Strip Tease: A Top Chef Recap
COMPETING WITH KNIVES
'Strip' Tease: A Top Chef Recap
TOP CHEF IS ALMOST COOKED FOR THE SEASON. All who's left is Eli, the Voltaggio brothers, Kevin, Jen and the undefeated champion, Robin!
The chefs head over to the fancy Venetian Hotel for the Quickfire Challenge. This week they make a breakfast in bed for Padma and guest judge Nigella Lawson.
First up: Robin and Eli. Robin scrambles against the clock to get her dish completed: a goat cheese, pineapple and blueberry blintz. After she's done, Mike V. angrily cleans up after her. As a professional and thegreatest chef in the world, he can't possibly work under such messy conditions.
As Mike begins to prepare his dish, Robin dares steps in his shadow and he snaps, "I'd rather you just be gone right now!"
Robin obliges and storms out of the kitchen. Is she gone forever? Not yet, but there's hope!
The other chefs present their dishes and the ladies discuss what they liked and didn't like.
And the winner is Eli for his fried egg reuben benedict with thousand island hollandaise sauce. Eli has the honor of having his recipe put in the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook.
Then it's on to the Elimination Challenge, for which the chefs concoct a dish inspired by a Vegas Strip hotel. They draw knives with the names of different casinos and then head out to them for inspiration.
Almost everyone comes back with a dish in mind except for Eli whose task is serving Circus Circus on a plate. Eli sums the aging playground up perfectly: "It's as if you're in an art gallery and staring at a really sad velvet painting," he tells Kevin.
Then inspiration hits! He decides on something pink: soup with popcorn, raspberries, peanuts, caramel and apple -- a carny's version of fine dining. Good luck with that, Eli.
Jen dreams up an edible version of the Sword And The Stone to signify the Middle-Aged themed Excaliber hotel. (Is Jen looking more grungy every episode? I want to tell her to put down the fork and give a brush a chance.)
In the elimination room, the judges deem that the Brothers V and Kevin have the best dishes. I was rooting for Kevin to beat the brothers, but Mike V wins for his boneless chicken wing confit with curry and blue cheese.
The losers are Jen, Eli and -- Robin! Surprise, surprise.
Jen's beets and New York Strip steak proves too tough to eat, while Robin's panna cotta fails in flavor and texture.
And Eli's popcorn soup? As tasteful as a velvet painting. Padma never wants to eat it again.
So does Eli go home? Nope, he's safe.
So then Jen goes home? No.
Brace yourself: Finally, Robin and her knives are sent packing!
Ta-ta, Robin! She was always good for a "moment," but the competition is getting serious with only five chefs remaining.
The biggest remaining question: which one of the V brothers will win the show?
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!
Tags: Television
