Top Chef 1/3/19--"Restaurant Wars Part 2" summary

Previously on “Top Chef”: we had Restaurant Wars early, with three teams instead of two. Michelle won immunity during the Quickfire. Her team seems mostly OK? Kelsey and Nini's team was very cocky, but fell apart during prep. They were really behind, and it's implied that Nini was a terrible FOH and didn't train her servers. Brian wrote a whole service manual so he seemed to be the most well-prepared for service, even though he was behind on prep. Then Tom appeared and said it would be a double elimination, right before we got the To Be Continued. (click for more)

On Last Chance Kitchen, we had a seafood mise en place race. Brother Luck wasted half of the time on purpose because he got cocky, and then he almost went home because when it came time to make something with that seafood, he blanked. In the end, though, Kevin tried to make fried oysters and they were too heavy, so Natalie and Brother Luck made through.

The restaurants themselves look very nice, which is to be expected when you have real designers doing the work. Service starts, and people are friendly and in the back there is still frantic working. Brian seems pretty tense and anal, but at least we know he's less likely to miss anything. Adrienne starts correcting servers on table numbers and how to write tickets, so that implication that Brian had done the best at service is clearly wrong. Either that, or she and Brian don't agree on how tickets should be. It looks like a server takes part of an order to a different table. Over at Thistle Michelle is not loud enough to expedite. Brandon can't hear her, and he does seem to be implying that she needs to scream at everyone and be a bitch, but for sure she's not very loud. Contrary to what I expected Brandon is respecting her authority and is asking for permission to do things. Third Coast is backing up, because of course the cockiest team is doing the worst. They wanted to pre-shuck oysters for starters, but that failed, so that puts them further behind. But I said that having a dish that “the team” was doing was maybe not the best idea. Nini doesn't seem to know what kind of wine they have.

Judges arrive to North East. Brian comes over, so that's a good start. The judges like the space, and the calming gray and the tables. However, only one table in the whole place has food at the moment. Brian promises their food will be perfect, but does not provide times. Adrienne is freaking out a little bit. Brian tries to tell Eric and Eddie what he needs, but Adrienne stops him and said that he can't talk to them, he needs to go through her. It's true. They edit it like she's being bitchy, but if she's the executive chef and expediter, then the other two should only be listening to her. Eddie is finishing Brian's dish. Brian: chicken ballotine with sunchoke, sunflower seeds and apple. Eddie: striped bass crudo with corn dashi, corn puree and shaved celery. The ballotine is perfectly cooked, but the crudo needs acid. I meant to say last week, if there's ever a weird food word I don't explain, leave a comment and I'll try to find the answer.

Eric is in the weeds, because his scallops have too many components, and Adrienne interviews that she never got the chance to taste Eric's plates. Eddie: braised NY strip with braised cabbage and merlot jus. Eric: pork and scallop with couscous and carrot. The scallops are cooked well, but the pork is salty. The steak is far better. Sara is charming people, but the servers are not putting correct table numbers so Michelle is struggling. Nini is telling some server that if the guest is having soup, then she only needs a spoon, so take her fork and knife away. The server seems very skeptical, and I'm not sure if it's because this is a terrible idea, or because that kind of service only happens in fine dining and the server is unfamiliar with that kind of service? I know when I go somewhere really fancy they bring new silverware for each course, so this kind of thing makes sense. But the server may not get it. I don't know if this is Nini's fault, or if the show needs to hire fine dining servers and not just whoever wants to be on TV and thinks they can be a waiter for three hours.

Adrienne is arriving at desserts and Brian is helping plate. Adrienne: marsala roasted peach, yogurt mousse, hazelnut crumble, fresh peaches and mint. Also Adrienne: Jasper Hill Harbison cheese with basil foccacia and blackberry. The cheese course looks beautiful, and everyone already loves the cheese so they're inclined to love this dish. The peaches are kind of safe but very nice. Brian is now freaking out that based on how many people they're supposed to serve, they need to turn tables every hour. So that's one hour to get your three courses, eat, and get out. That's pretty tight. Overall this restaurant did pretty well.

Back in the kitchen, Nini's ice cream is not frozen. As she predicted last week, because the freezer is not cold enough and it's very hot back by the kitchens. Kelsey basically says she's not about to use the liquid nitrogen to spin ice cream to order because she doesn't have time. Except that's what Nini was planning to do, and I didn't realize last week that would be impossible because she's FOH. So how was that going to work exactly? I mean, it's a fine plan, if Nini is in the back where she can just spin ice cream. But she was never going to be back there, so did she make that decision and not warn her team? Didn't ask them if they would do that for her? That's a big oversight and I don't blame Kelsey for not wanting to do it, or not having time, if it was sprung on her in the middle of service. The three chefs in the back appear to make the decision to scrap the ice cream, without talking to Nini about it.

Sara is very nice to the servers who are clueless, as Kelsey is telling the servers to not talk at all. The judges arrive at Thistle, and Sara says it's surprisingly smooth. Then I think she explains the whole menu right at the start. They do that thing where they cut in and out so it looks like she's going on forever and everyone looks bored. She also claims she's been talking that much to every table. At least do it when the food is in front of everyone. Padma is barely civil when she asks to have their order put in. Meanwhile Nini is noticing there is no ice cream going out, so she goes back to the kitchen where Kelsey claims it's completely liquid. It's not liquid. It's like a soft serve, which maybe you still don't want to serve, but don't tell me it's all melted when it's not. Nini asks her to quinelle at least because she doesn't want to go home.

Sara tells the chefs the judges' dishes need to be out now, ignore everyone else. She tries to explain that they should serve Padma first, by saying she's the banging hot one, but oh no they're all hot! Heh. Sara: green tomato gazpacho, sourdough croutons, cucumber and ginger. The soup is poured over the other ingredients at the table. Michelle: sweet pea agnolotti, roasted shiitakes, toasted hazelnut, manchego and ricotta. The soup is great, but there's candied ginger in there and it doesn't go. The pasta is wonderful.

Pablo seems kind of frantic. He says the short ribs aren't bad, but they're not all cooked exactly the same. Michelle also isn't tasting the dishes as a whole because she trusts Pablo. Pablo: seared scallops with sunchoke, apple puree and lime. Team (but I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be Pablo): kombu braised short rib with artichoke, asparagus, fava beans and carrot. Padma makes a face, and then says there was too much thistle in her artichoke. You mean they didn't clean them properly? You're not eating them whole! That's terrible. There's no excuse for leaving in hairy thistle parts if you're cutting up the artichokes. The scallops are good but the rest of the dish is overpowering. There are also complaints about the short ribs.

Dessert time. Brandon: soy milk custard with strawberries, cardamom, almond streusel and lemon verbena. Also Brandon: goat cheese roulade with corn, blueberries and candy corn. The custard has a great consistency but Padma wishes it was sweeter. The corn is weird. The judges all get up and leave, but there is no comment about how horrible it is that Sara didn't say goodbye.

Train wreck time at Third Coast. There's a wait for reservations, and Nini is blaming the servers for not doing their jobs. She says she had to cover and take orders. Someone got food delivered, except they already got their food, so no one knows whose food this is. I'd be more concerned but I feel like this happens at least once every season. Nini is also blaming Justin, because she thinks clarifying the tickets to the servers is the executive chef's job. Some random server is seating the judges, and Justin hollers at Nini to go greet them. Except how did he know that was happening, if he's in the back and he can't see the dining room? We manage to get the judges having a conversation about how the biggest mistake you can make as a new restaurateur is not training your staff enough. Justin thinks they're going to run out of food, because the servers are just taking food to random tables. So are they really that dumb? Or is this restaurant so in the weeds that the servers are just trying to put out fires and take food anywhere there are people? I mean...Kelsey bitches to Justin that the servers aren't looking at table numbers and are just doing whatever, and then there's a shot of her handing a plate to a server and telling them she has no idea where it's going. That's not helpful. David pops out of the back to see what's up, and then Nini gets called over by Padma to explain why people are waiting for tables. I'm not sure what she says, but she basically says something and then walks away while Padma lets her go and Tom shakes his head.

Kelsey says Justin should send the soup to the judges and she'll get the oysters just after. Justin: crawfish bisque with trinity, lemon zest and scallion. It doesn't have a deep flavor and it's kind of thick. Also everyone knows they fucked up by not bringing out both dishes at the same time. Team: chargrilled Chesapeake Bay oysters with compound butter. Very acidic but cooked beautifully. Couple of shots of servers wandering aimlessly with plates, implied that they had the table numbers correct for once but the kitchen sent out the wrong course.

Team (originally David and Justin): red snapper Pontchartrain, corn and crab salad, fried green tomatoes with salsa verde. It's very nice, actually. This comes out before the other dish. David: creole spiced duck with cabbage. The cabbage is nice, and the duck is cooked well, but it's not “creole” and it doesn't really go with the rest of the menu. This team appeared to be the most cohesive and teamwork-y, but none of the dishes on the menu go together.

A server says to Nini that “they” changed something, and it's not clear what. Nini returns with table 33's entrees,, because they're still eating appetizers. Justin continues freaking out, as he has been doing. Then Kelsey says she's doing desserts for that table, which is completely ridiculous. Someone has jacked this up. Nini picks up a ticket from the area that Justin says is “people who are waiting to fire desserts” and says it's table 33. Justin immediately accuses Nini of touching his shit and fucking up the tickets. I mean...if she just took entrees out, I doubt she moved the ticket over as she was taking entrees out. You know? Justin blames everything on FOH. David confirms that he and/or Justin moved the ticket because Nini left with entrees, even though it turned out table 33 was still on apps. But David also confirms that Nini didn't touch anything. Back out at the judges' table, we find out that the last reservations were supposed to be for 10:15, and it's currently 11:12, meaning the last people have been waiting for an hour for their tables. I know if I make a reservation somewhere, there is no way I'm waiting that long for my table.

Finally dessert. Kelsey: buttermilk panna cotta with blackberries and buttermilk biscuit. Nini: “chocolate”; cocoa nib sorbet, chocolate crumble and chocolate ganache. The panna cotta is beautiful and it's also delicious. Nini's dessert isn't chocolately enough, and appears to be a collection of random things. Padma claims that there isn't a clear winner or loser. Tom thinks it's the hardest Restaurant Wars yet. They like the ballotine and the pasta, but not the oysters or bisque.

Suddenly it's Stew Room time and beers. No one is happy. Judges' Table. The winning team is North East! So that's Brian, Adrienne, Eric, and Eddie. Eddie looks upset but is in shock. Everyone had the same FOH problems but Brian recovered the best. He wanted a culture in his place and he made sure the servers knew it. The ballotine was amazing, and Brian staggers a little bit. Eddie wanted blue collar steak and cabbage. The steak was perfect. Eric's scallops were a little salty but they needed to put dishes out. Adrienne had the cheese everyone loved, and her peaches were delicious and cravable. The winner is Brian. Yeah that seems right. Look, if Brian's service manual and attitude meant that his servers did just a tiny bit better, then that's an advantage you can't ignore. Sara was nice to her servers too, but she didn't have a manual. He interviews in a deadpan tone of voice that he's exploding right now, and then he apologizes to every FOH manager he's ever snapped at. Aww. Everyone on the team has each won $10,000! Wow! Lots of staggering because no one expected this.

We're talking to everyone else. Michelle admits she didn't taste everything together for all the dishes because they ran out of time. But she also says that she communicated with FOH well. Sara admits she got flustered and nervous, which is why she ran on and on about the dishes when the judges sat down, instead of waiting for them to have the dishes in front of them. The gazpacho was good, but the candied ginger was not great. Michelle's agnolotti were amazing. Pablo's short ribs were not consistently cooked, which he knew, but the puree was too sweet. Tom starts to talk about how this is why you taste the dishes as a whole, and Michelle immediately says she takes full responsibility for that. Brandon's panna cotta was perfect, but his other dessert had the corn which was weird.

Time for Third Coast. How did you get in the weeds with seating? Nini says something about the ticket system, while Justin crosses his arms and shakes his head and glowers. He blames the servers, that they had no training. Nini admits that was her responsibility, and that she had to get the dining room together and spin her ice cream and they were just behind. She claims the servers all told her they understood, and then Justin is all “well maybe they just felt pressured to lie about it.” I mean maybe but out of this whole team, Justin is the most threatening one in terms of temper so if I was going to lie to anyone it'd be him honestly. He was the one bitching the most. Anyway, Justin is convinced that everything is 100% FOH's fault. Kelsey sort of defends her that the servers were more difficult than the other restaurants. Justin's bisque didn't taste like seafood and the texture was thick. The oyster sauce had too many strong flavors. They liked David's duck dish, and the fish was fine also. Kelsey's biscuit and panna cotta were great, but Nini's dish was too disjointed. Kelsey takes the blame for that and says she plated it, but Nini also claims it was pretty close to what she wanted.

In the Stew Room, David hugs Nini and tells her it's not her fault. Nini thanks Kelsey for sticking up for her. Michelle knows she should have been more aggressive. Nini's FOH was terrible so Tom blames her for the kitchen problems. But her dish also wasn't that great. But Justin could have communicated better, plus his dish wasn't great either. Michelle took responsibility, but they know she has immunity. The entrees on that team weren't good and Pablo was responsible for both.

Tom tells everyone Restaurant Wars is hard, and you have to be organized and be able to make changes. Pablo and Nini are sent home. Pablo's dishes were the worst on his team, and they're blaming the FOH and the subsequent kitchen failure on Nini. Nini knows she wasn't perfect, but Justin should have been held accountable for some of it. Pablo was too ambitious.

Next week: cocktails, flappers, someone burns something. Sure.

Last Chance Kitchen: UGH. I think there are two episodes. Fine. Someone is going to re-enter the competition. Pablo knows he and Nini were two top competitors. Nini is kind of worried about how big Brother Luck is, but Natalie is also terrifying. Someone is going back to Top Chef two rounds from now. Nini's pissed because she knows Justin threw her under the bus. Pablo knows he got too ambitious with two entrees (as I predicted) so he just wants to redeem himself. This challenge will be to come up with a restaurant concept and one “signature dish” for the restaurant. This will be a double elimination.

30 minutes. Natalie is going to come up with a dish and then make up a concept from there. She's got...scallops and vegetables. Brother Luck wonders aloud why they didn't send home the chef from Pablo's restaurant, because he doesn't know she was immune. Pablo wants to do something with vegetables, because he wants to prove to Tom he knows what he's doing. Nini is going with her “Vietnam meets New Orleans” she's won with before. Brother Luck is also doing something without a protein.

Tom Time! Nini describes her concept as “Mekong Delta meets Mississippi Delta” and that the restaurant will probably just be called Delta. She can't marinate her pork chops as much as she wants. Pablo wants to make good carrots. He's listening to Tom's criticisms. Natalie has no name for her restaurant, which is healthy and Asian. Brother Luck is crossing Southwest and Japanese. Tom scoffs at his jalapeno popper dish, and Brother Luck says he's had this dish on his restaurant menu for years. Nini feels that this should mean he doesn't win. Natalie's pan isn't as hot as she wants. But everyone gets done.

Natalie: her restaurant is going to be NQM's, or Not Quite Mom's. Pan seared scallops with braised napa cabbage, carrots, asparagus, and mushroom broth. Pablo: his restaurant is Campo, which means field. Pan seared carrots with herb yogurt and pickled carrots. Brother Luck: Sun Blossom. Tempura jalapeno popper. Nini: Delta. Lemongrass grilled pork chop with corn and tomato salad.

Tom would eat in any of these restaurants. Natalie's scallops were great but the vegetables got lost. Pablo's carrots were very acidic. Nini needed more heat, more herbs, more everything. Brother Luck's dish wasn't that Japanese. Pablo is out, because the dish wasn't cooked enough and was too much vinegar. Pablo is not happy but he knows he didn't execute. The other person who is out is Natalie. Ooo. She was headed in the right direction but the vegetables didn't get there. But she knows she belongs in the kitchen. Tom says to listen to his feedback, because tomorrow they'll need to make two more dishes to go with this one. Nini needs more flavor, and Brother Luck needs more Japanese if he's doing fusion.

OK time for the next episode right now. The knife block is here, along with big tables. Tom wants a three course menu, with one course being the dish they served yesterday. One hour to serve all three courses: first course after 30 minutes, second at 45, and third course at 60. I kind of like this concept, even if it's going to be crazy. They'll get some help. Oh, it's current contestant time. And since you'll have help, you should make an extra six plates for the peanut gallery. Jim looks excited to eat. They'll get five helpers each. Alternate knife pulls for helpers. Nini gets Michelle, David, Justin, Eric, and Brandon. Brother Luck gets Brian, Eddie, Sara, Kelsey, and Adrienne. He also points out that he had no idea who these people are or if they even want him around. Also I feel like maybe they redid the takes until Nini got Justin because come on. And her BFF Kelsey is on Brother Luck's team? Come on. Nini won't admit she has an advantage because she knows everyone. She also won't admit she doesn't want to work with Justin. She knows everyone's strengths, but she also knows maybe she doesn't trust Justin.

10 minutes before the helpers show up. Nini starts out by making prep lists for each person, while Brother Luck is running to get ingredients. Kevin worries that maybe Brother is in trouble because he took 30 minutes to make his popper that time. The helpers arrive and Nini is all “Hey guys! Last Chance Kitchen bitches!” Hee. No one expected Brother Luck though.

Tom explains how this works, that they have a team they need to work on, and that the winning team will have an advantage for the Elimination challenge. Nini tells them their names are on a paper with their instructions. She's on top of the yelling and orders. Brother Luck just kind of tells whoever to do whatever, because he doesn't know who anyone is and couldn't make assignments based on strengths. He's just paired off everyone (Eddie with him) so there are two people working on each course. Meanwhile Nini can tell Justin “fry the shrimp like a po' boy” and that's enough instruction. Nini threatens everyone that if she loses she'll haunt them all, and someone says if she loses they'll wear her muumuu around the house. Heh. Brother Luck is trying to get more Japanese flavors. Justin is like, no hard feelings about Judges' Table, mostly because he's not the one who got sent home over what other people said. Everyone else knows about Justin and Nini having tension. Both chefs are yelling orders. Justin is asking questions, and it's a little bit “I'm covering my ass so you can't blame me when this gets fucked up”, but I feel like this is Justin's way of reassuring Nini that he's respecting her authority here.

First courses are up. Nini: po' boy shrimp with fish sauce chili glaze. Brother Luck: tempura jalapeno popper with pickled cucumber and carrot tsukemono. Tsukemono is just pickled vegetables. It looks like they're technically feeding the peanut gallery, but by like, one shrimp per person. You know? Tom declares the shrimp breading a little dry, and the tsukemono not pickled enough and the whole dish not Japanese enough.

Brother Luck is not worried about the Asianness of his next dishes. Nini adjusts her salad from yesterday. Nini's pork is not cooking as fast as they would like, but the scallops are perfect. Kelsey does briefly consider fucking Brother Luck over so Nini could win. David promises Nini she'll get back in. Some of the pork is dry, but they've made more than they need so she should be fine.

Nini: lemongrass pork chop with herb, corn and tomato salad. The salad is hotter and has more herbs. It's turned out well. Brother Luck: cumin dusted scallop with yuzu guacamole and kumquat gastrique. Great balance and flavor.

The peanut gallery likes Brother Luck's dish best. Nini goes for bananas Foster. Brother Luck is going with seared tuna. He can't go through losing again. And...that's it! So I assume we'll finish this next week on the regular show. I'll see you then!