Top Chef’ Boston Episode 11 Recap: ‘Sous Your Daddy!’
Greetings, fellow “Top Chef’’ obsessives! We’ve reached Week 11! And we’ve done it together.
After I wrapped last week’s 2,800-word recap, I took a big deep breath and exhaled. “We’re almost there,’’ I thought to myself. Then I fell into a deep, restful sleep. After Doug was eliminated, that left only four chefs, plus the eventual Last Chance Kitchen victor. With Bravo premiering a new restaurant show in the “Top Chef’’ timeslot next week — hosted by Tom Colicchio, natch — surely we only had a few episodes left. Maybe two, tops? One last episode based in Boston, followed by a one-night, two-part grand finale? Oh, if I only knew how wrong I was.
I was curious about how many episodes were left, and the Bravo website was less than helpful. I emailed the show’s publicist and, much to my surprise, there are *FOUR* more episodes after this one. That’s right folks, you are stuck with me through February 11! Next week’s episode will be the last one that was actually shot in Boston, and from there the show is off to Mexico for a three-part finale. I’m not exactly sure how they are going to get four more episodes out of the show when there are only four chefs left, but I’m in for the long haul and committed to recapping this show to the bitter end. If you’re up for it, I’m up for it. Deal?
Regarding that last point, this would be a great time to stop and say: THANK YOU FOR READING! I know it’s been a long slog, but I’m extremely grateful for everyone who has read my recaps and also for anyone who has shared them on social media. I am lucky to have the opportunity to review a show I love (and would have watched anyway), but I’m even luckier to have a solid group of viewers taking the time to read and share these recaps every week. So thank you again for taking the time time read these, and I hope you’ll stick with me through the last episode.
And now, on to my weekly rankings and this week’s episode!
The updated Ratty Power Index (RPI):
1. Mei: She’s won two weeks in a row and last week’s #1 got sent home. That was easy.
2. Gregory: I have been touting this guy’s raw talent all season and he bounced back from a horrendous Week 9 performance by perfectly executing the Coq au Vin in the Julia Child-Jacques Pepin challenge
3. George: Took a big risk last week doing veal in the pressure cooker, but he fared better than Doug and Melissa.
4. Melissa: She’s still on the show.
Last Chance Kitchen
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? Glorious.
For the fourth edition of Last Chance Kitchen, Doug found himself on the hot seat after his disastrous foie gras experiment last week. I had Doug #1 in my power rankings last week but, as I said, you’re only as good as your last dish on “Top Chef.’’ Could Doug prove that last week’s elimination was a fluke after performing so well this season? Let’s find out!
For this challenge against current survivors Katsuji and Adam, Tom Colicchio rolled out three carts with beef liver, pork liver, and goat liver. After stopping myself from gagging, I noticed that there wasn’t one excited face among them. If you’re just catching on now, Last Chance Kitchen usually references the eliminated chef or the dish they were sent home for. Accordingly, the camera lingered on Doug since he had just come off undercooking goose liver. The three chefs were given 20 minutes to come up with their best liver dish. “I need some liver redemption here,’’ said Doug, sounding a bit Hannibal Lecter-ish.
Adam made beef liver “alla Nonna’’ with onions, peppers, and roasted portobello mushroom caps
Doug made seared pork liver with onions and chimichurri, kept the onions crunchy for texture
Katsuji made higado encebollado goat liver with and onions
Verdict
Despite a smoky and pungent kitchen, Tom thought all three chefs did well with the liver.
Tom said Doug’s dish was the best of the three: the liver was nicely cooked, the garnishes were right, and the chimichurri was bright. The undercooked onions also added a crunchy texture.
Adam’s dish, based on his grandmother’s recipe, would have made her proud. Tom thought it could have used more salt and more acid, but he liked it overall.
Katsuji, who is used to cooking only with kosher animals, was a little hesitant about this challenge but chose the goat liver. As is his wont, he used a lot of ingredients but Tom thought it worked this time. The problem, though, was that he didn’t properly clean the liver, and there was sinew left on it. That misstep was enough to make a difference, and he was sent home for good.
My favorite contestant is now officially gone for good, and Doug and Adam move on to the final Last Chance Kitchen for a chance to book a ticket to the finals.
Quickfire Challenge
No Quickfire this week! Padma surprised the contestants with the news that there would be no Quickfire this week, because the Elimination (kind of) Challenge would take so long to complete.
Elimination (kind of) Challenge
With the contestants still buzzing about there being no Quickfire, Padma let them know what was next. The challenge this week was to head to Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury to dredge for oysters, dig for clams, and forage for their own seaweed and greens. Each contestant was tasked with creating a local seafood dinner that included one appetizer and one entree.
Padma stressed that this week’s challenge would be so difficult and time-consuming that they would need some extra help. The doors to the “Top Chef’’ studio opened and voila, four family members marched into the kitchen. Lots of hugging and crying consumed, especially between Melissa and her mother. Each contestant had one family member arrive, and those family members would be acting as sous chefs for the challenge.
That surprise drew a range of reactions from the chefs. Mei barked that she would be doing all the work, and later in the car asked her brother if he even knew how to use a knife. (Apparently her brother Harley is not much of a chef.) George, whose father owned the diner he worked at from a young age, felt some trepidation about having to order around his former boss. After sourcing their ingredients, everyone would be spending the night in a beach house in Gloucester. All in all, the chefs and family members would be spending 24 hours together, including two hours in the kitchen to prepare their dishes.
But before they were sent off, there were three more surprises. First, the chefs would not be able to touch the appetizers at all, meaning the family members-turned-sous chefs would be one hundred percent in charge of that portion of the meal. Second, because the judges wanted to see what the chefs would do without fear of elimination, no one would be sent home. Tom and Padma wanted to see the chefs stretch their talents and think creatively this week without the spectre of elimination. Last, and most important, the winner of this challenge would gain automatic entry into the finals in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. That’s right, this week’s winner would get a Golden Ticket.
This Week’s Teams
Mei and her brother Harley
Gregory and his sister Jessica
George and his father Tony (a.k.a. “Mr. Tony’’)
Melissa and her mother Alice
Aftering heading northwest of Boston last week, the contestants traveled to Duxbury. Upon arriving, the contestants were greeted at the docks by Skip Bennett, owner and founder of Island Creek Oysters, and Jeremy Sewall, the chef/owner of Lineage in Brookline. In case you’ve been living under a rock (presumably placed on the North Shore), here’s a bit of background on the operation.
Founded in 1992, Island Creek Oysters has grown into one of the largest and most reputable aquaculture businesses in the country. The company now sells nearly five million oysters a year to restaurants, distributors, and food lovers around the world. Island Creek Oysters can be found across the country including Le Bernardin, Jean George, Per Se, The French Laundry, and even The White House.
In 2012, Bennett and Sewell, along with Eastern Standard owner Garrett Harker, opened Island Creek Oyster Bar in the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. (You may recall that I recounted an epic dinner there over winter break in last week’s recap. Again, get the PEI mussels.) More recently, the Island Creek team opened Row 34 in Boston’s Fort Point Channel, a restaurant the company describes as a “working man’s oyster bar.’’
After the introductions, it was time to head out onto the water to get some oysters. Some looked more comfortable on the boat than others, as George looked to be in his element while, at the other end of the spectrum, Mei’s brother Harly broke the crank on the dredge. While this season of “Top Chef’’ has offered plenty of nods to Boston’s coastal history, this was the first time they were able to experience it first-hand.
Back on shore, the chefs got their hands on Island Creek’s signature oyster boats to pick other kinds of shellfish including clams, mussels, and lobsters.
Working with family members created some interesting dynamics this week. George learned to cook in his father’s diner, so he felt comfortable leaving him in charge of the appetizer. (He did have reservations about ordering around his former boss, though.) Mei, who professed to being the black sheep in her family, was visibly worried about her putting her fate in her brother’s hands. She was even exasperated at the pace he shopped for ingredients at Whole Foods.
Once they reached the beach house in Gloucester at sunset, the episode took a nostalgic turn. The contestants left the posturing and jockeying at the door, and the group of eight cooked and drank and shared stories from back home. Melissa emphasized how close she is with her mother, telling the story of how Alice had never heard of the C.I.A. (Culinary Institute of America, not “James Bond’’) when she first shared her career plans. George talked about how his father Tony, after selling his diner, used some of the profits to invest in George’s restaurant.. The group shared a big (and what I assume was a delicious) dinner, and for a few hours, the competition was on the back burner. The next morning, of course, would be all business.
The chefs cooked at The Lobster Pool in Rockport for a group that included Tom, Padma, Richard Blais, Ashley Christensen, Adam Evans, executive chef at The Optimist in Atlanta, Eleven Madison Park alum Kerry Heffernan, and RM Seafood owner Rick Moonen.
Melissa seemed to have this challenge on lock from the beginning. Instead of being worried about how her mother would handle a dish on her own, she gave her mother clear direction to create a Chinese custard dish she enjoyed as a child. The show’s graphics listed her mother’s occupation as “aerospace engineer,’’ so the appetizer seemed to be in pretty good hands. Alice even finished her dish with time to spare.
George thought his father was a little rusty on his kitchen skills at first, but seemed to relax as the two hours wore on. Gregory did not want to play it safe with no elimination at stake, but he spent a lot of time supervising his sister and giving her pointers on knife skills.
Most of the drama in the Lobster Pool kitchen centered around Mei and her brother Harley. An admitted “control freak,’’ she spent a lot of time correcting what he was doing and imploring him to do everything faster. She was pretty peeved that he wasn’t showing any urgency while working on his sauce, and it was obviously torture for her to not be able to jump in and take over. But whatever she said worked, because he eventually got into a flow and finished the work on time. “After yelling at him, he’s doing better,’’ she added with a sprinkle of snark.
Dishes
Harley (brother): Oyster with soy-yuzu vinaigrette and radish
Mei: Surf clam and lobster with tomato-coconut broth
Jessica (sister): Tomato-watermelon soup with pickled cucumber and shrimp
Gregory: Halibut with oysters, mussels, and dashi
Tony (father): Grilled oysters with razor clams and cucumber
George: Butter-poached lobster with sunchokes
Alice (mom): Egg custard with shiitake mushrooms. clams, and lobster
Melissa: Butter-poached lobster with onion soubise and pea puree
Judge’s Table
With no Quickfire Challenge, this episode was short on scripted moments, and Judge’s Table was no different. They kept things short and sweet this week by cutting right to the chase and announcing that their two favorite dishes were from Mei and Melissa.
The judges thought both of Mei’s dishes were great and that the lobster was cooked perfectly. The appetizer, which looked like it might have been her team’s downfall early on, was a big hit with the judges, especially considering it was Harley’s first time making oysters. Also commenting on the entree, Kerry Heffernan called the surf clam “an absolute revelation.’’ Not to be outdone, Ashley Christensen said Melissa’s lobster was the most perfectly cooked lobster she’d ever experienced. Tom added that the vegetables on her plate were just as good as the lobster. The judges also loved the custard made by her mother, clearly appreciating the history behind the dish and connection between the two generations.
Either dish could have won, but Melissa’s perfectly cooked butter-poached lobster (and Ashley Christensen’s plaudits) put her over the top, and she was declared the winner. Tears ensued, and Melissa was bestowed with an automatic entry into the finals. With one spot in the finals locked up, I’m assuming there are two more up for grabs among the current contestants, and one spot reserved for the eventual winner of Last Chance Kitchen.
No one was going to be eliminated this week, but it’s worth noting that George and Gregory had the two weaker dishes. The judges enjoyed Mr. Tony’s oysters but Tom didn’t think George needed the microgreens on the entree. His lobster was popular at the table, but not as popular as Mei’s and Melissa’s. If someone was going to be eliminated this week, it would have been Gregory. Some of the judges weren’t happy with how his halibut was cooked, and they also liked his sister’s dish better than his. Although they gave him some kudos for his supervision on the soup, getting upstaged by a family member wasn’t a good look.
‘Top Chef’ Boston Cheat Sheet
Who Should’ve Won
No argument here. Melissa nailed this challenge from beginning to end. She had an emotional reason for assigning the custard appetizer to her mother, and her butter-poached lobster was, according to the judges, perfect. Melissa seems to be peaking at the right time and, yes, proving me wrong in the process.
Who Should’ve Been Eliminated
N/A
Boston Eye Candy
The Rose Kennedy Greenway and not much else
Insider Info
After seeing guest judges from Boston all season, were you wondering who Ashley Christensen is? If you were, that’s understandable because she’s not from Boston! Christensen is a 2014 James Beard Award-winning chef based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Among her many ventures are Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, an ode to fried chicken and classic Southern sides, Fox Liquor Bar, which features more than 50 craft cocktails, and Joule Coffee & Table.
As it happens, I have actually been to all three of those establishments! (Are you surprised?) A very good friend of mine lives in Raleigh, so I am a pretty frequent visitor to the city. What sticks out in my memory the most was the brick of macaroni and cheese at Beasley’s, as well as the iced coffee at Joule. During a visit to Joule in April, both my wife and I ordered the iced pourover with coffee ice cubes, something my wife Amy said was akin to “injecting coffee straight into her veins.’’ If you ever find yourself in Raleigh needing some caffeine, now you know where to go.
Weekly 45-Second Interlude During Commercial Break
Judge Adam Evans worked for Tom Colicchio for five years in New York and two years in Atlanta. When asked to describe him as a boss, Evans chose his words slowly and diplomatically, calling him “very informative’’ “very direct.’’ If this food thing doesn’t work out for him, he has a future at the United Nations.
This Week’s Lesson
Ive Got A Golden Ticket
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