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Top Chef 9

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franxaverian:
It wasn't that surprising for me considering Top Chef JD 2 did all that. At least, until the 3rd episode, they didn't give a single winning chef from a winning group. So, I don't expect this to happen until the 5th episode(hopefully not).

I'm so bummed that I can't watch the last chance kitchen. I couldn't watch it from my country

apskip:
TC9, Ep. 2
The Quickfire brought in Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, both Top Chef Masters competitors who run the Border Grill, as Guest Judges. The challenge was to utilize one of several types of chili in whatever dish the chefs wanted to cook. Each one had a different amount of money they would win associated with it. The choices were:

Ghost Chili $20k – Paul
Habanero Chili $12.5K – Grayson, Dakota, Nyesha, Beverly, Lindsay
Jalapeno Chili $10k – Chuy
Thai Chili $10K, Chris C. , Heather, TyLor, Whitney
Manzano Chili $7.5K – Chris J.
Fresno Chili $3K – Richie, Sarah
Anaheim Chili $500 - Beverly


The dishes selected were:
Paul – Chilled Coconut Soup w/ Kaffir Lime, Ghost Pepper Relish
Grayson – Habañero Popper w/ Cream Lime Sauce
Heather – Date & Pistachio Cous Cous, Pickled Cucumbers, Red Onions & Thai Chili
Dakota – Oyster Shooter with Fire roasted Habañero Mignonette
Nyesha – Baby Fennel w/ Rock Shrimp Salad, Habanero vinaigrette
Beverly - Anaheim Chili Crudite w/ Ssamsiang Paste
Lindsay - Picked Herb Salad w/ Charred Sugar Snaps, Oranges, Avocado, Blackened Habañero Vinaigrette
Chuy – Sautéed Scallop with Achiote
Beverly - Anaheim Chili Crudite w/ Samjang Paste
Chris C. - Coconut Soup with Thai Chili
Heather – Date & Pistachio Cous Cous, Pickled Cucumbers, Red Onions & Thai Chili
TyLor - Prawns in the Shell w/ Roasted Chili Caramel Sauce, Raw Chili Crudite, Lime Leaves,  Fish Sauce
Whitney - Beef Tenderloin with Napa Cabbage and Thai Chili Slaw
Chris J. - Seared Chicken w/ Manzano Vinaigrette 
Edward – HabaLi
Richie – Fresno Slaw with Pineapple Curd & Seared Bay Scallops
Sarah – Salmon Belly Seared with Fresno Chili Relish
Lindsay - Picked Herb Salad w/ Charred Sugar Snaps, Oranges, Avocado, Blackened Habañero Vinaigrette

The least favorite dishes were Beverly (tried to be risk-free with a safe chili pepper), Richie (too much sweetness) and Chuy (use of canned tomatoes overwhelmed other flavors). The most favorite dishes were Paul, Grayson and Heather. Paul took the most risk with the 1 million Scoville unit Ghost Chili and he was rewarded with $20,000 for the win and immunity for the Elimination Challenge.

Elimination Challenge
This was to make a very large pot of chili to feed 200 Texas Rodeo cowboys and workers and their families. The 200 would vote to determine their favorite and least dishes. The cooking was a bit cut-throat, as people were hoarding critical resources.

There was a typical apron draw from inside a pot and the results were these teams:
Blue – Edward, Heather, Paul
White – TyLor, Lindsay, Grayson
Green – Chuy, Chris C., Sarah
Red – Chris J., Whitney, Dakota
Black – Nyesha, Beverly, Richie
The chilis prepared and served were:
Blue - Smoked Brisket Chili with Summer Pickles
Black - "Chili Mole" with Cornbread
Green – beer-infused chili con carne (no beans, which is authentic Texas style)
Red – braised brisket chili
White - Three Bean & Three Beef Chili & Poblano Corn Bread

The Green Team was voted as the winner and the Black team the loser. This meant that one of Nyesha, Beverly and Richie would be eliminated. Padma announced that there would be another opportunity for those 3 to demonstrate their cooking skills. They had to take some of the Black Team’s chili and fix its flaws. The dishes that resulted were:
Beverly - Seared Tuna with Habañero Creamed Corn
Nyesha - Frito-Encrusted Black Tiger Shrimp with Roasted Corn Salsa
Richie - Frito-Encrusted Pork Tenderloin, Potato Hash & Ricotta Cheese Chili Puree

Beverly got high marks for an excellent dish, Nyesha got OK marks for a mediocre dish
and Richie got low marks for being one-note in flavor and lacking seasoning. As a result, Richie was eliminated.

apskip:
Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 2

This one was between Richie and Keith, using a minimum of 3 Thanksgiving meal leftovers. The dishes prepared were:
Keith – turkey & sweet corn hash, ham fritter, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie smear
Richie – turkey, green bean casserole, cranberry, macaroni and cheese fritter, cornbread puree

However, Richie had a heavy hand with the salt in the macaroni and cheese. That resulted in Tom Colicchio giving Keith the win.

apskip:
TC9, Ep. 3

The Quickfire has an unusual (some like me would say absurd) twist. The chefs were told by Padma that they must pack their knives, get in Toyota Sienna SUVs and drive to Dallas where Top Chef 9 would continue. On the way they are shown detouring on a country road . Now if I was driving from San Antonio to Dallas I would stay on Interstate 35/35E    all the way. Why detour on a country road? The answer becomes clearer when a state trooper directs them into a field, where picnic tables, Padma and Top Chef Master 1 competitor John Besh awaited with Padma. John is the owner of Luke in San Antonio and New Orleans, August in New Orleans and 4 other restaurants. The chefs were given a basket of odd canned and non-perishable goods plus some bowls and 2 burners with no utensils and no cutting board. They had 45 minutes to cook their best dish. Here were the dishes presented:

Beverly – Beef Satay with Peanut Noodles, Mango Chili Relish + Pepitas
Chris C. - Spicy Garbanzo Beans w/ Tofu and Crab
Chris J. – Fried Chicken on Lemongrass Noodles
Chuy – Basmati Rice w/ Smoked Trout
Dakota - Sweet and Spicy Noodles w/ Crab Meat + Pineapple Juice
Edward – Thai Peanut Soup w/ Salmon, Tofu + Fried Hominy
Grayson – Pickled Herring with Hearts of Palm, Dates + Herring Juice
Heather – Asian Coconut Soup w/ Mackerel + Dill Pickle Juice
Lindsay – Triple Club w/ Tuna + Sardines in French Onion Soup w/ Vienna Sausage
Nyesha – Seared Spam w/ Chutney
Paul - Pork and Beans w/ Coffee + Basmati Rice
Sarah – Dried Beef + Pineapple Rice, Apple Sauce + Hearts of Palm
TyLor – Black Pepper Chicken Stew w/ Garbanzo Beans + Rice
Whitney - Beer + Peach Glazed Chicken w/ Green Bean Casserole

John Besh rated the dishes of these chefs as his least favorite: Whitney, Dakota, Chris C. He rated those of Edward, Lindsay and Chris J. as the best. Lindsay was the winner. Sour grapes from another chef focused on the apparent dryness of Lindsay’s dish, but how could that be if soup was part of it? Lindsay commented on how her father used a lot of Vienna sausage and it was in order of him that she made that the centerpoint of her dish. She won $5,000 and immunity for the Elimination Challenge. 

Elimination Challenge
This started after arrival in a hotel in Dallas and a night’s rest. The chefs had been assigned to Appetizers, Entrees or Deserts somewhat randomly by Padma back in the field. They were to shop for 30 minutes with $250/person for a dish of their assigned type for a progressive dinner for 3 couples who are neighbors in Dallas plus 4 judges, one plate for the camera and one unknown (I like to speculate on who this one might go to, perhaps the other chefs. First was spending some time with the hosts for their assigned type to find out what they liked and disliked. This was generally simpleton stuff except for cooking for the woman who is a vegetarian. Beverly won no friends from her fellow chefs with her style of hogging all the burners and the bowls and colanders. Here was what they cooked in 2 hours and presented at the dinner:

Beverly – Seared Scallop w/ Creamy Polenta
Chris C. - Strawberry Cupcake w/ Banana Custard and Chocolate Icing
Chris J. – Roasted Chicken Cigar w/ Sweet Corn, Collard Greens, Cumin Ash
Chuy – Sockeye Salmon Filet Stuffed w/ Goat Cheese
Dakota - Banana Bread Pudding, Banana Mousse and Banana Date Milkshake 
Edward – Panna Cotta, Cantaloupe Consommé, Raspberries Stuffed w/ Basil Pudding
Grayson – Chocolate Sponge Cake, Caramelized Bananas, Semifreddo
Heather – Garlic+ Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops w/ Garbanzo Beans & Mint Chimichurri
Lindsay – Roasted + Raw Beet Salad w/ Chickpeas & Greek Vinaigrette
Nyesha – Roasted Filet of Beef with Vegetable Mélange
Paul - Fried Brussels Sprouts w/ Grilled Prosciutto
Sarah – Grilled Roman-Style Artichokes w/ Date Purée
TyLor – Grilled Pork Tenderloin w/ Summer Slaw
Whitney - Seared Scallop over Sweet Corn Puree

Some chefs were immediately in trouble in the commentary from the progressive dinner diners and the judges.  Chuy had overcooked salmon which then affected his goat cheese stuffing. Chris C., who was afraid of getting a dessert from the beginning, tried to cover all the bases with 20 components and wound up doing nothing right. Chris J. had this crazy concept of a cigar shape for this roasted chicken with cumin for the ash and it was not well received by anyone. Dakota was self-critical of the texture of her dessert.

The judges were John Besh, Padma, Gail and Tom. They called in these 4 individuals and then told them they had created their most favorite dishes:
Sarah
Grayson
Paul
Dakota
Paul got the victory

Then they called in these 4 individuals with the message that they were the least favorite and why:
Chris J. – stringy collard green exposed too many ribs; horrible to look at, ill-advised, and difficult to eat
Chris C. – too many ingredients; a big mess
Chuy – overcooked salmon; goat cheese also tasted wrong as a result
TyLor – slabs of pork were far too large and out of balance to the slaw

So, who would it be for elimination? It could have been any of them, but Chuy’s mistakes were judged to be the most compelling and he was sent to Last Chance Kitchen.

apskip:
Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 3

The combatants were Chuy versus Keith. Tom announced that they first had to go to Bolnger’s Meat Market in Dallas and come back with something to further instructions. A side of beef weighing 778 pounds was processed to give them each a large beef rib rack. Tom then told them they had 45 minutes to cut 5 ribs off, trim the ribs, cook one rib to a perfect medium rare and serve it. It looked pretty even to me from the cutting and trimming and they both had a really nice sear on the top side. Keith had learned an unusual technique of cooking with the bottom side of the skillet flipped upside down. Keith seasoned his meat with a more complex blend of spices, but Chuy seasoned only with salt and pepper. Tom selected Chuy’s steak as the winner due to slightly better searing on the bottom side of the steak. Chuy remains in the competition and Keith went home (or more likely to sequester).   
 

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