pickled Shallots
Josie – not shown
Kristen - Top Sirloin Tartare with Mustard Sabayon & Carpaccio Salad
Micah - Oxtail Polenta with Truffled Romanesco Cauliflower
Sheldon - Kalbi Round Steak with Tomato Cardamom Broth & Fennel Salad
Stefan - Braised Top Round Ravioli with Marjoram & Aged Parmesan
Tyler - Hispanic Crudo with Charred Tomato Sauce & Cilantro Radish Slaw

The 3 least interesting dishes were by Lizzie, Eliza and Tyler. The 3 best dishes were CJ, John and Josh. John won because his braising of oxtail meat was superb. He received immunity for the Elimination Challenge, which was extra valuable because it was a double elimination.

The Elimination Challenge was to take over the Canlis Restaurant, started in 1950 by the grandfather of the current owners. There was a menu from 1950. Each individual chef had to choose something from it to cook for a distinguished panel of tasters. That included the usual Tom, Padma, Gail, Emeril and Hugh plus Naomi, the Canlis brothers and a few others. The dishes created were:

Bart - Vanilla Ice Cream
Brooke - Seafood Salad a la Louis
Carla - Whole Milk-Fed Squab
Chrissy - Canlis Special Salad
CJ - Shish Kebab with Pilaf
Danyele - Royal Hawaiian Supreme
Eliza - Fresh Frozen Hawaiian Pineapple Parfait; Mint Sherbet
Elizabeth - Marinated Herring
John – Steamed Clams Bordelaise
Joshua - French Onion Soup
Josie – Huge Idaho Baked Potato
Kristen - French Fried Onions; Side of Mushrooms
Micah - Mixed Vegetables
Sheldon – Fresh Hawaiian Mahi Mahi
Stefan - Calf's Liver & French Fried Onions (with Kristen)
Tyler - Fresh Crab Leg Cocktail

The kitchen expeditor was John because he had immunity. The dishes judged best were Stefan, Eliza and Tyler. The win and $10,000 prize went to Eliza. The 4 worst dishes were by Carla. Chrissy, CJ and Micah. Carla and Chrissy were eliminated.



TC10 Ep. 1 Last Chance Kitchen

As created to accompany TC9, an extra opportunity for all eliminated chefs to get back into the regular competition at the end of TC10 has been provided if they survive a grueling set of challenges against the other eliminated chefs. This episode was the first for TC10 and it had Carla, Chrissy, Kuniko and Jeffrey. The challenge was to create a dish using ingredients from each chef’s own dish that got them eliminated. Here were the dishes created in 30 minutes for Last Chance Kitchen under this challenge:

Carla - Milk-Fed Grilled Squab Over Port Wine Sauce with Baked Tomato and Morels
Chrissy – Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Croutons
Kuniko – Lemongrass Cream Potato Chowder
Jeffrey – Pan-Roasted Halibut, Morels, Cream and Peas

Carla was rated low and she was unhappy about that. Kuniko was the winner and stayed alive in the competition. She will face the individual eliminated from the next episode.

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

  • RFF's Goodwill Ambassador
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 43875
  • No more wire hangers EVER!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #14 on: November 30, 2012, 02:57:30 PM »
On the quickfire they didnt show  them tasting Josie's dish. I wonder if there was something that went wrong. I'll have to find out

 I think that the 3 returning chef-testants will still be in it for a while

 I LOVE that they brought back last chance kitchen!! http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-10/last-chance-kitchen
zero, zilch, nada, nothing!

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #15 on: December 02, 2012, 02:39:03 PM »
As I stated earlier, based on prior season performance, Stefan was #2 on TC5 and CJ was #6 on TC4. They should go a long way in TC10. However, Josie was #11 on TC2, finishing ahead of only 4 chefs that season. She will need to have improved a great deal to be competitive in TC10. It's possible but unlikely.

If all 3 finalist slots are taken by these 3 chefs, the legitimate TC10 chefs will be very upset. I don't see that happening.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #16 on: December 07, 2012, 08:00:05 AM »
TC10, Ep. 5

The Quickfire Guest Judge was Daisley Gordon, who has 2 restaurants at Pike Place Market. The challenge was to create in 1 hour a dish-on-a stick that 50 Market vendors could sample using ingredients provided by Daisley and equipment from Sur La Table. Teams of 2 were self-selected, but there were several difficult pairings. Here is what these teams created:

John/Josh – Chilaquiles: Tortilla, Salsa, Quail Egg, Avocado-Heirloom Tomato Relish
CJ/Tyler – Salmon & Cream Cheese Crepe with Avocado, Arugula & Tarragon
Stefan/Brooke – Croque Monsieur: Pressed Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Toasted Fig
Josie/Eliza – Ricotta, Raspberry & Sausage Pancake with Jalapeno Maple Syrup
Danyele/Lizzie - Summer Berries with Crispy Pancetta
Sheldon/Bart - Green Forest Breakfast Sandwich: Eggs, Cheese, Pancetta, Bacon & Spinach
Micah/Kristen – Bacon & Cinnamon Waffle, Pecan Maple Syrup, Boysenberry & Strawberry Jam

The results were that Danyele/Lizzie and Josie/Eliza and were the lowest rated teams. The top rated teams were Sheldon/Bart and Josh/John, with Sheldon/Bart the winner of immunity. 

The Elimination Challenge went inside, presumably to done of Gordon’s restaurants to take unusual ingredients and create something tasty and interesting. These were the ingredients:
John/Josh – Truffle Popcorn
CJ/Tyler – Spicy Sliced Dill Pickle
Stefan/Brooke – Rose Petal Jelly
Josie/Eliza – Cardamom Bitters
Danyele/Lizzie – Coconut Curry Chocolate
Sheldon/Bart – Candied Salmon
Micah/Kristen – Cheese Curds

The dishes created in 2 hours on a staggered basis were:

John/Josh – Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Truffle Popcorn Grits
CJ/Tyler – Pork Crumpet Burger with Spicy Dill Pickles
Stefan/Brooke - Rose Petal Glazed Muscovy Duck with Braised Cabbage 
Josie/Eliza – Curry Cardamom Broth, Manila Clams & Seared White King Salmon
Danyele/Lizzie – Coconut Curry Chocolate Mousse Tart
Sheldon/Bart – Candied Salmon with Sweet & Sour Salad
Micah/Kristen – Cheese Curds Three Ways: Bechamel, Raw & Fried

The judges took input from all the vendors who provided the unusual ingredients and then retired to deliberate. Their decision was hat no team earned the win and its $10,000 prize as all had done poorly. The 3 worst teams were Stefan/Brooke, CJ/Tyler and Josh/John. All had huge faults, but one team had to be eliminated.  CJ/Tyler had to pack their knives.

That means that out of 14 chefs this week, 2 of the 3 holdovers from past seasons were in jeopardy and one is now out of the regular competition.



Last chance Kitchen, Ep. 2

These were the dishes created:
Kuniko – Fruit Compote, Lemon Curd and Frozen Banana
CJ and Tyler – Hay Ice Cream (very innovative), Cherry Fritter, Cherries, Arugula (huh?)

It was a close decision, but CJ and Tyler won and continue in the competition. Kuniko is out.

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

  • RFF's Goodwill Ambassador
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 43875
  • No more wire hangers EVER!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #17 on: December 07, 2012, 10:30:28 AM »
BYE BYE CJ!! :wtg: Josie!  :lol3:
zero, zilch, nada, nothing!

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #18 on: December 07, 2012, 04:56:53 PM »
BYE BYE CJ!! :wtg: Josie!  :lol3:
Unfortunately, CJ is not completely gone. He and Tyler did survive the Last Chance Kitchen. There are probably 9 more of those and a chef has to win all of them, a daunting task, to make it back into the regular competition for the finale.

I would say that the chef getting the last laugh is Stefan, who survived a grueling Judges Table. Josie was not at risk.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #19 on: December 14, 2012, 07:09:08 AM »
TC10, Ep. 6

The Quickfire was to use Truvia in a recipe combining sweet and savory ingredients cooked in 30 minutes to please an old-line food critic , Marilyn Hegarty.  The dishes created under an “all chefs must share one knife” regime were:
Bart - Waffles with Celery Three Ways, Apple Puree, Chicken & Prosciutto
Brooke – Apple Crostata with Cheddar Cheese, Candied Pine Nuts & Apple Salad
Danyele - Bread Pudding with Ham, Raisins & Pecans
Eliza - Hush Puppies Two Ways: Shrimp & Sweet Potato, Sausage & Corn
John - Bondino of Parmesan Reggiano, Figs & Apricots in Port Wine & Truvia® Caramel
Josh - Johnnycake with Bacon, Cheddar, Chili Compound Butter & Sous Vide Egg
Josie - Tamale with Habanero Masa, Mangos & Papaya
Kristin – not shown
Lizzie – not shown
Micah – Pineapple & Pork Tamale with Charred Tomato & Tomatillo Salsa
Sheldon – not shown
Stefan – Smoked Salmon Tartare, Potato Latkes with Sour Cream & Chives

The lower rated dishes were those of Bart and Micah. The higher rated dishes were those of Josh, Stefan, and Brooke. Brooke won immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

The Elimination Challenge was to create dishes for a welcome-home party for Chris Pratt, Anna Faris and their families at an artist studio. Chefs had 2 hours to cook and then 30 minutes to setup and serve. The winner would get a Toyota Prius. The Judges are Tom, Padma, Gail and Top Chef Masters1 participant Rick Moonen.

Bart - Loin of Elk with Cherry Beer Sauce & Mushroom Couscous
Brooke – Lamb-Stuffed Squid on Black Rice with Coconut Milk
Danyele - Pan-Roasted Wild Boar, Hoppin' John & Tomato-Bacon Marmalade
Eliza - Elk Ribeye with Elk Sausage Polenta, Spiced Carrots & Huckleberry Port Sauce
John - Seafood Chowder with Cockles, Manila Clams, Crab, Mussels & Sockeye Salmon (learned from rick Mooney, who was a Judge)
Josh – Roasted Pork Shoulder & Grilled Corn Puree with Succotash & Fennel Apple Salad
Josie - Malbec Braised Short Ribs, Pork Belly, Polenta with Cippolini Onions & Figs
Kristin – Delice de Bourgogne Tortelloni
Lizzie – Crusted King Salmon with Radish & Beet Salad
Micah – Braised Pork Ribs with Celery Root Puree, Grilled Apples & Celery Leaf Salad
Sheldon - Braised Okinawan Pork Belly with Seared Scallop & Rice Congee
Stefan – German Gulasch with Marjoram Bread Dumplings & Sour Cream
The lower rated dishes were those of Eliza, Josh, Stefan, and Danyele.  The higher rated dishes were those of John, Kristen, Brooke and Sheldon. Brooke won the Prius.

Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 3

The challenge was to prepare in 30 minutes a dish using carrots and pickles, the vegetable items that has caused the downfall of each competitor. The dishes created were:
CJ – Pan-Roasted Trout, Carrot Puree, Charred Pickles
Eliza – Brown Butter Carrot Mash, Crusted Scallops, Corn and Pickle Succotash
Tyler – Deconstructed Ceviche with Pickles and Carrots

CJ was the winner.


Offline coolio

  • Big Brother Updaters
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1081
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #20 on: December 14, 2012, 04:30:50 PM »
So, did Eliza go home? ???

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #21 on: December 17, 2012, 09:09:08 PM »
Eliza and Tyler were the 2 losers of Last Chance Kitchen, so they are totally out. However, they do get to be the audience for Last Chance Kitchen while they are still locked down (before they can actually do home).

There are a few additional chefs who will get still another opportunity by winning a Fan Popularity contest and  probably playing off with the final Last Chance Kitchen winner. I do not remember all3 of these (if someone does, please help). One of them is Kuniko.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2012, 02:11:46 PM by apskip »

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #22 on: December 20, 2012, 02:19:36 PM »
TC10, Ep. 7

The Quickfire opened with the arrival of Stephanie Izard, TC4 winner, the only female Top Chef, as the Guest Judge. It was a “make anything you want in 30 minutes” challenge. However, there was a requirement to heat everything in Reynolds Wrap foil. The dishes created and presented were:

Bart - Beer Poached Cod with Butter Beer Sauce
Brooke – Bacon Roasted Yams and Red Onions with a Bacon Apple Salad
Danyele - Cannellini Bean Stew with Bacon, Asiago Cheese & Tomatillo
John - Beef Egg Drop Soup with Braised Pineapple
Josh – Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Poblano, Tomatilla & Carrots
Josie - Lemon Grass Prawns w/ Sweet Potato Ginger Salsa, Golden Cherry Vinaigrette
Kristen – Almond & Chocolate Sponge Cake
Lizzie – bacon, avocado, greens and dressing
Micah – Grilled Lamb with Tomato Fennel Panzanella
Sheldon - Lemongrass Smoked Scallops with Tomato & Shallot Salad
Stefan – Hot Smoked Salmon with German Potato Salad

The dishes rated lowest quality were
The dishes rated highest were
The winner was Kristin, who received immunity for the Elimination Challenge.

The setup of the Elimination Challenge was to pair everyone but Kristin in one of 5 head-to-head competitions. It was clear that the fate to avoid was being on the bottom, meaning that 4 chefs could survive a loss in the head-to-head as long as they weren’t the worst. The theme was to use berries, so each pair got the same berry to pair with whatever they chose. The berries were supplied by as part of a berry festival attended by 150 people.

Here were the pairings and dishes:

Bart (Blackberry) - Blackberry Soup with Salmon & Rhubarb Yogurt
Brooke (Blackberry) - Spicy Smoked Chocolate Pudding with Blackberry Tapioca

Danyele (Blueberry) - Chicken Pine Nut Terrine with Blueberry Mostarda
Josh - Savory Goat Cheese Mousse with Blueberry Compote

Lizzie(Raspberry) - Raspberry Steamed Cabbage Roll with Heritage Pork & Bacon Strips
Josie (Raspbery) - Rock n' Raspberry Roll: Sockeye Salmon, Dungeness Crab & Raspberry Aioli

John (Gooseberries) - White Gazpacho w/Spanish Chorizo, Gooseberries, Sweet Grapes
Cali Crudo with Radishes, Gooseberries & Spiced Vinaigrette


Micah (Strawberry) - Strawberry Fried Chicken with Strawberry & Bacon Biscuit;
Ahi Summer Roll: Ahi Poke, Strawberries & Sweet Chili Sauce

Kristen (Tayberry) - Matcha Goat Milk Custard with Macerated Tayberries

The losers were John, Bart, Micah, Josie and Danyele. Danyele got the axe.


Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 4

It’s CJ against Danyele on the sandwich from lunch-meat challenge. They have 30 minutes to make something that really pleases Tom, with 15 minutes to chop and 20 minutes to prep. They choice:

CJ – Vietnamese-inspired ham and butter sandwich w/ apple and radicchio
Danyele – Oven-Roasted turkey, Bacon and Avocado Sandwich with Pickled Onions

The winner was CJ due to better tasting sandwich despite far too much bread.
Danyele had far too little bread.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #23 on: December 28, 2012, 03:33:24 PM »
TC10, Ep. 8

The Quickfire sent the chefs out to Bo Washington to gather oysters at a shellfish farm on Sammish Bay. Those oysters were then the raw materials for a hot/cold preparation contest to see who could please Emeril Lagasse the most. Chefs chose aprons associated with hot or cold, but not everyone got what they wanted. They then had 25 minutes to create and cook these dishes:

HOT
Kristen – Oysters with Caramelized Honey Tomato Broth, Celery Leaves & Chili
Brooke - Oysters with Salsa verde, Cilantro, Horseradish & Red Chili
Micah – Crispy Fried Oysters with Arugula Salad, Hot Sauce & Lemon
John - Oysters Poached in Garlic Butter with Swiss Chard & Garlic-Parmesan Foam
Josie - Wood-Roasted Oysters with Chorizo & Cilantro Cream

COLD
Stefan – Smoked Oysters with Potato Vinaigrette & Flash Frozen Salt
Lizzie – Oysters with Crushed Currant Juice Crushed Pink Peppercorn
Bart – Oysters with Champagne, Butter & Cream
Sheldon – Oysters with Chilled Old Bay Broth & Ginger Scallion Pesto
Josh – Oysters with Pickled Cucumbers, White Soy, Cilantro & Red Chili

Emeril rated Bart, Josie, and John were on the bottom. He rated Lizzie, Micah, and Brooke on top. Micah won $5k for top performer.

The Elimination Challenge was to visit the Rat City Rollers women’s roller-derby team and have each group of 2 chefs paired up with one of 5 roller derby queens. They were to create a dish to be prepped and served in 2.5 hours to 100 at an end-season party for their pick. Here is how that came out:

Bart/Josie - Teriyaki Terror: Steak Teriyaki with Forbidden Rice, Beet Blood & Green Papaya Salad; Bart - Tempura Tantrum: Tempura Yuzu Curd with Shiso, Fresno Chili, Sweet Potato & Vanilla
Brooke/John - Kutta Rump: Thai Beef with Lobster Jasmine Rice & Thai Slaw
Lizzie/Micah - Jalapeno Business: Crab-Stuffed Jalapeno with Avocado Cream, Onion & Pepper Relish
Kristen/Stefan – Eddie Shredder: Corn Puree, Chicken Liver & Sunny-Side Up Egg
Sheldon/Josh – fried tempura yuzu curd with shiso, fresno chili, sweet potato, vanilla and “tantrum” sauces

Judging included minor input from the appropriate roller derby queen on that dish. Brooke/John and Lizzie/Micah had the tastiest dishes. Brooke/John were the winners of the Elimination Challenge, but they won only the honor of it. The least interesting dishes were from Bart/Josie (whose tempura was really botched by Bart and was way underseasoned). When it came to the final verdict I believe Tom wanted to make an object lesson of underseasoning, taking it out of Bart.


Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 5 Bart vs. CJ

The challenge was to take something bland and boring (chicken breast) and make it full flavored, amazing and delicious in 30 minutes.
CJ created chicken with mushroom reduction, Greek yoghurt and roasted lettuce.
Bart created roasted chicken with carrots, Greek yoghurt, tea infused sauce, speculoos cookie.
It was very close, but the verdict went to CJ.

« Last Edit: December 29, 2012, 06:27:11 AM by apskip »

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #24 on: January 03, 2013, 05:53:38 PM »
TC10, Ep. 9

The Quickfire was a contest overseen by a master bladesman, Bob Kramer. Padma announced that his famous knives costs $500 (…wait for it) per inch, which is $5000 for a 10 inch knife. Quite a nice prize, particularly when combined with immunity for the Elimination Challenge. The actual competition had 3 levels. First was a sharpening race to get the knife for each member of a 3 person team to be able to cut paper vertically perfectly. The first team to try, the Red team of Kristen, Josie and John lost when John’s cut was stopped by the paper. The Green Stefan of Stefan, Brooke and Lizzie was eliminated. Next the Red team had Josie disqualified for cutting herself. That left the Blue team of Sheldon, Micah and Josh to cruise to victory in this race. The second level of competition was cutting 50 potatoes into a 7 sided shape. Despite Josie out, the other team members almost pulled off an upset, completing 48 potatoes while the 3 person winning team reached 50. The final level was for the 3 Blue team members to compete with each other to cut 2 rabbits up into prescribed shapes/sizes. The winner was Micah.

The Healthy Choice Elimination Challenge was a throwback to the past. The telecast of a memorable moment from each of the first 9 Top Chef seasons was on a Kindle which was randomly chosen by the chefs. They had to improve on what they saw. The winner would have a new Healthy Choice café steamer product based on their dish plus win a prize of $15,000. Here were the chefs, the seasons they drew and the way they chose to tackle the challenge they received:

1— Josie – Herb-Roasted Chicken with Parsnip Puree and Steamed Root Vegetables
2 – Stefan - Stefan - Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Bacon and Grilled Mimolette Cheese Sandwich
3 – John - Umami Risotto w/ Chicken, Salmon Roe, Burdock Root, Carrot Emulsion
4 – Lizzie- Seared Scallops with Roasted Fennel, Garlic Puree, Orange, and Olive Salad
5 – Sheldon - Beef Carpaccio w/ Poi Aioli, Mizuna and Mushroom Salad, Silen Tofu Foam
6 - Josh - Lamb Burger with Fried Egg and Spicy Pickle, Tomato, and Pomegranate Salad
7 – Brooke- Smoked Salmon, Forbidden Black Rice w/ English Pea,  Parsnip Puree
8 – Kristen - Poached Chicken Breast, Carrot Puree w/ Garlic and Tofu Emulsion
9 – Micah - Five-Spiced Duck Breast with Miso Polenta and Pickled Cherries

Padma also announced that there was a 10th one from the current season which would be explained later.
 
The Judges were Tom, Padma, Wolfgang Puck and Chris Cosentino (Top Chef Masters 3 winner) with the help of Jonathan Waxman and Wiley Dufresne. They called in 5 chefs without specifying if they were worst or best. It turned out they were some of each. Brooke, Josh and Kristen were in the best group. Kristen won $15,000 as the prize.

John and Lizzie were in the worst group. John made an argument for how his dish was far better than Lizzie’s (it probably was), but he also whined about how the pots he had to work with were insufficient for the risotto. The format that the producers wanted to follow was to use that 10th challenge from the current season to be the decider on who would stay and who would go. Each had to create a dish like CJ’s bad spicy dill pickle and burger that got him sent off. Here were their creations:

Chicken Burger with Goat Cheese Ricotta and Dill Pickle Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Lamb Burger with Fried Egg and Spicy Pickle, Tomato, and Pomegranate Salad
Lizzie was a clear victor, so John was done in the main bracket.


Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 6 C.J. vs. John   

The challenge was to “Cook Anything with Yard Sale Pots and Pans” in 30 minutes.
CJ made seared diver scallop, foie gras dashi w/ mango & caviar
John made corn veloute and succotash w/ lobster & seared foie gras
It was close, but CJ prevailed.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2013, 05:58:32 PM »
It is time for my fearless prediction of who will be in the finale of TC10. It should shock nobody that I expect to see:

Kristen
Brooke
Stefan

From the Last Chance Kitchen/Favorite Chef bracket, it is very hard to predict. I do not see CJ as able to sustain another 5 challenges to make it 10 total consecutive wins and then one more to beat the Favorite to get into the finale. I guess Micah has the best chance to do it.

Offline kiki

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1155
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #26 on: January 03, 2013, 11:44:25 PM »
 I completely agree with you apskip about Kristen and Brooke. They've been consistently among the best in every episode. But in my opinion the third finalist's place is still open. As much I liked Stephan in his season, so far he hasn't made an impression. He could still make it to the final because none of the rest look that capable of making it, but there could be a surprise ( Lizzie, for an all women final?).

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #27 on: January 10, 2013, 01:57:48 PM »
TC10, Ep. 10

There are now 8 chefs standing. Wolfgang Puck gave the Quickfire challenge: use ginger to create a dish in just 15 minutes. Those dishes were:

Brooke - Ginger-Caramel Squid with Fresh Lime & Chili Powder
Josh - White Chocolate & Ginger Soup with Peaches & Tarragon
Josie - Seared Scallop with Ginger-Honey Yogurt & Miso-Ginger Sauce
Kristen - Fennel-Ginger Salad with Brie & Tomatoes
Lizzie - Watermelon & Ginger Soup with Fresh Mint
Micah – Ginger Shrimp Salad with Radish, Plum, Ponzu Vinaigrette & Fried Crispy Ginger
Sheldon - Wok Fried Ginger Skirt Steak with Ginger & Oranges
Stefan – Ahi Tuna with Lemongrass & Ginger Vinaigrette

Two chefs scoring low on Puck’s rating system were Sheldon (for very pedestrian Chinese cuisine) and Josh (Wolfgang found his dish completely underwhelming).
3 chefs scored high: Brooke, Lizzie, Stefan.
Brooke was the winner and received immunity.

The Elimination Challenge was heralded by the arrival of Danny Meyer, one of the great restaurant concept creators and owners in America and a former partner of Tom Colicchio’s. The challenge was to create a concept for a complete restaurant embodied by a pithy phrase and create a dish that represents it. The 2 winning concepts/dishes would win $10,000 each. They had the assistance of 4 sous chefs: Eliza, Kuniko, Carla and Chrissy. That’s 1 sous chef for every 2 chefs, but the telecast did not show any evidence of sharing sous-chefs. 200 portions must be made since it’s Bite of Seattle where the tasting will take place.

The chefs all have some concept that they want to unveil, so they cook their hearts out on this one.  Those dishes are:
Brooke – Unkosher - Matzo Ball Soup with Duck Confit & Toasted Rye Black Bread
Josh – Bistro George - Seared Eye of Rib Eye with Cauliflower Puree & Mushroom Red Wine Sauce
Josie – Home 305 - Puerco Asado, Black Bean Chorizo Croquette, Pickles & Mojo Sauce
Kristen – Atelier Kwan - Onsen Egg with Camembert-Mustard Sauce & Buttered Radishes
Lizzie – Mia Filino - Mustard Green Canederli with Fonduta & Crispy Speck
Micah – Raw - Salmon, Snapper, Himachi, Squid, Scallop & Mackerel with Raw Vegetables
Sheldon – Urbano - Sour Tamarind Soup with Pork Belly, Shrimp & Snapper
Stefan - Bangkok via Munch - Thai Lobster Bisque with Shrimp Dumplings, Potatoes & Radishes AND Bavarian Cream Mango Lollipop

The top 3 were Kristen, Sheldon and Josh. Kristen was once again the winner along with Sheldon. Padma instructed Kristen and Sheldon to choose 3 of the other chefs still alive as their sous chefs. One of them was about to be dismissed and leave one head chef with a deficit in manpower. So Kristen chose Brooke, Lizzie and Josie while Sheldon chose Josh, Stefan and Micah.

The less favorite dishes were those of Micah, Josie and Lizzie. Micah got the axe and was off to Last Chance Kitchen, leaving Sheldon’s team with 3 chefs versus 4 for Kristen’s team.


 Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 7, CJ vs. Micah

The challenge was to prepare a dish with raw ingredients.
Micah went for a carpaccio from duck and bison. CJ went for beef hearts with pickled duck fat to make a tartare. The final dishes were:
Micah – bison carpaccio, duck tartare w/ quail egg yolk, pickled carrots, chilis, arugula
CJ – beef heart tartare with chili, pickled duck skin, tomato water
Once again, CJ was the winner.




Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #28 on: January 12, 2013, 10:33:38 AM »
I predict that the next 2 off are Josie and Lizzie. After that, Josh and Sheldon. That will leave Kristen, Brooke and Stefan.

So, who will take down CJ in Last Chance Kitchen? I don't see any of my next 4 off who could do it, so CJ may run the table with 10 consecutive wins. The fan favorite will then cook off with the Last Chance Kitchen winner and the winner will move up into the final 4. I now see CJ as doing it, as his consistency has been amazing.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #29 on: January 17, 2013, 03:05:52 PM »
TC10, Ep. 11 Restaurant Wars

The setup of both kitchens in the Georgetown Ballroom went well. Despite the fact that Sheldon was the executive chef, Stefan took charge of Urbano’s dining room layout. Josh admitted that he had never cooked Filipino style food before and neither had Stefan. Urbano had the disadvantage of one less chef, but they used their 2 dishwashers effectively to help out. Somehow, Stefan was the Maitre D’.  Kristen did not have Executive Chef experience for the quantity to be prepared. She set up the flow so that she would be the final arbiter of everything leaving the kitchen.

Josie was supposed to start roasting duck bones for her bouillabaisse stock. Josie never actually did that and had to wait until the next day started. When Kristen finally discovered this, Josie came up with this lame excuse: "That's how I cook -- I don't rush thing" and Kristen let her get away with it. The bouillabaisse stock still isn't done on time the next morning and won't be for quite some time. Something needed to be done to salvage the situation.  The gelatin hadn't been added, so Kristen decided at the last minute to skip the gelatin and add cream and soy instead.

The dishes presented in Atelier Kwan were:
Brooke - Baked Bouberes, St. Agur Blue Cheese, Roasted Radish & Stone Fruit Compote
Lizzie - Charcuterie: Rabbit, Pickled Turnips & Yellow Beets in Chicken & Rabbit Broth
Josie - Bouillabaisse: Halibut, Dungeness Crab, Bay Scallops with Shellfish Broth
Kristen - Beef Bourguignon: Braised Short Rib, Garlic Puree, Mushrooms & Carrots
              Almond Cake Macaron with Coconut Custard & Caramel Buttercream

The guests in Urbano finished their meals and refused to leave so that the tables could be “turned” (reset in non-restaurant lingo).  Stefan had a very difficult time managing this thankless situation and his service to the judges slipped. The Urbano dishes were:
Josh - Balut: Poached Egg, Duck Confit & Foie Gras Mous
           Halo-Halo: Coconut Sorbet, Avocado Mousse, Banana & Shredded Coconut
Sheldon - Adobo: Pork Belly with Mung Bean Puree & Pea Shoots Salad
                 Miki: Prawns, Tapioca Roll with Achiote
Stefan - Kilawen: Yellowtail with Cilantro, Spicy Chili & White Soy Sauces
              Dark Chocolate with Macadamia Nuts, Ginger & Peppermint Oil

Urbano won this competition and Sheldon got that Toyota Avalon. That left Stefan off the hook. It was obvious that the judges considered Josie’s bouillabaisse horrendous, with scallops undercooked and halibut overcooked. They also did not think much of either of Kristen’s dishes. Brooke and Lizzie were commended for their fine dishes so this was going to be mostly a decision based on who was more responsible for the bouillabaisse. Kristen had made the mistake of selecting it for the menu and choosing Josie to cook it. She accepted the Executive Chef oversight for the dishes as they went out. Kristen’s beef bourguignon lacked a red wine sauce and her macarons were off on  texture.

Judges’ Table had a difficult decision. Josie threw Kristen under the bus and Kristen bravely accepted ultimate responsibility and refused to share appropriate information that would have helped the judges to make a different decision.  The judges elected to eliminate Kristen, which caused most viewers to cringe. So Josie undeservedly stayed alive and Kristen got the ax. All I can say is Ugh!


Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 8 CJ vs. Kristen

The challenge is Making a French-Inspired In 30 Minutes Using Snapper with a Smoke Element.  Kristen elected to make bouillabaisse of snapper, crème fraiche, smoked butter, fennel, radish.  CJ elected brown butter with creamed morels, smoked mashed potatoes and ratatouille.

Kristen won and should smoke the new Last Chance Kitchen chefs as they leave the regular competition. The bouillabaisse stock still isn't done and won't be for quite some time.

Offline kiki

  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1155
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #30 on: January 18, 2013, 10:49:26 AM »
So Josie undeservedly stayed alive and Kristen got the ax. All I can say is Ugh!



I completely agree with you apskip. I couldn't believe the result! They kicked out Kristen who made repeatedly some of the best dishes so far and they kept Josie who has been in the bottom for 3-4 episodes in the row. I was really disappointed.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #31 on: January 24, 2013, 04:21:25 PM »
TC10, Ep. 12

This episode started with 6 chefs remaining. The Quickfire had Katsuya Uechi of Katsuya
 as the Guest Judge. It was to create a dish to impress a sushi master. These were the dishes:

Brooke – Octopus with Yuzu and Grated Wasabi
Josh – Tempura Bacon, Omelette, Salmon Belly, and Yuzu Kosho Aioli
Josie - Halibut with Yuzu and Bacon Aioli
Lizzie - Lobster, Micro Greens, and Pickled Ginger with Yuzu-Sake Broth
Sheldon – Umami Drumsticks and Thighs, Wings with Usukuchi and Grape Seed Oil
Stefan - Yellowtail with Grilled Shiitake and Raw Lobster with Seaweed and Unagi


David rated Lizzie and Josh lowest. He rated Stefan and Sheldon highest.  Stefan won, but immunity is no longer applicable for the rest of the season.

The Elimination Challenge was to make delicious fried chicken for a dinner party Tom and David Chang of Momofuku were throwing for big-time chefs. Here were the dishes prepared:
Brooke – Dukkah-Crusted Chicken Breast with Wilted Escarole, and Tomato
Josh – Smoked Fried Chicken with Hot Sauce and Blue Cheese
Josie - Chicken with Black Garlic, Cayenne, Thyme, and Hot Sauce with Daikon Salad
Lizzie - Chicken with Coriander, Black Pepper, and Brown Sugar Rub with Peach-Cabbage Slaw    
Sheldon – Hamachi Sashimi with Fresh Ponzu, Mitsuba, and Lemon Charcoal
Stefan - Chicken Cordon Bleu with Garlic Aioli, and Lemon

The diners were some of the best master chefs in America:
Wolfgang Puck
Emeril Lagasse
David Chang
Michelle Bernstein
Jon Shook
Vinny Dotolo

The comments on dishes went as follows:
Brooke – she made a huge mistake in taking the chicken breast off the bone; she also was caught short on time and could not recrisp her skin
Josh – he had really nice fried chicken
Josie – her fried chicken was very greasy;
Lizzie – she had really nice fried chicken
Sheldon – he had really nice fried chicken (will he win for a 3rd consecutive episode?)
Stefan – he made a cordon bleu chicken but did not attempt fried chicken

Judges’ Table used Emeril, Wolfgang, David, Tom and Padma. They easily agreed that the top 3 were Sheldon, Josh and Lizzie. Josh got the victory and the 360 bottles of wine from Terlato Vineyards. The bottom 3 were Brooke, Josie and Stefan. Each had made huge errors. Brooke had failed to utilize the chickens provided. An amusing sidenote is that earlier in their careers Brooke had not selected either Jon or Vinny for a chef position she controlled and they have gone on to prominence in the chef world. Josie had, as usual, wasted a great deal of time and been caught short at the end. She did not have time to blot the grease off as a result. Stefan was viewed as too indifferent to follow instructions, making the chicken he wanted to make instead of the fried chicken that was requested. The Judges deliberated and decided to eliminate Josie. This was entirely fair as she had no business being advanced to this episode. It should be noted that Stefan has also been skating on thin ice and could get caught soon in spite of his obvious talent.



LAST CHANCE KITCHEN Ep. 9, Kristen vs. Josie

This challenge started with a trip to Pike’s Market to buy a whole salmon. It continued with breaking that down into 10 identical portions and making 10 plates from it in 30 minutes. This was designed to test time management skills. Josie dropped one piece on the floor but replaced it just in time.

Josie- fennel pollen dusted salmon w/ fennel, radish and tarragon salad
Kristen – Crispy salmon with pickled pineapple, raisins, shaved cauliflower and crème fraiche

Both had flaws that Tom Colicchio pointed out, particularly Josie overcooking hers, but Kristen won and Josie was totally eliminated.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #32 on: January 31, 2013, 12:41:03 PM »
TC10, Ep. 13

This episode starts with 5 chefs remaining and will end with only 4. All chefs are directed by Padma to get on a Celebrity Cruise ship from Seattle to Juneau Alaska (the traditional Inside Passage itinerary). The Guest Judge is Curtis Stone. The Quickfire is to take 2.5 hours to prepare 200 portions of a dish featuring iceburg lettuce for the Welcome Aboard Ship’s Party. The choices of dishes were:

Brooke - Iceberg wrap, bacon, scallop, caramelized onion and crispy quinoa
Josh - Iceberg Roll: Apple Cider vinaigrette, bacon jam, blue cheese
Lizzie – Iceberg Salad: crispy bacon, shallots, and anchovy vinaigrette
Sheldon – Vietnamese Lettuce Wrap: pork, shrimp and pickled iceberg hearts
Stefan – Braised Iceberg Lettuce, Pastrami, Fingerling Potato & Blue Cheese Sauce

The winner was Sheldon, who received an advantage in the Elimination Challenge. That challenge was to cook innovative, upscale surf-and-turf combination from supplies available in the ship’s galley, which was well-stocked with a huge range of ingredients, but had electric heat. The chefs had eaten the prior evening in Qsine, the innovative resultant on the ship and were to take over the QSine kitchen for this. Sheldon’s advantage was to pick an exclusive meat and an exclusive seafood ingredient that no other chef could use. The dishes chosen were:

 Brooke – frogs legs, mussels, Papadum
Josh – scallops, braised pork belly, bacon bits
Lizzie – cabbage rolls, ribs from a suckling pig, scallops
Sheldon – beef, kimchi, tempura lobster
Stefan – cracklin’ pork belly, eel ravioli, beer sauce

The top two rated chefs were Brooke and Josh. The bottom 3 were Lizzie, Sheldon and Stefan. Lizzie’s sins were minor, but Sheldon had soggy, cold tempura and Stefan’s overly crispy pork did not go well with the rest of the dish. Brooke was the winner of a Caribbean cruise for 2 by Celebrity Cruise Line. Lizzie was excused along with Josh and it was Sheldon vs. Stefan for the worst dish. I didn’t have the opportunity to sample those dishes, so who really knows thee influences on a judge. In theory the several prior wins by Sheldon and the recent bottom-feeding performances by Stefan should not have influenced the outcome, but I have a hard time believing that. Stefan got the boot.


Last Chance Kitchen: Kristen vs. Stefan

The goal was to cook with offal. The dishes chosen were:
Kristen - Chicken Livers with Garlic & Mustard Caramel, Pickled Fruit, Toasted Bread & Herb Salad
Stefan - Boishel of Innards with Cream Cause, Bread, Gallette, Liver & Parsley Salad
Kristen won and Stefan was totally through. That means all of the prior seasons competitors are now gone from the main bracket, although CJ remains alive in the Fan Favorite voting (and will probably win that).

Offline scuzneck

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 150
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #33 on: February 01, 2013, 04:06:27 PM »
I was so glad to see Stefan eliminated on Wednesday. I have never been a big fan of former contestants returning to battle new contestants on any show. I always think once your 15 minutes of fame are over, you shouldn't infringe on the fifteen minutes of others. All-Star editions are one thing but adding oldies to newbies is always highly annoying.

Anyway, back to the episode. I think Sheldon really dodged a bullet and really only stayed because his body of work in the competition so far as been much more appetizing and appealing than Stefan's, even though, we "know" that it is all about the elimination and not the body of work.

The final four is who it really should be. For awhile now, I have seen Lizzie as the dark horse, Josh as a mid packer, Brooke (my favorite) as a formidable threat and Sheldon as the front-runner. I do not see anyone coming out of twitter favorite or last chance kitchen winning the whole thing. I would be majorly bummed if one of them did win. (Once again, it goes along with my oldies/newbies stance. Eliminated cheftestants had a chance to win and they couldn't. Buh-bye.)

All in all, it has been a tremendous season. Can't wait to see how it pans out from here.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #34 on: February 02, 2013, 06:57:43 AM »
scuzneck,

I basically agree with you. However, I think Kristen (as my projected winner of Last Chance Kitchen) or CJ (as my, projected winner of Fan Favorite voting) could beat Brooke or Sheldon, although this is a probability statement; it is not preordained. I do agree that Josh and Lizzie are playing out of their league and are unlikely to win.

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

  • RFF's Goodwill Ambassador
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 43875
  • No more wire hangers EVER!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #35 on: February 02, 2013, 07:47:04 AM »
Don King lead a charge in trying to bring Josie back onto Top Chef. Even though we NOW know Josie didnt win LCK, he was trying to get her votes which we all saw she didnt get. As of now Don King is still a huge supporter and fan of Josie

Don King: Forget Boxing, I'm All About "Top Chef!"


<a href="http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_g53bw40u/uiconf_id/6740162/st_cache/36476?referer=http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_9w19nx4b&amp;amp;&quot;&gt;Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.&lt;/iframe&gt;<br />&lt;div style=&quot;text-align:left;font-size:x-small;margin-top:0;&quot;&gt;<br />&nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_9w19nx4b&quot;&gt;Don King: Forget Boxing, I&#039;m All About &quot;Top Chef!&quot;&lt;/a&gt;" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_g53bw40u/uiconf_id/6740162/st_cache/36476?referer=http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_9w19nx4b&amp;amp;&quot;&gt;Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.&lt;/iframe&gt;<br />&lt;div style=&quot;text-align:left;font-size:x-small;margin-top:0;&quot;&gt;<br />&nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_9w19nx4b&quot;&gt;Don King: Forget Boxing, I&#039;m All About &quot;Top Chef!&quot;&lt;/a&gt;</a>

zero, zilch, nada, nothing!

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #36 on: February 02, 2013, 10:47:44 AM »
She dd not get justice several times in the main field, but when given an opportunity versus Kristen in Last Chance Kitchen she bombed badly. Josie had no chance at being the Fan Favorite.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2013, 11:50:47 AM by TexasLady »

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #37 on: February 02, 2013, 02:55:54 PM »
The judges made a horrendous error in eliminating Kristen, but after they found out the real story see what happened to Josie then. The judges decided to eliminate Josie for consistent problems in competing things on time throughout the season.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2013, 11:54:29 AM by TexasLady »

Offline scuzneck

  • RFF Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 150
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #38 on: February 02, 2013, 03:05:41 PM »
We only get to see the chefs as they are portrayed through the editing process on our television. I do not know Josie and I have never and probably will never taste any of her dishes. But she came across on Top Chef (both times) as being pompous, arrogant and rude. She may be a sweetheart in real life and if she is than its a travesty that she was not portrayed as such. But, remember, the powers that be need to make sure each season has the really unlikeable "character". The season, it was Josie. I, personally, think she lasted about four episodes longer than she should have. That though is from someone watching from his Lazy Boy not tasting her food.

Offline ugot2bekidinmeny

  • RFF's Goodwill Ambassador
  • I Live at RFF
  • *****
  • Posts: 43875
  • No more wire hangers EVER!
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #39 on: February 02, 2013, 03:38:21 PM »
For respect of  others I am removing my reply.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2013, 11:20:24 AM by ugot2bekidinmeny »
zero, zilch, nada, nothing!

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #40 on: February 06, 2013, 02:33:41 PM »
It's not often that Top Chef provides advance information on its Quickfires and Elimination Challenges. Tonight will be a Quickfire focused on the local million dollar export - King Crab. Keeping to Alaska's culinary roots for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must impress the judges as well as the locals with their take on salmon and sourdough.

Additional information is that Top Chef 11 has just received the greenlight from BRAVO and is casting.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2013, 07:39:27 AM by apskip »

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #41 on: February 08, 2013, 01:28:57 PM »
I expect that the last pre-finale round (in Alaska) will result in narrowing the field to Brooke and Sheldon, with Josh out. I am not sure how  BRAVO will handle the other bracket, but most logical is to have Kristen in Los Angeles cookoff against fan favorite CJ. That's a difficult one to call, but I expect Kristen to make it into the finale. I predict Kristen will ultimately prevail over Brooke.

What are your predictions/expectations for TC10?

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #42 on: February 15, 2013, 07:12:47 AM »
TC10, Ep. 15

The chefs were sent by helicopter to the North Glacier to a Junior Iditarod Training Center. There they had 30 minutes to produce the best dish they can inside a cramped space with very limited heating capability available and Using Ingredients Found Only in the Camp. The dishes that emerged were:

Brooke - Pan-Roasted Halibut, Panzanella Salad with Red Currant & Beet Vinaigrette
Josh – Cornmeal Cake with Canadian Bacon, Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon
Sheldon – Pan-Roasted Halibut with Tomato Sauce, Sesame Bok Choy & Pickled Radish
The winner of this competition was Brooke.

The Elimination Challenge was to create and cook a special meal that Represents the Defining Culinary Moment in Your Life with 2.5 hours prep/cook and then 1.5 hours final cooking at the Governor’s Mansion for the Governor of Alaska Barnett back in Juneau, his wife and 6 Top Chef judges (Tom, Padma, Gail, Emeril, Wolfgang, Hugh). Note how they all wanted to be part of it. The dishes prepared and served were:

Brooke - Braised Chicken, Grilled Quail with Carrot Barley & Pickled Vegetables
Josh – Foie Gras Three Ways: Torchon, Pan-Seared & Profiterole
Sheldon – Pan-Roasted Rockfish, Spot Prawns, Baby Vegetables & Dashi

The judges found only minor fault with Brooke’s dish and she won the Elimination Challenge. Sheldon had overreduced with broth, which made it really salty. Josh had a conceptual error in trying to do a foie gras torchons (literally means “wrapped in a towel” cooking method) in less than 1day, which multiple judges stated was not possible. The other 2 components of Josh’s dish were fine, but that one was a disaster. The judges elected to eliminateJosh.  It was ironic that just before the final cooking, his wife had given birth to a baby girl. 


Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 12 Kristen vs. Lizzie (Fan Favorite) vs. Josh

First, the voting of the Fan Favorite was announced, with (to me) surprising results of Lizzie getting 61% vs. CJ. That meant CJ was out. The challenge was to “make Tom a great plate of food.” Here were the dishes:
Josh – Venison w/ Coriander, Brown Sugar, Black Pepper Cure, Kale, and Shaved Carrot
Kristen – Semolina Orecchiette with Brown Butter, Pomegranate, Apple, and Fresh Herbs Lizzie - Black Cod in Black Pepper Vinegar, Savoy Cabbage, and Spaetzle

Josh was told that his did not measure up and that he was out. When it came time to announce who would be joining Brooke and Sheldon in the finale, the answer was To Be Continued. I think that’s a pretty rotten approach but I recall that this was done in the prior season.


Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #43 on: February 21, 2013, 09:36:47 PM »
TC10, Finale part 1

It was crunch time for the chefs who survived the cut in Juneau. Brooke has had 6 months to return to her husband, child and the 2 restaurants they own. Sheldon has had the same 6 months to return to Lahaina, Maui and cook as sous chef. The necessity for that delay was that the Fan Favorite voting did not take place until the Alaska episode was shown live in February 2013. Only then could the final Last Chance Kitchen be decided. The ending of the final Last Chance Kitchen was left vague because the producers did not know who won until early February. It was Kristen, who was to compete against Brooke and Sheldon. I will add that this puts the Alaska cruise into the first week in August, which is a good time to go to Alaska since the autumnal equinox is only 6 to 7 weeks off at that point.

The core judges were Tom, Emeril, Padma and Hugh. They were joined in Los Angeles by Guest Judges Martin Yan and John Besh. The locale was Craft-LA, Tom Colicchio’s restaurant. He invited that restaurant’s core clientele to be diners. The Elimination Challenge was simple in concept, cook at Craft a 3 course meal that impresses the judges. The finalists planned their menus (except Brooke who put off a decision on entrée), gathered their ingredients and had 3 hours to cook. However, execution was expected to be virtually perfect. Tom would be expediting from the kitchen.

Those menus were:
Sheldon 1 – Sashimi Spot Prawns, Court Bouillon, Radish & Asian Herbs
Sheldon 2 – Roasted Quail, Pine Nut Puree, Garam Masala & Tangerine
Sheldon 3 - White Chocolate Mousse with Apple & Fennel

Kristen 1 – Chestnut Veloute, Duck Rillette & Brussels Sprouts
Kristen 2 – Seared Ahi Tuna with Veal Mustard Jus & Meyer Lemon Puree
Kristen 3 - Curry Chocolate with Cashews

Brooke 1 - Crispy Veal Sweetbread Salad with Kumquat, Beets & Mustard
Brooke 2 - Braised Short Ribs, Parmesan Sauce, Nettle Puree & Squash Dumplings
Brooke 3 - Brown Butter Cake, Whipped Goat Cheese & Blackberry Sauce

Commentary on each of the finalists’ menus and dishes was:
Sheldon – fell flat; abandoned “what brung him to the dance”, his unique signature style of Filippino and Hawaiian dishes; bland broth, unseasoned prawns; bland quail; fennel a problem
Kristen – fell on her sword; chestnut veloute very good; tuna mediocre; her chocolate dessert was mediocre
Brooke – less focus than typical; slicing and cleaning sweetbreads to order a big problem; short ribs excellent; dessert very good

So it was pretty clear from the comments that it would be Sheldon going home and that was the case. Part 2 of the finals will be Kristen vs. Brooke, which I find entirely appropriate.

Offline apskip

  • Geographer Extraordinaire
  • TAR Detectives
  • RFF Frantic Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6189
Re: Top Chef 10
« Reply #44 on: February 28, 2013, 11:06:01 AM »

TC10, Finale, part 2

It has come down to Kristen versus Brooke, a matchup which anyone having watched this season would consider fair and about even. Each finalist would cook the best five dishes in their culinary lives in front of a studio audience that includes their friends, families, all previous nine "Top Chef" winners and the TC10 chefs not acting as sous chefs. For the first time in Top Chef history it was the battle of female chefs to determine who will be crowned Top Chef. The judges were Hugh Acheson, Emeril Lagasse, Gail Simmons, head judge Tom Colicchio and host Padma Lakshmi.

It was decision time for the Top Chef 10 title and who gets the $125,000 prize from Healthy Choice. A live audience of 300 is in Los Angeles watching the cooking, with  150 of them fed the same dishes. The traditional picking of sous chefs preceded this, with the following results:
Brooke – Stefan, CJ and Kuniko
Kristen – Sheldon, Josh, Lizzie
Notice that Kristen went solely with the last 3 non-final final round finishers
for her picks, while Brooke reached back for Kuniko (bypassing Josie for obvious reasons) and 2 of the chefs beaten by Kristen in Last Chance Kitchen. Each round appeared to get 34 minutes of cooking time, with a certainty that intense planning by the finalists preceded that for menus and ingredients, which were all at the ready. First chef to get the majority of votes for 3 courses would win Top Chef 10.

Here are the menus (with scallops required for course 2 and red snapper for course 4):
Brooke 1 – Crispy Pig Ear & Chicory Salad, Six-Minute Egg, Apricot Jam & Candied Kumquats
Kristen 1 – Chicken Liver Mousse with Frisee, Mustard, Prune, Hazelnuts & Pumpernickel

Brooke 2 – Seared Scallop with Salt Cod Puree, Speck, Black Currant & Mustard Seed Vinaigrette w/ Romanesco sauce
Kristen 2 – Citrus & Lavender Cured Scallop with Bitter Orange, Meyer Lemon & Apple

Brooke 3 – Vadouvan Fried Chicken with Sumac Yogurt-Tahini & Pickled Kohlrabi Fattoush
Kristen 3 – Celery Root Puree with Bone Marrow, Mushrooms, Bitter Greens & Radishes

Brooke 4 – Braised Pork Cheek & Red Snapper with Collard Green Slaw & Sorrel Puree, Pomegranate
Kristen 4 - Red Snapper with Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Tarragon, Uni & Shellfish Nage

In course 1, Brooke’s pig ears were fried too much and that cost her the round versus Kristen’s flawless concept and execution.

In course 2, Brooke had flawless concept and execution, but so did Kristen. That course went to Brooke.

In course 3, Brooke’s fried chicken was a major mistake and her sides were uninspired. Kristen’s excellent bone marrow easily won the day.

In course 4, Brooke had slightly dry pork cheeks which threw off her perfect red snapper while Kristen continued her record of perfect dishes.

The cumulative impact was Kristen 3 courses to Brooke 1 course, with the Top Chef 10 win going to Kristen.

I would like to chastise BRAVO (yes you, Andy Cohen) for its placement of commercials.
For regular Top Chef episodes the 7 minute commercial (with a tiny 15 second piece of fluff in between) comes around 40 minutes into the one hour episode. Last night it did too. That left with the judges’ verdict for the 4th course left to be revealed exactly 3 minutes for that. It was completely obvious that Kristen had won, because there was not time for a 5th course. I liked the format of course by course judging results. However, the 7 minute commercial has to come much later in order to left viewers in true suspense about the outcome.