‘Top Chef’ Boston Episode 2 Recap: One if By Land, Two if By Sea
Quickfire Challenge
“One if by land, two if by sea’’—that was Paul Revere’s famous secret signal, and it was the theme of the Quickfire Challenge: create the ultimate surf-and-turf dish for Todd English. The chefs were faced with two lanterns: If one lit up, they had to grab an ingredient from a Land table (everything from Cap’n Crunch to sweetbreads), and if both lit up, from the Sea table (razor clams, uni, mussels, and crab snack, which is apparently a thing). The contestants had 45 minutes to cook, and though the lantern lit several times for the Land table, the Sea table wasn’t unavailable until there was less than 15 minutes left, making it tough to commit to a dish. In an affront to sea captains and cereal lovers everywhere, no one was willing to commit to Cap’n Crunch.
English liked Katsuji’s uni, but he loved James’s wild boar bacon and mussels. James, who proudly showed off an impressive Patrick Swayze tattoo early in the episode, didn’t win immunity for the episode but did score $5,000, which buys you a lot of “Road House’’ DVDs.
English, a nationally recognized celebrity chef who hasn’t had the greatest run of late around here, was a welcome presence at the Quickfire. Although it was clear that he intimidated a few of the starstruck chefs, his feedback and comments were thoughtful and well-received.
Elimination Challenge
This week’s Elimination Challenge paid tribute to Boston’s “Bravest and Finest,’’ a year and a half after the Boston Marathon bombings and just seven months after two Boston firefighters were killed in the Back Bay. After working individually last week, the contestants were broken up into teams to come up with one cohesive dish. The Boston Police Department’s William Evans and Boston Fire Department’s William Hasson showed up in the “Top Chef’’ studio to explain how the BPD and BFD work together, and encouraged the contestants to use that same kind of teamwork in the challenge. The teams shopped for ingredients in the order they drew knives, and each subsequent team would have to work with what remained.
This week’s guest judge for the elimination challenge was Dante de Magistris, executive chef and co-owner of dante in Cambridge and il Casale in Belmont, which hosted a large contingent of cops and firefighters for the challenge. (The restaurant itself is located in a former firehouse.) The first responders at Il Casale definitely appreciated sampling gourmet food from some of the best chefs in the country.
As expected, there was plenty of good-natured ribbing between the cops (only eat doughnuts) and firefighters (sleep too much to be good cooks).
Red Team: Mei, Katsuji, and Katie
Pea coconut purée with sautéed halibut, pickled rhubarb, cherry, and grilled fennel slaw
After disagreeing about who would make it, Week 1 winner Mei was pleasantly surprised with Katsuji’s sauce. Their dish landed them in the Top 2.
Blue Team: Gregory, Adam, and Rebecca
Wood-fired filet mignon, parsnip purée, pan-seared scallops, and marcona vinaigrette
Week 2’s focus on first responders deeply resonated with Adam. His mother worked in the World Trade Center and was walking to her office when the second plane hit on September 11. It wasn’t until the next morning that his family got word that she was OK. He became visibly upset when sharing the story, but channeled that emotion into cooking the strongest dish of the day.
Grey Team: Doug and Adam
Grilled pork chop with grilled stone fruit salad, morels, and walnuts
Having only two people on the team worked to their advantage. Their good-but-not-great dish landed them in the warm, safe middle. Not a bad place to be early in the season.
Yellow Team: Joy, Ron, and Melissa
Maple and vanilla wood-roasted veal chop with vanilla-scented celery root purée and citrus kale slaw
Ron, the Southern-fried papa bear of the cast, didn’t win many fans with his vanilla fetish.
Green Team: Keriann, Aaron, and Stacy
Pan-roasted chicken breast with bourbon onion jam and fresh corn salad with serrano chiles
Keriann and Aaron, who tangled in Week 1, took it to a whole new level in this episode. Aaron wanted to go the fancy route, while Keriann (whose father was a firefighter) did not think firefighters would be interested in molecular gastronomy. Insults were flung, curses exchanged. A sampling:
“I will cook you under the table!’’ —Aaron
“Go [expletive] yourself!’’ —Keriann
Judge’s Table
It was clear from the judges and first responders that the Blue Team, led by Adam, knocked it out of the park and onto Lansdowne Street with a perfectly cooked filet mignon. Tom excoriated the Green Team for coming up with an uninspired dish considering the time allowed. As Aaron and Keriann bickered, the judges made it clear Stacy’s chicken was the only reason one of them wasn’t going home. With the Yellow team left in front of the firing squad, the team admitted they’d never actually even tasted the dish, and Joy was dispatched for the undercooked veal chop.
“Top Chef Boston’’ Cheat Sheet
Who Should’ve Won
The Blue Team deserved it, although a victory for the Red Team would have meant two straight victories for Mei and a nice up-from-the-bottom comeback for Katsuji and Katie.
Who Should’ve Been Eliminated
My heart says Aaron, but my head says Ron. Keeping Aaron on the show at least means more sparring with Keriann, although he might want to watch his sexist tone (he’s a big fan of the B-word). Joy admitted that she should have spoken up more about her team’s veal chop, but I don’t think she deserved to get the boot. Ron got lucky—and I think he knows it.
Boston Eye Candy
Zakim Bridge, North End, the Fenway neighborhood, Bunker Hill Monument, Charles Street in Beacon Hill, and Barbara Lynch’s Sportello in former “Top Chef’’ contestant Stephanie Cmar’s Chase commercial.
Insider Info
Episode 2 was the first time we got to see the cheftestants in their temporary housing: the luxury 1330 Boylston building behind Fenway Park. When I ran into dearly departed George (eliminated in Episode 1) last week in Washington, D.C., he told me that, instead of watching television, he would look out the window and watch Red Sox games at Fenway. Not a bad alternative.
Weekly 45-Second Interlude During Commercial Break
Last night, the interlude was actually quite poignant as the police officers and firefighters on hand discussed working together after the Boston Marathon bombing. Shana Cottone, a Boston police officer at the finish line who came to the aid of several victims, described what it was like to be at the scene and to later witness survivor Marc Fucarile’s wedding. By acknowledging the tragedy through the lens of first responders, the show handled the subject with grace and class.
This Week’s Lesson
The Brady Bunch: Porkchops & Applesauce
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