It’s been two long, Top Chef-less weeks, but we finally got a new episode last night! For the Quickfire (of Top Chef’s 100th episode, though I don’t know if reunions or specials were counted), Chef Tom came into the kitchen, and was met with much praise—almost as much as Joe Jonas. Tom had to make a dish as fast as he could, and the chefs would have to make a dish in the same amount of time—8 minutes and 37 seconds. Dale and Jamie didn’t finish their dishes (Dale presented one noodle, and Jamie one clam), and Angelo made a crudo—which is raw—even though Tom specifically said not to do that. The top in the Quickfire were Marcel (who made fish, looking a lot like the original dish Tom made), Mike (who also made fish), and Richard (who made some very nice looking foie gras). Mike won, and along with immunity he got a new Toyota Prius.
For the elimination challenge, the chefs had to cook dim sum in a large restaurant in Chinatown. The dishes had to be served in a continuous stream to the room of 180 hungry Chinatown residents. Casey decided to make “Chinese chicken and waffles,” which were chicken feet on top of a scallion pancake, as well as work the front of the house, leaving Antonia to execute her dish. Mike was the liaison between the kitchen and the dining room, and it soon became clear that things were going horribly awry.
But before that, it is important to mention that this week’s guest judge was warrior-like chef and authentic Asian person, Susur Lee. The main segment involving service was probably just as chaotic as actually being there. It was hard to keep track of who made what. Fabio of course complained that he cannot cook Chinese food (because he’s Italian!), and Jamie hated her dumplings, and hated that Antonia told her how to make her long beans.
Service was so bad that Tom had to go down to the kitchen and yell at the chefs to do a better job, as the hungry diners fiercely grabbed at the carts of food, and some even walked out (or at least the producers cut to shots of people leaving during service, it may have just been shots of people leaving at the end of the day).
In a bout of something different, the judges called in the bottom chefs first! They were Casey, for her “inedible” chicken feet; Antonia, for contributing to the overcooked beans, though the judges liked her shrimp toast; Carla, for her bland summer role (which she conceded was Vietnamese and not Chinese); Jamie, for her unbalanced dumplings and greasy beans; and Tre for his lukewarm, runny orange dessert. Tom commented that Carla’s roll was so bad, “It’s not even worth the calories!”
The chefs at the top were Tiffany, with her steamed pork buns; Angelo, with his pork and shrimp spring rolls; Dale with his sticky rice dish; and Fabio, who managed to cook ribs in a short amount of time at a low temperature (he was surprised to be in the top for this challenge, because he’s Italian!). Dale won, redeeming himself from the embarrassment of not completing the Quickfire. Sadly, Casey was eliminated for her chicken feet and scallion pancakes, as even the very hungry diners refused to eat it. I’m very sorry to see Casey go, but she will always be remembered as the most attractive contestant in Top Chef history.
The Cheftenders as of this week are:
1. Richard (If he’s not in the top again next week, I’m bumping him down to #2)
2. Angelo
3. Dale
4. Tiffani (Just four this week. I really don’t think anyone else has a shot at winning the whole thing.)
