‘Top Chef’ Boston Episode 10 Recap: ‘For Julia & Jacques’
Happy New Year everyone! Did you miss me? I hope so, because I missed you! While it was nice to have two free Wednesday nights in a row, I did miss writing my “Top Chef’’ recap. The last episode before the holiday break was fantastic, wasn’t it? Remember Gronk? Remember all the sausage references? Remember all of the sexual innuendo? That was a special early Christmas present.
Before we get to the show, I wanted to report back on some of the food I got to eat over holiday break. When you live in Boston and have sixteen days off, chances are you’re going to eat more than your fair share of meals out. And since this is a recap about a show about food, I’d didn’t want to miss this opportunity to mention a few of my favorite meals from over break.
-The Beef Bracciola at Vinny’s at Night in Somerville: One of my favorite hidden gems in the area is located in the back of a convenience store on Broadway in Somerville. Think red sauce and lots of it. I lived around the corner from this place for five years and I still regret not going there more when it was a short walk away. To really get the feel for the entire neighborhood, grab a nightcap at the Mount Vernon Restaurant, where the Twin Lobster Special will always be $19.99.
-Everything at Island Creek Oyster Bar: I surprised my wife with a one-night staycation at the Hotel Commonwealth and we had never dined at Island Creek before. After a pre-dinner cocktail at The Hawthorne, our meal included oysters, fried oyster sliders, and lobster rolls. But the standout dish for me was the PEI mussels. Although it’s listed as an appetizer, it can stand on its own as a small entree if you’re not starving. I am still talking about it. Get it.
-The Beef Ribeye at Metropolis Cafe in the South End: On an impromptu date night, my wife and I snagged a window seat on a bitterly cold night. The ribeye was a beautifully medium rare, came with truffle cottage fries, and was the perfect size if you want to continue the night across the street at The Beehive.
Did you have any memorable meals over holiday break? Please let me know in the comment section. Now, on to the show.
With only five contestants left and only a few episodes remaining, we have officially reached the home stretch of “Top Chef’’ Boston. This is usually the point in the season when contestants start to crack. With the pressure ratcheted up and the finals within an arm’s length, the smallest mistake can send anyone home. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the current mood of the “Top Chef’’ household. Compared to past seasons, the remaining contestants are getting along swimmingly. Although the set will be a lot quieter without Katsuji around, the mood seems incredibly civil, especially considering that $250,000 — and the title of Top Chef! — is on the line.
From day one I promised I would be brutally honest with you. And to that end, I have to admit I was wrong about Melissa. If you had told me early on that she would make the final five, I would have thought you were crazy. Although I have had her at or near the bottom of my rankings since I started them, I have to give her credit for sticking around. In the end, surviving each episode is all that matters, and she’s still around as we enter Week 10. There are no style points on this show. I’m not saying she’s going to win, but I have given her a hard time in this space and I felt like I should give her some kudos.
The updated Ratty Power Index (RPI):
1. Doug: He’s finished in the upper tier every week since the Thanksgiving episode.
2. Mei: She exuded confidence through the entire Elimination Challenge last week and nailed the presentation of her dish
3. George: Finished in the middle last week, and that’s not always a bad thing
4. Melissa: A top three finish last week gets her out of the basement
5. Gregory: No doubt about it, he stunk up the joint last week with his presentation, using two different proteins for a dish based on “The Raven.’’ Come on, you’re better than that.
Quickfire Challenge
If you don’t want to know who won Last Chance Kitchen last week, you’ll want to scroll down past this to the Quickfire Challenge.
One one thousand…
Two one thousand…
Three one thousand…
Still with me? Awesome.
For the third edition of Last Chance Kitchen, my boy Katsuji fought for redemption against Katie and Adam who are somehow still kicking around backstage.
Katsuji’s predilection for using a mind-boggling number of ingredients has been a running joke this season, and the show put it to good use for this edition of Last Chance Kitchen. For this week’s challenge, the chefs were given carte blanche to make anything they wanted — as long as it contained a minimum of 20 ingredients. And no, salt and pepper didn’t count. Tom even asked the eliminated chefs on the set to keep a tally of each chef’s ingredients.
True to form, Katsuji blasted past the minimum requirement and had 31 (!) ingredients listed for his dish. He made a pescado encacahuatado mole with nuts, dry fruits, and chiles. Katie made an Indian tomato stew with yogurt herb sauce and seared spiced eggplant. And Adam went with a Peruvian ceviche. Tom clearly liked all three dishes, but chose Katie for elimination. He went out of his way to say that it was more about the excellence of the other two dishes than the problems with hers. (Cold comfort when you’re officially eliminated for good.)
So going into Week 10, Katie is out and Adam and Katsuji live to see another day.
Quickfire Challenge
How did you survive freshman year? When the dining hall was closed and my stomach was growling, I reached for the nifty grilled cheese maker (it would probably be considered a “panini maker’’ today) my parents bought me. I can’t tell you how many of those I ate while studying late, but suffice to say it was unhealthy. As I am writing this, I can still remember the taste of the 99 cent bread and the melted individually wrapped slices of American.
Although I was never big on instant noodles (I think ate more of it after I graduated), it’s known as the go-to meal for hungry, penniless students. This being a college town and all, the chefs had to flashback to their residence hall days by putting their own spin on ramen. Judging the Quickfire was “Watch What Happens: Live’’ host and Bravo majordomo Andy Cohen and his Boston University roommate, Dave Ansel, whom he referred to as “the straight version of me.’’ This being Bravo, Andy couldn’t help but his “Real Housewives’’ reunion hat own and ask the contestants which judge they were most afraid of and who on the cast had hooked up.
While the contestants has designs on the pantry to gussy up a boring bowl of instant ramen, in came five Emerson College students with tote bags. Instead of using the pantry, the contestants had to choose a student and could only use what that student brought. The contents were allegedly grabbed straight from their dorm room refrigerators, so the ingredients were in various states of freshness and neglect. The chefs had 30 minutes to create a dish and, although no immunity was on the line, the victor would earn $5,000.
Dishes
Doug: Ramen with coconut pineapple water broth, ham, egg, and grilled tofu
Gregory: Ramen with bacon and pizza broth, string cheese, edamame, and Dorito crunch
George: Ramen chili with hot dog, chicken wing, and crispy spam
Melissa: Mac and cheese carbonara with roast chicken and Frito crumb topping
Mei: Ramen with spicy tomato miso sauce, sushi shrimp, and nori
Verdict
OK, I’ll admit it: I got really hungry watching some of the dishes, especially Gregory’s and Melissa’s. Gregory scraped the toppings off a pizza to make his broth, and we all stooped to this in one form or another in college. Melissa made mac and cheese ramen with a frito topping, which would be perfect antidote to a late night-early morning. Andy and Dave didn’t have a lot of feedback on the dishes, but their favorites were George’s “SpaghettiO-esque’’ dish, along with my two favorites. From the moment she named her ingredients she knew she was onto something, and sure enough Melissa’s mac and cheese ramen was their favorite. So in the last two competitions, Melissa has notched a top three finish and a win. Is she peaking at the perfect time?
Elimination Challenge
For this week’s Elimination Challenge, the contestants headed an hour northwest of Boston to Groton, Mass.! Why do I have an exclamation point on that sentence? Because I grew up one town over! In addition to being the home of Lawrence Academy and the Groton School, the town also has some great food; one of my favorites is Gibbet Hill Grill. Gibbet Hill was a working cattle farm before adding a restaurant, so it has serious farm-to-fork bonafides. It’s a beautiful place to have dinner, and it’s also a rustic spot to have your wedding. It is absolutely worth the trip if you’re looking for something new, especially on a nice summer night.
(Side note: The Webber Restaurant Group, which operates Gibbet Hill, opened The Bancroft in Burlington last spring, if you’re looking for something a little closer to Boston.)
Also located in Groton is The Herb Lyceum, which brings us to this week’s Elimination Challenge. (This episode didn’t explain the setting at all, but I think it deserves to be mentioned.)
Owned and operated by Dave Gilson and his family, the restaurant is housed in a renovated 19th century carriage house on the grounds of the Gilson family homestead. Originally designed to serve as an herbal school, The Herb Lyceum now hosts meetings, functions, and even weddings. Dinner is offered on Friday and Saturday by reservation only, and they also operate a farmer’s market in Cambridge, Copley Square, and at the SoWa Open Market.
Boston foodies may also recognize the Gilson name thanks to Dave’s son Will Gilson, who first made his name when he opened the Garden at the Cellar in Cambridge in 2007, and most recently Puritan & Company in Inman Square in 2012. Within three months of opening Puritan, he received two 2013 James Beard Award nominations: Best New Restaurant and Rising Star Chef of the Year. The restaurant was also named one of Bon Appetit’s “50 Best New Restaurants’’ of 2013. It was at the Herb Lyceum in Groton where farm-to-table cooking became second nature for Gilson, who began cooking there when he was 17.
Immediately following the Quickfire Challenge, the contestants were led to a room and directed to watch a video. The images on the screen were the legendary duo of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin cooking on her television show. The symbolism was obvious: Child’s crossover into television is the main reason a show like “Top Chef’’ exists at all. As the two cooked and drank wine on television, who but Pepin himself strolled into the room with a bottle of wine and a cheshire grin. All five of the contestants were gobsmacked as he strode into the room with Padma, adorable accent and all.
For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were asked to create a dish inspired by Child’s French cooking techniques. The chefs would have three hours to prep and cook, and then one more hour to finish their dishes the day of the challenge. Before they went shopping, the contestants had a chance to have a glass of wine with Pepin and pick his brain about Julia’s techniques. Although a few questions were asked, the contestants seemed perfectly content bathing in the glow of the living legend.
Like millions across the world, the chefs all seemed to have memories of watching Child on television when they were younger. Personally, I can still hear Child’s voice echoing through my grammy’s living room while I played with Matchbox cars. Melissa had an even more personal connection to Child: she remembered helping make a birthday cake for Child when she worked at the Getty Museum. (And for those who forgot, my wife got Julia Child stuck in an elevator at Summer Shack in Cambridge.)
The enormity of the challenge hung over the entire episode, and my wife repeatedly pointed out how much pressure was on the chefs. Four hours to cook a Julia Child-inspired dish using French techniques for the judges and one of Child’s best friends, Jacques Pepin? Yeah, no pressure. And if that wasn’t enough, also at the table this week were Food and Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin, Julia Child’s great nephew Alex Prud’homme, and three powerhouses of the Boston culinary scene: Barbara Lynch, Mary Dumont and Joanne Chang.
As expected, the chefs took different tacks in approaching the dishes. Melissa focused on using only the same techniques Child used, while George used a pressure cooker on his veal. Gregory made Coq au Vin, a Child classic he knew he needed to nail. Doug knew he was taking a risk in the allotted time with roasted foie gras, but he seemed at peace with the high risk/high reward proposition. Mei went with Duck à l’orange — a dish Prud’homme declared to be Child’s “death row meal’’ — but she also put her own spin on it.
Dishes
Gregory: Coq au Vin with glazed carrots, fava beans, and snap peas
Mei: Duck à l’orange with turnip puree, orange puree, and glazed vegetables
George: Braised veal with pomme puree, morels, and glazed carrots and asparagus
Melissa: Red wine-braised short rib with brown butter polenta and jardinière
Doug: Roasted foie gras with roasted peaches, sweet and sour onions, and hazelnuts
Judge’s Table
Taking the challenge literally proved fruitful, as Gregory and Mei had the judges’ two favorite dishes. Gregory’s Coq au Vin was rigidly straightforward but he executed it perfectly. Mei reiterated that her dish, while classic, had a lot of her own personality on the plate. The judges seemed to view it as a tossup, but they eventually named Mei the winner. That’s two wins in a row for her.
With only five chefs left, that put Doug, George, and Melissa on the bottom. Tom thought the common theme among the bottom three was bad technique, namely that all three dishes were undercooked. George admitted he knew he was cutting it close doing braised veal in three hours. Melissa said that, looking back, she would have chosen a different protein. The judges thought her short rib was stringy and undercooked. Echoing the other two chefs, Doug also said he didn’t enough time to carry out his foie gras. The judges were adamant that it was undercooked and, in some sections, raw.
In “Top Chef’’ the previous episodes means nothing, and as if to prove that point, the judges sent Doug packing. It didn’t matter that he had finished near the top for four straight weeks, or that he was one of the most likeable cast members. Despite his enthusiasm for this challenge and his desire to put out a robust, classic French dish, he just didn’t have the time to properly carry out his idea. He took a risk, and he paid the ultimate price. I respect that and, on the plus side, he has a short road through Last Chance Kitchen to get back to the finals.
‘Top Chef’ Boston Cheat Sheet
Who Should’ve Won
This could have gone either way. If you were looking for a perfectly recreated Julia Child dish, Gregory would be the winner. But the judges seemed to appreciate that Mei took one of Child’s favorite dishes and put a twist on it. They rewarded her being slightly more creative with her dish, and you can’t fault them for that. That’s two straight wins for Mei and, spoiler alert, she will be at the top of my power rankings next week.
Who Should’ve Been Eliminated
Hate to say this, but I think it should have been George this week. Not only did he stray the most from Child’s techniques, but his meat was apparently undercooked and underseasoned. Doug knowingly took a big risk and his foie gras seemed dead on arrival, but I think he hewed closer to the challenge than George. Melissa didn’t exactly light the world on fire this week, but I can only harangue her so much before it gets tiring.
Boston Eye Candy
The Old State House, Emerson College, Zakim Bridge, the Green Line
Insider Info
According to Someone Who Knows, David Gilson hit it off with Tom Colicchio on the day of the filming. Colicchio reportedly loved the farm and even asked David for a tour. Also worth noting: Will Gilson had a poster of Julia Child in his younger days when he lived at the Herb Lyceum. Child was his culinary role mode, so it was quite fitting that the Herb Lyceum episode paid tribute to her. David Gilson even took out the poster to show the judges.
Weekly 45-Second Interlude During Commercial Break
Not surprisingly, this section featured Julia Child impressions. Melissa, Mei, and Gregory each took a stab but Meryl Streep, they are not.
This Week’s Lesson
Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child on “Saturday Night Live’’
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