06x10 - Meat Natalie

[bunniefuu]

[Padma]

Previously on

Top chef...

It's restaurant wars.

[Cheers and applause]

In restaurant wars

The game is on.

So, can you execute it,

Like your ganache?

-Not being grainy.

-Perfect.

No, I'm just saying, cause--

Absolutely.

Michael's c*ck.

And that's a bit annoying.

This is my dessert. [Bleep] you.

This is my [bleep] damn dessert.

-You know what, this is my-

-Go, go plate one.

Finish the plate,

So you can get it out now.

I apologize for the wait.

Things are getting

More and more hectic.

I wonder where laurine is.

They're in [bleep].

The best restaurant

w*r restaurant

-We've had in six seasons.

-Wow.

The person who's showed

The most promise

Would have to be

-Michael.

-Thank you.

Laurine, please

Pack your knives and go.

-Bryan, are you pissed?

-No.

You know what, why don't you

Keep the whole thing

If you're so mad?

Seriously.

-I'm not pissed at all.

-Whatever.

[Padma]

At stake for the winner,



A feature



In

Food & wine

Magazine,



One hundred thousand dollars



Of merchandise



Provided by macy's,



A showcase at the annual



Food & wine classic in aspen,



And $,

To help turn their

Culinary dreams into reality,

Furnished by the makers



Of the glad family of products,

And the title of top chef.

[Jennifer]

I lost



Restaurant wars last night.



Pretty much



Embarrassed myself.

I'm just beating

Myself up about it,

And I need to let it go

And walk into the kitchen

Like every day is a new day.

Waiting for coffee's

Like watching water boil.

[Robin]

I'm really happy with



How restaurant wars worked out.

Every elimination challenge

That I survive another round.

And I'm just like, "yeah,



I know I can do this.

And I know

I'm here for a reason."

And the fact of the matter is,



Is I am holding my own.



And I feel really proud



Of that.

[Mike] all right, guys,

Let's go to the m resort.

[Padma] good morning, chefs.

Please welcome

Paul bartolotta.

Of vegas' celebrated

Bartolotta ristorante di mare.

-Hey, chef.

-[Mike]

Paul bartolotta...



One of the top italian



Chefs in the country.

Won multiple james beard's.

I mean, he's, like,

One of the main guys

In vegas for years.

-Welcome, paul.

-Hey, chefs.

So this round is all about

The takeover.

For your

Tv guide

Quickfire,

You'll be taking

The classic tv dinner

And giving it your own

Gourmet interpretation.

[Chuckles]

So the editors

Of

Tv guide

Magazine

Have chosen seven iconic shows

By which you should be inspired.

To determine which show

Will inspire you,

Please draw knives.

-

The sopranos.



-

The sopranos.



-Gilligan's island.

-[Laughter]

-

The flintstones.



-

Aw.



Sesame street.



-

M.a.s.h.



-Seinfeld.



Cheers.

You have minutes.

Your time starts now.

[Suspenseful music]

-Pork sausage.

-Here, I'll boost you.

-I'll trade you for ground beef?

-Nah.

Aw, you gonna need

That whole loaf of bread?

-Can I have two pieces?

-No. Yeah, yeah.

Having been a child

That was raised on health food,

And not allowed to watch tv,

I've never, like, really sat

Through a whole

Sesame street.

Holy chaos.

I know cookie monster,



Of course.



And big bird.



And so I'm thinking



A cookie... And an egg



Should be



Featured on the plate.

Don't break.

Just take your time, chef.

My mom was

A mom-mom, you know?

Like, dinner on the table

At :, : every night.

But then we moved in



With my father

And that kind

Of changed everything.

And that's when bryan and I

Had tv dinners here and there.

[Whirring]

I drew

Cheers.



So I'll probably do a spin-off



Of something you



Would normally find at a bar.

[Jennifer] I don't have foil!

I wanted to do a steak.

Or something with a bone in it

To relate to

The flintstones,

But there is nothing

Like that in the fridge.

So I grab a chicken,

And I decide

To make roulades with it.

As far as

The flintstones

,



I guess I would



Relate most to pebbles.

Pebbles has a really

Cute little boyfriend, bam bam.

Who's nice and strong.

I don't know that I like



That he carries a club around

And, like,

Pulls her by her hair,

But could be fun

Sometimes.

[Chuckles]

Mike, what do you eat when

You're in front of the tv?

I don't really eat

At home much.

Guys, who's on the left fryer

Just holding their stuff?

I need to get in there.

[Eli]

I didn't really eat



Tv dinners growing up.

It's a little bit

Of a foreign thing to me,

But what's more foreign to me is

That I pulled

Gilligan's island.

That's about years

Before my tv time.

But I think



My dish represents



The kind of cheesy



Island-y flair.



It smells like a jimmy buffet



Concert over here.

[Giggling]

My tv show

M.a.s.h.

Is set during the korean w*r.

So I'm thinking,

You know, something

That would actually



Be served during that time.



So I'm making meatloaf



With mashed potatoes.

And then,

For the dessert portion,

You know, troops wanna go home

And have mom's apple pie.

I do have a little bit

Of a soft spot in my heart

For a well-prepared

Frozen meal.

So I pulled

The sopranos.



Food has always been



A big part of my family.



All of my family



Lives on the same street.



And my grandmother,



Still to this day,



She cooks breakfast



For my family every morning.



Coincidentally,



With the sopranos,

Making family a priority

Is very big to them,

So I'm gonna

Take that angle and make

What you might



Expect to have

At like, sort of

A family spread.

Seven minutes!

Whoo!

[Jennifer] I don't know

What's going on with me.

My food is

Just not coming out.

Oh, you kidding me?

My garlic cream sauce--



I leave that on



The stove and walk away,



And when I come back,



It's completely burned.

So I'm not happy

With anything right now.

One minute!

[Mike] you got lemon?

[Padma] utensils down,

Hands up.

-Hi, jennifer.

-Hello.

I had

The flintstones,

So basically what I did

Was a chicken roulade,

With some garlic cream,

Simple pea salad,



Brioche stuffing,

And caramelized peaches

With hazelnuts and sugar.

How'd you feel in the end?

Um...yeah.

I feel okay right now.

Thank you.

How you doing today, chef?

Well, today I had

Seinfeld.

I've never seen seinfeld before,

But I've seen him before.

Come on,

You've never seen

Seinfeld?



-Everybody's seen

Seinfeld.

-Honest to god.

So I did



Sausage and peppers,



Some roasted mushrooms



With some cheese,



A little puree of



Spinach and pistachios,



And then I finished it all off



With a warm fruit salad

With some pine nuts.

I've never met a toasted

Pine nut I didn't like.

-[Chuckles]

-Thank you.

So I drew

The sopranos.



I have a braised meatball.



The sides that you have



Are a creamy polenta,



Some roasted cauliflower



With chili flakes,



And then the dessert



Is a honey roasted pear.

The cauliflower

Is really good.

There is pepperoncini here.

There is definitely

Pepperoncini here.

I had

Gilligan's island

Today.

So what I did

Was a little macadamia nut

And cashew crusted shrimp,



A little sweet potato puree,



Tropical herb salad,



And cherries and bananas.

Fried nicely, yeah.

Mm-hmm.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

I drew

Cheers.

So I did

A chicken tender parmesan

Spaghetti gratin



On the bottom,



Braised swiss chard, and then



I made some cherry pie.

-Fennel, that's what I taste.

-Yes.

-Nice.

-Thank you.

I had

Sesame street.

So I wanted to play

With the colors a lot.

I think of the big eyes.

So I kind of played with



A little bit of a hamburger.



I put an egg on top.



Some crispy kale,



Fresh carrots salad,



A little almond-laced cookie



With a chocolate ganache.

I like the direction.

And the inspiration for sure.

-[Padma] thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Hi, bryan.

Hello.

How are you?

I drew

M.a.s.h.



And so I made a tarte tatin,



And then I also



Made an updated meatloaf.



And then I served it



With mashed potatoes,



And rissole of asparagus.

Mm.

-This looks really good.

-It's really good.

Ditto on the "mm."

So, paul, who's dishes

Are up for cancellation?

Jennifer.

The pea salad was kind of...eh.

Also the roulade didn't hit

The mark for me today.

I hate to pick on the girls.

Robin.

The burger, unfortunately

The meat around it



Was kind of dry.

It was not special.

Who has a chance of going

Into syndication?

Kevin... Concept consistent.

Liked the meatballs-



Very italian, fits my soul.



Loved the pears,



Perfectly cooked.

Well done.

Bryan.

Beautiful roulade.



The dessert, she went "mm".



I seconded the "mm".

-Excellent work.

-Thank you, chef.

Out of these two, who is

The winner of our quickfire?

You both did really well.

I have to pick kevin.

-[Applause]

-Thank you.

Thanks, chef.

Thank you, guys.

Congratulations, kevin.

As you know, immunity

Is no longer on the table.

However, a version

Of your winning dish

Will be featured in the new line

Of

Top chef

Frozen foods

By schwan's home service.

Do I get my picture

On it, too?

So that's kind of neat.

The schwan's man used to come

Around to my grandmother's house

When I was a little kid.

So theoretically,

She might be able to buy, like,

The meal with my face on it

Or something like that.

So I hope

That that's the case.

[Padma] for your

Elimination challenge

You'll be taking over

Another institution.

Tom colicchio's

Craftsteak at the mgm grand.

It is a great restaurant.

He makes a k*ller steak.

For one night only,

Tom's menu is yours.

You'll be responsible

For serving four judges

And seven other guests.

[Robin]

I don't eat



A lot of steak myself.

Bye.

[Robin]

There's some people here



That certainly



Have steakhouse experience.



But we're all fortunate



That we've lasted this long,

So is competency

Enough tomorrow?

Let's let a boy go home today.

What do you think?

Not let it be us.

[Jennifer]

Going into



This challenge, I'm tired.

I am definitely not at

The top of my game right now,

And I need to refocus, because



There's seven of us left.



So there's absolutely zero room



For any mistake today.

Are you guys all

Sous-viding your meat first?

Yeah, yeah.

Definitely.

I would prefer

Hanger steak.

I want, like,

The meatiest, like, cut.

The elimination challenge

Is that we are taking over

Craftsteak for one night.

I'm very comfortable



With cooking steak.

Cooking meat is me

In my elements.

I think

I'm gonna do beef again.

[Eli]

I've never really



Worked in a steakhouse.

But the thing

About a steakhouse is,

You know,

It's as american as apple pie.

So I'm just gonna do a perfect

Piece of wagyu strip steak.

I'm hoping bryan

Doesn't do lamb,

But I think

He's probably gonna.

[Mike]

I'm never concerned



About any of the competition.

I came here to cook, so.

I'm comfortable

Cooking meat, yeah.

So I wanna do lamb or pork.



And hopefully



They'll enjoy what I do.

All right, guys,

Let's go.

Time to go.

[Kevin]

So we arrive



At the mgm grand.



We're gonna cook at



Tom collichio's craftsteak.



We're kind of given free reign



To do whatever we wanna do.



And I think I understand



What tom would want

To be produced

Out of that kitchen.

♪ Loo loo loo



Loo-loo loo loo ♪



[Michael]

Everybody starts



Going through all the meat,



Because, you know,



This is a steakhouse challenge.

And we wanna see

What the protein looks like.

Oh, it's the motherload.

Skirt and rack of lamb.

That's the skirt right here.

Here you are.

[Jennifer] yo, lambs back here.

Tied and cleaned already.

The walk-ins are



Just packed with steaks.



Dry-aged steaks that



Are just out of control.

That's kobe

That's in there.

I wanna open this box.

Oh, you're

Looking for lobster?

Yeah, I want lobsters too.

-Is there crab up there?

-Let's put it on.

Hey, chefs.

Hey, you guys.

We got chef in da house.

Morning, chefs.

Welcome to craftsteak.

Morning.

Padma and I have

A special guest in town.

And we're gonna cook for her.

I wanna introduce you

To her now.

-[Natalie] hi.

-Oh!

[Giggles]

Hi, natalie.

So chefs, let me introduce

Natalie portman to you.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-How are you doing?

-Good, thank you.

Natalie portman

Is an actress

Who's really only important

Thing she ever did

Was in

Star wars,

Which is

The most important thing

You can do.

[Tom] natalie is a huge foodie.

And she's gonna

Tell you a little bit

About her

Likes and dislikes.

As you said, I love food,

I love eating.

I'm pretty adventurous

With flavors

And different cuisines.

And...

The one thing is

I'm a vegetarian.

-[Tom] got that?

-Yes.

Okay.

I'm thinking,

"Oh, [bleep]".

[Laughs]

[Kevin]

Now we're gonna cook



Vegetarian food



In a steakhouse.



Which can be tricky because

We now have to change every

Single one of our dishes

And make something

Completely differently.

Natalie's also judging.

So you're really

Gonna have to please her.

[Robin]

I love cooking



Vegetarian food.

I do like

To cater to vegetarians.

I mean,

They're people too.

So I'm hoping I'm gonna

Shine on this challenge.

So craftsteak is going

Vegetarian for one night.

Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Good-bye.

-One vegetarian.

-Vegetarian.

Great.

So we're working in craftsteak,

And we're not gonna be

Using meat of any sort.

So I think that it changes



The dynamic for everybody.



So I'm a bit worried



Going into this challenge.

[Mike] all right, guys.

I need leeks.

I wanna use

The wild garbanzo beans.

I'm using the kale.

[Jennifer] I'm using morels.

-[Robin] kevin and I are too.

-[Jennifer] you are too?

I'm not using morels.

It's just crazy



That everyone in the kitchen



Was basically planning



On using meat,



And now I'm



Rethinking everything.

And I need to figure out

What I'm going to do quickly.

Eggplant.

I want eggplant too.

So you're doing a filet too?

Yeah, doing

The same thing as you.

Me and jen need

To flip on something.

[Eli]

The first thing



I run towards is



These beautiful eggplants.

Unfortunately, jen

Also goes for eggplant.

So we flip



A dehydrated orange chip.

-[Robin] I'm gonna do just a--

-I'm taking 'em.

That's fair.

I lose, eli wins.

So I get



The little baby eggplants.

Which are,

Like, this big.

And I should probably



Change my idea right now.

But I'm pretty much

Set on using eggplant.

[Mike] I'm doing leeks.

And I'm gonna

Call them "leek scallops".

'Cause they look like scallops.

Look like scallops,

Taste like [bleep].

[Laughing]

[Mike]

At my restaurant,



I have dishes on the menu.

And over of them

Are vegetarian.

I'm not

Worried about anything.

Okay, what else?

[Kevin]

Cooking vegetarian food



Can be challenging.

Because when you eat meat,

It leaves you feeling satiated.

And it's hard to replicate that



With a plate



Of just vegetables.

I know that because

I eat this way quite often.

My wife and I spend part



Of the year being vegetarian.



When lent begins, we change our



Diet over to stop eating meat.

[Soft humming]

So I'm going



To take ingredients that form



A complete dish



That's very satisfying.



So I'm going to use kale,



Turnips, and mushrooms.

My hope is that

You're going to eat it,

And it's not even

Gonna cross your mind

That there wasn't meat in it.

Mm!

And how am I gonna

Get those mushrooms down?

When I saw

The produce walk-in,

I was overwhelmed.

My brain is going in



So many different directions



'Cause there's, like, morels,



And hen of the woods,



And all these gorgeous berries.



I mean, I am moving faster



Than I can even manage.

I mean, I just-

I couldn't focus.

So cool!

We have fresh garbanzo beans.



I've never seen a fresh



Garbanzo bean before, you know?

So I've never

Made this dish before.

Lots of components,

But I'm thinking they're all

Gonna really work well together.

Can't believe I just did that.

[Giggles]

Oh, brain!

Come on, work.

[Mike] I don't care what I cook.

It don't make

A difference to me.

I'll cook anything.

Cook dogs.

The first thing I do



Is grab my leeks.



But I'm gonna try to cook



The leeks and keep them whole.



So it can kind of be,



Like, a play on,

Like, a seared little scallop

Or something like that.

Coming down.

What am I gonna say



About vegetarians?

When I grew up,

My mom was a vegan.

So I'm used to it.

[Eli]

My personal opinion



Of vegetarians



Is fairly neutral.

You know, I think in

A joking company, I would say

That they're, you know,

Lower human beings.

But you know, in actuality,



I feel bad for them,

Because I feel like they get

The [bleep] end of the stick

A lot of the time.

And end up just getting



Random vegetable medley,

Toss it together,

And give it to them.

So I went with the eggplant

'Cause it has a meaty kind

Of texture

And it's easy to replace



Normal proteins with it.

[Bryan]

Eli, where are you plating?

'Cause I need to lay

My plates out before service,

-'Cause I'm gonna plate as i--

-I'll take the right side.

[Eli]

So far



In this competition,



I kind of sit in the middle.



And it's annoying.



So I'm hoping



That I get a win.

I might be immature in terms

Of my career and house,

But I'm just as passionate

As anybody else.

You're doing

A great job today, eli.

Chef, I'm

Just here to help you.

[Bryan]

I approach cooking



In a very artistic way.

So whatever it is,

It's, "what am I inspired

To make

Out of this ingredient?"

So I basically take



All varieties of asparagus,



And I start thinking



Of different textures



That I can



Apply to that asparagus.

Then I needed to have

Something filling on the plate.

I used to work for a chef



Who mixed banana



And polenta together.

[Robin] can I steal a smidgen

Of this boiling water?

I need that, no.

I need that.

Is this on?

[Jennifer] it's on, babe.

They're all the way up.

[Mike]

I put the leeks



In the pot of water,

Put it right on the flat top.

It was the first thing

I did the first five minutes.

And I put my hand in



The water and it's warm,



But I don't know why



It's not boiling at this point.



So I let it go



For another minutes,



And it's not even simmering.

Ah, that's why.

[Bleep] [bleep].

Mother [bleep].

When I went to move



The pot, the pot wobbles.

If you don't get the right heat,

It's gonna take

Ten times as long to heat up.

Now I'm behind on time.



But I have everything working,



So I stick to the game plan.

Gold medals are lost in the last

Six minutes of competition

When people change their mind.

[Bleep].

Minutes.

[Jennifer]

I have never



Been a vegetarian.



And I never, ever will be.

But I do cook vegetarian food

When I have to.

I'm not happy that I didn't get



The eggplant I wanted.



Because is definitely



Gonna be hard



To work with this product

Minutes.

[Mike] hey, kev, you willing

To give up some more

-Of that butter or no?

-Of course.

[Bryan]

I felt pretty good



During cooking,



But towards the end,



The only thing were--



I think I let time go



On this challenge.

I'm gonna probably

Get down to the last minute.

And my dish will



Probably be just done.



So I am a little



Bit worried about that.

[Sighs]

[Mike]

I only got a couple



Minutes left to plate,

And I cut the leeks

And they're not %,

And need



Some more flavor to it.

I'm in the [bleep] weeds.

Mike, you all right?

[Mike] I'm hurtin',

But it's all right.

All right, we'll slice

And go on the plate.

I decide that I'll plate it



So that the way they eat it,



They'll have



To eat everything together.



You know,



The whole cooking thing



With the leeks took forever,



And it is what it is.

But do I think

I can pull it off?

Yeah, of course

I can pull it off.

[Sighs] ten minutes.

Ten [bleep] minutes.

Hi, servers.

Oh, I need

To get my garbanzo beans.

Hang on.

Give me one sec.

I'm scrambling, because



I'm losing time like a banshee.



And all of a sudden,



I realize I don't have

The freakin' garbanzo beans

On the plate.

And I've never done

Anything like this before.

I got seconds.

Everything matters right now.



And I'm thinking I am great



At vegetarian food.



And why do I try something new?

That's beautiful.

Thank you.

-[Timer beeps]

-That's time.

As I'm going



With my garbanzo beans,

Times up.

And I don't get

Three plates done.

All right.

I very well could've screwed



This up so majorly today,

I could be going home.

Yeah, beets up.

I'd like to thank natalie

For joining us.

And thank you to all

Her friends who came along.

-Cheers!

-[All] cheers.

[Padma] hi, robin. Please

Tell us what you've made for us.

[Robin] um, I played

With the squash blossom,

And I did it with a wild

Mushroom duxelle

Inside a duo of beets



And fresh garbanzo beans.

And the sauce is a chermoula.

Hope you enjoy.

-Beautiful, thank you.

-Thank you, robin.

[Padma] chermoula has salt.

I can feel my ankles

Swelling as we eat.

I don't think I've had

Fresh garbanzo beans before.

[Tom] I don't have any, though.

-Tom, here you go.

-Don't lose it.

[Laughing]

[Paul] here, open your mouth...

I thought it was so beautiful.

I loved looking at it.

There's definitely

A salt issue.

The seasoning is a little

Strange on the whole dish,

Because you have

Salty garbanzos--

I didn't get them,

-But paul shared.

-Feel cheated?

Just some seasoning issue,

Just balance issue.

[Eli]

Plating goes really well



For me,



So I feel



Fairly confident.

But everything's getting

Judged challenge by challenge.

And we're now in a situation

Where there's



Less of a middle space.



You either



Have to go to the top

Or you have to go

To the bottom.

Go ahead, guys.

Right behind you.

So I did basically,

A little, um, radish salad

With a bunch of



Little wild herbs.



And then there's



Some confited eggplant



With creamed lentils and



A little spring garlic puree.

-Thank you so much.

-Thanks, guys.

Thank you.

[Padma] I love the texture

Of this eggplant.

[Natalie]

I like the salad a lot.

[Paul] a very thoughtful

Presentation.

But I actually just got

A little bit of lavender

Blossom in my mouth,

Which was rather polarizing.

I feel like I'm in provence

Sucking on a bar of soap.

[Laughter]

Be careful, natalie's got, like,

[Bleep] ten really hot friends.

Great.

Where's my [bleep]

Chopped hazelnuts?

-What do you need?

-My chopped hazelnuts?

You see them up here?

-What do you need?

-I got it, I got it, I got it.

[Michael]

I have so many



Components



That I need



To get onto this plate.



I approach food with



A little bit more of a risk



Than the other chefs here.

And I hope they

Understand my seriousness

About winning this competition.

Guys,

The way I'm looking at it,

Is the way I want

The guests to look at it.

And that's what

We have to talk about.

I think that natalie portman,



She'll walk away



From this dish,



Scratching her head, saying,



"I don't know why I like that,



But I just did."

What I made on your left

Is an asparagus salad.

You basically have

Three different types

Of asparagus on the plate.



Underneath, you have



A japanese tomato sashimi,



And then banana polenta.

-Thank you so much.

-My pleasure.

-Here.

-Thank you.

[Natalie]

Wait, what part is banana?

-The banana in the polenta.

-Oh.

This is exciting.

[Giggles]

-Mm.

-Isn't that good?

Really good.

I mean,

This is a good reaction.

I like that michael

Is kind of turning us all

Upside-down a little bit.

But there are these,

Kind of, big lumps of banana

That I find

A little bit off-putting.

Umm...

Paul's like, "generations

Of italians are turning over

In their graves putting

Bananas in polenta!"

-Are you kidding me?

-[Laughter]

I think michael is picasso.

He is...

-That is so interesting!

-This has made me so happy.

[Tom] that's the second time

Someone's called him that.

It makes me, like, smile

And laugh, and I'm confused.

Six minutes, seconds.

[Jennifer]

I don't like



How my plate looks.

My plate's

Considerably smaller

Than the other plates



That have gone out.

[Timer beeps]

These go in to the judges.

I don't think anybody's safe.



Especially me.

Thank you.

I made

Some charred eggplant

With some braised fennel.



Tomato coins



And some wild coriander.

And I have a light verjus nage

Topped with

A little bit of butter.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Excuse me.

I'm saucing



Everybody's plates,



My hands



Are shaking like crazy.



And sauce is



Just going everywhere.



And I don't know why,



My nerves just really



Get to me.

I guess I just don't want

To be in the bottom again.

[Whispering]

She was so nervous.

I know.

She was shaking a lot.

I think everything

Tastes beautifully.

There's a lot of flavor.

I think that

The best part of this dish,

For me, is the verjus,

Actually.

Yes.

And it added a little

Danger to the presentation.

-Yeah.

-She's like...

[Laughter]

There's something

About it that perhaps feels

Not as substantial

As a main course would be.

And I think

That's a big problem often

When you're a vegetarian

At a restaurant,

That it feels

Like a collection of sides.

They're here to stand out.

And I'm not sure this

Had quite enough personality.

I think the other one

Was on steroids.

-[Laughter]

-I think it would've been

A really beautiful side dish.

If there was an entree

Next to it.

A steak, preferably.

[Laughter]

[Mike] do you have a real sharp

Slicing knife, bry?

Thank you.

I pull all my plates down,



And I have this beautiful line



Of all the vegetables,



And the textures,



And the colors.



But I don't think



I ex*cuted it %



Because the leeks



Aren't a finished product.

They were partially there.

Olive oil, salt, chips...

I'm hoping I'm gonna be

One of the finalists.

It's gonna be really tough



But my food's always simple.



It's just clean.



It's got me this far,



It'll get me farther.

That's time.

Let's go, go, go.

You know what

The judges plates are.

I wanted to kind of give you

The feel of having,

Like, you know, a protein.

So what I did was I roasted



The leeks whole, sliced it up.



It's served with



An onion jus, confit,



Baby fingerling potatoes,



Fresh radish, and dill.

[Padma] so where's the protein?

Well, the protein-

The vision was mine was a leek.

-Okay.

-Okay?

-Great, thank you.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy, everybody.

-Thanks.

[Woman] it smells like turnip,

Or like--like, the boiled--

Or cabbage.

If this leek were

A steak, it's too rare.

I think mike did a really

Beautiful job with the colors.

Orange and purple are, you know,

A pretty bold combination.

And it was just beautiful,

I thought.

[Natalie]

Yeah, I wanna like it more.

I mean, I love leeks,

And purple's my favorite color.

Maybe there's a good idea

In there somewhere.

But he just didn't execute it

As I was hoping he would.

[Kevin] you got three minutes,

Dude.

Thank you.

[Bryan]

Plating is not going as



Well as I would want it to be.

I start to lose time,

So I didn't place everything

The way as I had wanted it.



Actually,



I scattered the garlic.

You know, like right at the

End--which is not how I plate.

-[Timer beeps]

-[Bleep]

Time's up, hands up.



And there's a couple things



That aren't going on a plate.

So, I mean, it's the first time

Where I really feel

Like I might be on the bottom.

[Growls]

Thank you.

My course is

A barigoule of artichokes.

Served a comfit



Of spring shallot,



Some wild asparagus,



And then a fennel puree.

There's also

Garlic blossoms.

-Thank you. Enjoy,

-Thank you so much.

It's lemony.

Do you like

The garlic blossoms?

Spicy.

Like a little prick

On the tip of my tongue.

Ooh, don't say that.

[Laughing]

No!

That's awesome.

[Padma] I thought that

My shallot was a little sharp.

Especially when you pair it

With these garlic blossoms,

Which were very tiny

In size, and yet--

-[Natalie] big in your mouth.

-Big in your mouth.

[Laughter]

They went from a little prick

To big in your mouth.

[Laughter]

That's

What usually happens.

[Laughter]

I was waiting for that.

-[Cheers and applause]

-Someone had to say it.

[Laughing]

[Kevin]

I'm a little disappointed



Because as I'm putting



The components down,

I realize that my dish

Is sloppier

Than I wanted it to be.

All right, guys, the dish sits

With that sort of brown streak

In the front.

There is some really

Stunning dishes out there

That looked great.

So it's not as pretty.



And the simple, small mistakes



Are what's going



To send somebody home.

So my dish is sort

Of a duo of mushrooms.

I have a braised morel

And roasted



Hen of the woods mushrooms,



Smoked kale,



And then two types of turnips.

Thanks a lot, guys.

-Thank you.

-It looks hearty.

[Paul] this is already,

Like, a little bit richer.

It feels more

Like an entree, in a way.

[Woman] it was meaty too.

The one sort of slightly

Off-balance component was--

The smoke on the kale

Was really, really strong.

When I ate it with anything

Else, it's all I tasted.

[Tom] I think kevin's dish

Sort of proves

That vegetables don't need

To be light all the time.

I don't miss a pasta,

A grain, even a meat.

It's a manly

Vegetarian meal.

-[Giggles]

-Yeah.

Oh, what a disaster.

-This was yours?

-Mm-hmm.

And it didn't get on?

-They're full of grease anyway.

-Yeah?

[Laughs]

Never ends.

-You alright, mike?

-Yeah, really stressed.

Just nervous, you know?

Yeah, I hear you.

[Long sigh]

[Mike]

I didn't execute



To the fullest.



What am I gonna do?



Robin didn't finish



Her presentation either.

Whether or not mine was worse

Or not as worse



As the person next to me,



Tomorrow I'm gonna



Try to make it better.

So I'm not concerned

At this point.

I know I'm gonna

Pull through, I always do.

Your dish come out good?

-No.

-No?

You think it's that bad?

Yeah.

[Jennifer]

I just have a bad feeling.

I am really

Upset with myself.

And I just know how strong



Everybody else is,

So I think that I have

A very high chance

Of going home.

[Bleep].

All right, guys.

Let's get on out of this piece.

Doggy.

Paul bartolotta invites us

To his restaurant at the wynn,

Which I'm really excited about.

We have upwards of

To different species.

So, power eating, you know?

This happens to be

What I specialize in.

-Power eating.

-Power eating.

[Kevin] ever tell you

About the time I ate

Chicken wings in an hour?

-No way.

-[Robin] that's crazy.

-That's sick.

-Wow.

[Mike] he didn't get fat

Accidentally.

This is a personal choice.

I'm not one to generally

Turn down food.

That one will sneak up on you.

[Mike] it was one of the best

Meals I've ever had.

That [bleep] was amazing.

That was awesome.

[Sighs]

You wanna go hit up

The buffet afterwards?

[Laughter]

You're an animal, bro.

Oh, man.

Oh, man.

Quickfire napa valley

Cabernet sauvignon.

[Long whistle]

[Clicks tongue]

[Exhales]

-Good evening.

-Hello.

We'd like to see

Kevin, michael, and eli.

Thank you.

Hot damn!

[Laughter]

Eli's gonna be

Out there and be like,

"You guys call my name

On accident."

[Laughing]

Well, chefs, you had our

Favorite dishes of the evening.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

[Padma] michael,

Let's start with you.

[Tom] when I first saw the dish,

Bananas and polenta

Going down,

I was like,

"This isn't going to work.

And this dish reminded me



Of why you need



To always keep an open mind.

It's fun.

I thought it was a very,

Very successful dish.

I enjoyed it.

Natalie, you were giggling

Like a schoolgirl at one point.

I was like--there's

Just so much humor in it.

Thank you.

It's rare that food

Can make you look

At each other and go,

"What is going on?"

Like, "who is his dealer

And does he want new clients?"

-Like...you know we were, like-

-[Laughing]

Thank you.

Eli.

I thought your dish was

So incredibly beautiful, eli.

I really did.



Especially that combination



Of beautiful eggplant,



With the smokey lentils,

And that garlic puree.

Thank you.

Again, interesting,

Fun dish to eat.

-And very--

-Cool. Thank you.

Good take on

Eggplant and lentils.

Cool. Thank you.

Kevin...

It was so delicious.

I mean, smoked kale-

I love kale.

People rarely do it well.



It had such a good texture.

The flavor was so special.

It was really,

Really wonderful.

-Thank you.

-Just a mouthful of flavor.

Everywhere you looked there was

Just little things happening.

And it never stopped.

Didn't miss the meat at all.

Nice work.

Thank you, chef.

Natalie, please tell us

Who's won.

Well,

Everyone was fantastic.

But the one who

Really brought together

Inventiveness

And cohesive flavor...

Was kevin.

Thank you, guys.

-[Cheers and applause]

-Congratulations, kevin.

Thank you.

[Kevin]

I'm really proud



To have won this challenge.

Because I showed that

I know how to cook vegetables.

I don't have to show them

That I know how to cook meat.

They've already seen

That enough times.

[Padma] as the winner

Of this elimination challenge,

You've won a suite

Of ge appliances

Just like the ones you've been

Using in the top chef kitchen.

[Laughing]

Okay.

-So congratulations.

-Thank you.

And now

I need you to send back

Some of your colleagues,

Please.

[Michael]

Kevin wins this challenge.



He put turnip puree,



Roasted turnips,



And a big pile of sauteed



Mushrooms on top of that.

I could've made

That dish in minutes.

[Pounding]

Let me out!

Big k.

[Applause]

For a dish

That I could've made

In the second year

Of my apprenticeship,

To win?



I was obviously pissed off.

-[Applause]

-[Robin] about time.

Bad news,

They wanna see robin...

Jennifer...

And mike.

I knew that.

Awesome.

-Alright, guys.

-Good luck, dude.

You have our least

Favorite dishes this evening.

Michael, let's start with you.

Was there a reason

Why there wasn't a protein?

As a vegetarian,

It's--that's one

Of the most difficult things

To get.

My whole focal point was

To make--to braise leeks,

And then cut them in nice,

Little medallions

And sear them off

So they look like scallops.

And that would be

The protein.

But you know that leeks

Aren't protein, right?

-Yes, yeah.

-Okay, right.

The leeks were so pungent

And strong in the middle

Because they

Weren't cooked uniformly.

What happened

Was the pot was buckled,

So it wasn't heating.

That slowed--

That slowed me down a lot.

I thought my carrot puree,

And my confit potatoes,

And everything,

Was cooked correctly.

The carrots...were okay.

The problem

Is it didn't matter.

You couldn't

Get past the fact that--

I mean,

Raw leeks just aren't...

And I was also surprised

Because I thought

That you

Would really ace this.

[Chuckles]

So did i.

You can cut a leek in half

And roast it in minutes.

I can still make-

And have the same effect.

It's not gonna

Look like a scallop,

But you're gonna have

A roasted leek.

Yeah, no.

I didn't think of it.

I didn't. It's just,

Like, whatever whatever.

What am I gonna do?

Uh, robin.

I did consider protein.

When I make a vegetarian dish,

I definitely wanna give

My vegetarians protein.

I eat vegetarian a lot.

And I saw those garbanzo beans,

And I love garbanzo beans.

And got excited by

The fresh garbanzo beans,

Which I'd never

Worked with before.

I had never stuffed

A squash blossom before.

And I was gonna play off

A chickpea fritter or a falafel.

There was a lot of flavor

Going on in there,

And I think the chermoula.

Had a lot of flavor going on,

And I'm not sure it

All worked so well together.

Robin, I'm listening

That you talk about the dish,

And you're referencing

Various different things.

So it comes across like

You're kind of all over

The map here.

This dish never comes

Together because it can't.

There's nothing

To tie it together.

I wasn't pleased.

I definitely know

I can cook better.

For me,

It was that chermoula.

It was very, very strong.

I appreciated

The use of the protein.

Two of us didn't get

Garbanzo beans at all.

Yeah, well,

I ran out of time.

-Oh.

-Yeah.

I cooked with my head

Spinning today.

Jennifer.

You had two hours.

I didn't see those

Two hours on your plate.

It almost felt like you were

Just putting together a garnish.

It was...a little bigger

Than an amuse.

About your verjus,

I think a few of us wore it.

I was so nervous

When I came out.

And I was just like...

Was there something about

This challenge in particular

That made you

More nervous than usual?

I don't know, you guys

Just make me nervous every time.

I don't know, I mean,

I'm shaking right now

Talking to you.

You've made it this far,

But your performance

Is starting to... Suffer.

I need to pull

Myself out of it.

And if I have another day

Hopefully I can prove it to you

That I deserve to be here.

If not, thank you very much

For the chance.

Okay, we'll call you

Back in a bit.

Thank you.

Hi, guys.

We don't know.

It wasn't %.

I know it wasn't %.

Whatever, whatever.

It is what it is,

You know what I mean?

[Chuckles]

It was cooked.

We are down to the wire.

And no mistake

Is okay at this point.

I loved this challenge,

Because, number one,

I think that throwing them off

Their game was not a bad thing.

You know, you have

To be able to sort of

Roll with the punches.

And some of them did

A great job of that.

And some of them I think

Were a little fussier about it.

And it's a very

Real-life challenge.

-I agree.

-Yeah.

I am constantly

Walking into restaurants

That don't have

Vegetarian entrees

And the chefs improvise.

[Padma] I can't believe

That jennifer--

Being as seasoned and

Experienced a chef as she is--

Didn't say, "this is not gonna



Be enough for people."

Or she just decided

To take the garnish

And try to make

A dish out of it.

And jennifer was,

Like, super defeatist.

Right.

She was, like,

Ready to ax herself.

We've seen this before.

You know, at this

Point of the competition,

They're tired,

And psychologically

They start falling apart.

I think that's

What's happening to her.

She's starting

To second-guess now

Everything that's she's doing.

I should've

Rethought my plate.

[Chuckles]

Mike's dish

Had several issues.

The leeks,

Clearly poorly cooked.

This is not

A hard thing to cook.

The outside,



If it's cooked too quickly,



Turns to mush



Before the inside's cooked.



And that's what happened.

There was something

About mike that to me

Exuded a little bit

Of arrogance, actually.

As if he took for granted,

"Yeah, I didn't do well tonight,

But I'm not really

Gonna go home for it."

You can't take

That stuff for granted.

We're noticing.

He seemed to focus on

The leeks as being the issue,

I didn't really like the

Other elements so much either.

Yeah, if I just nailed my leeks,

The rest

Of the dish was great.

-No, it wasn't.

-No.

No, it really wasn't.

No, don't kid yourself.

And whatever.

And plus, I didn't have

A lot of the stuff that I use.

You know, my yogurts

And whatever else.

And--phht!

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

I thought it was a complete lack

Of idea in robin's dish.

I think she was



Not focused on the entire dish.

She was looking at each

Individual piece,

Going, "okay, this is nice."

And you know,

"This sauce is fine."

And it was a bad plan,

Because she said

That there were

Two things she was doing.

For the first time-

With the young garbanzo beans,

And stuffing the zucchini.

And like, you're doing

Two things for the first time?

Yeah.

That doesn't

Sound like a good idea.

-Oh, no.

-No.

It just sucks

Being told you suck.

Alright,

Let's get them out here.

Tonight's challenge--

Obviously, we threw

A giant curveball your way

When natalie

Came in and announced

That she is a vegetarian.

And you know, I think that,

Ultimately, chefs are judged

By how well

They handle these requests.

Michael,

I'm still not quite sure

Why you couldn't

Cook leeks in two hours.

You know, you seemed

Focused on trickery,

Instead of just

Putting together a great dish.

Robin, you know,

You gave us a pretty plate,

But I think the dish

Was very unbalanced.

Jennifer, somehow, in the last

Couple of challenges,

You've just completely

Fallen apart here.

It really felt as if

You just took a garnish

And decided that

That was good enough.

And good enough

Is not gonna cut it.

You know, we got

Some wonderful dishes

From some

Of your competitors today.

And we felt that each of you

Just didn't rise

To the occasion.

Mike, please

Pack your knives and go.

Oh...

Okay.

Thanks.

-Good luck to you, mike.

-Yeah. Thanks.

Thanks.

[Mike]

I'm upset



That I was eliminated.



This is



A strong competition for me.

I should've done a lot

Better than everyone else,

'Cause it's more

Of my background.

You gotta be bigger

And stronger,

You know what I mean,

Doggie?

There's just one person



I think should've been



Eliminated tonight.



She should've been eliminated



The other night.

And that's robin.

I don't think her dish

Was better than mine at all.

It's nobody's fault

But my own.

Love you.

[Mike]

It's just her food,



And her style,

And she's always

At the bottom.

I wouldn't wanna be

At the bottom eight times.

I'd send myself home.

I've been on the bottom more

Times than I'd like to admit.

And mike hasn't been.

But they chose him

For a reason.

And I'm so happy

I'm still here.

Actually,



Now that mike is gone,



It's probably



Gonna be less backstabby,



Kind of ugly



In the house, for sure.



[Mike]

For me to compete



With the next generation



Of rising chefs is great.



It's a little short,



But I mean, it's all good.

And I go home,

Go back to work again.

Continue life.

Next on

Top chef...

-Hello?

-Padma, she's upstairs in bed.

[Bleep] a.

This is the worst performance

I've had on

Top chef.

Excuse me, excuse me,

Excuse me.

I'd rather you

Just be gone right now.

Michael

Pissed me off so much.

Tastes like cardboard.

Gonna get a little medieval

Over here, okay?

Like most people

Who come to vegas,

He has gambled and lost.