Previously on “Top Chef”: apparently Portland is the City of Roses, so for Mother's Day (which is this week, not last week, not the only counting mistake today) everyone had to make dishes with roses or rose flavored things. Chris won by making Haitian food, and was given immunity and the ability to pick his team in the Elimination Challenge. Which was to make food for a bunch of fans at the drive-in. Two teams, six courses, each course was supposed to be themed around a genre of movie. Some people did this well, but let's say, “action” was not really action-y? Once again, Top Chef failed to count properly and had this challenge when they had 11 people left. So one team had to have everyone contribute to the last course, when they could have done this the week before and had one course per person. Anyway, Gabriel bossed his team around because he's very annoying. It came down to a tie, and the win was given to the best dish overall, which was Byron's Korean fried chicken. Jamie made limp chicken wings (on the “advice” of Gabriel) and was sent home. (click for more)
On Last Chance Kitchen, Jamie and Kiki made chicken, with some weird gimmick where they took turns choosing parts and ended up having to use the feet. They also sort of lessened the time they had but not really? Because Jamie knows better? It was weird. Both of them used some of the parts in stock, which is kind of a cop-out, but Kiki used almost everything in the stock, while Jamie did have some variety so Jamie was the winner.
Everyone is kind of sad that Jamie is gone. They joke about how she makes random noises all the time. That's about it for that segment.
The Top Chef Kitchen is full of cut sections of logs set up like tables. And Tom is here. Padma makes a terrible fungi joke. Anyway, time for mushrooms. Gabriel celebrates because he says he knows it's mushroom season. “Give me my weapons”. Ugh, he is the worst. Did you know that in addition to being known as City of Roses that Portland is also known as Stumptown? Sure. Your only prep station is a stump. They will also have some dried products. No immunity for the winner, but you will get $10,000.
30 minutes. Avishar gloats that his being short actually is coming in handy right now. Whoever cut the trees into sections made them all much shorter than their real prep stations, so someone like Gabriel is hunched over because the stump is too low. Nelson appears to find a spider. I think Gabe is making fresh tortillas. Byron is making confit mushrooms in butter which sounds amazing. Lots of people in the wood-burning oven. So many that Dawn is standing by the oven yelling at everyone to see if they're almost done. The fryers are also very busy. Surely there are more ways to make good mushrooms than roasting and frying? Shota says he'll just have to fry his mushrooms better than everyone else. Dawn for some reason also wants to use the fryer? I'm not sure what she is doing. She's irritated that she has to wait twice. Chris takes his stuff out but then tells Avishar he's going to fry them again so he's hogging a fryer. Gabriel kind of bullies Sara into letting him share her fryer basket, but she kind of shrugs that she hopes his mushrooms taste like oil. I think everyone gets done?
Chris: fried chicken of the woods mushrooms with mushroom ranch and mushroom BBQ sauce. Shota: mushroom katsu with classic katsu sauce (a little bit like BBQ sauce but not as sweet). Avishar: fried chicken of the woods mushrooms with mushroom cream and grilled pickled mushrooms. Gabriel: seared foie gras with white chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, oven roasted figs and herbs. Dawn: wood fired roasted mushrooms with tarragon mascarpone and cherry vinaigrette. Sara: chicken of the woods schnitzel. Gabe: chanterelle mushroom taco with mushroom bouillon tortilla. Nelson: sauteed crab with chanterelles and oyster mushrooms. Maria: lobster mushroom and chanterelle cabbage wrap. Byron: confit and grilled mushrooms over bulgar.
Chris had the thickest fried mushrooms, and somehow they were still raw. So I guess frying them twice didn't work out. Nelson's mushrooms got buried under the crab flavor, and Byron's were too salty. The best were Gabriel (boo) because they were well seasoned and cooked well. Dawn also cooked them well and the mascarpone was nice. Gabe made a great tortilla and it was spicy but good. Tom says that the winner is the person who cooked the mushrooms the best and that's Gabriel. Sigh. Whatever, he's not immune. Tom bails and Dale comes in.
Elimination Challenge. Oregon was once home to over 60 different tribes of indigenous people. Your challenge will be to make dishes featuring some of the “first foods”. Also drawing knives? Half of them have a local fish, and half of them have a local game meat. So this is “surf and turf”. Harder than usual because you usually don't see game in a surf and turf. Very strongly flavored. They pair themselves up. Shota has smelt, and he wants to pair with rabbit, which is Sara. She says smelt can be used like anchovies so they can make that work. Padma yells that they should make sure the two proteins go well together. There seems to only be some calm talking, no excitement, and then at the end Gabriel says suddenly everyone is partnered up but him and Nelson. Well I wouldn't want to be partnered with Gabriel either. He's generally not in the bottom but working with him seems very annoying. Nelson interviews that Gabriel isn't cocky, he's a strong chef. I don't know that “cocky” is the word I would use.
So the pairs shake out this way: Nelson and Gabriel have steelhead trout and antelope. Sara and Shota, smelt and rabbit. Maria and Byron, elk and salmon. Avishar and Chris, deer and sturgeon. Dawn and Gabe, bison and catfish. Padma says they're going to Cascade Locks to meet with “local experts” before they go shopping. Not sure why but Gabriel fist pumps about this. Three hours to cook tomorrow, to serve judges and also some tribal leaders and members. Also it's a double elimination.
OK I normally don't talk about the commercials, but the product placement in the Quickfire was bouillon? And then they had a commercial and it starred MARCEL?! Just casually making risotto. It was weird.
Everyone treks out to what looks like a park, and they talk to two women about their food traditions. Nelson says it is meaningful to him as a POC because it's so full of traditions and history. They tell the chefs that they serve dishes in a certain order based on what's in them, and so Avishar asks what they should do if they've got dishes with multiple proteins. And the first woman says “if you're in a chef competition you show us what you got!” Heh. I don't blame him, because I think he was worried they'd run afoul of some hidden rule about not mixing certain things or something. There are piles and baskets of local ingredients, elderberries, duck potatoes. And little hints like elderberries have seeds in them. They take all the stuff back to the cars I think. Then there's two other sisters down at the river to talk about how they fish. Maria is especially moved because they are also in a male-dominated field like she is. She says you do have to cook for the judges but she feels blessed, and she has to cook for these people also.
In the cars on the way back to town everyone discusses their dishes. We spend the most time on Maria and Byron, because they are very different. Not in a “we are fighting” kind of way, they are just different chefs. But Byron interviews that they do agree on respecting the ingredients, especially for this challenge. Maria asks that they are honest if they don't like something in their dish. I only add this in case it's foreshadowing. Sara loves fish so much she wishes she could own a boutique cannery. She's odd. Shota mentions how Nelson and Gabriel have an odd combo, and then giggles about who might be taking the lead. Heh.
Back in the hotel, Nelson reveals that his knee is still bothering him from all the way back in the orchard challenge. He'll just have to ice it and hope it gets better. At least Gabriel jokes that he'll plant Nelson at one station and just run around him.
Elimination Day. Gabriel's plan is to make a dish where both proteins taste good on their own, without the other half of the dish. Shota and Sara want to do more of a rabbit dish with several smelt preparations. Sara tells him “you're not stressing me out at all”, which of course makes Shota ask if he's stressing her out, and she says “it's OK”. They don't really get in a fight about it, I just thought it was nice that he was concerned. Maria says Byron is a “rule-follower” when it comes to cooking, and I'm not sure exactly what that means. I guess that she cooks from the heart? Who knows. Dawn says that she and Gabe know catfish well, and bison is essentially beef. They're also making mole (I think Maria is planning a mole verde). Avishar and Chris laugh at their giant sturgeon. Byron wants to smoke the salmon he has, so he jerry-rigs a smoker in a cooler. Avishar has a weird interview that he didn't intend to make friends but he has. He thanks Chris for calming him down earlier, and they joke that it's the voice. Then they holler over to Maria and Byron that they're also awesome, and it's very cute. Shota reveals that there are five different preparations of smelt going into their dish. Sara's excited too. Gabe usually fries catfish, but today he's going to grill it.
Maria and Byron argue a little bit over their dish, and Maria interviews that she doesn't agree but she took one for the team. Uh oh. In the dining tent one of the elders is saying a prayer, like grace, which is really cool. Maria and Byron: green mole elk with duck potato puree, smoked salmon and berry sauce. It's delicious. They used the local ingredients. Gail does wish for more mole, but Tom thinks they're nitpicking which is good. Nitpicking means everything is great overall.
Avishar and Chris: grilled sturgeon with venison and duck potato croquette, mushroom puree, pickled chanterelles, and sturgeon caviar. Everyone raves about it. The sturgeon is a little dry (Gail is picky today) and maybe more sauce would be good. But the elders love it.
Dawn and Gabe: bison tenderloin with catfish and pumpkin seed mole. The mole is a good addition and brought the two proteins together. The judges rave about the flavors and the skill needed to blend all of them.
Nelson says his knee is really hurting and it's slowing him down. The fish has crispy skin but it's overcooked. They find some more pieces and are recooking them with only a couple of minutes left. Gabriel says they might have to choose between soggy skin or overcooked fish. Gabriel and Nelson: crispy skin steelhead trout, antelope, chanterelles, and berries. The antelope is good, and there are dandelion greens which is a nice contrast. But the fish is overcooked.
Sara and Shota: smoked smelt crusted rabbit loin, smoked smelt and kabocha squash puree, pickled smelt. It's so creative but it works. There's a lot going on. Gail jokes that the puree is so yellow she keeps thinking it's mustard. One of the elders says they generally only fry smelt so this is a new preparation.
Overall everyone used all the local, tradtional ingredients and Tom says this is the best food this season. They bring the contestants back out to praise them and tell them they honored the tribes. Always a relief in situations like this, that no one disrespected anything.
Judges' Table is outside at the park. Tom jokes that the food was all good, even the puree which every plate had. Heh. The top two teams are Gabe and Dawn, and Sara and Shota. Gabe didn't want to fry the catfish because that wouldn't go with the bison. The sauce they made tied everything together and everything sang. Sara says they wanted to keep everything simple and just highlight the smelt and the rabbit. Dale says “You're lying” because that was not a simple dish. Gail tells them what the elders said about usually just frying smelt. They were really creative. The winners showed respect and still took the ingredients to another level, and that's Sara and Shota. Yay! They're very giggly in confessional and it's nice to see people getting along.
Padma tells the bottom three that whoever goes home didn't make a bad dish, because they were all good and they should be proud. I'd argue overcooking fish borders on “bad”. I don't know if I like this foreshadowing. Avishar and Chris did a great job using the duck potatoes, but their fish really needed sauce. They had a jus, but it didn't really come through. Tom wanted a little more seasoning. Gabriel and Nelson made crispy fish skin important. Tom explains to them that they cooked the fish too hot and it was overcooked. Gail wanted more berries. Byron and Maria smoked their salmon and used all the berries they had. They didn't taste any green mole. The rest of what they did was great though.
Maria and Byron could have not mentioned the green mole at all, and no one would have been the wiser. Their salmon was great though and tied things together. Tom thinks they're safe. Gabriel and Nelson's antelope was possibly the best meat they were served, but the steelhead was for sure the worst. Tom insists the puree was nice. Gail thinks there was no point of view on the plate, they were just being polite to each other. Avishar and Chris didn't put enough sauce on the plate. But Gail loved the venison.
Tom says they are all at a high level, and they all have great ingredients. So all that's left is the interplay between ingredients. Gabriel and Nelson are eliminated. I'm sad Nelson is gone, but Gabriel can get lost. Nelson is glad for the opportunity, but of course Gabriel doesn't think he should be going home. He says “if we had just scraped the freaking fish off and served that crispy skin we'd be in the top.” OK what? So when you overcook a fish like salmon, or steelhead, it gets that weird white gunk on it. Is he saying they didn't scrape that off? Cleaning that off doesn't magically make your fish not be overcooked. Also you know if you only served fish skin that would be a problem. What is he talking about? Maria tells Nelson he's a true gentleman...and Gabriel is a perfect lovely asshole. Ha! Everyone laughs but that was amazing. Then Tom strolls up and says that Last Chance Kitchen is right now. One of them can earn a chance to get back in, and one is out for good. Hmm.
Next week: someone comes back from LCK and people are cheering and jumping up and down which makes me hopeful it is not Gabriel. Also Jose Andres, meals for hospital workers, someone serves raw food.
Last Chance Kitchen: two parts today, apparently. Gabriel thinks everyone is relieved he's going home. Not for the reason you think, idiot. Tom, Gabriel, and Nelson all get in the car and drive back to Portland. Nelson says his knee still hurts. Actually they show some shots of him in a wheelchair, which doesn't look good.
Back at the actual LCK, only Gabriel walks in. Everyone is shocked, and Tom says Nelson was also eliminated. Turns out he strained a ligament and he decided to quit for the sake of his business. I can get behind not wanting to permanently mess up your body for this show. Gabriel aims for “intimidating” but stops at “delusional”. “Now you just awoke the beast.” Shut up Gabriel. Anyway the winner of this battle gets back in. Melissa shows up to help out. Tom asks her what the first dish she made was, and she says there were no child labor laws in her house so she was making congee and steamed fish when she was five. Heh. He asks Gabriel what his first dish was, and he says omelet? As if it's a question? And then he looks pleased. The same look you get when you answer a question in school and you're right. I have a feeling he thinks he's going to have to make it and he just picked something he knows how to do, and he's pleased the answer was accepted. Jamie made fried rice. So your challenge is to show your journey as a chef. Gabriel has eggs, and Jamie has rice. Interesting. You can use other ingredients also, and it sounds like you don't have to make the actual dish. So they don't have to make omelets or fried rice.
35 minutes. Jamie runs around with a pot and says “You're Asian if you put your finger in your rice!” Hee. She means that's how you measure how much rice and how much water to put in the pot so it comes out properly. I do not do this because despite being half Asian I have never cooked rice in a pot. Rice cookers only, and they come with a measuring cup. Gabriel is thinking of steak and eggs. He says his dad used to make it, and he's “sure” his dad used to make omelets, and he's sure his dad showed him how to make them. “Good memory.” See, it just sounds like he has no idea, he just thought of something he wanted to make and then pretended it was meaningful, like his dad must have shown him how to make an omelet at some point. Gabriel puts some tomatoes in the oven and asks if the peanut gallery will remind him it's in there. Jamie yells “Bitch cook” at something. Jamie says her parents taught her to cook but she's developed her own style. Gabriel decides to make corn custard.
Tom Time! Jamie talks very quickly but she doesn't run around as much as she did last week. Gabriel actually stops to talk. They question his meat cookery but I think it's fine? I have no idea. Tom has a good poker face. Jamie flips her crispy rice cake and spills some on the stove. She folds crab into her eggs. Tom reveals to the peanut gallery that Gabriel's technique of searing and then oven for the meat is actually not needed since he has so much time. Oops. Jamie makes a quick salad with apples.
Gabriel: filet mignon and corn custard with porcini and anchovy butter. Jamie: peasant-style lap cheong crispy fried rice with lemon juice and apples. Lap cheong is Chinese sausage. Tom asks for their inspiration, and while Jamie says she wanted to bring the memory of that dish back, Gabriel basically says that he used things in season and that the filet made sense or whatever. It seems that both dishes taste good. Tom and Melissa huddle and then he says one dish was missing something. So Jamie is returning. Woo! She's just giggling. Gabriel didn't season his food enough. For all his cockiness. So then Tom turns to the peanut gallery and says there's some business to take care of. Gabriel looks thrilled but I am not.
Time for Part Two. Because Nelson dropped out, they need another person. Winner gets “another chance at the title”. I'm not sure how this is going to work but sure. They all go somewhere else, or maybe back to the hotel, because the peanut gallery is not dressed to cook. No, I think it's the Stew Room. Boo I thought I was done with Gabriel. Cook anything with whatever's left in the pantry.
30 minutes. Roscoe has shrimp and pancetta but that's as far as he's gotten. Brittany wants to make schnitzel, but there's no veal so she has pork tenderloin. Gabriel claims he loves vegetables so now he's making a salad. Kiki has sardines. Sasha is going to try to make pasta. Brittany and Sasha joke about making their signature dishes before they leave. Roscoe promises not to freak out. I think Sasha is also trying to make harissa from scratch? Kiki knows if Tom hates sardines she's done for. Gabriel is smoking feta. Because it's not a typical salad. Kiki is curious because she's only seen Gabriel make steaks.
Tom Time! He's impressed Sasha is making pasta. Actually he really doesn't have much to say about anyone's dishes, except he asks if Kiki is done with some sardines so he can pick at them. I think he's eating the heads she didn't put in her dish. She looks relieved. Some of them are nervous, but Roscoe is confident. Brittany is waiting until the last minute to sauce because it will make the schnitzel soggy. Gabriel puts salt on absolutely everything.
Roscoe: farro and shrimp served “Gullah” style with pancetta. The chyron says “faro” which means in addition to still putting white text on white backgrounds now this idiot can't spell. Kiki: sardines and preserved lemon yogurt with chermoula green sauce and pomegranate relish. Chermoula is a North African relish. Gabriel: watermelon and tomato salad with smoked feta. Brittany: pork schnitzel with caper and lemon brown butter sauce with celery salad. Sasha: ricotta cavatelli with harissa, chili and tomato sauce, fontina and espelette pepper garnish. Tom says this is hard because there's no theme. He praises everyone's dish. Tom says it's very close, but there was one dish that was a little bit elevated from the rest, and that's Sasha's. Yay! Everyone claps for her because I think they're really pleased. So I guess Sasha's the “reigning champ” of LCK and it'll continue as normal.
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