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Episode Recap: High Steaks
Though it was a bit of struggle getting here we finally have our four chefs heading into next week's first part of the two-part finale. Going by most of the recent comments, the top three were a given with a toss up for the fourth position. So with such high stakes lets get to the meat of the matter.
The Quickfire Challenge sent the chefs over to a meat purveyor and dress like a HazMat team in order to cut individual chops of long bone ribeye dry-aged USDA Prime Rib racks. The style is known as a "Frenched" cut and is served in finer restaurants. Some of the racks looked unwieldy and even larger than Stephanie, which didn't help her get the "lollipop" effect she should have had. This was a more technical skill that is essential for cost-effectiveness when running a kitchen.
Once the meat was butchered, it was to be cooked medium rare at the request of guest judge Rick Tramonto. (He is the owner of Chicago's Tramontos Steak & Seafood, as well as Tru, whose pastry chef Gale Gand we met a few weeks back.) The chops were thick and with only 30 minutes to grill or roast them, were not easy to gage doneness. Richard was right to point out that it had more to do with temperature than flavor but both he and Stephanie dished out undercooked servings. Spike again won the advantage from the QFC and again floundered with an unwise choice in the Elimination Challenge.
Taking over Chef Rick's steak house on a busy night, the chefs were each responsible for an appetizer and entrée based on what was found in the kitchen. Chef Tom Colicchio was the expeditor. Joining Chef Rick, Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons for dinner were the winners of the first three seasons with advice for the chefs that perfectly reflected their personalities.
Harold: Cook your style and be true to yourself.
Hung: You're here to win, not to be Fan Favorite.
Ilan: Don't shave anyone's head.
At the Judges' Table, Richard didn't impress anyone with his deconstructed entrée but wowed everyone with his tuna-like Hamachi with Crispy Sweatbreads, Apples, Radish, Avocado and Yuzu, considered the single best dish of the night. Though Antonia's Warm Mushroom and Artichoke Salad with Poached Egg appetizer was soggy the egg was poached perfectly. (Isn't that her thing?) But it was her Bone-in Ribeye with Shallot and Potato Gratin that scored her a place in the finals.
The big winner was Stephanie, winning Chef Rick's new cookbook and the GE Monogram kitchen appliances. What I thought was even more important than Stephanie serving the two "most well-rounded" dishes was Chef Tom saying she keeps a calm demeanor when working under pressure. If you're someone who flies off the handle, you're going to make mistakes.
And that leads me to Lisa and Spike who have been on the bottom five and seven time respectively. Lisa (again with her droopy-eyed glance) was criticized for the Grilled and Chilled Prawns but got an edge for her Grilled NY Strip in Apple Caramel Sauce with Peanut Mashed Potatoes. I really love the moments when Chef Tom shows up and gives a questioning look as he did when hearing of the addition of peanut butter to the potatoes. (Much better than peanut butter in tomato sauce!) It sounded original and I'm going to have to try it.
I've waited a dozen episodes for Hat Guy Spike to leave and it finally happened. With only a few shining moments (butternut squash soup anyone?), he regularly squeaked by but his lashing out at the judges was snotty and disrespectful. He again used his QFC advantage to disarm his competitors and the karma again backfired. Ultimately Spike should never have used the frozen scallops but then throwing it back to blame the guest judge was uncalled for and not what I'd expect from someone I'd be honored to call Top Chef.
Sunny Puerto Rico is the setting for next week's finale, part one. See you then.
Second Bites
• The subject of this Text Poll question was discussed more than any other on the blog this season: Who was chopped too soon? 53% of the votes went to Dale, 18% to Andrew, and 29% went to the chef that I would like to have seen perform a few more tricks, Jennifer.
• Was it just me or did it seem that Padma did not have the same pained looked she usually has when sending a chef packing?
• Did Ilan think they were doing lunch or did he just forget to pack a nice shirt and jacket?
• Two will be eliminated next week. If the odds are that Lisa is one of them, who will be the other?
For more tasty treats about Top Chef, dig into our Online Video Guide.
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May 29, 2008 2:58 AM
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Great recap. I would be happy with Stephanie, Antonia or Stephanie Richard final 2. I think it might be richard tht goes but I am normally wrong so we will see.
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May 29, 2008 6:12 AM
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I think that Richard will be the other sent packing, leaving Antonio and Stephanie.
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May 29, 2008 9:07 AM
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The steaks looked yummy!
As for the elimination, frankly, I would have taken Hat Guy over Scary Girl any day. Lisa's attitude has been no better than Spike's really, and her skills were no better either. Peanut Butter? Really?
It seems pretty apparent that Richard will be in the final, as will Stephanie. I would love for Antonia to be in the final, but her food, while above average, has not been as spectacularly imaginative as Richard's (how many times has she poached that damned egg??), nor has she won as many challenges as Stephanie.
I do vote for Antonia as my favorite contestant, however. Her level-headed efficiency has been a pleasure to watch.
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May 29, 2008 9:14 AM
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First, I can't even believe that Spike made it so far. He's been a jerk since the first episode!
Frozen scallops you say? I thought it was strange that those would be in "fine dining" steakhouse. They looked old and gross.
What's up with putting peanut butter in everything? I LOVE PB but let's get real.
I wanted to eat all of those steaks in the Quickfire! I hope they ate them after that test of temperature. What a waste!
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May 29, 2008 9:44 AM
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I thought Lisa was gone when Tom pointed out that she had been in the bottom 5 times, that was until he told Spike he had been there 7 times! Then I knew it would be Spike.
I have just loved Stephanie and Antonia from the beginning so I would be thrilled if either one of them wins it. Actually as long as anyone but Lisa wins I will be happy!
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May 29, 2008 9:49 AM
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Lisa needs to go next. Although I like Antonia, I think Richard and Stephanie are the better chefs. Glad to see Spike go. I can't believe he actually blamed the guest chef for the horrid scallops he choose to use!
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May 29, 2008 9:58 AM
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I am ready for Lisa to leave. Her crappy attitude has given me a bad taste in my mouth for weeks now. Just the look on her face when she was at judges table irritates me to no end. I will be happy with Antonia and Stephanie. Stephanie has really impressed me and is consistent each and every week.
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May 29, 2008 10:09 AM
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Lisa should have been eliminated last week instead of Dale. I had predicted Richard, Stephanie, Antonia and Dale as the Final Four, and had the judges not made a colossal error last time, that's how it would have been.
Spike in the bottom 2 more times than Lisa is probably what sent him this week. I think he has better skills and a better attitude than Lisa, but he makes poorer choices for ingredients. He does, however, seem to get more out of them than Lisa does.
I had no problem with Spike calling out Chef Rick. The judges were giving Spike a hard time for using them, and even said (paraphrasing) that if he's running a restaurant and someone shows up at your delivery door with those scallops, you don't accept them. I thought to myself, well, apparently Chef Rick or someone at his restaurant surely must have allowed them in. Remind me to never get scallops there. However, had Spike made the dish work better, his comment to Chef Rick would have been more appropriate, although had the dish worked, it may never have come to that.
Clearly, Lisa will be the first of the 4 to go, unless something bizarre takes place. Richard would probably be next as he also tends to make odd choices at the wrong moments. He's probably the most skilled and creative, but that doesn't always equate to most tasty; that is evidenced all the time on Iron Chef America.
At this point, it's almost a given that a woman will finally win Top Chef, and I'm guessing it will come down to Antonia and Stephanie. I predicted Stephanie some time ago, and I'll stick with it now.
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May 29, 2008 10:23 AM
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The judges really need to show Lisa the door w/ a high degree of quickness. I don't think she has won a single QF or elimination challenge this entire season. So basically, she has a bad attitude, is whiny and doesn't even come close to the caliber of chefs that are still left. Does that sound like a top 4 contestant to you?
Now, Spike also should have gone a while ago so I'm not saying he should still be here. The one who really got jobbed was Dale.
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May 29, 2008 10:49 AM
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In fairness to Chef Rick, The blogs on the Top Chef site address the frozen scallops. Rick had stated he was not aware of the frozen stock but they still would not be used for a satueed dish. Frozen scallops could successfully be used for something like a mousse or something not purely scallops unlike what Spike wanted to do. Oh and he stated he was not offended by Spike's comments
While I understand a lot of the Lisa hate, we have to recall that part of that comes from editing. Judge Ted comments that you don't see a full picture of her. I think it's important to note that Dale was the only one to be shown actively complaining about her on a regular basis.
I know and understand many people think Dale got screwed last week, but Ted succintly stated the judges were the ones that had to taste his food. Dale was clearly presented as a chef with talent, but even the best chefs can make bad decisions in this contest.
Also and more importantly he, along with Spike and Lisa, were presented as not-so-great competitors in this contest-each for different reasons. Spike came across as conniving, Lisa as whiney, Dale with a bad temper (punching the locker folks). You can still be a talented chef but not an ideal contestant for the show. Chef Tom made such a comment about Casey last year during the reunion show.
Now I don't think Lisa is good enough to beat the other 3, but I think it is unfair to dimiss her as having no talent. While she rarely won and was in the bottom 5 times, there were times her food was postiviely received despite not taking the challenge.
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May 29, 2008 10:52 AM
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Oh Šarclyte please don't say it's a given. I was almost positive Casey was going to walk away the winner last season and boy was I wrong. I would be very happy to see Stephanie win but then it wouldn't really bother me to see Richard or Antonia win either.
Ding Dong the hat king is gone. Oh how happy I am. I hope Spike goes home and makes himself a nice soup to cry into. This guy has bothered me from day one with his arrogance and inability to work with others. And 7 time in the bottom? Come on judges can you not see there is a problem when two of your last comepetitors have been in the bottom over ten times?
On a final note, I have not had red meat in months but boy did I want a big ol' rare steak after watching this episode.
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May 29, 2008 10:55 AM
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After the first few boring weeks of this show as a first time Top Chef watcher I was ready to give it up but for some reason I stuck with it (and hey, it was already set up on my DVR for a series record, so why not?) And I'm glad I did stick with it because I think it's finally getting interesting. I am hoping that Lisa is the first to get the boot-I think she has a horrible attitude and I wish Jennifer was there instead of her. And after that--I like Antonia, but I'm hoping for a Stephanie/Richard final two. I think they are evenly matched in temper and in creativity.
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May 29, 2008 11:13 AM
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Good riddance to Spike! That guy has hung around longer than a bad cold and had about the same affect on me. I love to watch people, and to see the postures of Spike and Lisa at the Judges Table last night was priceless. Spike stood submissively with his arms behind his back, knowing that he was toast. Lisa however stood with her arms crossed in front of her and her chin out - daring the judges to criticize her. Both knew that they were in trouble but Lisa was taking a stand, and it worked! She stayed, Spike left and Lisa made it to the final four. We all know that her cooking, barring all unforseen calamities will not stand up to Richard, Stephanie or Antonia in the finals but she made it to the final four.
As far as the top three go - I too am fine if either wins. Right now I am a bit partial to Anotonio who seems to use her heart at the right times, but Stephanie seems to be the more technical of the two. If either wins it would be fine by me, but I would love to see a female win Top Chef this year.
Did anyone else think that the frozen scallops were a plant? A trap to see wich Chef was the laziest? Scallops are one of the easiest dishes to prepare, and to see those frozen scallops even in the shape that they were in was too much of a temptation for Spike who often times showed laziness in his food preperation. You cannot tell me that Chef Rick did not know every item in his kitchen and positively had done an inventory before the chef's entered so he could tally food costs which is standard operating procedures in any large scale resteraunt. I have no problem with it - afterall it did get rid of Bad Hat Spike!
Here is Jen's recipe for her PB Mashed Potatoes:
INGREDIENTS:
Peanut Butter Mashed Potatoes:
1 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup fresh peanut butter
1 oz peanut oil
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup melted salted butter
1 cup warm heavy cream
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Peanut Butter Mashed Potatoes:
Puree roasted peanuts into fresh peanut butter with enough peanut oil to make smooth.
Boil potatoes and put through a ricer. Mix together in a bowl with butter and heavy cream until smooth and creamy. Add peanut butter mixture and adjust if needed. Season with salt.
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May 29, 2008 11:14 AM
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As glad as I was to finally see scallop-boy Spike go, I gotta say I would have been just as happy to see Lisa go. She seems so lazy to me. And that look she has on her face when she's being criticized (mouth hanging open, eyes half-closed) absolutely drives me up the wall!
And, can I just admit it... I have such a crush on Tom Colicchio. I have no idea why, normally don't go for stocky bald guys, but when he comes striding into the kitchen, my heart flutters a little bit!
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May 29, 2008 11:40 AM
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