1 00:00:03,046 --> 00:00:04,917 Previously on Top Chef... 2 00:00:04,917 --> 00:00:06,441 It's a meat raffle. 3 00:00:06,441 --> 00:00:08,617 - Let's go. - I'm going to go corned beef. 4 00:00:08,617 --> 00:00:10,227 Oh. 5 00:00:10,227 --> 00:00:11,794 I like what you did with canned meat. 6 00:00:11,794 --> 00:00:14,014 - Savannah. - Yes! 7 00:00:15,624 --> 00:00:18,801 - What is this? - Gregory Gourdet. 8 00:00:18,801 --> 00:00:20,672 - It's Mei Lin. - Holy sh--. 9 00:00:20,672 --> 00:00:22,587 Have you ever heard of a fish boil? 10 00:00:23,458 --> 00:00:26,722 Woo! That is hot. 11 00:00:26,722 --> 00:00:28,811 This is physically the most demanding challenge 12 00:00:28,811 --> 00:00:30,160 I think we've had. 13 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:31,857 I've never cut myself like this. 14 00:00:31,857 --> 00:00:34,991 I'm trying to not think too much about the pain. 15 00:00:34,991 --> 00:00:36,819 - Are you okay? - I'll be okay. 16 00:00:36,819 --> 00:00:38,212 My water's tasty. 17 00:00:38,212 --> 00:00:39,778 I'm getting ready to blow this mother up. 18 00:00:39,778 --> 00:00:42,781 The fish got a lot of flavor from that broth. 19 00:00:43,478 --> 00:00:46,655 - Danny, you killed it. - Thank you. 20 00:00:46,655 --> 00:00:49,353 - Good luck, Soo. - Oh, man. I need it. 21 00:00:49,353 --> 00:00:51,399 The fish itself is terribly bland. 22 00:00:51,399 --> 00:00:53,966 It tasted like a raw casserole. 23 00:00:54,619 --> 00:00:56,273 I feel really defeated. 24 00:00:56,273 --> 00:00:58,841 I love wilted salad, but not like this. 25 00:00:58,841 --> 00:01:00,321 Manny, Savannah, and Soo, 26 00:01:00,321 --> 00:01:01,844 you had our least favorite dishes of the day. 27 00:01:01,844 --> 00:01:04,194 Savannah, good thing you won the Quickfire. 28 00:01:04,673 --> 00:01:06,805 Soo, please pack your knives and go. 29 00:01:08,503 --> 00:01:10,331 Five chefs remain 30 00:01:10,331 --> 00:01:13,856 to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown. 31 00:01:13,856 --> 00:01:15,336 At stake for the winner, 32 00:01:15,336 --> 00:01:17,033 a feature in Food & Wine magazine, 33 00:01:17,033 --> 00:01:19,818 an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, 34 00:01:19,818 --> 00:01:23,779 $250,000 furnished by Saratoga Springwater, 35 00:01:23,779 --> 00:01:26,042 and the title of Top Chef. 36 00:01:44,930 --> 00:01:47,542 It's a new day. My hand feels a lot better. 37 00:01:47,542 --> 00:01:49,848 But having a really hard week last week 38 00:01:49,848 --> 00:01:52,634 made me homesick and I miss my family. 39 00:01:52,634 --> 00:01:55,680 My dad, in his retirement, has actually taken up a lot 40 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,118 of knife making, and I actually had knives to bring with me 41 00:01:58,118 --> 00:02:01,033 that he made for me specifically for this competition. 42 00:02:01,033 --> 00:02:05,168 It is a fun way to have him support me being here, 43 00:02:05,168 --> 00:02:06,996 and it also is a nice way to remind me 44 00:02:06,996 --> 00:02:08,780 that home isn't that far away. 45 00:02:09,912 --> 00:02:13,350 Man, this competition is almost over. 46 00:02:13,350 --> 00:02:16,527 Almost over. What are you looking forward the most? 47 00:02:16,527 --> 00:02:19,182 - Like, going home and what? - Being with my wife. 48 00:02:19,182 --> 00:02:21,619 As much as I love y'all, I want to just be with my wife. 49 00:02:21,619 --> 00:02:23,360 No, I get it. No feelings are hurt. 50 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,928 Me and Kate have been together for 18 years, 51 00:02:25,928 --> 00:02:28,539 and not only is she my wife, she's my best friend. 52 00:02:28,539 --> 00:02:30,324 Knowing my wife is a five-minute drive away 53 00:02:30,324 --> 00:02:32,239 and I can't see her is difficult. 54 00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:34,328 But I've tried out for Top Chef, 55 00:02:34,328 --> 00:02:36,068 legitimately, like 13 times. 56 00:02:36,068 --> 00:02:38,810 She knows how much it would mean to me to be the next Top Chef. 57 00:02:39,246 --> 00:02:42,901 We're talking about what we're doing first thing off the plane. 58 00:02:42,901 --> 00:02:44,425 Oh, I'm gonna kiss my boyfriend. 59 00:02:44,425 --> 00:02:46,731 That's the first thing. 60 00:02:46,731 --> 00:02:48,646 My boyfriend is my greatest supporter. 61 00:02:48,646 --> 00:02:52,998 I know he's proud of me, and these chances that I'm taking, 62 00:02:52,998 --> 00:02:55,958 like, being in barbecue, starting my own business, 63 00:02:55,958 --> 00:02:59,004 he's everything to me, and I'm about to start crying. 64 00:02:59,004 --> 00:03:01,964 I just miss him so much, but that's not distracting me. 65 00:03:01,964 --> 00:03:04,575 I think I have a good chance to win this. 66 00:03:04,575 --> 00:03:07,622 Molly and I talked about getting a cabin 67 00:03:07,622 --> 00:03:09,363 in the mountains in Colorado. 68 00:03:09,363 --> 00:03:12,409 Be there, like completely disconnected. 69 00:03:12,409 --> 00:03:14,281 The person that is rooting for me 70 00:03:14,281 --> 00:03:16,413 the hardest is my fiancée, Molly. 71 00:03:16,413 --> 00:03:18,850 She's somebody that has supported me so much. 72 00:03:18,850 --> 00:03:21,157 I truly wouldn't be here without her. 73 00:03:21,157 --> 00:03:22,680 We're close. 74 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,639 Couple more cooks and then that's out the door. 75 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,729 - Speaking of out the door. - Yeah, let's go, let's go. 76 00:03:32,429 --> 00:03:36,303 Man, what does today have in store for us? 77 00:03:42,526 --> 00:03:44,354 What are you making, Tom? 78 00:03:44,354 --> 00:03:46,226 You know, it's kind of like Thai-inspired. 79 00:03:46,226 --> 00:03:48,010 I figured, why not wok some lobster? 80 00:03:48,010 --> 00:03:49,316 It smells so good. 81 00:03:49,316 --> 00:03:50,839 I know, it already smells so good. 82 00:03:50,839 --> 00:03:53,320 - Ginger always smells good. - Stir-frying aromatics. 83 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,539 Fennel, leeks, ginger, garlic. 84 00:03:55,539 --> 00:03:57,324 Yeah, so I'm gonna make a dish, 85 00:03:57,324 --> 00:03:58,803 and we're gonna play a little game. 86 00:03:58,803 --> 00:04:00,065 Ooh. 87 00:04:00,065 --> 00:04:01,328 I wanna walk in there, 88 00:04:01,328 --> 00:04:02,807 and see someone cooking already. 89 00:04:02,807 --> 00:04:05,027 What's the inspiration for this dish? 90 00:04:05,027 --> 00:04:06,768 - The wok. - The wok one. 91 00:04:06,768 --> 00:04:08,857 - The wok. - It's gonna be the first thing 92 00:04:08,857 --> 00:04:11,425 I've ever eaten that Tom himself has cooked. 93 00:04:11,425 --> 00:04:13,644 - Oh, really? - Mm-hmm. It's a big moment. 94 00:04:13,644 --> 00:04:15,559 Smells pretty good. 95 00:04:18,301 --> 00:04:19,868 - Here we go. - Here we go. 96 00:04:19,868 --> 00:04:21,391 - Let's dig in. - Yeah. 97 00:04:21,391 --> 00:04:22,784 I made lobster stir-fry. 98 00:04:22,784 --> 00:04:24,525 It's like a cooked lobster salad. 99 00:04:24,525 --> 00:04:26,353 Yeah, exactly. 100 00:04:26,353 --> 00:04:29,051 As the kids would say, this----s, Tom. 101 00:04:29,051 --> 00:04:30,879 - Is that what they say? - That'’s right. 102 00:04:30,879 --> 00:04:32,054 This----s. 103 00:04:32,054 --> 00:04:33,751 And we're back. 104 00:04:34,926 --> 00:04:38,278 That was delicious. Grab the cloche. 105 00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:44,066 Oh, chef's got his chef coat on. 106 00:04:44,066 --> 00:04:45,589 And a mic? 107 00:04:46,634 --> 00:04:49,289 - Are we doing karaoke? - Absolutely. 108 00:04:50,377 --> 00:04:52,248 - Good morning, chefs. - Good morning. 109 00:04:52,248 --> 00:04:55,425 That fish boil was tough, but you guys are all still here. 110 00:04:57,601 --> 00:04:59,473 I can't believe there's only five of you left. 111 00:04:59,473 --> 00:05:01,518 Oh, not for much longer. 112 00:05:03,085 --> 00:05:05,305 I've had my work cut out for me the last couple weeks 113 00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:06,741 on Last Chance Kitchen. 114 00:05:06,741 --> 00:05:08,308 The chefs made some spectacular dishes, 115 00:05:08,308 --> 00:05:10,135 but only one is joining you. Not two. 116 00:05:10,135 --> 00:05:12,094 - No, just one. That's it. - Okay. Great. 117 00:05:15,227 --> 00:05:18,405 Please welcome back into the Top Chef kitchen... 118 00:05:22,234 --> 00:05:24,802 Oh, my God. 119 00:05:28,589 --> 00:05:30,460 Yay. Laura's back. 120 00:05:30,460 --> 00:05:32,462 - Welcome back. - Thank you. 121 00:05:32,462 --> 00:05:34,725 Welcome back. 122 00:05:36,161 --> 00:05:37,554 I can see their faces. 123 00:05:37,554 --> 00:05:39,339 I think the chefs are scared to see me back. 124 00:05:39,339 --> 00:05:40,775 It's a competition, 125 00:05:40,775 --> 00:05:42,559 and it's going to be one of us at this point. 126 00:05:42,559 --> 00:05:44,605 Laura coming back is definitely the scariest. 127 00:05:44,605 --> 00:05:47,608 She's probably the biggest competition coming in. 128 00:05:47,608 --> 00:05:49,784 And I think if she can put her flavors together, 129 00:05:49,784 --> 00:05:51,612 she's there in the finals. 130 00:05:51,612 --> 00:05:53,831 Laura, how was the time in Last Chance Kitchen? 131 00:05:53,831 --> 00:05:56,181 The toughest time from the whole competition. 132 00:05:56,181 --> 00:05:58,836 It'’s time for the final test. Make a great plate of food. 133 00:05:58,836 --> 00:06:01,273 It's right there. I mean, I just have to do one more dish. 134 00:06:01,273 --> 00:06:02,884 I want to focus on vegetables. 135 00:06:02,884 --> 00:06:05,669 - We had a favorite, Laura. - No way. 136 00:06:05,669 --> 00:06:07,584 - Feels good to be back, huh? - Absolutely. 137 00:06:07,584 --> 00:06:10,805 Don't get too comfortable. No. 138 00:06:10,805 --> 00:06:14,809 All right, chefs. Who's ready to take on Tom? 139 00:06:20,467 --> 00:06:22,469 Chefs, you're in for a very special treat. 140 00:06:22,469 --> 00:06:24,384 Underneath this cloche right here is a dish 141 00:06:24,384 --> 00:06:26,255 that's going to really challenge you. 142 00:06:27,996 --> 00:06:30,738 - An empty plate. - Not completely. 143 00:06:30,738 --> 00:06:32,653 Earlier, before you got to the kitchen, 144 00:06:32,653 --> 00:06:34,524 I made a dish that both Kristen and Gail tasted. 145 00:06:34,524 --> 00:06:36,221 I want you to make the same dish. 146 00:06:36,221 --> 00:06:38,354 But how are you going to figure out what I made? 147 00:06:38,354 --> 00:06:39,660 We have to taste it. 148 00:06:39,660 --> 00:06:41,096 No, you have to get inside my head. 149 00:06:41,096 --> 00:06:42,663 - Oh, wow. - We're going to play 150 00:06:42,663 --> 00:06:44,795 a little game of 20 questions. 151 00:06:44,795 --> 00:06:46,928 - Mm. - I'm feeling a little generous. 152 00:06:46,928 --> 00:06:49,234 - 24 questions. - Oh, my gosh. 153 00:06:49,234 --> 00:06:51,106 You can ask anything you want, 154 00:06:51,106 --> 00:06:54,544 but Tom can only answer yes or no. 155 00:06:54,544 --> 00:06:56,503 Each of you can ask one question 156 00:06:56,503 --> 00:06:57,939 before the clock starts, 157 00:06:57,939 --> 00:06:59,897 so you have a starting point for the day. 158 00:07:02,117 --> 00:07:03,945 Then when time starts, 159 00:07:03,945 --> 00:07:06,034 you'll each have an additional three questions to ask. 160 00:07:06,034 --> 00:07:07,514 That's why that microphone's there. 161 00:07:07,514 --> 00:07:09,646 Say it loud so everyone can hear it. 162 00:07:09,646 --> 00:07:11,213 You don't want to waste a question by asking 163 00:07:11,213 --> 00:07:13,302 - the same question twice. - This is terrible. 164 00:07:13,302 --> 00:07:14,695 This is genius. 165 00:07:14,695 --> 00:07:16,610 As you can see, Tom was kind enough 166 00:07:16,610 --> 00:07:18,133 to give you a little hint to start you off. 167 00:07:18,133 --> 00:07:19,961 You can smell it, you can look at the dish, 168 00:07:19,961 --> 00:07:22,180 but don't stick your fingers in it and taste it. 169 00:07:22,180 --> 00:07:23,878 Perfect. 170 00:07:23,878 --> 00:07:26,228 And just remember, how you perform in the Quickfire 171 00:07:26,228 --> 00:07:27,969 will come into play if you are on the bottom 172 00:07:27,969 --> 00:07:29,710 in the Elimination Challenge. 173 00:07:29,710 --> 00:07:31,320 - Yes. - Of course. Yes. 174 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:32,930 Laura, since you just got back into the competition, 175 00:07:32,930 --> 00:07:34,497 why don't you go first with your question? 176 00:07:34,497 --> 00:07:37,282 Is this dish some sort of pasta? 177 00:07:37,282 --> 00:07:38,501 No. 178 00:07:38,501 --> 00:07:40,634 - Is this dish a soup? - No. 179 00:07:40,634 --> 00:07:43,419 Does this dish contain any fruit? 180 00:07:43,419 --> 00:07:44,899 Yes. 181 00:07:44,899 --> 00:07:47,423 Does this dish contain a protein? 182 00:07:47,423 --> 00:07:49,207 Yes. 183 00:07:49,207 --> 00:07:51,253 - That's the most vague thing. - Dan? 184 00:07:51,253 --> 00:07:54,212 - Is that protein from the sea? - Yes. 185 00:07:54,212 --> 00:07:56,258 I know it's seafood. I'm really hoping 186 00:07:56,258 --> 00:07:58,826 that Manny's just going to follow up to narrow that in. 187 00:07:58,826 --> 00:08:03,744 - Manny? - Um, is it like a porridge? 188 00:08:03,744 --> 00:08:06,877 - What the [bleep]? - Nope. 189 00:08:06,877 --> 00:08:09,837 - No. Okay. - What? What? Why? 190 00:08:09,837 --> 00:08:11,795 When was the last time you ate a seafood porridge? 191 00:08:13,231 --> 00:08:16,104 Each of you has up to three more questions to ask. 192 00:08:16,104 --> 00:08:18,193 And make sure you're asking the right questions, '‘cause 193 00:08:18,193 --> 00:08:20,935 there is $10,000 on the line in Quickfire Quick Cash. 194 00:08:20,935 --> 00:08:22,937 - Yay! - Let's go. Let'’s go. 195 00:08:22,937 --> 00:08:24,678 You have 30 minutes on the clock. 196 00:08:24,678 --> 00:08:27,071 Your time starts now. 197 00:08:32,163 --> 00:08:33,600 Everybody seems to be running 198 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,210 and already starting to cook. 199 00:08:35,210 --> 00:08:36,951 And I'm like, what the heck is everybody cooking? 200 00:08:36,951 --> 00:08:40,258 I take a moment to smell the plate to try to get some 201 00:08:40,258 --> 00:08:42,957 more inspiration for what questions to ask. 202 00:08:42,957 --> 00:08:44,741 Parsley for sure. Garlic. 203 00:08:44,741 --> 00:08:47,614 Having an understanding that it is seafood, 204 00:08:47,614 --> 00:08:51,618 I look to see what seafood is in the region. 205 00:08:52,532 --> 00:08:56,840 I see lobsters, clams, and a little bit of everything. 206 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,190 I got it. Chef, is it a cioppino? 207 00:08:59,190 --> 00:09:02,498 - No. - Okay. Not a cioppino. 208 00:09:03,717 --> 00:09:06,937 I don't even know where to begin for this. 209 00:09:06,937 --> 00:09:08,896 Chef, is it bouillabaisse? 210 00:09:08,896 --> 00:09:10,680 No. 211 00:09:17,774 --> 00:09:20,385 - Is this Asian? - Yes. 212 00:09:21,212 --> 00:09:24,520 - Asian. Oh, sh--. - All right, that just changed. 213 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,263 It has to be something with Asian ingredients. 214 00:09:28,263 --> 00:09:30,091 And I smell beef sauce. 215 00:09:30,091 --> 00:09:32,006 She took a minute. That's good. 216 00:09:32,006 --> 00:09:35,183 - Chef, do you have fish sauce? - Yes. 217 00:09:35,183 --> 00:09:36,706 Okay, fish sauce, fish sauce. 218 00:09:36,706 --> 00:09:38,490 This is really hard. 219 00:09:38,490 --> 00:09:41,885 I have no idea what the heck I'm making. Come on, questions. 220 00:09:41,885 --> 00:09:45,585 Smelling it, I'm picking up on wok, ginger and garlic. 221 00:09:45,585 --> 00:09:47,630 I've worked in a very small restaurant for four years where 222 00:09:47,630 --> 00:09:51,068 that smell, it's like it's burned into my nostrils forever. 223 00:09:52,417 --> 00:09:54,768 Chef, do you have coconut? 224 00:09:54,768 --> 00:09:56,247 No coconut. 225 00:09:56,247 --> 00:10:00,556 Chef, did you cook any components using heat? 226 00:10:00,556 --> 00:10:01,862 Yes. 227 00:10:01,862 --> 00:10:04,865 - He said yes to coconut? - No, no. 228 00:10:05,343 --> 00:10:07,258 Chef, is there lobster in the dish? 229 00:10:07,258 --> 00:10:09,173 - Yes. - Lobster. 230 00:10:09,173 --> 00:10:11,219 - God damn. - Now we're getting somewhere. 231 00:10:11,219 --> 00:10:12,916 Lobster in the dish. 232 00:10:12,916 --> 00:10:15,049 - You say heat or cooked? - Cooked like heat. 233 00:10:15,049 --> 00:10:16,964 Okay, well not ceviche. 234 00:10:16,964 --> 00:10:18,661 - It could be. - 11 questions left. 235 00:10:18,661 --> 00:10:20,010 Chef, did you cook this using acid? 236 00:10:20,010 --> 00:10:21,882 - No. - Chef? 237 00:10:21,882 --> 00:10:23,666 - Yep. - Is lobster the only protein 238 00:10:23,666 --> 00:10:26,408 - from the sea? - Yes. 239 00:10:28,105 --> 00:10:31,456 My strategy is I'm going to have people ask 240 00:10:31,456 --> 00:10:33,241 the questions so I can focus on the cooking. 241 00:10:33,241 --> 00:10:36,810 And I saw that there was some sort of red broth in it, 242 00:10:36,810 --> 00:10:39,551 so I'm thinking, how's have tomato? 243 00:10:39,551 --> 00:10:41,684 Chef, is there tomato paste? 244 00:10:41,684 --> 00:10:44,078 No. 245 00:10:44,774 --> 00:10:47,559 - Oh, no. - Is there tomato at all? 246 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:49,039 No tomato. 247 00:10:49,039 --> 00:10:50,606 Oh, well, that goes out the window. 248 00:10:50,606 --> 00:10:52,216 17 minutes left. 249 00:10:54,479 --> 00:10:57,482 Chef, is there a spicy element to the dish? 250 00:10:57,482 --> 00:10:58,962 Yes. 251 00:10:58,962 --> 00:11:01,704 - Chef, is there any bok choy? - Yes. 252 00:11:01,704 --> 00:11:03,445 I----ing got him. I got him. 253 00:11:03,445 --> 00:11:04,968 You know what it is? 254 00:11:04,968 --> 00:11:06,535 I think it's a----ing mung curry. 255 00:11:06,535 --> 00:11:08,929 - Chef, I have one more. - I know they said tomato paste, 256 00:11:08,929 --> 00:11:10,887 - but is there any-- - No, no, no. Don't ask it. 257 00:11:10,887 --> 00:11:12,280 Don't ask that. No tomato at all. 258 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:14,325 - No tomato? - No tomato. Don't ask that. 259 00:11:15,152 --> 00:11:17,459 Do you have any red pepper in it? 260 00:11:17,459 --> 00:11:19,374 - Yes. - Ah, yes. 261 00:11:19,374 --> 00:11:22,377 - This is the craziness. - Four questions left. 262 00:11:22,377 --> 00:11:24,553 Any question, guys, that you want to ask? 263 00:11:24,553 --> 00:11:26,207 Is the protein served hot or cold? 264 00:11:26,207 --> 00:11:27,904 Is the protein served cold or hot? 265 00:11:28,557 --> 00:11:31,255 I guess you can't ask that. That's a stupid question. 266 00:11:31,255 --> 00:11:34,128 - Is the protein cold? - No. 267 00:11:34,128 --> 00:11:35,956 - That means it's hot, guys. - This dish is starting 268 00:11:35,956 --> 00:11:37,740 to remind me of a stir-fry situation, 269 00:11:37,740 --> 00:11:40,743 but I don't want to say stir-fry because I don't want 270 00:11:40,743 --> 00:11:42,876 everyone to run and grab a wok. 271 00:11:42,876 --> 00:11:46,488 Chef, would you call this a salad of sorts? 272 00:11:46,488 --> 00:11:48,185 Yes. 273 00:11:48,185 --> 00:11:50,318 - A salad of sorts. - Of sorts. 274 00:11:50,318 --> 00:11:52,146 I don't even know what that means. 275 00:11:52,146 --> 00:11:53,756 The salad question definitely threw me for a curveball. 276 00:11:53,756 --> 00:11:55,366 Candied ginger would be nice. 277 00:11:55,366 --> 00:11:59,806 I'm making this onion, fennel, red curry situation. 278 00:11:59,806 --> 00:12:03,679 Maybe I have it, maybe I don't, but regardless, 279 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:05,333 I need to just make a tasty dish. 280 00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:07,161 13 minutes, chefs, 13 minutes. 281 00:12:07,161 --> 00:12:09,293 Oh, God, this is stressful. 282 00:12:09,293 --> 00:12:11,208 I'm going to go around and ask them what they're making. 283 00:12:11,208 --> 00:12:13,515 - Report back. - You're using a wok? 284 00:12:13,515 --> 00:12:14,734 - Yes, chef. - Okay. 285 00:12:14,734 --> 00:12:16,083 I don't know, maybe it's just me. 286 00:12:16,083 --> 00:12:17,737 I haven't noticed them in here before, 287 00:12:17,737 --> 00:12:19,347 so I'm going to wok some garlic 288 00:12:19,347 --> 00:12:22,785 and bok choy with red chilies, and that's what I got. 289 00:12:22,785 --> 00:12:24,482 - Okay. - So far. 290 00:12:24,482 --> 00:12:25,962 - Chef? - Yes? 291 00:12:25,962 --> 00:12:28,791 Do you use any spring rolls in this dish? 292 00:12:28,791 --> 00:12:31,576 - No. - Laura, what are you making? 293 00:12:31,576 --> 00:12:33,013 Oh, my God, chef. 294 00:12:33,013 --> 00:12:35,015 A little bit of a salad for garnishes, 295 00:12:35,015 --> 00:12:37,582 some ginger, bok choy, curry paste, and the lobster. 296 00:12:37,582 --> 00:12:39,062 And the lobster. 297 00:12:39,062 --> 00:12:40,585 I definitely know this is not like Tom's dish. 298 00:12:40,585 --> 00:12:43,588 I'm just hoping it's a little bit close. 299 00:12:43,588 --> 00:12:45,068 Anyone close? And who? 300 00:12:45,068 --> 00:12:46,635 Savannah said she's using a wok, 301 00:12:46,635 --> 00:12:48,202 because, "I noticed there's a wok in the kitchen and 302 00:12:48,202 --> 00:12:49,986 - we haven't seen it before." - Smart. 303 00:12:51,901 --> 00:12:53,424 Okay, chefs, you have five minutes. 304 00:12:53,424 --> 00:12:55,252 There's still one question remaining. 305 00:12:55,252 --> 00:12:56,819 I have a question. What do you want? 306 00:12:56,819 --> 00:12:58,908 What's the fruit? Is it pineapple? 307 00:12:58,908 --> 00:13:00,649 - Is it pineapple? - No. 308 00:13:00,649 --> 00:13:02,216 God damn it. 309 00:13:02,216 --> 00:13:04,174 Okay, chefs, there are no more questions left. 310 00:13:04,174 --> 00:13:08,657 I think I'm in the ballpark of Tom's dish, but I look over, 311 00:13:08,657 --> 00:13:14,445 and Savannah's got a wok, and I'm like, God damn it. 312 00:13:16,099 --> 00:13:17,579 One minute and 50 seconds. 313 00:13:17,579 --> 00:13:21,365 Oh, too high. I got it charred all the way. Woo! 314 00:13:21,365 --> 00:13:23,890 I feel so much judgment right now. 315 00:13:23,890 --> 00:13:25,282 I don't even know where I am anymore. 316 00:13:25,282 --> 00:13:27,981 Yeah. I am just winging it. 317 00:13:30,461 --> 00:13:36,250 Five, four, three, two, one. 318 00:13:36,250 --> 00:13:37,860 - Time is up. - Time is up. 319 00:13:37,860 --> 00:13:39,427 I don't know what I just made. 320 00:13:46,477 --> 00:13:48,523 So, chefs, I don't know enough about this type of food 321 00:13:48,523 --> 00:13:50,133 to actually do it in a restaurant, 322 00:13:50,133 --> 00:13:52,179 but I love cooking it at home. 323 00:13:54,355 --> 00:13:56,574 - That's the dish. - Beautiful. 324 00:13:56,574 --> 00:14:00,491 What I did here is I made a stir-fry of lobster, 325 00:14:00,491 --> 00:14:03,364 ginger, bok choy, red onion, there's fennel. 326 00:14:03,364 --> 00:14:04,974 - Fennel. - You got fennel. 327 00:14:04,974 --> 00:14:06,454 - There's candied ginger. - Yes. 328 00:14:06,454 --> 00:14:08,108 - Oh, you got candied ginger. - Yeah. 329 00:14:08,108 --> 00:14:10,719 A little fish sauce, lime juice. That's the fruit. 330 00:14:10,719 --> 00:14:14,549 And then there's Thai basil, basil, parsley, cilantro. 331 00:14:14,549 --> 00:14:17,421 - Yeah. Meh. - And curry leaves. 332 00:14:17,421 --> 00:14:19,032 It literally took me eight minutes to cook it. 333 00:14:19,032 --> 00:14:21,295 - It was fun. - For you. 334 00:14:21,295 --> 00:14:23,036 Michelle, why don't you bring yours up here? 335 00:14:23,036 --> 00:14:24,646 Let's see how close you got. 336 00:14:26,213 --> 00:14:29,172 I quick-poached lobster. 337 00:14:29,172 --> 00:14:31,174 I marinated it in a sauce that had most of 338 00:14:31,174 --> 00:14:32,741 the ingredients time-listed, but not all. 339 00:14:32,741 --> 00:14:34,656 You smelled the plate a lot. 340 00:14:34,656 --> 00:14:37,224 - What were you getting? - I knew it wasn't a sauce dish, 341 00:14:37,224 --> 00:14:39,313 but I could see that there was remnants of something. 342 00:14:39,313 --> 00:14:41,532 Manny, come on up. 343 00:14:41,532 --> 00:14:44,579 I poached the lobster and bok choy. 344 00:14:44,579 --> 00:14:48,322 Then I added some lime juice, cilantro, parsley, ginger, 345 00:14:48,322 --> 00:14:50,759 and then infused seafood stock with a red miso. 346 00:14:50,759 --> 00:14:52,152 That's where the red came from. 347 00:14:52,152 --> 00:14:53,631 Just came from the lobster. 348 00:14:53,631 --> 00:14:55,633 All right, Savannah. 349 00:14:57,157 --> 00:14:59,072 I made a lobster stir-fry. 350 00:14:59,072 --> 00:15:02,205 There's red fresnos in there, bok choy, ginger, and garlic. 351 00:15:02,205 --> 00:15:04,381 When you looked at the bottom of the bowl, there's no sauce. 352 00:15:04,381 --> 00:15:06,079 Why did you think you needed a sauce? 353 00:15:06,079 --> 00:15:07,428 I thought that you guys ate all the sauce, 354 00:15:07,994 --> 00:15:09,430 so I thought it would be saucy. 355 00:15:09,430 --> 00:15:10,997 We would really have to lick the bowl to do that. 356 00:15:10,997 --> 00:15:12,476 Laura. 357 00:15:12,476 --> 00:15:14,304 - Okay. - Thank you. 358 00:15:14,304 --> 00:15:15,827 I blanched the lobster. 359 00:15:15,827 --> 00:15:17,917 I made a sauce with a little bit of curry, 360 00:15:17,917 --> 00:15:19,962 a little bit of fresnos, some garlic, 361 00:15:19,962 --> 00:15:22,225 parsley, and fish sauce. 362 00:15:22,225 --> 00:15:24,010 Did you smell the curry in the dish? 363 00:15:24,010 --> 00:15:26,621 - I did. - Mm-hmm. 364 00:15:26,621 --> 00:15:28,275 All right, Dan. 365 00:15:28,275 --> 00:15:30,146 I also smelled the curry. 366 00:15:30,146 --> 00:15:32,148 I started off cooking the lobster in broth 367 00:15:32,148 --> 00:15:35,978 made with lemongrass, onions, ginger, and then I stir-fried 368 00:15:35,978 --> 00:15:39,373 it with onions, bok choy, cilantro, and the lobster. 369 00:15:39,373 --> 00:15:41,418 The one day you go easy on the herbs, Dan. 370 00:15:41,418 --> 00:15:44,334 Danny. 371 00:15:46,858 --> 00:15:49,035 Kind of a fennel curry. 372 00:15:49,035 --> 00:15:52,125 There's fish sauce, onion, ginger. 373 00:15:52,125 --> 00:15:53,822 I poached the lobster in the sauce. 374 00:15:53,822 --> 00:15:55,693 What did you think of this challenge? 375 00:15:55,693 --> 00:15:57,652 Um, it was a fun one. 376 00:15:58,696 --> 00:16:01,830 I have to say, you all got a lot more than I expected you to. 377 00:16:01,830 --> 00:16:03,353 Yeah, this was fun. 378 00:16:03,353 --> 00:16:05,486 Let's give them a little bit of feedback. 379 00:16:05,486 --> 00:16:07,662 Who do you think got the closest to your dish? 380 00:16:07,662 --> 00:16:09,316 - Savannah got the wok-- - She did. 381 00:16:09,316 --> 00:16:11,274 Which was a good observation. 382 00:16:11,274 --> 00:16:13,015 I love the texture of your vegetables. 383 00:16:13,015 --> 00:16:15,104 They were pretty damn close to the vegetables in Tom's. 384 00:16:15,104 --> 00:16:17,150 Michelle, look-wise, it was there. 385 00:16:17,150 --> 00:16:18,847 It was the only one without sauce, 386 00:16:18,847 --> 00:16:21,023 but some of the ingredients weren't cooked enough. 387 00:16:21,023 --> 00:16:24,287 Dan, look-wise, pretty close, and I was really impressed 388 00:16:24,287 --> 00:16:25,941 with how many ingredients you got. 389 00:16:25,941 --> 00:16:27,856 All right, Tom, which chef got the closest 390 00:16:27,856 --> 00:16:29,423 in taste and presentation? 391 00:16:29,423 --> 00:16:32,513 The chef that came the closest in spirit of the dish... 392 00:16:37,213 --> 00:16:38,998 Savannah. Yes! 393 00:16:39,563 --> 00:16:42,218 - Congratulations, Savannah. - Thanks, guys. 394 00:16:42,218 --> 00:16:43,654 This feels really good. 395 00:16:43,654 --> 00:16:45,613 I didn't let myself get too in my head. 396 00:16:45,613 --> 00:16:48,442 I trusted my gut, and these are all things that I really need 397 00:16:48,442 --> 00:16:51,271 to gain my confidence back after this last Elimination Challenge. 398 00:16:51,271 --> 00:16:52,750 Congratulations, Savannah. 399 00:16:52,750 --> 00:16:55,188 You just won $10,000, thanks to our friends 400 00:16:55,188 --> 00:16:57,929 at the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card. 401 00:16:57,929 --> 00:16:59,540 - Nice. - Yes. 402 00:16:59,540 --> 00:17:01,672 Unfortunately, there were a few dishes 403 00:17:01,672 --> 00:17:03,413 that did fall just a little bit short. 404 00:17:03,413 --> 00:17:06,112 Laura, your dish is in the Tom direction. 405 00:17:06,112 --> 00:17:08,810 It was a little bit salty. 406 00:17:08,810 --> 00:17:10,464 Manny, you got there, too. 407 00:17:10,464 --> 00:17:13,380 I just thought there was an overabundance of lime juice. 408 00:17:13,380 --> 00:17:15,556 Danny looked nothing like it. 409 00:17:15,556 --> 00:17:19,473 However, it was one of the more delicious bites. 410 00:17:19,473 --> 00:17:21,866 - Wasn'’t close, I mean- - It just wasn't his dish. 411 00:17:21,866 --> 00:17:24,565 All right, so now that we have all the fun and games 412 00:17:24,565 --> 00:17:26,567 out of the way, back to business. 413 00:17:26,567 --> 00:17:29,309 Let's lay it all out on the table. 414 00:17:30,614 --> 00:17:31,746 Hm. 415 00:17:36,577 --> 00:17:38,927 Chefs, what does a crawfish boil, 416 00:17:38,927 --> 00:17:42,757 a kamayan, and a grazing table all have in common? 417 00:17:42,757 --> 00:17:45,238 - It'’s eaten on the table. - There you go. 418 00:17:45,238 --> 00:17:47,283 They are types of meals that are served directly 419 00:17:47,283 --> 00:17:49,329 on tables without any plates. 420 00:17:49,329 --> 00:17:52,419 Crawfish boils, that's up my alley. 421 00:17:52,419 --> 00:17:54,551 Grazing tables, that's up my alley, too. 422 00:17:54,551 --> 00:17:56,901 But what else is there, Kristen? 423 00:17:57,685 --> 00:18:00,035 We want you to throw the norm out the window 424 00:18:00,035 --> 00:18:01,906 and think beyond the plate. 425 00:18:07,912 --> 00:18:09,784 There are fine dining chefs all over the world 426 00:18:09,784 --> 00:18:12,917 that are actually using the table to plate their food. 427 00:18:12,917 --> 00:18:14,745 You have Grant Achatz at Alinea, 428 00:18:14,745 --> 00:18:16,965 creating desserts for guests literally to eat off the table. 429 00:18:16,965 --> 00:18:19,446 Over at Disfrutar in Spain, the chefs have a living table 430 00:18:19,446 --> 00:18:21,796 with secret compartments for dishes to be placed inside. 431 00:18:21,796 --> 00:18:24,712 For your Elimination Challenge, we want you to create a dish 432 00:18:24,712 --> 00:18:27,802 that is directly plated on a tabletop. 433 00:18:27,802 --> 00:18:30,457 Instead of giving us one great plate of food, 434 00:18:30,457 --> 00:18:32,676 give us one great table of food. 435 00:18:32,676 --> 00:18:35,462 Your creation can be sweet or savory, 436 00:18:35,462 --> 00:18:37,986 as long as it all fits on one tabletop. 437 00:18:37,986 --> 00:18:40,162 This tabletop, to be exact. 438 00:18:40,162 --> 00:18:42,338 You'll have your tabletop at the station during the cook, 439 00:18:42,338 --> 00:18:43,861 so you can plate it right there. 440 00:18:43,861 --> 00:18:45,472 Or you can plate it tableside, in front of us. 441 00:18:45,472 --> 00:18:48,649 You'll be serving an intimate table of Gail, 442 00:18:48,649 --> 00:18:52,043 Tom, myself, and two Michelin-starred chef 443 00:18:52,043 --> 00:18:55,308 and owner of Ever Restaurant, Curtis Duffy. 444 00:18:55,308 --> 00:18:57,484 So cool. 445 00:18:57,484 --> 00:19:01,662 Curtis Duffy's incredibly fitting for this challenge. 446 00:19:01,662 --> 00:19:03,577 My man is a mad scientist. 447 00:19:03,577 --> 00:19:05,448 He's just doing some really outside-the-box 448 00:19:05,448 --> 00:19:07,189 cooking and thinking. 449 00:19:07,189 --> 00:19:09,670 Danny, as the winner of the last Elimination Challenge, 450 00:19:09,670 --> 00:19:12,194 you'll have an additional 30 minutes to cook on day two. 451 00:19:12,194 --> 00:19:13,543 Dope. 452 00:19:13,543 --> 00:19:15,415 Good luck, and we'll see you tomorrow. 453 00:19:15,415 --> 00:19:17,199 See you tomorrow. 454 00:19:18,374 --> 00:19:19,462 I know. 455 00:19:22,248 --> 00:19:24,337 Now, we're back to girl car, boy car. 456 00:19:24,337 --> 00:19:27,688 - Here we go. - Congrats, Savannah. 457 00:19:27,688 --> 00:19:29,516 - So good. - Just racking it up. 458 00:19:29,516 --> 00:19:31,822 What are you thinking for this? 459 00:19:31,822 --> 00:19:34,216 Uh... I'm gonna go sweet, actually. 460 00:19:34,216 --> 00:19:36,740 This is a good challenge to go sweet. I, however, am not. 461 00:19:36,740 --> 00:19:38,394 Are you gonna go with barbecue? 462 00:19:38,394 --> 00:19:39,700 [laughing] No. 463 00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:41,528 Kristen spoke about a crawfish boil, 464 00:19:41,528 --> 00:19:43,225 we just did a fish boil. 465 00:19:43,225 --> 00:19:45,706 Those are the first things that I would typically go to, 466 00:19:45,706 --> 00:19:48,361 but I don't want to be too cliche. 467 00:19:48,361 --> 00:19:50,232 I think I'm gonna utilize salmon. 468 00:19:50,232 --> 00:19:51,712 For my highlight, beets, 469 00:19:51,712 --> 00:19:54,584 and play either a deviled egg or egg salad. 470 00:19:54,584 --> 00:19:57,718 Putting, like, a brunch idea on this table 471 00:19:57,718 --> 00:19:59,415 could work if I'm able to execute it. 472 00:19:59,415 --> 00:20:01,461 There's so many things you can do with brunch, 473 00:20:01,461 --> 00:20:03,376 and I definitely want to be impressive. 474 00:20:03,376 --> 00:20:05,334 I don't know what it's gonna look like. 475 00:20:05,334 --> 00:20:06,857 I gotta think some more 476 00:20:06,857 --> 00:20:09,512 as to how these components will come together. 477 00:20:09,512 --> 00:20:12,167 - So what are you doing? - Squid ink risotto 478 00:20:12,167 --> 00:20:16,258 with a scallop and a sun-dried tomato puree. 479 00:20:16,258 --> 00:20:20,349 I am very confident with risotto because of the background 480 00:20:20,349 --> 00:20:23,047 that I have had in Italian cuisine, working at Frasca. 481 00:20:23,047 --> 00:20:26,137 This dish can be spread throughout the table, 482 00:20:26,137 --> 00:20:28,749 and can be eaten separately or mixed together. 483 00:20:28,749 --> 00:20:31,795 So, it's perfect for this challenge. 484 00:20:32,970 --> 00:20:34,363 Let's go. 485 00:20:35,495 --> 00:20:36,931 Run, run, run, run, run. I'm behind you. 486 00:20:36,931 --> 00:20:39,412 Okay, don't run me over. 487 00:20:40,456 --> 00:20:43,938 I'm still trying to figure out all the components of my dish. 488 00:20:43,938 --> 00:20:45,896 Okay, I'll take three of those, please. 489 00:20:45,896 --> 00:20:50,510 My knee-jerk reaction for this is to do a paella. 490 00:20:50,510 --> 00:20:52,816 All the paellas that I've ever cooked or eaten 491 00:20:52,816 --> 00:20:54,296 are fairly large 492 00:20:54,296 --> 00:20:56,211 and they're for a substantial amount of people. 493 00:20:56,211 --> 00:20:59,867 And so this challenge is a really great opportunity 494 00:20:59,867 --> 00:21:02,522 to create this kind of communal dining experience. 495 00:21:02,522 --> 00:21:05,133 17 minutes, chefs. 496 00:21:05,133 --> 00:21:06,830 I need some eggs. 497 00:21:06,830 --> 00:21:10,007 I'm actually doing dessert. I'm just loving this challenge. 498 00:21:15,839 --> 00:21:18,146 ...like, a seafood boil with some spices on top. 499 00:21:18,146 --> 00:21:21,802 Serving food on the table is going to be like 500 00:21:21,802 --> 00:21:23,804 having a blank canvas, and a really big one. 501 00:21:23,804 --> 00:21:26,023 You have to show some creativity to it. 502 00:21:26,023 --> 00:21:28,548 I'm actually doing a play on sour cherry, 503 00:21:28,548 --> 00:21:32,334 baklava, pistachios, the idea of honey presented 504 00:21:32,334 --> 00:21:34,162 in many different ways. 505 00:21:34,162 --> 00:21:35,685 Fresh horseradish. 506 00:21:35,685 --> 00:21:37,470 '‘Cause it pairs well with beets and salmon. 507 00:21:37,470 --> 00:21:38,993 Ten minutes, chefs. 508 00:21:38,993 --> 00:21:40,995 Savannah, what route are you taking here? 509 00:21:40,995 --> 00:21:45,347 Um, I'm going, like, zensai, the first course of a kaiseki? 510 00:21:45,347 --> 00:21:47,654 Traditional zensai is a bunch of little different bites 511 00:21:47,654 --> 00:21:49,743 that are all really fun, but they have a connection. 512 00:21:49,743 --> 00:21:51,310 Do you guys have octopus? 513 00:21:51,310 --> 00:21:53,268 So, I'm leaning into doing a celebration of the sea. 514 00:21:53,268 --> 00:21:54,922 I want to get a lot of seaweed 515 00:21:54,922 --> 00:21:56,967 and different types of seafood items. 516 00:21:56,967 --> 00:21:59,013 What are you looking for, homie? 517 00:21:59,013 --> 00:22:00,493 I don't really know at this moment. 518 00:22:03,409 --> 00:22:04,932 Figs might work. 519 00:22:04,932 --> 00:22:06,890 I don't know where my cart is. Grabbing some figs. 520 00:22:06,890 --> 00:22:09,240 I don't even know if I'm going to use it, but I'm grabbing it. 521 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:10,677 Two minutes. 522 00:22:10,677 --> 00:22:12,940 I need to get my butt in line. 523 00:22:13,419 --> 00:22:14,811 We have, what, 300? 524 00:22:14,811 --> 00:22:17,379 Yeah, so let's do this first. 525 00:22:17,379 --> 00:22:20,382 And this, 270. 526 00:22:21,905 --> 00:22:23,646 Can I just do less lemons? 527 00:22:23,646 --> 00:22:27,302 Yeah, that feels right. Cool. Thank you. 528 00:22:27,302 --> 00:22:28,956 Ooh, Lord. 529 00:22:38,444 --> 00:22:39,706 Good luck, everybody. 530 00:22:44,058 --> 00:22:46,103 This is the biggest table ever. 531 00:22:46,843 --> 00:22:48,584 Savannah, how are you using your table? 532 00:22:48,584 --> 00:22:50,804 I'm going to be painting on the table. 533 00:22:50,804 --> 00:22:53,459 There will be sea moss on the table 534 00:22:53,459 --> 00:22:55,025 with oysters coming out of it. 535 00:22:55,025 --> 00:22:56,636 I don't know. I'm still figuring it out, Manny. 536 00:22:56,636 --> 00:22:58,420 The biggest thing on my prep list is 537 00:22:58,420 --> 00:22:59,813 I have to cook my octopus. 538 00:22:59,813 --> 00:23:01,684 I will not have time to do this tomorrow, 539 00:23:01,684 --> 00:23:03,294 and if it doesn't have enough time to cook, 540 00:23:03,294 --> 00:23:04,557 it's not going to be tender. 541 00:23:06,950 --> 00:23:08,299 What are you working on, Manny? 542 00:23:08,299 --> 00:23:10,998 My sofrito for the risotto. 543 00:23:10,998 --> 00:23:12,782 Last elimination challenge, 544 00:23:12,782 --> 00:23:15,959 Tom told me that I needed to swing for the fences. 545 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,659 A lot scarier than doing risotto on Top Chef. 546 00:23:19,659 --> 00:23:22,139 I've made a butternut squash risotto. 547 00:23:22,139 --> 00:23:24,011 I call it the curse of the risotto. 548 00:23:24,011 --> 00:23:26,013 I'm making like a sausage risotto. 549 00:23:26,013 --> 00:23:27,667 Please pack your knives and go. 550 00:23:28,972 --> 00:23:32,498 However, I am very confident with risotto. 551 00:23:32,498 --> 00:23:34,369 I think I have made more risottos 552 00:23:34,369 --> 00:23:35,892 than I have made tortillas. 553 00:23:40,767 --> 00:23:43,857 So, I got this idea for a beet tartare. 554 00:23:43,857 --> 00:23:46,468 I need to get those guys in the oven now. 555 00:23:46,468 --> 00:23:49,297 I have this smoked beet dish that mimics beef tartare. 556 00:23:49,297 --> 00:23:50,994 All right. 557 00:23:50,994 --> 00:23:53,867 And then I want to tie this all together with a flatbread. 558 00:23:53,867 --> 00:23:55,390 Whoa, too much. 559 00:23:55,390 --> 00:23:57,697 I want them to try different bits of everything 560 00:23:57,697 --> 00:23:59,960 and swipe through and, who knows? 561 00:24:00,439 --> 00:24:01,875 Oh, yeah. 562 00:24:01,875 --> 00:24:03,354 The fact that I'm going with something that 563 00:24:03,354 --> 00:24:05,748 doesn't need to be hot, I think, is really smart. 564 00:24:05,748 --> 00:24:07,489 You know, Manny wants to do this risotto, 565 00:24:07,489 --> 00:24:10,536 but it's going to hit a table and just seize up or get cold. 566 00:24:10,536 --> 00:24:12,581 It's all about having a good time. 567 00:24:12,581 --> 00:24:15,018 One hour and 15 minutes, guys. 568 00:24:16,063 --> 00:24:18,152 These are the seasonings for the salmon. 569 00:24:18,152 --> 00:24:19,806 I'm going to do a play on brunch. 570 00:24:19,806 --> 00:24:22,939 Beet biscuit with salmon, eggs, and caviar. 571 00:24:22,939 --> 00:24:24,637 I have several purees, 572 00:24:24,637 --> 00:24:26,160 so I want to knock all those out. 573 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:27,988 Having worked with the Bocuse D'’or team, 574 00:24:27,988 --> 00:24:30,904 everything was meticulous, and it's perfect. 575 00:24:30,904 --> 00:24:34,081 I've definitely grown away from cooking food that way. 576 00:24:34,081 --> 00:24:36,779 I like to cook food that's a little bit more playful, 577 00:24:36,779 --> 00:24:39,086 so I'm looking at this table as a canvas. 578 00:24:39,086 --> 00:24:41,741 I want to highlight a negative space 579 00:24:41,741 --> 00:24:44,308 with these dark green purees and black rice. 580 00:24:45,135 --> 00:24:46,920 I think chefs are artists. 581 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,923 I've staged at Alinea, throwing purees and sauces around. 582 00:24:49,923 --> 00:24:52,403 I'm going to let it loose a little bit. 583 00:24:53,317 --> 00:24:56,407 This is ice cream number one, clotted cream ice cream. 584 00:24:56,407 --> 00:24:59,280 This is a Turkish ice cream from Maras. 585 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,065 It's a little bit chewier, so it will hold up 586 00:25:02,065 --> 00:25:03,545 very well on the table. 587 00:25:03,545 --> 00:25:06,330 I'm making honey and I'm making sour cherry ice cream. 588 00:25:06,330 --> 00:25:07,854 Nice. 589 00:25:07,854 --> 00:25:09,333 My integration of the plating is based on 590 00:25:09,333 --> 00:25:12,467 the idea of my restaurant and what inspires me. 591 00:25:12,467 --> 00:25:16,558 Top Chef taught me to be very confident about who I am. 592 00:25:16,558 --> 00:25:19,430 I'm very proud of being an immigrant from Mexico, 593 00:25:19,430 --> 00:25:23,173 that can cook anything, and just being me. 594 00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:26,786 This challenge seems like a lot of fun. 595 00:25:26,786 --> 00:25:29,832 Do you have an idea how you're going to be using the table yet? 596 00:25:29,832 --> 00:25:33,619 Honestly, I really don't know what my final plating will be. 597 00:25:33,619 --> 00:25:36,883 I have zero background with art. 598 00:25:36,883 --> 00:25:40,582 Typically, my plates are just comfortable. 599 00:25:40,582 --> 00:25:43,585 I don't play at all with tweezers, to be honest with you. 600 00:25:44,368 --> 00:25:48,024 Ah! That didn't work out so well. 601 00:25:48,764 --> 00:25:51,332 Look at my beets. 602 00:25:51,332 --> 00:25:55,815 These beets are not cooked. Like, not cooked at all. 603 00:25:55,815 --> 00:25:57,381 Oh, my God. 604 00:25:57,381 --> 00:25:58,644 They're like rocks. 605 00:25:58,644 --> 00:26:00,297 How are these not - ing cooked yet? 606 00:26:00,297 --> 00:26:02,996 My plan right now is to crank the oven up 607 00:26:02,996 --> 00:26:04,650 and I'm just praying. 608 00:26:04,650 --> 00:26:05,868 Oh, dude. 609 00:26:10,830 --> 00:26:12,701 Savannah, do you want to check this? 610 00:26:12,701 --> 00:26:15,225 It should have five minutes. 611 00:26:16,052 --> 00:26:18,489 Ugh. No, this is bad. 612 00:26:18,489 --> 00:26:20,187 The octopus is stressing me out. 613 00:26:20,187 --> 00:26:22,232 I'm wishing I had used a pressure cooker. 614 00:26:22,232 --> 00:26:25,758 It's not going to be tender. I needed more time to let it go. 615 00:26:25,758 --> 00:26:26,933 15 minutes, chefs. 616 00:26:26,933 --> 00:26:28,717 Why won't you cook? 617 00:26:28,717 --> 00:26:30,023 I'm in full panic. 618 00:26:30,023 --> 00:26:31,502 If I don't get the beets cooked, 619 00:26:31,502 --> 00:26:33,853 I'm basically giving them a table of puree. 620 00:26:33,853 --> 00:26:35,332 It's not going to get done in time. 621 00:26:35,332 --> 00:26:37,117 It'’s not getting done? 622 00:26:37,117 --> 00:26:38,422 I'm going to sous vide these suckers overnight. 623 00:26:38,422 --> 00:26:39,685 You know, I really wanted to get them 624 00:26:39,685 --> 00:26:41,251 peeled and dealt with tonight. 625 00:26:41,251 --> 00:26:42,905 Tomorrow's just going to have to be very, very efficient. 626 00:26:44,646 --> 00:26:45,908 Two minutes, chefs. 627 00:26:46,822 --> 00:26:49,042 I got all my prep done, 628 00:26:49,042 --> 00:26:50,870 so tomorrow I'm just going to focus on 629 00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:52,698 my pesto and my risotto. 630 00:26:52,698 --> 00:26:54,221 Let's get out of here. 631 00:26:54,221 --> 00:26:56,440 I got a lot to think about tonight. 632 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,312 Yeah. 633 00:27:01,707 --> 00:27:02,882 Hi, guys. 634 00:27:02,882 --> 00:27:04,448 Oh, you all moved in? 635 00:27:04,448 --> 00:27:08,017 I'm already moved in. What are you guys drawing? 636 00:27:08,017 --> 00:27:10,193 We're trying to get some inspo for tomorrow. 637 00:27:10,193 --> 00:27:12,065 Like, even-- even what I pictured that 638 00:27:12,065 --> 00:27:13,632 I want to plate, I cannot draw it. 639 00:27:13,632 --> 00:27:16,591 My artistry did not come in the form of drawing. 640 00:27:16,591 --> 00:27:20,813 My artistry was in sports, singing and stage plays. 641 00:27:20,813 --> 00:27:22,466 Mine was music and sports. 642 00:27:22,466 --> 00:27:25,644 I had a band, had three albums with them. 643 00:27:25,644 --> 00:27:27,950 - For real? - Wow. 644 00:27:27,950 --> 00:27:31,824 When I was in high school, I played bass in a band, 645 00:27:31,824 --> 00:27:34,609 what now would be considered emo punk. 646 00:27:36,872 --> 00:27:38,439 So, I'm an elder emo. 647 00:27:38,439 --> 00:27:39,962 Look, this is where I'm at. This is my drawing. 648 00:27:51,670 --> 00:27:55,935 I'm just going over and over how this table could possibly look. 649 00:27:55,935 --> 00:27:59,286 With all of the colors that I'm going to be able to get from 650 00:27:59,286 --> 00:28:03,333 these ingredients, designing a mosaic might be a good idea. 651 00:28:06,075 --> 00:28:09,339 Danny is very lucky to get extra 30 minutes. 652 00:28:09,339 --> 00:28:10,514 Oh, my God, yeah. 653 00:28:12,473 --> 00:28:15,606 I'm going to use every second of this 30 minutes. 654 00:28:15,606 --> 00:28:17,608 This is my kind of kitchen, this is what I'm talking about. 655 00:28:17,608 --> 00:28:21,743 First order of business, hard cook my lobsters and my mussels. 656 00:28:21,743 --> 00:28:25,878 And then I get my rice into some Viking pots. 657 00:28:25,878 --> 00:28:29,055 The towel is going to absorb the moisture from the rice 658 00:28:29,055 --> 00:28:30,709 and catch the steam. 659 00:28:30,709 --> 00:28:32,711 I mean, I don't want it to be cooked, but slightly chewy, 660 00:28:32,711 --> 00:28:34,451 I want it to have some texture. 661 00:28:34,451 --> 00:28:36,410 But then the base of it, I want it to be like, hella crispy. 662 00:28:36,410 --> 00:28:39,805 This black rice got me thinking about Basquiat paintings. 663 00:28:39,805 --> 00:28:42,982 A lot of his work is typically on a large white canvas, 664 00:28:42,982 --> 00:28:46,420 and he'll start with a painting, and a lot of times he'll start 665 00:28:46,420 --> 00:28:48,596 an entirely different painting over top of that. 666 00:28:48,596 --> 00:28:51,381 And that's kind of where I got the inspiration to frame 667 00:28:51,381 --> 00:28:54,950 everything in and make it this paella portrait. 668 00:28:57,910 --> 00:28:59,346 Holy sh--, you're all here. 669 00:28:59,346 --> 00:29:02,088 Kitchen to yourself, not for long. 670 00:29:02,088 --> 00:29:03,959 We heard you were a little lonely. 671 00:29:03,959 --> 00:29:06,048 Honestly, I didn't miss any of you. 672 00:29:11,097 --> 00:29:14,317 Ooh! They are definitely cooked. 673 00:29:14,317 --> 00:29:16,755 It is a major relief my beets are cooked. 674 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:18,147 I gotta get them peeled 675 00:29:18,147 --> 00:29:21,281 and then get them over to that smoker. 676 00:29:21,281 --> 00:29:23,239 One hour and 18, guys. 677 00:29:24,675 --> 00:29:25,851 So... 678 00:29:25,851 --> 00:29:27,156 I need to make the filo. 679 00:29:27,156 --> 00:29:28,810 I need to make a couple sauces, 680 00:29:28,810 --> 00:29:30,420 but I just want to make sure 681 00:29:30,420 --> 00:29:32,945 I have everything done in the next 50 minutes or so, 682 00:29:32,945 --> 00:29:36,513 so I can dedicate my time to plating. 683 00:29:38,037 --> 00:29:41,040 It's like Bob Ross is home again, baby. 684 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:45,044 I am working on a buttermilk beet biscuit. 685 00:29:45,044 --> 00:29:46,523 The key to a great biscuit, 686 00:29:46,523 --> 00:29:48,699 I like to work the cold butter with my hands. 687 00:29:48,699 --> 00:29:51,702 I pride myself on making a really great biscuit. 688 00:29:51,702 --> 00:29:55,141 It's really a simple task that many don't get right. 689 00:29:56,882 --> 00:30:00,363 Charring my octopus. Oh, my God, this is so----ing hot. 690 00:30:00,363 --> 00:30:02,191 I tasted the octopus the night before 691 00:30:02,191 --> 00:30:04,019 and I thought it was like a little chewy, 692 00:30:04,019 --> 00:30:05,542 so I'm charring it, 693 00:30:05,542 --> 00:30:08,458 and hopefully it's not, like, octopus jerky. 694 00:30:08,458 --> 00:30:11,461 So raspberry, cookie crumble. Okay, got it. 695 00:30:11,461 --> 00:30:13,463 I didn't get nearly as much done 696 00:30:13,463 --> 00:30:15,248 as I wanted to get done yesterday, 697 00:30:15,248 --> 00:30:17,424 so really today is all about having to figure it out. 698 00:30:17,424 --> 00:30:20,122 And I'm not going to mess around with the pitas in the oven. 699 00:30:20,122 --> 00:30:21,689 I'm just going to do them on the flat top. 700 00:30:21,689 --> 00:30:23,430 This is going to give the bread a really nice 701 00:30:23,430 --> 00:30:25,171 crispy outside, like an English muffin, 702 00:30:25,171 --> 00:30:27,086 and real fluffy on the inside like a pita. 703 00:30:27,086 --> 00:30:28,565 I'm just calling it a puffin. 704 00:30:28,565 --> 00:30:29,915 I don't really know what this is. 705 00:30:34,354 --> 00:30:36,486 - I need a minute. - Danny, what's going on? 706 00:30:36,486 --> 00:30:37,923 Not now, dude. 707 00:30:37,923 --> 00:30:39,663 My heart stops. 708 00:30:39,663 --> 00:30:41,796 Burnt some of my rice. 709 00:30:41,796 --> 00:30:44,190 My entire dish is based around this rice. 710 00:30:44,190 --> 00:30:46,714 If this is all burnt, I'm going to go home. 711 00:30:52,502 --> 00:30:54,722 Think I burnt some of my rice. 712 00:30:56,158 --> 00:30:57,246 Oh, boy. 713 00:30:57,246 --> 00:30:59,858 The bottom of my rice is burnt. 714 00:30:59,858 --> 00:31:01,772 The bitterness and the char, it's bad. 715 00:31:01,772 --> 00:31:06,777 My timing was totally off, but the top of the rice isn't burnt. 716 00:31:10,172 --> 00:31:12,435 Pivots, baby. It's all about pivoting. 717 00:31:15,699 --> 00:31:17,397 Making some chips. 718 00:31:17,397 --> 00:31:19,355 They'’re just crunchy texture for the dish. 719 00:31:19,355 --> 00:31:22,532 Ice cream is good. 720 00:31:22,532 --> 00:31:24,752 I have this like energy, I think, 721 00:31:24,752 --> 00:31:26,754 from going through Last Chance Kitchen, 722 00:31:26,754 --> 00:31:29,975 and I actually see that I can win it. 723 00:31:29,975 --> 00:31:31,411 Making honey sauce. 724 00:31:33,456 --> 00:31:35,632 Pray for me. Taking off the tape. 725 00:31:40,463 --> 00:31:42,117 This pesto is from Sicily. 726 00:31:42,117 --> 00:31:44,903 Being on the coast, it goes really well with seafood. 727 00:31:44,903 --> 00:31:48,254 I'm leaving myself with a 30-minute window 728 00:31:48,254 --> 00:31:49,864 to cook my risotto. 729 00:31:49,864 --> 00:31:53,215 If I leave the risotto resting more, it may overcook. 730 00:31:53,215 --> 00:31:54,825 As long as I follow the timeline 731 00:31:54,825 --> 00:31:56,827 that I set for myself, it should be fine. 732 00:32:03,008 --> 00:32:05,140 I don't nearly have enough rice in this. 733 00:32:05,140 --> 00:32:08,361 Okay. Pivoting. Pivoting. 734 00:32:08,361 --> 00:32:11,146 Make it stretch for a mile. 735 00:32:21,156 --> 00:32:22,853 Smells good. 736 00:32:22,853 --> 00:32:24,507 Yeah, it smells great. 737 00:32:27,946 --> 00:32:30,513 Very quiet in here. 738 00:32:33,342 --> 00:32:35,301 - Focus. - Everyone's very focused, yeah. 739 00:32:41,002 --> 00:32:44,658 The final plate doesn't look like I'm missing rice. 740 00:32:44,658 --> 00:32:47,443 It looks full, it looks intentional. 741 00:32:57,758 --> 00:32:59,803 I'm excited about this. 742 00:32:59,803 --> 00:33:01,631 - Yeah, it looks fun. - Hi, Danny. 743 00:33:01,631 --> 00:33:03,503 - What's up, chefs? - Tell us about your table. 744 00:33:03,503 --> 00:33:05,766 This is my version of a paella. 745 00:33:05,766 --> 00:33:07,681 So, I've got some black rice that's been tossed 746 00:33:07,681 --> 00:33:10,684 with a piquillo pepper puree. 747 00:33:10,684 --> 00:33:13,643 I saw this as a big canvas. I thought of Basquiat. 748 00:33:13,643 --> 00:33:15,341 You know, a lot of his work, he'll start 749 00:33:15,341 --> 00:33:17,038 and then paint over with black. 750 00:33:17,038 --> 00:33:19,954 Um, which is basically where the black rice came into play. 751 00:33:19,954 --> 00:33:23,392 The border is several different purees. 752 00:33:23,392 --> 00:33:25,351 There's black garlic, there's zucchini, 753 00:33:25,351 --> 00:33:27,048 and then there's a creme fraiche, 754 00:33:27,048 --> 00:33:29,529 all to kind of tie into everything on top. 755 00:33:29,529 --> 00:33:31,400 - Thanks, Danny. - Thank you, chefs. 756 00:33:34,664 --> 00:33:36,362 I do love the border. 757 00:33:36,362 --> 00:33:39,060 When it first was presented, I thought, where's the sauce? 758 00:33:39,060 --> 00:33:41,497 As we went and realized it'’s-- That's actually the sauce. 759 00:33:41,497 --> 00:33:43,325 - Yeah. - I think it's beautiful. 760 00:33:43,325 --> 00:33:46,285 I also think it's very clever with the white space, 761 00:33:46,285 --> 00:33:48,200 which I think adds to the sort of 762 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:49,897 artfulness of the presentation. 763 00:33:49,897 --> 00:33:51,507 Yeah. It's almost like framed. 764 00:33:51,507 --> 00:33:53,292 - Really thoughtful. - Very. 765 00:33:53,292 --> 00:33:54,858 - And it tastes pretty good. - It does. 766 00:33:54,858 --> 00:33:56,556 - It tastes really good! - And it complements everything. 767 00:33:56,556 --> 00:33:59,080 And the texture of the rice is really fantastic. 768 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:00,864 Yeah. And the seafood's all really nicely cooked. 769 00:34:00,864 --> 00:34:02,083 It is. 770 00:34:02,083 --> 00:34:03,563 I got no notes. 771 00:34:03,563 --> 00:34:05,347 Off to a good start. 772 00:34:07,958 --> 00:34:10,396 Bye. 773 00:34:10,396 --> 00:34:11,788 Oh, my God. 774 00:34:11,788 --> 00:34:14,661 My anxiety level is through the roof. 775 00:34:14,661 --> 00:34:17,925 I am doing three things at the same time. 776 00:34:17,925 --> 00:34:21,015 Plating the table, working the risotto, 777 00:34:21,015 --> 00:34:22,669 and cooking the seafood. 778 00:34:23,887 --> 00:34:26,542 Oh, [bleep]. Woo. 779 00:34:29,023 --> 00:34:31,112 I'm going about this very organically. 780 00:34:31,112 --> 00:34:33,854 I am taking a little bit of artistic inspiration. 781 00:34:33,854 --> 00:34:36,639 There's definitely some Pollock-ness to it. 782 00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:38,119 I feel good. I feel good. 783 00:34:38,119 --> 00:34:39,686 I want to use just the table 784 00:34:39,686 --> 00:34:41,427 and kind of let my creativity flow 785 00:34:41,427 --> 00:34:42,863 in the moment a little bit. 786 00:34:47,911 --> 00:34:51,263 This table looks striking. It's colorful. 787 00:34:53,047 --> 00:34:55,136 I think what I've done is create something 788 00:34:55,136 --> 00:34:56,398 that's really true to me. 789 00:34:56,398 --> 00:34:58,226 Tartare. Beet tartare. 790 00:34:58,226 --> 00:34:59,706 What, it'’s tartare? 791 00:34:59,706 --> 00:35:01,664 - It smells good. - Hi. 792 00:35:01,664 --> 00:35:03,971 - Dan, what do we have here? - Beet tartare. 793 00:35:03,971 --> 00:35:07,670 Mixed with tahini, pickled apples, celery and shallots. 794 00:35:07,670 --> 00:35:10,978 We have a beet puree with shiro dashi and fish sauce. 795 00:35:10,978 --> 00:35:13,763 A fried kale and pumpkin seed puree 796 00:35:13,763 --> 00:35:15,504 with a little fried kale salad. 797 00:35:15,504 --> 00:35:17,724 We have some scallion powder. 798 00:35:17,724 --> 00:35:20,596 There's black garlic labneh with harissa oil 799 00:35:20,596 --> 00:35:22,381 and horseradish emulsion. 800 00:35:22,381 --> 00:35:24,687 And then, it'’s somewhere between a pita and an English muffin. 801 00:35:24,687 --> 00:35:26,733 That'’s a perfect description. 802 00:35:26,733 --> 00:35:28,952 I just call them puffins. 803 00:35:28,952 --> 00:35:30,606 I just had a good time with this. 804 00:35:30,606 --> 00:35:32,217 - Great. Thanks, Dan. - Thanks, guys. 805 00:35:33,827 --> 00:35:35,829 I mean, it's playful. It's fun. 806 00:35:35,829 --> 00:35:37,831 It's a lot of organic movements going on. 807 00:35:37,831 --> 00:35:39,354 Very Jackson Pollock style. 808 00:35:39,354 --> 00:35:42,444 Yeah. I love these puffins. 809 00:35:42,444 --> 00:35:44,838 There's like a real fluffiness to them. It's so great. 810 00:35:44,838 --> 00:35:46,666 The fun thing about this, you try different pieces, 811 00:35:46,666 --> 00:35:48,407 so you try some of the beets and labneh together, 812 00:35:48,407 --> 00:35:49,756 and it'’s really nice. 813 00:35:49,756 --> 00:35:51,236 Try the beets and horseradish together. 814 00:35:51,236 --> 00:35:52,715 You kind of mix and match them. 815 00:35:52,715 --> 00:35:54,630 Beets are one of my all-time favorites, 816 00:35:54,630 --> 00:35:57,546 so to have them like this where if you close your eyes 817 00:35:57,546 --> 00:35:59,069 and questioned if it was a beet or not 818 00:35:59,069 --> 00:36:02,029 because of the smokiness, it's just a lot of fun. 819 00:36:03,030 --> 00:36:05,337 - What are you doing over there? - I'm just playing now. 820 00:36:05,337 --> 00:36:08,166 Make one big bite. Isn't that the whole point? 821 00:36:08,166 --> 00:36:09,819 Yeah. Go for it. 822 00:36:09,819 --> 00:36:11,430 Oh, you're really just... 823 00:36:11,430 --> 00:36:12,996 Puffin sandwich? 824 00:36:12,996 --> 00:36:16,217 Oh. Girl. 825 00:36:16,217 --> 00:36:18,001 Someone had to do it. 826 00:36:18,872 --> 00:36:20,526 - Dan. - Yup. 827 00:36:20,526 --> 00:36:22,267 - How'd you do? - I think I did good. 828 00:36:24,443 --> 00:36:26,184 I pull my biscuits out of the oven. 829 00:36:26,184 --> 00:36:28,751 I feel like they can go a little bit longer, 830 00:36:28,751 --> 00:36:30,927 but at this point, I don't have enough time 831 00:36:30,927 --> 00:36:33,626 to let them go further because they still have to cool. 832 00:36:33,626 --> 00:36:36,846 I'm a little nervous about this. We gonna pray. 833 00:36:36,846 --> 00:36:39,371 - Who is next? Manny. - Manny. 834 00:36:39,371 --> 00:36:40,763 Okay, so. 835 00:36:40,763 --> 00:36:43,244 Oh, here. Put that... 836 00:36:43,244 --> 00:36:47,683 For the last five minutes, it's just getting out of hand. 837 00:36:47,683 --> 00:36:49,990 My risotto is too tight. 838 00:36:51,470 --> 00:36:55,387 I am very worried. I know a bad risotto when I see it. 839 00:36:57,432 --> 00:36:59,173 It's a risotto in Top Chef. 840 00:37:12,055 --> 00:37:13,927 Aw, that doesn't look purposeful. 841 00:37:13,927 --> 00:37:15,276 That looks like a mistake. 842 00:37:15,276 --> 00:37:16,973 - Hello, chefs. - Hi, Manny. 843 00:37:16,973 --> 00:37:19,846 We have a squid ink risotto with crab, 844 00:37:19,846 --> 00:37:21,587 scallops, shrimp. 845 00:37:21,587 --> 00:37:23,197 It does smell great. 846 00:37:23,197 --> 00:37:25,721 Maybe this is the key to risotto on Top Chef. Tableside. 847 00:37:25,721 --> 00:37:27,419 Right there. Yeah. 848 00:37:27,419 --> 00:37:30,030 We have a pesto trapanese. It doesn't have cheese in it. 849 00:37:30,030 --> 00:37:32,859 It has sun-dried tomatoes, colatura I alici, 850 00:37:32,859 --> 00:37:34,817 and marcona almonds in it. 851 00:37:34,817 --> 00:37:37,385 The green oil is a basil. The red oil is a calabria. 852 00:37:37,385 --> 00:37:38,952 And what's this? 853 00:37:38,952 --> 00:37:41,433 Just panko with butter, parsley and lemon zest. 854 00:37:41,433 --> 00:37:43,870 - Thank you, Manny. - Thank you. 855 00:37:46,916 --> 00:37:48,048 I mean, it's interesting. 856 00:37:48,048 --> 00:37:49,963 Black risotto is very dramatic 857 00:37:49,963 --> 00:37:51,921 once it hits that white backdrop. 858 00:37:51,921 --> 00:37:53,706 How's everyone's seafood cooked? 859 00:37:53,706 --> 00:37:55,882 The scallop I had was pretty over. 860 00:37:55,882 --> 00:37:57,318 The shrimp is quite over, too. 861 00:37:57,318 --> 00:37:59,929 Yeah, and the heat is a little too aggressive. 862 00:37:59,929 --> 00:38:02,671 Yeah, my mouth is still on fire from the risotto. 863 00:38:02,671 --> 00:38:05,065 And I think that his risotto seized up 864 00:38:05,065 --> 00:38:06,719 and needed to be a lot looser. 865 00:38:07,763 --> 00:38:09,330 I do like the flavor of Manny's risotto. 866 00:38:09,330 --> 00:38:11,724 Yeah, the flavor's good, but the seafood's overcooked. 867 00:38:11,724 --> 00:38:12,899 It is. 868 00:38:12,899 --> 00:38:14,770 You know, that's not subjective. 869 00:38:16,903 --> 00:38:19,297 Savannah, how's your plating going? 870 00:38:19,297 --> 00:38:21,299 It's gonna come down to the wire. 871 00:38:21,299 --> 00:38:22,735 What's next? 872 00:38:23,953 --> 00:38:25,738 I'm a little concerned for Michelle. 873 00:38:25,738 --> 00:38:27,261 Her table's very compact. 874 00:38:27,261 --> 00:38:29,872 It's not what I envisioned her talking about. 875 00:38:32,527 --> 00:38:34,312 There is five minutes left 876 00:38:34,312 --> 00:38:37,880 and I have a ton of negative space. 877 00:38:38,794 --> 00:38:40,579 That is not how I wanted to plate. 878 00:38:40,579 --> 00:38:44,757 It's not enough time for me to build this mosaic 879 00:38:44,757 --> 00:38:46,802 to the size that I need it to be. 880 00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:50,284 I have to go with what I have. 881 00:38:58,336 --> 00:39:00,773 All right, so now we have Michelle. 882 00:39:01,991 --> 00:39:03,253 Do you have table-side stuff? 883 00:39:03,253 --> 00:39:04,646 - No, we don't. - No. 884 00:39:04,646 --> 00:39:06,300 Oh, this is it. 885 00:39:06,300 --> 00:39:07,867 Michelle, can you tell us about your table? 886 00:39:07,867 --> 00:39:09,695 Definitely inspired by brunch today, 887 00:39:09,695 --> 00:39:11,958 so I did a play on gravlax and bagels. 888 00:39:11,958 --> 00:39:14,613 Instead, I did cured salmon with beet biscuits. 889 00:39:14,613 --> 00:39:16,832 There's pickled beets with capers, 890 00:39:16,832 --> 00:39:19,139 and then there's a little egg with caviar 891 00:39:19,139 --> 00:39:20,793 and then a fig jam with bacon. 892 00:39:20,793 --> 00:39:23,665 And the chips are seasoned with beets and Cajun seasoning. 893 00:39:23,665 --> 00:39:29,149 Michelle, why did you choose to not use the whole table? 894 00:39:29,149 --> 00:39:34,676 Um, I really just want you to be interactive with this. 895 00:39:34,676 --> 00:39:36,417 More importantly, um, time is hard. 896 00:39:36,417 --> 00:39:37,984 Yeah, okay. 897 00:39:37,984 --> 00:39:39,333 Thank you so much. 898 00:39:39,333 --> 00:39:40,900 Thank you, Michelle. 899 00:39:43,990 --> 00:39:46,035 It feels almost weird 900 00:39:46,035 --> 00:39:47,385 that you're not taking it from here 901 00:39:47,385 --> 00:39:48,777 to a plate to then eat. 902 00:39:48,777 --> 00:39:50,257 Yes, she bunched it all up, just-- 903 00:39:50,257 --> 00:39:51,911 - Right. - Give it some room 904 00:39:51,911 --> 00:39:53,521 to breathe, you know? 905 00:39:53,521 --> 00:39:55,218 A big surface like that could be super intimidating. 906 00:39:55,218 --> 00:39:56,829 You know, how do you get all these elements 907 00:39:56,829 --> 00:39:58,352 to stand alone on their own? 908 00:39:58,352 --> 00:40:01,050 And like Michelle, knowing the barbecue 909 00:40:01,050 --> 00:40:03,662 and the crab boils and the things that she does. 910 00:40:03,662 --> 00:40:05,446 - Yeah. - Just... 911 00:40:05,446 --> 00:40:09,015 The biscuit is very strange to me. It feels almost uncooked. 912 00:40:09,015 --> 00:40:10,712 I think it's uncooked. 913 00:40:10,712 --> 00:40:12,453 It seems microwaved. Seems like that microwave sponge. 914 00:40:12,453 --> 00:40:13,976 Another issue is this doesn't take collectively. 915 00:40:13,976 --> 00:40:15,282 - No. - Yeah. 916 00:40:15,282 --> 00:40:16,631 There's a lot of things clashing here. 917 00:40:16,631 --> 00:40:18,024 This looks like it's a dish 918 00:40:18,024 --> 00:40:19,417 that's supposed to be eaten together. 919 00:40:19,417 --> 00:40:20,940 To eat this together, it's not successful. 920 00:40:20,940 --> 00:40:22,507 This doesn't feel like her at all. 921 00:40:22,507 --> 00:40:24,204 - No. - No, no. 922 00:40:27,512 --> 00:40:29,470 Savannah, you have seven minutes left. 923 00:40:29,470 --> 00:40:30,863 Oh, my gosh. 924 00:40:30,863 --> 00:40:34,388 I have my tablescape pretty much all set, 925 00:40:34,388 --> 00:40:37,609 but there's still so much to do, so I'm really having 926 00:40:37,609 --> 00:40:39,437 to prioritize here in the last five minutes. 927 00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:43,745 We might be shucking oysters table-side, guys. 928 00:40:45,834 --> 00:40:49,142 I'm just going to plate, like if I'm plating a painting. 929 00:40:50,012 --> 00:40:51,492 Holy [bleep]. 930 00:40:57,063 --> 00:40:59,239 Sour cherries here. 931 00:40:59,239 --> 00:41:00,893 Oh, my God. 932 00:41:00,893 --> 00:41:03,722 I just want to do the tempura very last second. 933 00:41:09,467 --> 00:41:11,991 Oh, my God. Ugh. 934 00:41:14,820 --> 00:41:17,562 Okay. 935 00:41:17,562 --> 00:41:19,389 Please be careful. 936 00:41:20,608 --> 00:41:21,957 More seafood, yes. 937 00:41:21,957 --> 00:41:23,742 Hi, you guys. 938 00:41:23,742 --> 00:41:25,178 This is very dramatic. 939 00:41:25,178 --> 00:41:28,268 I was inspired by the first course in 940 00:41:28,268 --> 00:41:31,750 a traditional Kaiseki cuisine, the zensai course. 941 00:41:31,750 --> 00:41:34,840 So, the first bite is a kombu cured salmon nigiri 942 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:36,929 with a little bit of wasabi. 943 00:41:36,929 --> 00:41:38,757 The second bite is shrimp tempura 944 00:41:38,757 --> 00:41:40,541 with a yuzu ponzu daikon gane. 945 00:41:40,541 --> 00:41:43,544 The third bite is a boiled and grilled octopus, 946 00:41:43,544 --> 00:41:47,069 and then seared tuna with black garlic soy glaze. 947 00:41:47,069 --> 00:41:49,289 And then the last bite, a oyster 948 00:41:49,289 --> 00:41:52,466 with an aji amarillo sauce, a champagne gelee and caviar. 949 00:41:52,466 --> 00:41:53,989 - Thank you, Savannah. - Thank you. Enjoy. 950 00:41:53,989 --> 00:41:55,469 Thanks, Savannah. 951 00:41:59,125 --> 00:42:01,127 I found Savannah's presentation 952 00:42:01,127 --> 00:42:03,085 and how she described what she was doing 953 00:42:03,085 --> 00:42:04,739 incredibly thoughtful and with purpose. 954 00:42:04,739 --> 00:42:07,699 Yeah, I do love the minimalness of everything. It's super clean. 955 00:42:07,699 --> 00:42:10,397 You can see everything. It's very well portioned. 956 00:42:10,397 --> 00:42:12,007 There's a lot of restraint there. 957 00:42:12,007 --> 00:42:13,966 Yep. What I don't care for is the octopus. 958 00:42:13,966 --> 00:42:15,576 The octopus, the texture is really mushy, 959 00:42:15,576 --> 00:42:16,925 and it's over charred. 960 00:42:16,925 --> 00:42:19,493 I found the tempura ate very greasy, 961 00:42:19,493 --> 00:42:21,539 but I like that she ended on the oyster. 962 00:42:21,539 --> 00:42:25,064 I felt like it was leading up to the high castle 963 00:42:25,064 --> 00:42:26,587 of oyster decadence. 964 00:42:26,587 --> 00:42:28,023 Yeah, almost finishing it 965 00:42:28,023 --> 00:42:29,372 like it was a palate cleanser at the very end. 966 00:42:29,372 --> 00:42:31,113 I thought it was a beautiful touch. 967 00:42:34,639 --> 00:42:36,162 Ice creams. 968 00:42:36,162 --> 00:42:38,120 With my plating, I'm kind of putting myself out there. 969 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:40,296 Like, I'm actually playing with the space. 970 00:42:40,296 --> 00:42:43,212 I'm using the powder. I'm using the ice creams. 971 00:42:43,212 --> 00:42:45,519 Four, three, feeling great, one. 972 00:42:45,519 --> 00:42:47,303 Let's go. 973 00:42:47,303 --> 00:42:49,915 A little liquid nitrogen coming. 974 00:42:56,704 --> 00:42:58,619 - Here we are. - Hi, Laura. 975 00:42:58,619 --> 00:43:00,229 - Hello. - Wow. 976 00:43:00,229 --> 00:43:02,536 So I do have a lot of stuff. 977 00:43:02,536 --> 00:43:04,277 - You were busy. - So, raspberries. 978 00:43:04,277 --> 00:43:06,627 And then I'll do a little bit of meringue. 979 00:43:06,627 --> 00:43:08,107 This is for crunch. 980 00:43:09,978 --> 00:43:13,547 And to me, everything comes together 981 00:43:13,547 --> 00:43:17,812 - with a circle of baklava. - Wow. 982 00:43:17,812 --> 00:43:20,815 The ice creams are chewy ice cream called maras. 983 00:43:20,815 --> 00:43:23,688 Starting from the right, that's rose creme anglaise, 984 00:43:23,688 --> 00:43:27,387 sour cherry, pistachio, and the last one is honey. 985 00:43:27,387 --> 00:43:31,565 So, you break the baklava. Yeah, perfect. 986 00:43:34,524 --> 00:43:36,352 Have you done anything like this before? 987 00:43:36,352 --> 00:43:37,789 I never thought in my life 988 00:43:37,789 --> 00:43:39,747 that I would be doing something like this. 989 00:43:39,747 --> 00:43:41,183 I had so much fun. 990 00:43:41,183 --> 00:43:42,837 - Fantastic. Thank you, Laura. - Thank you. 991 00:43:42,837 --> 00:43:44,273 Thank you so much, Laura. 992 00:43:44,273 --> 00:43:46,493 I'm in love with the baklava. 993 00:43:46,493 --> 00:43:48,103 The filo is crispy. It's caramelly. 994 00:43:48,103 --> 00:43:49,801 Nutty and buttery. 995 00:43:49,801 --> 00:43:51,933 I think Laura did an amazing job here. Every bite's different. 996 00:43:51,933 --> 00:43:54,893 Every bite is interesting. And everything is just done nicely. 997 00:43:54,893 --> 00:43:58,897 I appreciate the table service. It all was with purpose. 998 00:43:58,897 --> 00:44:01,116 Because if the ring of the baklava sat too long, 999 00:44:01,116 --> 00:44:02,727 it might soak in some of the ice cream. 1000 00:44:02,727 --> 00:44:04,206 Yeah. I didn't see it coming, either. 1001 00:44:04,206 --> 00:44:05,338 And it's delicious. 1002 00:44:05,338 --> 00:44:06,818 Chewy ice cream, I like a lot. 1003 00:44:06,818 --> 00:44:08,123 You know, I've heard about it 1004 00:44:08,123 --> 00:44:09,603 and it really lives up to the hype. 1005 00:44:09,603 --> 00:44:11,561 It's like if mochi and ice cream had a baby. 1006 00:44:11,561 --> 00:44:16,349 Mm-hmm. All the flavors are so clear and beautiful and so fun. 1007 00:44:16,349 --> 00:44:18,612 This is like using your imagination. 1008 00:44:18,612 --> 00:44:20,483 Yeah, and the fact that she's never done this before 1009 00:44:20,483 --> 00:44:23,008 is clearly a mark of her taking risks. 1010 00:44:23,008 --> 00:44:24,487 Great way to end. 1011 00:44:24,487 --> 00:44:25,837 - Good way. Great way. - Fantastic. 1012 00:44:25,837 --> 00:44:27,708 So, I'm excited to get to judges table 1013 00:44:27,708 --> 00:44:30,015 because overall the day was really, really successful. 1014 00:44:30,015 --> 00:44:31,799 Yeah. 1015 00:44:34,759 --> 00:44:36,848 Oof. Anybody want a beer? 1016 00:44:36,848 --> 00:44:38,980 - Yep, I'll help you. - Yes, please. 1017 00:44:38,980 --> 00:44:42,201 I have no doubts in my mind that mine was not great. 1018 00:44:42,201 --> 00:44:43,855 The risotto was tight 1019 00:44:43,855 --> 00:44:46,684 and that's like a no-no with risotto. 1020 00:44:47,772 --> 00:44:50,949 I'm just really not good at structural things 1021 00:44:50,949 --> 00:44:53,429 and I just couldn't pull it together for some reason. 1022 00:44:53,429 --> 00:44:55,214 I am really nervous. 1023 00:44:55,214 --> 00:44:56,737 If I'm on the bottom, 1024 00:44:56,737 --> 00:44:59,174 I'm hoping that my Quickfire dish saves me. 1025 00:44:59,174 --> 00:45:01,089 - Let's go. - Let's get it. 1026 00:45:13,711 --> 00:45:17,149 Chefs, I think overall, we had a really fun time. 1027 00:45:17,149 --> 00:45:19,455 We could tell that you all were having a lot of fun. 1028 00:45:19,455 --> 00:45:21,893 As chefs, sometimes it's hard to let go 1029 00:45:21,893 --> 00:45:23,895 because we're so used to trying to control everything, 1030 00:45:23,895 --> 00:45:27,289 and I think that the chefs that did that had a much better day. 1031 00:45:27,289 --> 00:45:30,379 All right, chefs, we'd like to speak with Laura, 1032 00:45:30,379 --> 00:45:32,730 Danny, and Dan. 1033 00:45:32,730 --> 00:45:34,383 The rest of you can step aside. 1034 00:45:40,825 --> 00:45:45,743 The three of you had our favorite tables of the day. 1035 00:45:45,743 --> 00:45:46,918 Thank you. 1036 00:45:46,918 --> 00:45:48,310 Congratulations. 1037 00:45:48,310 --> 00:45:50,182 Yeah, what I love about all three is that 1038 00:45:50,182 --> 00:45:53,925 you all really went for it, but the cooking was also very good. 1039 00:45:53,925 --> 00:45:55,622 Oh, thank you. 1040 00:45:55,622 --> 00:45:58,625 Dan, visually it was beautiful when it came to the table. 1041 00:45:58,625 --> 00:46:01,106 It was like a Jackson Pollock, as we were talking about. 1042 00:46:01,106 --> 00:46:02,629 It was fun. It was fun. 1043 00:46:02,629 --> 00:46:04,457 Dan, every time you took a bite, 1044 00:46:04,457 --> 00:46:05,850 - it changed. - Yeah. 1045 00:46:05,850 --> 00:46:07,329 And at the very end, 1046 00:46:07,329 --> 00:46:08,330 Kristen actually built a sandwich of everything. 1047 00:46:08,330 --> 00:46:09,810 [laughing] Yes! 1048 00:46:09,810 --> 00:46:11,464 I took the two puffins, and I mashed it together. 1049 00:46:11,464 --> 00:46:13,596 Is that going to be a thing now, puffins? 1050 00:46:13,596 --> 00:46:15,250 It's going to be. It's going to be. 1051 00:46:15,250 --> 00:46:17,731 Also, it's a vegetarian dish. I didn't miss meat at all. 1052 00:46:17,731 --> 00:46:19,298 Thank you. 1053 00:46:19,298 --> 00:46:22,823 Danny, I for one thought that frame was tape, 1054 00:46:22,823 --> 00:46:24,825 and then Tom just swiped his finger through it. 1055 00:46:24,825 --> 00:46:27,436 I was like, "Okay, I see where this is going." 1056 00:46:27,436 --> 00:46:29,221 It was dead center, like you almost measured. 1057 00:46:29,221 --> 00:46:30,744 I did. 1058 00:46:30,744 --> 00:46:32,528 What I really enjoyed about it is that 1059 00:46:32,528 --> 00:46:34,008 it didn't have just one flavor 1060 00:46:34,008 --> 00:46:36,881 and collectively, it also created a nice flavor. 1061 00:46:36,881 --> 00:46:40,449 The marbling effect of the sauces was so stunning. 1062 00:46:40,449 --> 00:46:42,712 They all had delicious savoriness. 1063 00:46:42,712 --> 00:46:46,499 Dipping a beautiful piece of lobster through that sauce 1064 00:46:46,499 --> 00:46:48,196 - was, like, such a pleasure. - Thank you. 1065 00:46:48,196 --> 00:46:49,545 Laura, this was a good day for you. 1066 00:46:49,545 --> 00:46:50,982 You knocked it out of the park. 1067 00:46:50,982 --> 00:46:54,681 The ice cream mochi baby thing was just unreal. 1068 00:46:54,681 --> 00:46:56,509 - Maras. - Just sensational. 1069 00:46:56,509 --> 00:46:59,338 I don't think there was not one smile at any point 1070 00:46:59,338 --> 00:47:00,687 while we were eating your dessert. 1071 00:47:00,687 --> 00:47:03,821 I got to say, the filo demands respect. 1072 00:47:03,821 --> 00:47:06,214 When it came to the table as a finishing moment, 1073 00:47:06,214 --> 00:47:07,868 it was so perfectly executed. 1074 00:47:07,868 --> 00:47:10,784 It was such a dramatic, exciting moment. 1075 00:47:10,784 --> 00:47:13,352 That filo was the key to the whole experience. 1076 00:47:13,352 --> 00:47:15,354 - Yes. - It was very moving. 1077 00:47:15,354 --> 00:47:16,877 Thank you. Thank you so much. 1078 00:47:16,877 --> 00:47:19,010 Curtis, as our guest judge, you have the pleasure 1079 00:47:19,010 --> 00:47:20,576 of announcing our winner. 1080 00:47:20,576 --> 00:47:23,666 The winning chef today gave us beautiful plating, 1081 00:47:23,666 --> 00:47:25,886 amazing technique, and overall passion for 1082 00:47:25,886 --> 00:47:27,757 what they put on the plate today. 1083 00:47:28,584 --> 00:47:30,325 And the winner is... 1084 00:47:33,720 --> 00:47:35,983 - Laura. - Oh, my goodness. 1085 00:47:35,983 --> 00:47:37,898 Yeah, awesome. 1086 00:47:37,898 --> 00:47:39,160 Congratulations, Laura. 1087 00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:40,553 Thank you so much. 1088 00:47:40,553 --> 00:47:42,207 - Way to come back. - Yeah. 1089 00:47:42,207 --> 00:47:44,296 Yes. This feels amazing. Thank you. 1090 00:47:44,296 --> 00:47:46,341 To come back from Last Chance Kitchen 1091 00:47:46,341 --> 00:47:48,561 and win this, it feels great. 1092 00:47:48,561 --> 00:47:50,737 It's like the hard work, it'’s actually paying off. 1093 00:47:50,737 --> 00:47:54,045 And I think that the other chefs see it, too. 1094 00:47:54,045 --> 00:47:55,394 Well, congratulations, Laura. 1095 00:47:55,394 --> 00:47:56,917 You just won an advantage going into 1096 00:47:56,917 --> 00:47:58,440 the next Elimination challenge. 1097 00:47:58,440 --> 00:48:00,355 Thank you so much. Thank you. 1098 00:48:00,355 --> 00:48:01,922 You can step to the side, please. 1099 00:48:01,922 --> 00:48:05,665 We would like to speak with Manny and Michelle, please. 1100 00:48:05,665 --> 00:48:08,581 Savannah, you're right in the middle, so you're safe. 1101 00:48:08,581 --> 00:48:11,192 Savannah, you did a beautiful job today. 1102 00:48:11,192 --> 00:48:12,977 Your octopus was off, 1103 00:48:12,977 --> 00:48:15,066 but you gave us a really beautiful table. 1104 00:48:15,066 --> 00:48:16,502 Thank you. 1105 00:48:18,069 --> 00:48:20,593 Michelle and Manny, unfortunately, that does mean 1106 00:48:20,593 --> 00:48:22,682 that you two had our least favorite tables of the day 1107 00:48:22,682 --> 00:48:25,032 and one of you will be eliminated. 1108 00:48:29,950 --> 00:48:31,430 Michelle, how did the day go for you? 1109 00:48:31,430 --> 00:48:32,997 The day was a little challenging. 1110 00:48:32,997 --> 00:48:35,347 I was trying to go for a mosaic look 1111 00:48:35,347 --> 00:48:37,001 and I just kind of ran out of time. 1112 00:48:37,001 --> 00:48:39,481 You know, Michelle, the potato chips weren't thick enough. 1113 00:48:39,481 --> 00:48:40,874 - They broke. - And then the cake, 1114 00:48:40,874 --> 00:48:42,702 it was more like a cake than a biscuit. 1115 00:48:42,702 --> 00:48:44,225 - It didn't have the structure. - It felt undercooked. 1116 00:48:44,225 --> 00:48:47,054 I knew it could go for another couple of minutes, 1117 00:48:47,054 --> 00:48:49,230 but unfortunately, I didn't have the minutes. 1118 00:48:49,230 --> 00:48:51,232 Because there were sauces and soft elements, 1119 00:48:51,232 --> 00:48:54,366 you're almost forced to swipe everything 1120 00:48:54,366 --> 00:48:55,497 and eat it in one bite. 1121 00:48:55,497 --> 00:48:57,108 Did you want us to do that? 1122 00:48:57,108 --> 00:48:59,588 I don't know if I fully thought, like, you're going to take 1123 00:48:59,588 --> 00:49:01,416 a bit of everything to put on there, maybe. 1124 00:49:01,416 --> 00:49:03,897 If you think of a charcuterie board and kind of that, 1125 00:49:03,897 --> 00:49:05,986 I think that concept you were going for, 1126 00:49:05,986 --> 00:49:07,596 you had all the right elements there. 1127 00:49:07,596 --> 00:49:09,642 Where it falls short is in the execution 1128 00:49:09,642 --> 00:49:11,209 of many components. 1129 00:49:11,209 --> 00:49:12,862 Just needed a little bit more breathing room in there. 1130 00:49:14,038 --> 00:49:16,214 Gail, what did you think of Manny's table? 1131 00:49:16,214 --> 00:49:19,086 The flavor of your risotto was excellent, 1132 00:49:19,086 --> 00:49:22,133 but where the flavor really stood out, 1133 00:49:22,133 --> 00:49:24,048 the texture wasn't right. 1134 00:49:24,048 --> 00:49:26,311 It's a seafood dish and it was all overcooked. 1135 00:49:26,311 --> 00:49:29,444 I think we all agreed that that was probably 1136 00:49:29,444 --> 00:49:31,098 the biggest downfall of the dish, 1137 00:49:31,098 --> 00:49:33,231 was the attention to detail in the cooking of the shellfish. 1138 00:49:33,231 --> 00:49:34,928 Some of the ways that things were plated, 1139 00:49:34,928 --> 00:49:36,799 it just felt like you were rushed. 1140 00:49:36,799 --> 00:49:39,759 There was one pile of panko in a corner, just of panko. 1141 00:49:39,759 --> 00:49:41,587 Every other panko had shrimp or scallops on them. 1142 00:49:41,587 --> 00:49:43,067 I can't believe 1143 00:49:43,067 --> 00:49:44,894 you meant to leave a pile of panko for us to eat. 1144 00:49:44,894 --> 00:49:47,419 Yeah, no, no, a panko was not supposed to be alone. 1145 00:49:47,419 --> 00:49:49,247 It was unfocused in that way 1146 00:49:49,247 --> 00:49:51,249 and I feel like we have to pay attention 1147 00:49:51,249 --> 00:49:53,599 to how a diner is going to receive the food 1148 00:49:53,599 --> 00:49:55,122 and how they're going to eat the food. 1149 00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:57,820 Chefs, we do have a lot to discuss, 1150 00:49:57,820 --> 00:49:59,387 and we'll call you back when we're ready. 1151 00:49:59,387 --> 00:50:01,476 - Thank you very much. - Thank you. 1152 00:50:07,308 --> 00:50:09,354 - Too many emotions. - Too many emotions. 1153 00:50:09,354 --> 00:50:11,660 It's all a Top Chef rollercoaster. 1154 00:50:11,660 --> 00:50:12,966 How are you guys feeling? 1155 00:50:12,966 --> 00:50:14,924 Time management, that's where I feel 1156 00:50:14,924 --> 00:50:17,188 that my biggest failure was. 1157 00:50:17,188 --> 00:50:19,277 The challenge that forced you to be creative, 1158 00:50:19,277 --> 00:50:21,844 I think we're seeing the shortcomings in both chefs. 1159 00:50:21,844 --> 00:50:23,498 Manny's seafood was overcooked. 1160 00:50:23,498 --> 00:50:28,112 The risotto was too tight. The panko felt random and dry. 1161 00:50:28,112 --> 00:50:29,765 There were a lot of missing components as well. 1162 00:50:29,765 --> 00:50:33,160 I saw flaws, but I enjoyed eating his risotto 1163 00:50:33,160 --> 00:50:34,901 and I enjoyed that pesto 1164 00:50:34,901 --> 00:50:37,469 and they felt like they made sense together. 1165 00:50:37,469 --> 00:50:41,125 I have a note in my notebook, what the hell is this? 1166 00:50:42,474 --> 00:50:44,867 Like I just couldn't pull it together. 1167 00:50:44,867 --> 00:50:47,087 Michelle, I was wracking my brain 1168 00:50:47,087 --> 00:50:49,220 from the second her table was put in front of us. 1169 00:50:49,220 --> 00:50:51,396 There's like three themes going on. 1170 00:50:51,396 --> 00:50:53,702 There's brunch, there's mosaic and there's beets. 1171 00:50:53,702 --> 00:50:56,618 It's... okay, I'm lost, I'm completely lost here. 1172 00:50:56,618 --> 00:51:00,666 A part of me hopes that if that biscuit were delicious 1173 00:51:00,666 --> 00:51:02,537 or those potato chips were thicker, 1174 00:51:02,537 --> 00:51:04,322 that it could taste better. 1175 00:51:04,322 --> 00:51:06,150 You're right, both of those vehicles failed. 1176 00:51:06,150 --> 00:51:08,021 I think leading up to the challenge, 1177 00:51:08,021 --> 00:51:09,675 she probably was still in her head, 1178 00:51:09,675 --> 00:51:11,198 and I think when you do that, 1179 00:51:11,198 --> 00:51:13,418 you're not confident enough to just put it down. 1180 00:51:13,418 --> 00:51:15,159 Right, this just didn't work. 1181 00:51:15,159 --> 00:51:16,682 Oh, God. 1182 00:51:16,682 --> 00:51:18,379 With all that being said, 1183 00:51:18,379 --> 00:51:21,034 when we look at the Quickfire, Michelle, she had the salad. 1184 00:51:21,034 --> 00:51:22,731 Look-wise, it was there. 1185 00:51:22,731 --> 00:51:24,690 It wasn't as aromatic or herbaceous, 1186 00:51:24,690 --> 00:51:26,126 but flavors were close. 1187 00:51:26,126 --> 00:51:28,128 She was the only one that didn't sauce her plate, 1188 00:51:28,128 --> 00:51:29,912 - which was a smart thing. - And Manny? 1189 00:51:29,912 --> 00:51:31,436 You got everything in there. 1190 00:51:31,436 --> 00:51:33,090 Flavors were good flavors. 1191 00:51:33,090 --> 00:51:34,917 They're not quite where I was, but it was a nice dish. 1192 00:51:34,917 --> 00:51:38,051 I think if the elimination dishes were really, really close 1193 00:51:38,051 --> 00:51:40,662 then the Quickfire would have come into play, 1194 00:51:40,662 --> 00:51:43,100 but in this case, I don't think that the Quickfire needs to be 1195 00:51:43,100 --> 00:51:45,145 - part of the conversation. - Agreed. 1196 00:51:45,145 --> 00:51:46,712 So, I think we have our answer? 1197 00:51:46,712 --> 00:51:47,800 - Mm-hmm. - Absolutely. 1198 00:51:47,800 --> 00:51:49,628 Let's get the chefs out here. 1199 00:52:00,204 --> 00:52:02,858 You know, chefs, we asked you to place food on a table, 1200 00:52:02,858 --> 00:52:04,773 and that's pretty far in an alley into most chefs. 1201 00:52:04,773 --> 00:52:08,342 But we do this to make you think about food and do something new 1202 00:52:08,342 --> 00:52:10,736 and something exciting, while remaining true to yourself. 1203 00:52:10,736 --> 00:52:12,390 I know you put it all on the table tonight, 1204 00:52:12,390 --> 00:52:14,305 but unfortunately, one of you will be going home. 1205 00:52:17,612 --> 00:52:19,136 Michelle... 1206 00:52:19,788 --> 00:52:21,094 please pack your knives and go. 1207 00:52:21,094 --> 00:52:25,229 Thank you. I appreciate you guys so much. 1208 00:52:25,229 --> 00:52:27,405 The feedback has been phenomenal. 1209 00:52:27,405 --> 00:52:29,233 And you guys are welcome to Houston anytime. 1210 00:52:29,233 --> 00:52:31,191 - Oh, you'll see us. - We'll be there. 1211 00:52:31,191 --> 00:52:33,280 - We'’ll see you soon. - Such a pleasure. 1212 00:52:33,715 --> 00:52:35,761 I'm feeling okay, surprisingly. 1213 00:52:35,761 --> 00:52:37,241 Okay. Good job. 1214 00:52:37,241 --> 00:52:39,460 This whole thing has been challenging for me, 1215 00:52:39,460 --> 00:52:41,288 personally and career-wise. 1216 00:52:41,288 --> 00:52:44,248 I hadn't cooked in this manner in a very long time, 1217 00:52:44,248 --> 00:52:48,513 and to be able to hang in there to top six, I'm a badass. 1218 00:52:48,513 --> 00:52:50,123 You did a----ing amazing job. 1219 00:52:50,123 --> 00:52:51,646 - Thank you. - Seriously. 1220 00:52:51,646 --> 00:52:53,082 It was a pleasure cooking with you. 1221 00:52:53,082 --> 00:52:54,954 Likewise. I love you guys. 1222 00:52:54,954 --> 00:52:56,216 I love you too. 1223 00:52:56,216 --> 00:52:57,783 I've loved every moment of laughter, 1224 00:52:57,783 --> 00:52:59,524 every moment of frustration 1225 00:52:59,524 --> 00:53:03,310 and all of it has made me a better person, a better chef. 1226 00:53:05,007 --> 00:53:07,445 I'll see y'’all in Houston. 1227 00:53:10,491 --> 00:53:12,798 Next time on Top Chef... 1228 00:53:12,798 --> 00:53:15,279 Maybe you'll be needing one of these. 1229 00:53:15,279 --> 00:53:16,584 No! 1230 00:53:16,584 --> 00:53:18,717 That's right, the blind taste test. 1231 00:53:18,717 --> 00:53:20,153 Anchovy. Next. 1232 00:53:20,153 --> 00:53:22,155 Horseradish. 1233 00:53:22,155 --> 00:53:24,157 - I don't know. - Three, two, one. 1234 00:53:24,157 --> 00:53:26,159 Nailed it. Next. 1235 00:53:26,159 --> 00:53:29,162 Take a look back on your time here in Wisconsin. 1236 00:53:29,162 --> 00:53:30,859 This is the dish that's going to determine 1237 00:53:30,859 --> 00:53:32,470 who's moving on to the finals. 1238 00:53:32,470 --> 00:53:34,385 Put it all out there. 1239 00:53:34,385 --> 00:53:37,083 My dishes usually have, like, too many components, 1240 00:53:37,083 --> 00:53:39,433 so I should just probably stop shopping. 1241 00:53:40,304 --> 00:53:41,783 Holy sh--. 1242 00:53:41,783 --> 00:53:43,045 You know, I wish these things were made 1243 00:53:43,045 --> 00:53:44,612 for left-handed people. 1244 00:53:44,612 --> 00:53:47,180 Building a pavé takes time and a lot of finesse. 1245 00:53:47,180 --> 00:53:49,356 Say a little potato prayer. 1246 00:53:50,836 --> 00:53:52,838 So, I wanted to do a subtle dish. 1247 00:53:52,838 --> 00:53:55,275 So, you think this is subtle? 1248 00:53:58,017 --> 00:54:00,019 This fish is not cooking. 1249 00:54:00,019 --> 00:54:01,977 Am I not going to make it to the plate? 1250 00:54:01,977 --> 00:54:04,328 Stop the----ing-- Come on, come on, come on.