COMPETING WITH KNIVES
No Perfect Score In Top Chef Olympics
AND THEN THERE WERE …
This cooking contest is tightening, and the smart money's on one of the V. brothers' winning.
Robin is missing, leaving an "underdog'' void in the show. The knives, so to speak, are being sharpened.
Tonight's show is touted as the Olympics of cooking. For the Quickfire Challenge, guest judge Gavin Kaysen decides who has the best "ballantine," or a presentation of a protein in a protein, in a protein. Kaysen has competed in the prestigious culinary competition Bocuse d'Or, held in France every two years. And tonight's final contest proves one of the most challenging of the entire season. (If I were in the competition I'm sure I'd could pull it off with my pork chop stuffed bacon stuffed prosciutto.)
As the chefs prepare their dishes, they also stab each other with their tongues.
Kevin thinks what the V. brothers are doing is too much for their 90 minute alloted time and Mike thinks that no dish can save Jen, that it's time for her to get out of his way.
But too bad for Mike because Jen wins with her calamari steak, scallops, salmon, shiitake, shiso with rice noodle and salad dish.
Mike shows himself to be an unoriginal thinker: he stuffs chicken with chicken, and the Olympic chef Kaysen points out his obvious flaw.
For winning, Jeng gets an extra 30 minutes for the Elimination Challenge and Mike tries to hide his defeated face. If Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons were in the room, he'd point at Mike and say "HAW HAW."
For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must create a presentation platter of one protein and two garnishes. Their dish has to be intricate and show detailed technique, which will then be judged members of the American Bocuse d'Or and chef Thomas Keller, whose name sends a shiver through the chefs. (Would my idea for buffalo wings with carrots and celery be good enough? Nah.)
As the chefs rush the kitchen to get cooking, they learn the winner will pocket 30K. The chefs get pressure knowing that money could be theirs, and I suspect Mike is planning to use the money to build a his shrine to himself.
But things go badly, and when the chefs presented their dishes to the judges, they find things more wrong than tasty.
For the elimination all chefs were told what their downfalls were but they were still praised for their overall work. But only one dish can win and that was… Kevin's sous-vide lamb.
And Kevin is one step closer to be the next Top Chef. As much as I cheer for him, I'm sad that Eli was told to pack his knives and go. I thought Mike was so close to getting eliminated! So what if he's a great chef; he's a tool.
Tonight's episode is the last time the chefs compete in Vegas; now they're off to Napa Valley.
Just four players left.
Nicki R. is a Southern girl living in the big city of Chicago. She loves quiet evenings a home watching horror films with her dogs Jezebelle and Zombie. Check out her blog, Hey, Look Behind You!
