09x06 - Higher Steaks

[bunniefuu]

- Previously on Top Chef...
- Let's go to Dallas!

- [Bleep], man.

- Your driver's license

and proof of liability
insurance.

- Well, that's gonna be
an issue.

- This is your kitchen.
- Wow.

John Besh is a handsome man.
I'm not gonna lie.

- Hi!

- You can smell
the smell of money.

- We love Gummy Bear--
I have a Gummy Bear addiction.

- We don't wanna give them any
food that will make them feel

self-conscious
about their breath.

- Do you need both
those colanders?

- No, I just need that one.

- Can you take the other one
out of the sink then?

I'm a little aggravated
with Bev.

She's using the entire sink.

- Come on, sabotage.

- The winner is Paul.

[Minimal clapping]
- Thank you.

- It was overcooked salmon
and goat cheese.

- It was a gimmick.

- Chuy, please pack your knives
and go.


all hoping to win

a feature
in Food & Wine magazine...

A showcase at the annual
Food & Wine classic in Aspen...

$125,000
furnished by Healthy Choice...

To bring their culinary dreams
to life...

and the title of Top Chef.

- I'm gonna miss that little
Chu-Chu train.

- Been a long day.

- This is all the guys,
isn't it, right here?

- Yeah, this is it, man.
- Oh, [bleep].

- There's definitely a little
face-off starting to develop,

and I don't want there to be
eight girls and two guys left.

You know, come on, guys.

We're gonna have to sort of
rally together

to save face.

- Are you scared?

- Step it up, man.

- Are you guys scared?

Scared of the girlies.
- Scared of the girls?

- This whole boys versus girls,
this versus that--

I just need to concentrate
on food.

So that's all I'm really
thinking about.

- We walk into the kitchen
and we see Padma

and Chef Dean Fearing.

He's had a long career
in the culinary scene,

and he was the original chef
of Mansion on Turtle Creek.

He was classically trained,

so I think we have a tough
competition ahead of us.

- Hi, chefs.
All: Hello.

- The Cordon Bleu kitchen
will be our home base

while we're here in Dallas.

- I went to school here, so
everything looks familiar to me.

But I'm also really nervous

'cause I feel like
I'm in my school,

I should win this challenge,
whatever it may be.

- Please meet your guest judge
Dean Fearing,

the James Beard Award winner

and chef and owner of Fearing's
restaurant here in Dallas.

- Welcome to Dallas.
- Thank you.

- This quickfire will be
testing your skills

as a saucier.

- The saucier position is
the most prestigious position

on the line in a kitchen.

It's the item that gives
the wow to the dish.

- If I could pick anything to do
for the rest of my life,

it'd be saucier.

It's an artistry in itself.

- Please draw knives.

- Espagnole.

- Hollandaise.

- Tomates.

- Hollandaise.

- Espagnole.

- Bechamel.
- Veloute.

- Tomates.

- Hollandaise.

I've been a saucier before,

and I'm also
classically trained,

so sauces ain't no thang
for me.

- Bechamel.

- Espagnole.

- Bechamel.

- Veloute.

- The legendary French Chef
Escoffier

coined five mother sauces.

Bechamel, espagnole,
hollandaise,

tomates, and veloute.

- A mother sauce is base
for other sauces.

I think the easiest sauce
probably is the veloute.

It's a basically a chicken stock

that's thickened
with flour and butter.

So I'm feeling really good.

- Your challenge is to make
a dish with a new sauce

that stems
from your mother sauce.

The winner of this quickfire
will receive immunity

in the next challenge.

- I have not won
where immunity has been offered.

And I want immunity like...
So bad it's ridiculous.

- Ready for the mother
of all quickfires?

Your time start now.

Good luck.
- Whoo!

- Hot, hot, hot.

- The most difficult thing
about this quickfire

is that you have to make a roux,
which is flour and butter.

I know a lot of chefs think
it's old-school,

but I think you really need
to know your classics.

- I'm doing some scallops...

A corn ravioli,
and hollandaise.

I'm feeling [bleep] saucy.

- I pulled espagnole.

It's a beef sauce made from
veal bones and tomato paste.

And to make this sauce my own,

I infuse it with hints
of ginger and lemongrass.

I haven't cooked a mother sauce
since culinary school,

so this challenge is gonna
test my skill.

- 30 minutes, guys!

- I'm making a shrimp veloute

with braised fennel,
some saffron.

The main problem
I'm encountering is

I don't wanna
overthink the dish,

but I feel like it needs
another element

and I'm trying to figure out
what that is.

- They don't like this sauce,
I don't know what to do.

I pulled bechamel,
and it's a heavy,

flour-butter-based white sauce

which instead of
just a regular cream,

I'm trying to incorporate
a vegetable.

Gonna do rib eye encrusted
with miso blue cheese.

My new sauce is definitely
avant-garde interpretation

of the espagnole,

'cause the espagnole is a very
classic French sauce.

The risk of the sauce
is mine is turning out to be

a very Asian sauce.

But I feel really good
about my dish.

I want this so bad.

- Five minutes, everyone.
You have five minutes left.

- I'm really excited
about bechamel.

It's one of my favorites.

I'm making a lemon
black truffle bechamel

with brown butter scallop.

But I definitely put those
scallops on way too early.

The longer it sits there,
one, the colder it's getting

and two, the more, you know,
carry over cooking.

- I'm totally effed.

I'm getting really nervous

because I have so many elements
that I need to get on the plate,

or the dish won't come together
as a whole.

Is there plastic wrap, guys?

- 55 seconds.

- God. Stop shaking.

[Beep]
- Time's up!

Hands up.
Utensils down, please.

- Thank God I'm able to get
everything on the plate,

and it's exactly
how I want it to be.

- Hi, Chris.
- Hi, how are you?

I had veloute, so I did
a butter-poached Halibut

over a little hash of mussels
and andouille, mushrooms.

- And what is in your veloute?

- I cooked the andouille
and the mussels together,

and then infused that fat
back into the veloute.

- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

- So I had bechamel.

What I did was I made
a cauliflower bechamel.

There's a little poached
red snapper,

a little tarragon crab
and fried oyster on top.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

- I had hollandaise.

It's a charred corn
hollandaise.

I also made a corn ravioli

and blueberry
balsamic reduction.

- Did you use
clarified butter?

- No, I like to use
whole butter.

- Mm.

- I used, chef, espagnole.

It's quail with some
pickled and roasted mushrooms.

Just a touch of garlic scapes
and some roasted okra.

- And what color
was your roux?

- I didn't use a roux.

Maybe I should've just lied
and said, "yeah, I used a roux."

- So I had tomato sauce today.
I used a little pancetta.

And I used the shrimp shells
in it, instead of carrot,

to sweeten it a bit.

And then I cooked
a little fennel pilau

which is what it sits on.

- And what roux did you use?
- No roux in that.

- Mm.

Well, the true classic
tomates sauce has a roux.

- Oh.

I've never used a roux
in my tomates

nor would I ever use a roux
in my tomates.

So I was kind of
taken aback by that.

- My sauce was bechamel.
So I made a gruyere croquette.

It's got a apple
and ginger compote

and a little Asian slaw.

- It's a crab maki roll
with rib eye,

and the rib eye is crusted

with a little bit
of miso blue cheese butter.

I interpreted it as
a...Kind of Asian style.

- Bev always cooks
Asian food.

And if I was the judges

I probably would be bored
with her.

- Why so little of your
espagnole sauce?

- Because I had the soy,

and I don't wanna overpower
your palate

with too much soy.

- Thank you, Beverly.
- Thank you.

- Thank you, Beverly.

- I have a bechamel sauce.

I infused the milk

to make the bechamel
with lemon zest

and black truffles.

It's sitting on top of
a roasted peach.

There's a crab and mushroom
duxelle.

Then we've got
the seared scallop,

and then to the right is
a creme fraiche pommes puree.

- It's almost like
a hollandaise.

- Yeah.

- My base sauce
was hollandaise,

and I chose to do a lemongrass
and four citrus variants on that

with Ahi tuna,
baby bok choy.

- And did you clarify
your butter?

- I did not clarify my butter.
I used whole melted butter.

- How you doing, chef?

I'm guessing you have tomates.

- Yes, ma'am.
I had tomates.

For the sauce itself,
I combined coconut flavors

with ras el hanout.

I did braised lentils.

I used the tomates
in a fresh form

with toasted pistachios.

I love making sauces.
It's my favorite thing to do.

- Lotta flavor.
- Thank you very much.

- Dean, how do you think
our chefs did

with the sauce quickfire?

- I think there were
some sweet sauces.

I think there were some
over acidic sauces.

But overall,

I thought the seasoning
techniques was well done.

- Who were some of your
least favorites?

- Dakota, I really thought

the use of
the peach was overdone.

With the sauce,
not a big flavor profile for me.

Nyesha, great thought,

but so many flavors
made it muddled.

And lastly, Beverly,

your coriander wasabi

was more sauce
than the mother sauce.

- Well, let's hear
some of the favorites.

- Grayson, I really liked
your dish.

And you made a ravioli.

And I don't know if I could've
made a ravioli...

In an hour and a half.

Chris C.,

you changed the veloute
a little bit

by adding the poaching liquids
back into the sauce,

and I really liked
the combination of flavors.

Paul, you were another one
of my favorites.

Using the quail, mushrooms
with the okra--

the pickling
on that was perfect.

- So Dean,
please announce the winner.

- I felt the one dish that had
the mother sauce creativity--

everything on the plate

I felt was
cooked to perfection--

was...

- Dean, please
announce the winner

of the sauce quickfire.

- The one dish that had
the mother sauce

cooked to perfection was...

Grayson.

- Congratulations.

You've now won immunity in
the next elimination challenge.

- Whoo!

- This is amazing.

I've had to prove a lot.

I'm definitely one to be
reckoned with.

So watch out.

- For Texas, steak is one of
life's most important pleasures.

This elimination challenge
will be one of the toughest

you'll ever face.

You'll work as one team
to create a four-course

steak dinner
for 200 guests.

- [Whistles]

- I worked at a steakhouse
for two years in New York City.

I have a lot of experience
cooking steak.

But we have to work as a team,

and that makes me
really nervous.

- You have to incorporate steak
into two of your four courses

at the Cattle Baron's ball.

- My grandfather has been
a member

of the cattlemen's association
for ages.

The Cattle Baron's ball
is a huge dinner party.

These guests are used to eating
steak on a daily basis.

- You'll have to pull the steaks
off at the right time

so they're medium rare
when they hit the tables.

- You have 30 minutes to menu
plan together now.

Tonight, you'll have three hours
to prep here.

And tomorrow, you'll have
three hours to cook and prep

before service begins at...

Southfork Ranch.

You knew it was coming
sometime.

- Yup.
We were a Dynasty family.

We didn't watch Dallas.
Some of my friends did.

I can't remember who sh*t J.R.

Was it his wife?
Was it Sue Ellen?

Or was it a mistress?

I'm gonna need somebody to look
that up on their Google machine.

- And one last thing.

The winner of this challenge

will also win a brand-new


- I drive a big truck
that is a gas guzzler,

and a Toyota Venza
would be a perfect car.

- You can check it out
on the way to Whole Foods.

Your menu plan starts now.

[Overlapping chatter]
- Wait, wait, wait.

- We need to break up
into teams.

Three groups of three
and one group of four.

- We quickly split up
into the four courses.

- Okay, so it's four on dessert
then three, three, three.

- What if we start--
the very course

is a cucumber base
gazpacho.

If you wanna like make it
a little bit different.

Still a gazpacho--

- So you're gonna be
third course on rib eye.

What are we doing then?
Second course?

- Sirloin.
- Okay.

- Are you guys okay with me
being the sort of secretary--

- Yes.

Yes, I concur.

- So what's your--
what's your base, the sponge?

- Yep.
- Okay.

Heather is going to do
her same cake

that we did
for the quinceanera.

- Hey, can you give me
the genoise real quick?

Do you know it off the top
of your head?

- The genoise is--
she's taking my cake recipe,

and she's repeating it again?

That pisses me off.

At some point,
she's gonna have to stop

repeating the same recipe
and really cook.

- Everybody feel good?
- Yeah.

- Let's go to Whole Foods.

- Wow.

- We jump into
the Toyota Benza

and realize there's an amazing
amount of space.

- The GPS right here.

Man, I would love
to win a car.

I would love to win anything,
just win something.

$2.

I just don't wanna walk away
empty-handed from this.

- You think
that's gonna be enough?

- We're feeding 200 people,
so that's a lot of ingredients.

We are running around...
- [Giggling]

- Breaking bottles,

trying to get everything
that we can.

It's a mess in there.

- Did you do this?
- It was Chris C's fault.

- Yeah, it was.
Bull[bleep].

Do you have any kind of bones
or marrow?

Growing up, my dad was always
the grill master.

He would make steaks almost
every Sunday night for dinner.

He survived an open-heart
transplant.

And there's no way
I would the chef that I am today

without the inspiration
that my dad gives me every day.

- I think you need
more potatoes than that.

- I got 50.
- 20 more pounds of potatoes.

- I'm making potato gratin,

and I know how to execute
this dish.

My mom was a very good cook,

so even though we didn't
always have money,

she was very resourceful.

And that's carried over
to my cooking today.

- Are we trimming beef tonight?
Are we gonna have scraps?

For the steak, I'm looking for
everything I need for my sauce

and everything I need
for my compound butter.

I'm getting concerned
because I'm realizing

that I'm doing two components
on the entree.

Because I wanna like
go all out.

I wanna win this challenge.

- g*dd*mn it.

- I'm gonna unload the beef.

- I'm gonna use this big guy.

Beverly, Dakota, and I are
working on the first course--

tomato watermelon gazpacho.

- Is that horseradish, Sarah?
- Yeah.

- Just trying to discern
what's in your gazpacho.

You know what the people
like down here.

- It's a cold soup,

and to have a menu
with two beef dishes already,

we need something
on the lighter side.

- Where's the timer at?
- Two hours, four minutes.

- Edward, present for you.

- Gracias.

I'm doing the second course
with Chris Jones and Paul,

and we're making a seared
New York strip steak carpaccio

for our salad.

- Right, I don't wanna unwrap
the rib eye yet.

- All right, perfect.

For the entree,
I'm in charge of the steaks.

Chris is making the greens,

nyesha is cooking the compound
butter and the sauce,

and Whitney is in charge
of the gratin.

- You win that damn car, I'm
gonna be looking to drive it.

- Look at Paul,
he's like a machine over there

with his Kn*fe skills.

- Three hours
include the chill down time?

- Three hours is packed
and walking out the door.

- Bev has one thing
that she's working on,

and that's the shrimp.

And three hours should be
plenty of time.

She's so focused on saving
her own ass.

She wants to make sure that
that part of it is perfect,

but when you're working
in a team,

you can't be selfish.



- That gratin's gonna
look like junk

if we cook it and cut it
tomorrow.

- I agree. I like to do it
the night before too,

but she said no.

- I would love to get these in
tonight.

- I won't get 'em in tonight,

but as long as they're
assembled and wrapped,

I'm gonna throw 'em
in the oven immediately.

- I'm worried about Whitney.

Tomorrow, she only
has three hours

to bake, cut, portion,
and serve, which is tight.

- 17 minutes!

- Trying to get
every last bit.

g*dd*mn.

- You need me to do anything?

- I need a medic right now.

- Probably goes in about
a 16th of an inch,

and it's gonna bleed
pretty well.

I think what's gonna be best
for me to do what I need to do,

I'm just gonna wrap
my whole hand up,

and that's how I'm gonna
have to work.

- Okay.

- 'Cause I'm not gonna stop.
- Okay.

I'm really pissed off,
because I'm responsible

for the steaks.

I'm concerned about my hand,

but I'm also more concerned
about being eliminated.

I did the oyster Kn*fe
right here.

- Ooh!

- I gotta take care of this.

[Beeping]
- Time's up!

All right, let's go.

- Anyone want a beer?
- Yes, please.

- I would like a beer.

- Ty-lor cut his finger.
- What happened?

- He and I were working
on the butter.

All of a sudden,
I look over

and there's blood
coming out his hand.

He's like,
"I just cut my hand."

- Now that Ty-lor's hurt
himself,

we're discussing how we're gonna
do this tomorrow.

- So who is gonna take the lead
on the entree?

- I would, but I have to cook
the Brussels sprouts.

- It does make me feel
a little uncomfortable

that no one else is really
stepping up.

And I think that with the first
group challenge we had,

the quinceanera
being so hard,

people are hesitant about
taking control

because they don't wanna be
the ones to go down.

- How long those [bleep] shrimp
gonna take her to do today?

If that was my prep cook,
I would be through the roof.

- What happens
if we're one man short?

Today we're cooking
a four-course dinner

for cattle barons.

And Ty-lor is the one in charge
of the most important component,

steak.

Wanna hear something
surprising?

Looks like it's gonna be
a scorcher today.

- I'm good, I'm good.

- Did you have to get stitches?
- Yeah, I got four stitches.

- Ouch.

- The hospital
was a little crazy.

- Yeah?

- Probably 60 people
in the waiting room, the E.R.

- So you had to wait
a long time?

- I cut my hand,
but there's like

g*nsh*t victim--they're not
in the biggest hurry.

How late were you
out there till?

- Till 6:00.

- The nurse lady's like

so you can take the next
three days off of work.

I'm a little delirious.
I'm just tired.

But I need to step up
my game

and take charge of the steaks.

If it means drinking 18 sh*ts
of espresso,

I'll do whatever it takes in
order to win this competition.

- All right, everybody,
let's go find out who sh*t J.R.

- Oh, my God.
- Wow, this is it right there.

- I got us right here, Dakota.

- We arrive
at Southfork Ranch.

The three hours
to finish our cooking.

I'm a little uneasy.

- Sarah's gazpacho,
avocado mousse,

I saw Dakota doing now.

Last night,
I finished baking the cakes.

So today, Lindsay and I
are pulling plates,

making sure
we have the table set.

All of those things
that you need to do

to organize everybody.

Love it! This is like
a well-oiled machine.

- I'm doing the second course,

and we are making
a triple seared beef

with mushroom asparagus salad.

- My strategy
for cooking this meat

is gonna be a sear and shock
from the grill to the liquid.

[Bleep].

That's a hot grill.

- Whitney, you okay?
- Yeah.

Getting some of these potatoes
oxidized.

First thing I have to do
is kinda remove that layer

that's gotten
a little discolored,

because
potatoes will turn brown

if you just sit 'em out
in the air.

I think I'll have time,
but it's gonna be hectic.

- How long are
those [bleep] shrimp

gonna take her to do today?

Beverly, how are we looking?

- Uh, there's just
a small little batch left.

- Move your whole station
closer to the stove

so you can poach in batches as
you're finishing the other ones.

I do have a problem that Bev
has been working on shrimp

for two days.

When you're working
in a team with 12 other chefs,

if that was my prep cook,

and he's working on shrimp
for two days,

I would be through the roof.

Where we at with that pickling
the watermelon, Beverly?

Have you started it?

- Heather's the most obnoxious
person I think I've ever met.

She's a bully, in my opinion,

and she would be the first
person that I would boot

from the island.

- Hi, Tom.
- Hey, Heather, how you doing?

- Good, how are you doing?
- I'm good, you too?

What are you responsible for?

- So I made the cake
yesterday.

It was smart for me.

I have the most, probably,
pastry experience here as well.

So to be on the last course
so that Lindsay and I

could execute and expedite which
was the reasoning behind it.

- Very good.

I'll see you later.
- All right, thanks, Tom.

- What are you up to?

- I am doing all the Kn*fe work
garnishing for our gazpacho.

- Who made the soup?

- Sarah's been doing the base.

- You're doing
all the vegetable work.

Who made the mousse?
- I made the mousse.

- Beverly's poaching the shrimp.
Got it, okay.

Do you always leave the skins
on when you use peppers?

- You don't like the skin?

- Just asking you
if you like it.

- I was in the bottom
yesterday,

and I don't wanna be
in the bottom today.

- That's not fun.
- I don't like that at all.

I don't wanna leave Dallas.

- This is the potato
for the steak...

- Yes.
- Going on the main course.

- Yes, I did a potato gratin.

- So you're not doing it
in a double boiler?

- No, I'm not.

- Chancy.

- Ty, what happened?

- A little oyster Kn*fe
through the--

- Oyster Kn*fe.
Couple stitches?

- Four.

- So they tell me you are
the grill master.

- Yes. Yes, I am tonight.

- You're cooking 200 steaks
all medium rare.

- I'm just gonna mark those off,
and I'm gonna crank out my ovens

and at the last minute,
we're gonna give them--

- You're just marking
on the grill

and you're finishing
in the oven.

- Yes, sir.
- Good luck.

- Thank you, chef.

- 13 minutes.

- Even though Heather was
riding me,

I finally finished cooking
the shrimp,

and they taste perfect.

- Ready to go inside with these?
- Go, go.

- Hi!
[Various greetings]

How are you?
I'm Jennifer Dix.

I'm the chairman
of Cattle Baron's ball.

And this is Maria Clark.

She's our regional
Vice President

from the American Cancer
Society.

- This is a big day
for you guys?

- It's a huge fundraiser
for the American Cancer Society.

It's the largest in the nation.
- Wow. That's amazing work.

- We're excited to see
what's in store for--

- Steak. Lots of steak.
[Laughter]

- Looking okay?
- No, chef.

Can you turn the heat up,
please?

It's the middle of the day.
It's so hot.

Cut my hand, no sleep,
playing with fire.

This is definitely one
of the most difficult

cooking situations I've probably
had in my life.

Jesus Christ.

- Guys, 1 minute, 24.

Let's get bread on these.

- Thank you.

- Is anybody taking a leadership
role in the kitchen?

- Ed, yesterday, kinda got
the ball rolling.

But today, Lindsay and Heather,
they're really taking the lead.

- Well,
here's the first course.

Hi, Sara
- Hello.

- I'd like to introduce you
to Jennifer and Maria

from the Cattle Baron's ball
and the American Cancer Society.

- You remember Dean Fearing,
Tom Colicchio,

and Hugh Acheson, author
of A New Turn in the South.

- Today, we have
a new summer gazpacho,

made with tomato, cucumber,
and watermelon,

and an olive oil
poached shrimp.

I worked with Dakota
and Beverly.

I was expecting to taste
more watermelon.

- It's properly seasoned,
the shrimp is cooked nicely,

but I think they're playing it
a little safe.

- The acid content
in the actual gazpacho

is a little higher
than I want,

but as a starting course,
it's still hitting a good note.

- It's a lot lighter than
I thought it was gonna be.

- It's delicious.
- Very good.

- This is fantastic.

- Follow me with pistachio.

There's a small one there.

I'm doing the second course
with Chris Jones and Paul.

A seared New York strip steak
carpaccio.

Chris Jones seared the steaks

and Paul
made the mushroom bacon.

Not on top of the meat.
Just around the edge.

- I made a tomato salad

and then a candied pistachio
vinaigrette.

I think it's a winning dish.

- We need to start
f*ring the steaks soon.

- Second course
is being plated,

but I think nobody was
thinking about the third course.

And that really
makes me nervous.

- Here comes the second course.
- What do we got?

- Hello. It's a grilled
New York strip steak carpaccio

with a salad--
heirloom tomatoes, asparagus,

pistachio vinaigrette,
and some mushroom bacon.

I worked with Ed
and Chris Jones.

- This raw tomato thing with a
little bit of grilled asparagus,

it's not really cooked enough.

There's no point of view
in this dish.

- I would've peeled
the tomatoes.

They had a lot of time and
three hands working on this.

Maybe it should've just
upped the ante a little bit.

- But the steak is cooked
really well.

The degree of doneness
was nice.

- I think I need to go back.
Or Heather, you go back.

I'm blasting steaks.
- I got it.

- Start going on those.
Let's go.

Here, you and I
are gonna do this.

Nobody wants to decide

when to put the steaks
in the oven.

So get 'em straight on here, and
then we blast right in the oven.

Hot!

I'm just trying to make sure

that the steaks are getting
cooked at this point.

Check those out and see
if they're ready.

- That fatty one is perfect
right there.

- Take those
and make it the first.

- You're good.

- I'm outside,
marking all the steaks,

and I'm depending on
all the chefs inside

to flash the steaks
at the last minute.

- Let's roll!
- Ready to do this?

Steak's ready.

- I say we hang tight.

The guests are still
on the second course,

so we can't serve
the third course.

That's a concern, because
timing's a big issue right now.

- I'm good.
I'm ready to go.

All my [bleep]'s ready.

- Slow down, my friend,
slow down.

- These steaks
are ready to go.

- Okay, well, we haven't started
plating a thing yet.

- [Bleep]!

- Hold on.
Everybody wait.

Let's take the steaks,
put 'em on the speed rack,

and then Edward can be
flash, flash, flash,

and then maybe--
- they already flashed.

- He already flashed.

- Flashing the steaks early
is the same

as when the meteor hit the earth
and made the dinosaurs extinct.

It's that big of a deal.

- These are good right now.
Why can't we start plating?

- When I come back inside,

I realize somebody
fired the steaks too early.

- This is not going
to affect it.

It's gonna be fine.

- We still have ten plus
minutes

before a steak's even gonna
be set down for a diner,

and I know that
I'm instantly screwed.

[Beeping]

- Take--replace all the kale
that's in 'em,

'cause they're not--
it's not crispy anymore.

- Plating?
- Yes.

- I'm worried because the steaks
are gonna be ice cold,

and the gratin is a big mess.

This is gonna be a disaster.

- Pull it and sell 'em.
- I need servers.

- These don't all look the same.

The steak looks like [bleep].

I'm wondering if my elements
of the dish--

the compound butter
and the sauce for the steak--

are gonna be strong enough
to shine on their own,

or is it gonna be
rallied in with the steak?

We have a grilled rib eye
with a creamy potato gratin,

braised Brussels sprouts
with a compound butter

of bone marrow, red wine,
onions.

- Who worked on this dish?

- Ty-lor, myself, Whitney,
and Chris Crary.

- Thank you.

- I like the Brussels sprouts,
as you were saying,

adds a little twang to it.

- Right, but not overpowering.

- Ty-lor cooked the steaks.
Chris made the vegetables.

Whitney made the potatoes.

- The steak's a little messy.

- Mine is not medium rare.

- Well, considering that I was
the person that said

that every steak needed
to be medium rare,

that is a big problem.

- Tom, what do you think
of the gratin?

- Just not cooked.
- I agree.

- If you're gonna do it,
you better do the best one

anyone's ever tasted.

- I like that the potato
is under the steak

so I don't have to like
pile it on top

and look like I'm a caveman.

- What did Nyesha do?

- Nyesha made
the compound butter.

Nyesha also made the sauce.
- The sauce is good.

- Sauce is good
and the butter's good.

- And the butter's great.

- Edward, can you chiffonade
just a little bit on top,

'cause some of them
don't have basil.

At this point,
we have nothing to do

except focus on getting my cake
out the door.

I hope the judges understand
the reasoning behind

why we didn't choose to have
something uber-sweet at the end

because we had such
a heavy meal.

You eat a ten-ounce rib eye,
you're gonna be pretty full.

- For your last course,

we have a right-side-up
Texas peach cake,

a shaved peach salad,
and a candied pecan streusel.

- Who worked on it with you?

- It was Heather, myself,
and Grayson.

- Thanks, Lindsay.
- Bye-bye.

- Heather made the cake.
She did a great job with it.

- It's delicious.

- The cream's got
no sugar in it, though.

- Yeah, but I don't like sweet
desserts, so I think it's--

- No, neither do I,
but I want a little more sugar.

- Doesn't jump up and grab you.
- No.

- I actually wanna toast
to the dessert.

At least the dessert
is a winner.

- It was delicious.

That should be
the last of it.

- Overall, it was fine.

I think they could've
pushed it a lot more.





Expect a lot more.

- Well, ladies,
it's been a pleasure.

Cheers.

- All right, good job,
you guys.

- We fired too quickly
to plate.

- I don't need to hear anything.

I just know
that it's done for me.

The most important element
of this elimination challenge

was to serve 200 medium rare
steaks at the same time.

Did we do that?
Nope.

- Yeah, it was a little loose,

and it kinda broke down
a little bit.

It's not the best gratin
I've ever made,

but my hopes are that
it's gonna be something

that highlights the beef,

because the cooking technique
isn't gonna be there.

Because of that, I could be
at the judges' table.

- Bev, I really honestly
think you could've done more.

I'm not really sure
what else you did.

- That totally was uncalled for
to call me out like that.

- I thought I might be
on your [bleep] list

because I made a reservation.

- Oh, and then
you didn't show up?

- Well, I cancelled that day.
- [Gasps]

- The very fact that
I'm cooking with Edward Lee

is a huge honor,

because he was my idol
for a long time.

I peeked into your restaurant
and then went like--

and you turned around
and I went--

I know that there's
a lot of great chefs,

but I do particularly
pay attention,

because I am Korean-American,

to the Korean-Americans
out there.

My husband was like,
"You should go say hi to him."

I was like, "Well,
I look like I'm stalking him."

- After this is all over,
you come down to Louisville.

We'll hang out.
Bring your husband.

It'll be a good time.

- So can we talk about it?
What happened with those steaks?

That's what they're gonna
nail us for.

- If you wanna get down to it,
I'm respon--

I was responsible
for the steak.

But I was personally
maxed out today.

I only got an hour of sleep
last night.

- Did everybody
pull their weight in there?

I don't know.

I mean, Bev, I honestly think
you could've done more.

You spent a lot of time
working on shrimp.

Besides that, I'm not really
sure what else you did.

- We decided
to go with 400 shrimp.

I'm sorry, but to peel
and de-vein all of that

and make it perfect--
- I'm just saying.

It's gonna come down to it.
- It's all gonna come out.

- That totally was uncalled for
to call me out like that.

How does that have
anything to do

with that mishap
of the third course?

- My ass and Lindsay's ass
is on the line today.

'Cause we were the ones
that were responsible

for execution
of this banquet today.

If I go home today,

that's gonna piss me off
that other people are here

still in this competition
that worked on shrimp all day.

- We'd like to see...
Nyesha...

Heather, and Chris Jones.

Thank you.

Chris, Nyesha,

Heather...

The three of you

did the best
in this challenge.

[Overlapping comments,
cheering]

Congratulations.

- Wow, okay.

- One of you will win
this challenge

and take home
a new 2011 Toyota Venza.

- Wow.

- Chris, your steak
was cooked perfectly.

- Thank you.

- It worked really well,

and that was the shining
part of that dish.

It was really clean,

the meat was still
beautifully marbled,

and really the flavor
really came through really well.

- Thank you.

- Heather.

- I love dessert.

And I don't like overly
sweet desserts.

So it was right
in my wheelhouse.

Well done. Really well done.
- Thank you.

- The cake--light as a feather.

Very moist.
Properly cooked.

Perfect.
- Thank you.

- Nyesha...

- Compound butter's been around
for such a long time.

And they've kind of gone
out of style.

But it was clear when someone
puts time and thought and effort

into a compound butter,

it could be really great
and it really made the dish...

Um, save the dish,
I would say.

Thank you.

- It had really bright
flavors.

And just added such nuance
and integrity

to a steak that otherwise was
a little confused on the plate.

- Dean, please announce
the winner.

- This was tough.

The winner of this challenge
made us the favorite element

of this dinner.

And that person is...

Heather.

- It feels good
to finally win something.

I haven't been on the bottom,

but riding in the middle
doesn't feel so good.

Yay, a new car!

Thank you so much!
Wow.

Winning a car is huge.

I haven't won anything
in my life.

- Unfortunately now,
I'm gonna need you to send back

some of your colleagues.

Good job, guys.
- Thanks.

Anybody wanna ride
in my new car?

So the judges would like
to see Ty, Whitney, and Ed.

Sorry, guys.
- Okay, see you guys later.

- Good luck.

- Hugh Acheson is my mentor,

and seeing him
on the judges' panel

is comforting 'cause I know
he's been in my position before.

- Chefs, tonight's menu
was underwhelming.

We felt that the three
components you served

really missed the mark.

- The elements
that each of you prepared,

some of them were undercooked.

Some were inconsistent,
and some were just kinda boring.

With 13 chefs at your level,
I really expected more.

- Let's start with you, Ty.

- Why do you think
you're here?

- Because the steaks were
overcooked when they went out.

- Some of them.

Just at our table.
Two of them were overcooked,

Hugh's was kind of
on the rare side,

mine was medium rare.

- And I get
the medium well steak.

- I'm sorry about that, chef.

- If I was in a restaurant,

you'd be refunding that money.

- You have 13 people
back there.

You had the time to grill
each one to medium rare

off the grill and out.

I think that the method
could have worked

if we would have fired
at the correct time.

But still, it's my dish,
it's my responsibility.

And the buck stops with me.

- Whitney.
- Yes.

- Why the decision,
when it's 104 degrees outside,

to gratin a potato
and give us all that cream?

- I guess I just really wanted

something that was
gonna highlight the steak,

and I thought something
traditional like that

was gonna be a really
good steak plate.

- I tasted some of Tom's
gratin,

and it was raw.

- That's awful.

I'm really sorry that
you got that from me in any way.

It's not what I like you to know
from me at all.

- Even cutting it, you had
had to felt the raw potato.

I'm a little baffled.

- Ed.

- You made the salad with,
you know,

green and white asparagus,
grilled off--fine.

Cherry tomatoes raw,
mixed together,

that dish really said so much
about this menu.

It was like okay,
we'll play it safe,

we'll grill some stuff,
put it together,

put a salad on top--done.

- That dish should've taken off
like a rocket.

Because the meat--
unbelievable flavor.

But everything else
fell apart on the dish.

- I think to our detriment,

we didn't wanna step on
each other's toes a little bit,

so we were all kinda
dancing around--

- Somebody's gotta
rise up, though.

Somebody's gotta say,

"I've got a vision
for this plate

that's gonna be awesome."

Somebody's gotta be that person
in this competition.

- Unfortunately, one of you
will be going home tonight.

Please join your fellow chefs
while we make our decision.

- Hi, guys.

- What'd they say?

- I worked at a g*dd*mn
steakhouse in New York City

for two [bleep] years.

I should've been all over it.
Hot or not.

Hospital or not.
No sleep or not.

It doesn't matter.

- I may have made
a stupid mistake.

I had a undercooked potato.

That's an idiotic mistake.

- Whitney, I don't get.

You have three hours
to cook yesterday,

three hours to cook today.

Make that kinda potato?

If one of my cooks takes
six hours to make that,

they wouldn't last very long.

- We're talking about a dish

that every chef
should have done correctly.

I mean, this is 101.

- I just wanted her
to bring more.

I mean, this is an assertive
young chef

who can run a kitchen,

shouldn't be afraid
to make that plate sing.

- The main challenge was
the cooked steaks medium rare.

And Ty definitely
failed that.

If he was putting them
on the grill,

cooking to medium rare,
and running to the kitchen

every single one of them
would have been medium rare.

And he didn't do that.

I got to b*at up Ed
a little bit too.

I mean, just making his little
salad that goes on top of a--

- Yeah.

- It's like
what are we doing here?

You can't ever underestimate
your clientele.

I think if you do,
you're making a huge mistake.

- It was just an okay dish
done in a mediocre style.

And that was just kind of
the theme of the night.

- I think we know
who's going home tonight.

- Mm-hmm.

- All right,
let's get them out here.

- Tonight's challenge
was a difficult one.

Putting food out
for 200 people.

That doesn't mean that it needs
to be boring.

Whitney,
doing a potato gratin--

pretty simple,
straightforward dish.

But you gave us raw potatoes.

You're playing it safe,
and you still mess up.

Doesn't look good.

Ed, that dish could've been
something special.

The garnish was just really
run of the mill ordinary.

I mean, this is not
Top Chef material.

Ty, you took a lot of
responsibility on yourself,

but then you didn't carry
through.

We chose 16 chefs,

and quite frankly,

I'm starting to think maybe
I chose the wrong chefs.

Usually it's really difficult
to send someone home,

but tonight
you really made it easy.

- Whitney...Please pack
your knives and go.

- Okay, thank you.
It was a great opportunity.

It was really hard being
eliminated by Hugh Acheson.

I feel disappointed
that I didn't make it further

in this competition.

- If you can't put together
a great gratin in six hours,

you have no business
being here.

- Au revoir.

- Wow.

- It's okay.

To be in this competition
meant a lot to me.

The best part is just meeting
so many amazing chefs.

- We love you.
- I love you too.

I think experience is more
just a part of the dreams

and goals I've set for myself.

Bye, you guys!
I love you.

I really fought and did
my best to be here.

So I'm proud
of what I've done.

- Tonight,
on last chance kitchen,

after a less
than glamorous gratin...

- Yeah, boys.

- Can Whitney bounce back
with an American classic?

A very confident Chuy
stands in her way.

- They're both good,
but--

- To watch Last Chance Kitchen,
go to bravotv.com now.

Next on Top Chef...

- Coming over, move!
- Doesn't have slaw?

- Ahh.

- Double elimination,

and we all have to judge
the three dishes

that are gonna be
on the bottom.

- Are you happy
with that meat?

- Do we have a choice?
- Oh, my God!

- Bev, don't put that stuff
on the edge, okay?

I would've rather gotten paired
with anybody else

besides Bev.

- Agh!
I am really pissed at myself.

I should've nailed this.

- [Bleep] Ridiculous.

- That looks beautiful.
- It's not that exciting.

- It's a little rare.

- Okay, no, no--
- you guys don't speak up.

- Stop, stop.
- No, you stop.

It's not like cooking normally.

This is the hardest
thing I've ever done.