Sunday, July 22, 2007

 

Threesomes

Previously on Top Chef: The chefs had to update classic American food to make it healthier and more modern. Micah thought meatloaf was ready for an upgrade. CJ ran into trouble. Lia didn't do much. Ted needed some wow. Sara M. panicked about whether her chicken was cooked enough. Micah insulted the judges by associating ketchup with Americans. Howie took the win. The judges scolded Lia for underwhelming, but Micah got the boot.

Miami shots. Casey interviews that the mood is different with yet another person gone. As opposed to last week, when the mood was different with yet another person gone. Eventually the remaining chefs are going to clue in to the whole "somebody gets the boot each week" part. Chefs groom. Lia interviews that she's a baby chef compared to the others, but she's still competitive. Howie hopes the other chefs respect him now, but he also likes "being the underdog." The chefs huddle for a cheer and head out.

QuickFire challenge. The chefs arrive to find a heap o' cocktails in the kitchen. Dale is psyched because his last consulting gig was "mixology and food pairing." Is Dale's "Yay, I know how to do this" going to be the new Harold's "I'm not a <blank>, I'm a chef"? Casey points out that chefs are more accustomed to pairing food with wine. Padma introduces guest judge Jamie Walker, "global master mixologist" for the product-placed booze. He put together the heap o' cocktails, which need to be paired with appetizers. Jamie reminds the chefs that their job is to balance the flavors of the booze and the food, in case they were unclear on the whole "pairing" concept. He claims that top restaurants now have mixologists (recommending cocktails) as well as sommeliers (recommending wine). I'd love to see him work with Stephen, just to see who could out-pompously provide exposition.

The chefs draw knives to get their cocktail assignments. They have 30 minutes. And go! Dale's drink is "pure alcohol" so he needs to "cut the heat" of the booze. Camille (who?) observes that they're working with sweet drinks, which need to be paired with (presumably savory) appetizers. Casey is a rickey novice, but she's just inspired to make French toast (yum!). Hung rejects the whole premise of "hard alcohol" pairing with his "beautiful, refined food." They're flavors, dude. Make 'em work. But he has a plan, because "sweetness always goes with creaminess." Just ask his monkey.

Padma counts down the last seconds and time's up.

Some other people made some other food, but you don't actually care about that, right? Padma prompts Jamie to pick some duds. He goes for Joey (who gets an awesome crease between his eyebrows) for being too heavy and Hung for being "muddled." "So sweetness didn't go good with creaminess. Thank you," Hung responds. He interviews that Jamie must have been "confused" so he "called him out." Sadly, Jamie does not smack his forehead and say, "Oh my God, of course! Sweetness and creaminess! Whatever was I thinking?" The top places go to Casey for working with the booze's "more subtle botanicals," Tre for making something that didn't turn out to be as light as expected and Dale for skillfully handling "one of the more difficult cocktails." And the winner is: Casey. She gets immunity and does a "yay!" interview.

Elimination challenge: The chefs get to arrange themselves into four sets of three. Wait, no knife block? Woo! All the chefs will create a four-course tasting menu, with each course being a trio featuring the same ingredient. Lia interviews that the whole team dynamic is unexplored territory. They'll be cooking at Chef Barton G's new restaurant for the judges and some members of a high-falutin' dining society.

The chefs get 10 minutes to make their teams. Brian interviews that he immediately came up with the idea of drawing teams out of a hat (or bucket, in this case). No! I want to see who everyone fights to work with and who everyone fights not to work with. They might as well have drawn knives. Camille (who?), Brian and Lia get the first course. Howie, Dale and Casey are the second. Dale recaps this in an interview and reminds us that Casey has immunity. They decide to do fish, while the first course is taking scallops. Oh, there's a shock. Dale protests that they can't have two seafood courses in a row. Dale interviews that they had to come up with a tasting menu, but no one knew how to put one together. Except, I suspect, him. Lia offers to compromise on the scallop choice. Hung points out that the last course doesn't have pastry chefs, and they need to have the boldest course. Howie announces that they have to get the course progression right, since they'll be judged on it. To go from light to heavy, they need to start with something that's not a protein.

Dale interviews that Howie was a "bulldog" getting everyone stirred up, and he decided to switch teams (sorry, ladies, not like that) to escape him. He volunteers to take the fourth course if it's dessert and fingers Sara M. as a pastry person. She admits she's made some, but doesn't have recipes memorized. And it turns out the chefs are not required to do dessert, but at this point, every chef on this show should have at least one pastry recipe ready to go. (And contestants on Survivor should figure out how to start a fire. Or at least take some swimming lessons. Honestly, it's embarrassing.) Joey leaps at the chance to take Dale's spot on the fish course, to Casey's dismay. She's not looking forward to dealing with his history with Howie. It does say something that Joey was willing to work with Howie rather than do dessert. Camille (who?) tells Dale, "I have some pastry." Hung decides she's taking his spot and he's switching to first course. So, we have:

  1. Brian, Hung, Lia
  2. Casey, Howie, Joey
  3. JC, Sara N., Tre
  4. Camille (who?), Dale, Sara M.

Sara N. recaps her team and calmly reports that they work well together. Yep, that's Team Non-Drama, so we won't be seeing much of them from now on. Dale tells the team he can do something with pineapple and Sara M. says Camille (who?) can do something with "nuts and cake." Camille (who?) interviews that she's out of her "comfort zone" but she thinks she has enough experience to make it work. Casey suggests a cheese ravioli but Joey dismisses the cheese angle. Joey reminds us that Casey has immunity again, because with all the excitement, we might have forgotten. Casey urges the guys to be daring, but they're all, "Hey, we just have two hours." Joey interviews that the tension was making him "cranky" and he started to worry about getting booted. Howie finds it weird to be cooperating with people who are, after all, still competitors who all want to get rid of each other. You know, some people are competitors who want to win, rather than make other people lose. Just something to consider.

The chefs head back to their palatial digs. Joey and Lia recap the challenge, because commercials kill your brain cells. The teams get together to talk. Well, except for team 2. Casey is eating a sandwich while Joey and Howie are out on the balcony. Joey has a cigarette, which is reason enough for me to be inside. Joey goes to fetch Casey, and she says she'll be out when she's done. Howie figures she's just taking it easy, since she has immunity. Casey joins them on the balcony and argues they don't have time for pasta. Howie figures someone with immunity should "take a back seat" and let the others decide. Eh. If it's just a matter of preferences, then okay. But if it's a question of whether something is a good idea or not, Casey needs to speak up. She's still a part of the team, and a team works best when everyone contributes. Casey interviews that they're not listening to each other because they're too busy being annoyed with being stuck with each other. She agrees to do a cold dish and goes away "to think," which is a polite way of saying, "I have to leave now before I strangle someone." Howie and Joey bond over their shared aggravation.

Shopping. The budget is $150, which Lia points out is not a lot for high-end food. Sara N. backs her up. The first team runs over to the seafood counter and discovers that the scallops are, as Lia puts it, "solid, rock-hard frozen." Yay! I'm so tired of friggin' scallops. They go for shrimp instead. Joey explains that the second team also switched, going with tuna instead of duck because they "weren't sure" how much duck would go for. You'd think a grocery store would be able to tell you what things cost. Howie does math: 4-5 pounds of tuna at $20 a pound and a total budget of $150. He expect they'll have to "agonize" over some purchases. The beef tenderloin clocks in at just under $27 a pound, but the third team sucks it up. CJ interviews that they didn't have money for a lot of things. The fourth team is doing pineapple, which Dale thinks he came up with. I don't think they'll be having the same budget issues. So sure enough, Team Trouble is over budget at the checkout and has to nickel-and-dime their way back down, sacrificing one of these and two of those.

Prep time. Lia's eager to get going because she has the first course. Casey finds she has insufficient soy sauce by the time the bottle makes its way around to her. Team Dessert is also having issues. And here comes Chef Tom on his inspection round. He finds Team Shrimp first, and ascertains that they all coordinated instead of doing their own things. Yay, team! Team Non-Drama is sure they'll win because they have a nice flow between their dishes. Chef Tom discovers Team Dessert is doing dessert, despite having only "a little" pastry experience. But Dale explains that a tasting menu really needs dessert. Which is true, but what if the challenge was to build to a specified dessert that would be supplied by an outside chef? Over at Team Tuna, Chef Tom checks for menu cohesion. Howie claims that Joey is Eastern, Casey is Western and he's splitting the difference. "Soy sauce," Chef Tom announces. The chefs are all "huh?" until he verifies that Joey is using soy sauce. Joey interviews that Chef Tom likes to "ruffle my feathers" because he knows it works. As he demonstrates by swearing and pouting how Chef Tom is out to get him. Naturally, his persecution complex does not endear him to Casey. Or me.

Sara M. and Dale introduce us to the Great Powdered Gelatin Conspiracy, Part II -- she used powdered gelatin, the ratios were off, her dessert wasn't setting fast enough. So they decide to freeze it and make a semi-freddo. We'll see how that works out. Guests arrive. CJ, Brian and Hung talk about the high-falutin' dining club. Padma introduces chef Barton G. Weiss, who'll be the guest judge (rather than any of the high-falutin' dining club members). Plating for the first course starts. Lia explains that they all have very complicated dishes, so plating was a big job. Fortunately, they finish just in time.

Hung declares himself happy. So do the diners. Chef Tom pronounces Brian's a bit salty, and votes for Lia over Hung. Chef Barton G. comments on how hard it is to "present" foam correctly. No indication of whether this bodes well or ill for Hung.

Howie and Joey start plating the tuna course. (According to Lee Ann's blog, they started right when the first course went out and there was a 20-minute gap between servings.) Howie interviews that he'll keep on working on a dish to make it perfect at his restaurant -- left unspoken is that this is impossible in a competition. He thinks the team lacked execution. When he calls for Casey to help serve, Dale fetches out of another part of the kitchen and she sounds like she's being hustled around. (Perhaps for one of their interview segments?)

Various people find the blood orange marmalade too strong. Padma asks Chef Tom about Casey's dish; he thinks it's a good idea that needed more tasting along the way. He tells the crowd that Casey has immunity, so if the tuna team is on the bottom, it's either Joey or Howie going.

Tre interviews that he was happy with his team; he thinks they could win, but he's positive they won't lose.

The presentation gets much praise, and Padma mentions Tre's risotto cake. Someone thinks that Sara's effort looks like something from Denny's but another diner protests.

Dale interviews that he ran into trouble plating his dish, and was a big ol' mess. Camille (who?) interviews that she did a "fair" job with her dessert under the circumstances. That's not the kind of defense that goes over big with the judges. Joey interviews that the dessert course was a "circus" but he respects the chefs for attempting it.

Ted gives the team "points for difficulty" since they took on desserts. Everyone finds the semifreddo bland. Chef Tom is displeased with the pineapple upside-down cake. Someone compares it to "English dessert." But didn't the English invent trifle? I don't think he's comparing it to trifle. Dale wants his team to get credit for not making something they make all the time. Howie reminds us once again that Casey has immunity. Think that will be important at some point?

Judges' Table. Chef Tom is pleased that the teams coordinated their trios. That being one of the points of the challenge. I guess after last season, their diminished teamwork expectations aren't too surprising. Padma lays out the decision-making process: they'll pick the best course, and choose the winner from that team. So it would kinda suck to be a strong chef on a middling team. Padma reminds the guest judge that he liked the shrimp course, but what about Hung's dish? Chef Barton liked the flavors but didn't care for the looks of the foam. Ted sticks up for the foam this time, praising the flavor and texture. Chef Tom campaigns for Lia's shrimp and Ted feels that it wasn't your everyday shrimp dish. Still, he goes for Brian's dish for being very clean and fresh. Chef Barton would have liked more visusal contrast. Ted sums up the whole first course as "poetic." So it's no surprise that the shrimp course gets called up to the table.

Chef Tom wants to get into their thinking on the dish. Brian explains that they were going to do scallops, but then they discovered that the store had some good shrimp. (No mention of the frozen scallops.) Chef Tom thinks they made a smart choice. Chef Barton and Ted praise Brian's dish. Chef Tom asks Lia about her dish, and compliments the concept as well as her knifework. Ted liked the "lushness" of Hung's dish and Chef Barton calls it "excellent." Chef Tom explains that the winner wasn't a unanimous decision because everyone did so well. Chef Barton gives the win to Lia. "Yay!" she smiles. Her prize: a guest chef gig at a charity event in the Hamptons. She interviews that the prize is great, but praise from Chef Tom is even better.

Lia summons the tuna and dessert courses. Chef Tom says all the desserts were pretty bad. Dale explains that a tasting menu needs a dessert course, and sort of takes the blame for the pineapple idea. He thinks doing pastry could have really put them over the top if they had done a good job. "A very big if," Chef Tom observes. Sara M. volunteers that she thought she could "pull it off" but then found herself dealing with the dreaded powdered gelatin instead of her usual sheet gelatin. Chef Barton wonders why she took the risk. Sara says a chef has to take chances. Padma thinks taking chances in a competition is not the best idea. Chef Tom prods Camille (who?), who thinks all chefs should have some familiarity with "certain desserts." She thinks her cake was "fine" but Chef Tom calls it "rubbery." Camille (who?" reports that her "initial product" had more of a muffin texture. So what happened to the original? Chef Tom doesn't want an upside-down pineapple muffin for dessert.

Now for Team Tuna. Chef Tom asks about the lack of cohesion and Howie reports that they switched to tuna from duck because they thought the duck might be too heavy. Well, then, how about a lighter poultry? Howie says he thought his dish was a little flat. Joey is pleased with his dish, considering the confusion. Chef Tom says Team Tuna is on the block because Casey was the weak link and asks if she coasted. Not being stupid, she disclaims. She confesses that her dish was "underseasoned;" they ran out of soy sauce and in the final rush, she forgot to add salt. Padma wonders if Howie or Joey had sampled the tartare, but neither did until after service. Padma and Chef Tom are flabbergasted. If the point is to coordinate the three dishes, then tasting would seem to be a good idea. Casey volunteers that the judges have laid a "guilt blanket" on her and she can't stand thinking that someone else might get the boot for her poor performance.

Back in the pantry, Casey apologizes to Howie and Joey for putting them in that spot; they pat her on the back and Lia comes over to hug her. Padma wants to know who's getting the boot. Chef Barton brings up Howie's overpowering marmalade. Chef Tom is okay with Joey's flavor, but still can't believe he didn't sample the other parts of the plate. He's also ready to boot Dale for his "lack of leadership," although I think an excess of leadership is more the problem. But Camille (who?) seemed entirely on board, and Sara M. sounded like she was willing, so I don't think they can put it all on Dale. If his teammates proposed something else and he steamrolled them, then yeah -- but they didn't. Chef Barton is disappointed in Camille's (whose?) inability to explain what she was going for; he and Ted pooh-pooh the cornmeal in her cake. Chef Barton repeats his "frozen cream" assessment of Sara M.'s dessert. Chef Tom has no patience with the powdered gelatin excuse -- "Please, read the box." Okay, harshly put, but essentially true.

Casey gets to stay back in the pantry this time. Chef Tom pulls out a metaphor about "creating harmonies" and "playing the wrong instruments" that doesn't really stand up to examination. Howie's dish wasn't so great, and he and Joey should have looked out for the team more by tasting. Dale gets the blame Team Dessert's bad call. Camille (who?) just didn't have enough experience to be able to handle improvising. Sara's semifreddo didn't disguise that her original attempt was a failure. Camille (who?) gets the boot.

She interviews that she's sad, of course, but also "anxious" to get back to her restaurant. The entire pantry seems devastated by her announcement of her departure, or perhaps her parting admonition to "rock hard," and there's lots of crying and some energetic hugs. Dale feels guilty, but Camille (who?) is happy that she "took that risk" -- although it sounds like she's talking about competing on the show rather than doing dessert.

Right winner? No idea. I think Lia is charming and a good worker, so I'm happy for her. I'm not sure she has the flair to make it all the way, but she's a solid contender.

Right loser? It sounded like the dessert course was worse overall than the tuna course. Of the three, Dale's dish didn't seem particularly bad. Sara M. at least tried to fix her dish when it fell flat. Camille (who?) put out a bad dish and compounded her sin with a lackluster defense at judges' table. Without being able to taste the food, it seems like the right choice.


# posted by ChelseaNH @ 7:58 PM
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