Last week on Top Chef, Josie finally met her demise at the Fried Chicken challenge. FINALLY. Her Floridian “Southern Fried Chicken” went down in a blaze of oil.
Brooke seems to be having some guilty feelings as the remaining cheftestants reaffirm Josie should have gone home several challenges ago. Their party is short lived as Padma enters with Tom and announces that they need to pack it up because they are all going on a cruise to Alaska.
Sheldon gets all nostalgic as they share one last glass of wine before leaving Seattle. Brooke is about ready to crack. She recalls a trip with her son in which he confides his fear of boats with her.
That quickly melts away as they board a big ass boat. The moony period ends as Top Chef Master's host (and accent laden hottie), Curtis Stone, flanks Padma in the ship's kitchen for their Quickfire challenge. They must create 200 dishes for the ship's guests invited to the Welcome Aboard Party. Each dish must center around iceberg lettuce.
They are all outwitted by a lack of gas to cook with. Everything is electric and Lizzie seems beyond flummoxed. She scolds Stefan who encroaches on her territory in the kitchen. He quickly smiles and backs down while noting that people are underestimating her.
Padma and Curtis are enjoying some booze on deck. Stefan serves up his offering first. It goes over well. Sheldon gets a "very nice" from Padma before Lizzie enters with her bacon infused creation. Josh also shows up with a bacon heavy bite. Curtis notes that Josh "walks like a chef." Not sure what that means. Brooke offers up a mouthful of scallop nibbly thing.
They all get a pat on the back with constructive critism, but Sheldon nabs the win. He will get an advantage in the next challenge. They are freed to enjoy the ship.
Lizzie and Sheldon go enjoy the spa and get a manicure. Stefan exclaims, "Yay! Finally liquor!" Josh admits that he is a bit choked up as today is his baby's due date. He hasn't gotten to speak to his wife and he is a bit distracted.
The chefs walk into dinner at the ship’s restaurant. It is FANCY ASS to the extreme. They are given iPads for menus as upside down lamps hang above them. Things get tense as the wine flows and they compare challenge wins and techniques. The food is equally as quirky as the decor. Padma and Curtis enter as they finish their dessert.
They sit with a smile and then announce that the Elimination Challenge will be running a dinner service at Qsine. The chefs must revamp surf n’ turf into a whimsical dish. Sheldon gets to pick his ingredients first and no other chef may NOT use the same ingredients.
The have 30 minutes to raid the fridge. Sheldon takes his time and picks lobster tail and tenderloin. The rest divide up the remaining proteins. They wonder through the labyrinth of food on the ship. It’s amazing just how much food is on the boat. This will be the first place I go in a zombie apocalypse.
Lizzie wields a knife over her whole pig butchering it with ease. Josh is putting scallops into a blender and I weep a little. Brooke has got frogs legs and she starts to second guess herself. Sheldon is also second guessing his decision fearing he played it too safe. Josh is trying to make a pasta with his mashed up scallops and it isn’t working out. He starts to cook them with the inspiration of scrambled eggs. It looks unappetizing, but maybe it will work.
Padma is wearing full leather. She is like a foodie dominatrix.
Brooke serves first and presents a plate with 7 different components. The judges give her a general thumbs up sans some greasy element. Stefan is next. His pork belly and eel about break their teeth. Tom is ready to choke, but Curtis loves it. Josh follows with his scrambled egg scallop concoction. Surprise. It is served with bacon. Padma isn’t please as the “turf over powers the surf.” Everyone else gives him warm reception.
Sheldon…this guy is struggling. He is down to the wire and cranks out more tempura and beef. He failed once and it appears he failed again. Lizzie is in the same sinking boat. The steamer she is using isn’t working for her. She is forced to start plating even though the dish isn’t done. The judges notice, but the flavor seems to save it.
Brooke and Josh nab the top spots. Stefan gets a verbal smack for lack of eel flavor, too crispy of pork and a greasy film on his sauce. Sheldon also gets negative feedback and gives a weak excuse about being uninspired about his ingredients despite being first to choose from a plethora of options. Lizzie gets a mixture of criticism and praise.
Brooke is named the winner and is no longer afraid of boats as she wins a cruise. Sheldon and Stefan are the last two standing as everyone else is sent to safety. Stefan is sent packing. He is bummed, but exits gracefully…sans his naughty word filled tirade about owning Last Chance Kitchen where he will face Kristen.
By the way, CJ is owning the Save A Chef competition! At last count, CJ has 94% of the votes while Josie took 6%. Ouch.
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