TC6 Ep. 6
This episode starts with Bryan and Jen on-camera stating their disdain for Robin, who they think should not be there. Well, based on that you can anticipate a Watch What Happens moment as Andy Cohen BRAVO Sr. VP would say. I think the chefs mostly ignore these stupid requirements and just cook what they want to. They seldom get called on it, so they rightly think they can get away with it.
The Quickfire Challenge uses Guest Judge Michelle Bernstein, chef/owner of multiple restaurants in the Miami area. She has been a Guest Judge before and I think she is one of the best. The dishes created, cooked and plated in 60 minutes were
Mike V. A Rillete of Salmon and Sopa
D Confit Salmon and Ice Cream
Kevin A Halibut and Seasonal Vegetables
D Crushed Deviled Eggs and Bacon
Ron A Chilean Sea Bass with Carrots
D Yucca and Corn Mash
Ashley A Scallop Crudo
D Scallop Puttanesca
Eli A Scallop with Radish and Greens
D Scallop with Risotto and Butter
Bryan A Frozen Coconut Lychee
D Dark Chocolate Mousse
Jen A Simple Scallop with Olive Oil
D Scallop with Butter
Ash A NONE (his dish failed)
D Spicy Asparagus Custard
Robin A Raw Salad of Apple and Fennel
D Cardamom Ginger Crisp
Laurine A Chicken Consomme and Vegetables
D Chicken Saltimbanco
Michael I. A Cucumber Yogurt Soup
D Rack of Lamb Kabob Style
The comments by Bernstein while tasting or during the summary of Best and Worst included:
Michael V. - executed perfectly
Eli - brilliant combination
Bryan - not executed well
Robin - combo of salad and dessert meshed really well
Laurine - not inspiring
Michael I. - too salty
Ash- too bad you couldn't complete the assignment
The losers group was Brian, Ash and Laurine. The winners group was Micahel V., Eli and Robin. The winner was Robin and she won immunity for the Elimination Challenge. Take that, Bryan and Jen! Of course they are mostly right and Robin did something right for the first time in TC6.
The Elimination Challenge involves those giants of magic/illusion, Penn and Teller, who will be diners and Guest Judges. They get things started with a series of Cups and Balls magic tricks that are astonishing given that they switch from colored cups to clear plastic cups and you still can't see how they are doing it. The punch line is "for the finish, it's a lime" as a lime is somehow substituted for a ball at the end of 2 tricks. Teller of course never says anything, but occasionally he makes a gesture to indicate how he feels about the food. Penn Jillette is likely a gourmet and gourmand. His ideas are not always consonant with the regular judges. Howver, it is fabulous to have Penn and Teller on this show. I can't get enough of their magic and they are about the same as other Guest Judges. Padma made a comment about one dish that likened it to bulls balls by stating that she has eaten bull testicles; Penn deapanned back "I bet." This was the high point of the evening. By the way, that champion of negativity Toby Young returned as a Judge. Rumors that he would lighten up this season are unfounded. I heard no difference whatever in the destructive style of his comments.
Chefs draw knives to determine which classic dishes they will deconstruct. That means to take apart the dish into its component parts, add a new twist and allow the diner to reconstruct them from plate to mouth. They have 30 minutes and $125 to shop and then a staggered 2 hours to cook and prep in Marinelli's Italian Restaurant in M Resort for 7 people (Penn, Teller, Michelle Tom, Padma, Toby and the camera). If Gail was there I missed her. The dishes assigned by draw were, including my listing of classic ingredients that were mostly ignored by that chef:
Jen Meat Lasagna - pasta, fresh tomato sauce, flat iron steak, marscarpone bechamel sauce, parmesan cheese
Michael I. Eggs Florentine - braised kale roll, egg emulsion, crispy phyllo
Mike V. Caesar Salad - SHOULD BE romaine lettuce, oil, vinegar, anchovies, cheese, croutons; was chicken wing, lettuce, parmesan and brioche
Kevin Chicken Mole Negro - baked chicken, chicken croqueta, coffee, chili, pumpkin, fig jam
Ron Seafood Paella - seafood, rice, oil, tomato sauce with chayote and fennel
Eli Sweet and Sour Pork - Pork rillettes tempura style, broccoli puree, broccoli salad, sweet and sour sauce
Ashley Pot Roast - Beef(seared strip loin), Potato Puree (Ash could have used this), shallots, carrot foam
Robin New England Clam Chowder - SHOULD BE potatoes, tomatoes, fish stock, clams, but was Clam Flan with Fennel, Braised Celery Slaw, Pancetta Crisp, Crushed Bacon
Laurine Fish and Chips - SHOULD BE fish, oil, potatoes; was malt sabayon, tartar sauce, tomato confit, ginger, garlic
Ash Shepherd's Pie - pan-roasted lamb chop, leeks, potatoes (which he had to switch to pea puree when potato puree failed), carrots
Bryan Ruben Sandwich - pastrami, tuna??, thousand islands dressing with warm mayo, rye bread, cheese, capers
You can assume from my classic ingredients that I thought Bryan (tuna in a Ruben), Laurine (fish and chips with no fish and no chips) and Mike V. (missing key ingredients) all did poorly.Comments by the judges on the dishes made it crystal clear who had done well and who was in trouble:
Mike V. - good dish (diagreeing with my analysis of how he missed anything resembling Caesar salad)
Kevin - excellent
Ash - no potatoes in a dish that should be 75% potatoes (by British food expert Toby Young); it's not Shepherd's Pie
Bryan - tasty
Ron - rice overcooked and dried out and fish overcooked
Ashley - a wonderful dish
Laurine - Fish and Chips was missing the chips (plus I think the fish too).
The winners group was Jen, Ashley, Kevin and Mike V. Kevin won a set of Calphalon cookware.
The losers group was Ron, Laurine and Ash. Ron had been in losers group almost every week so he was vulnerable. Ash had not done as badly as the other two, so he got off. Laurine apparently had a better dish than Ron. Ron was asked to "pack your knives and go."