[tense music]
♪ ♪
[man groans]
Well, that was a day.
[woman]
Restaurant Wars was rough.
-Oh, it's brutal.
-[man]
How you feeling, Chris?
I don't know.
At Restaurant Wars,
our team was on
the bottom, unfortunately.
Claudette,
as the executive chef,
did you not taste everything?
No.
You know, it is Chris's team.
I was just gonna
execute service.
You're an executive chef
in your restaurant.
You know that's not
an expediting role.
So the question is,
why didn't you want
to take the responsibility?
Claudette, please
pack your knives and go.
With Claudette gone,
I don't feel like
I have to watch my back.
It's like in kindergarten
where you get the marks
on your report card,
and I think I would check
"does not
play well with others."
[Joseph] Crazy. I can't believe
we all survived it.
-I mean, Joe, you won!
-[man] Joe, you won, bro.
You won
the Restaurant Wars challenge!
-[all cheering]
-[laughing]
Being on top in the Olympics,
winning Restaurant Wars,
I feel like I'm really starting
to make some headway here.
I've definitely come a long
ways from bussing tables
on the South Side
to top seven on
Top Chef.
These couches are gonna
get roomier and roomier.
Especially if you and I go.
Yeah, then those couches
will be really roomy.
[laughs]
[Padma]
Seven chefs remain
to compete in the ultimate
culinary showdown.
At stake for the winner,
a feature
in
Food & Wine
magazine,
an appearance at the
Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
$,,
furnished by San Pellegrino,
and the coveted title
of Top Chef.
[lively music]
[phone rings]
-Hello?
-Hey, babe.
How are you? I miss you.
You're so handsome.
Thanks.
I was feeling burnt out,
and then I switched up
my crystal configuration,
and yesterday was really good.
Really? Okay, good.
Crystals carry energy
with them.
My girlfriend is
a huge believer in this,
and I'm definitely
a superstitious person.
I'm so excited
for you to come back here
And for us to, like,
have our life here.
Bella and I, we just moved down
to LA to open a restaurant,
and within a week of moving,
I came to
Top Chef.
-I love you.
-I love you more.
This whole process has made me
so excited to get started.
I really just want
to do well here
and make coming all this way
not for nothing.
[smooching]
[Christopher]
What do you think is
coming next, Fati?
Probably jumping
out of a plane.
I've got my money
on blind taste today.
And you're very good
at that,
'cause you won
the Baby Food Challenge.
I did win
the Baby Food Challenge.
I'm thinking about my son.
I couldn't be there
when he was born,
and I still haven't met him.
As much as I try to use it
for motivation,
this is really starting
to weigh on me now.
All right, guys, I'm ready.
We can do this.
Whoo.
Oh, [bleep], oh, [bleep].
-Uh-oh, this--
-All right.
Good morning.
-[all] Good morning.
-Wow.
[Padma]
I'd like to introduce you
to your guest judge
for this Quickfire Challenge,
three Michelin-Starred chef
David Kinch.
-Welcome, David.
-Thank you.
Wow.
I've cooked for Chef David
multiple times.
He's eaten at Quince,
but for some reason,
cooking for him face-to-face
is pretty intimidating.
More and more, chefs are
looking for ways to step up
their presentation game.
One of the trendiest ways
to do that
is by adding
a few flowers as garnish.
I can't say I cook
with flowers too much.
It's not really
a flavor that I like.
It kind of smells
like my grandma. [chuckles]
It's about finding balance
between beauty and flavor.
[dramatic music]
For your Quickfire Challenge,
we want you to add
these edible flowers
to your dish
and prove that
these edible flowers
deserve a place on the plate.
You'll have minutes
for this Quickfire Challenge,
but that's not all.
Don't say it.
Not only is immunity
off the table
from this point forward,
this is a Sudden Death
Quickfire Challenge.
[all groan]
[Padma] The chefs with our
three least favorite dishes
will compete
in a Sudden Death Cook-off,
and the loser
will be eliminated.
♪ ♪
Chefs, your minutes
starts now.
Good luck.
-Bruce, move.
-[woman] Behind.
[Fatima] God-damn it.
Edible flowers are associated
with extreme bitterness
and extreme perfume.
And that's something
that requires
a really delicate touch.
Chris, how you feeling
about this sudden death?
[Christopher]
I got some chive blossom
and onion flower.
I'm gonna do
a quick little tartare
with some sea bass
and some scallop.
-[woman] Okay.
-Show you
how the old folks do it.
-What you got going on, Bruce?
-I'm gonna extrude some pasta.
[Christopher] My man.
Michelin Star chef,
a cart full of flowers,
this is just not my thing.
So I want to make bucatini,
this fat spaghetti
with a hole running
through the middle of it.
-It's actually
my spirit noodle.
-[gong sounds]
You know,
go big or go home, bro.
-Can I grab a couple?
-Yes, uh, leave me some.
I'm just taking
literally a couple.
-Yes.
-Fati, what are you making?
I'm making
a mustard flower paste
for my lamb rack
with broccoli florets,
arugula flowers.
You know, Middle Eastern,
Pakistani, Indian flavors
have a lot of emphasis
on floral notes,
but this is
a Sudden Death Quickfire.
No one is safe
from the wrath of
Top Chef.
♪ What the
[bleep]
Am I doing? ♪
[Christopher] Sing it, brother.
[man]
Flamm, what are you making?
I got some radish
and some chive blossom.
I'm gonna do a roasted radish
kind of Caesar.
I love radishes, but I want to
cut some of the pepperiness.
By roasting the radishes,
I hope that'll give it
a little bit more balance.
[man] Fifteen minutes!
Oh, [bleep], are you
[bleep] kidding me?
I'm having trouble
with the extruder,
so I'm gonna make cavatelli,
garnished with
some arugula flowers.
I've already
made cavatelli once,
but, quite honestly,
right now
I'm just trying
to not go home.
[sighs]
-[Fatima] Living the dream.
-Oh, God.
Carrie, what are you making?
[Carrie] I think I'm gonna do
something we call "fancy toast."
-[chuckles]
-I don't know if other cities
call that that.
[laughing]
It's just like a larger slice
of toast with fun toppings--
in this case,
goat cheese, arugula,
and this lavender-scented
olive oil and honey.
And David Kinch adds
a whole 'nother layer
of super
[bleep]
scary.
I'm aware that a fancy toast
could be a little simple,
but it's a great vessel
to not overpower the flower.
[giggles]
[Joe] Sasto, why'd you choose
your flowers?
I don't like cooking
with lavender.
Toast? Why would you
make toast for David Kinch?
I want to put up a dish
that I'm proud of.
I don't want to just
fall flat on my face.
[Carrie] Is that you, too?
-[Joe] Yeah.
-[Carrie] What's in it?
Squash-blossom-filled
dumplings.
[chuckles]
You and the D-word.
Me and the dumps!
A lot of times when you fry
squash blossoms,
you lose that wonderful aroma
that they have.
It just tastes like fryer oil.
So I want to poach it.
I'm familiar with most
of the flowers on the table.
Most of them grow wild
in the Bay Area,
My girlfriend and I do
a lot of foraging there.
But in Golden Gate Park,
foraging is ill*gal.
So I never forage there.
♪ ♪
You have five
minutes left, chefs.
How you feeling, Chris?
[Christopher]
Feeling like I'm sticking
around for a while.
Oh, [bleep].
I wish the radishes were
a little bit more caramelized,
but at least my sauce
is coming together nicely.
Boop. Boop.
What I'm worried about the most
is my dish isn't perfect.
I'm going into Sudden Death.
Chefs, you have
one minute left.
That clock's
moving quick, dude.
-[man] Oh, yeah.
-My hands are shaking.
[man] All right, Fati,
just squeeze
your butt cheeks real hard.
-It'll calm you down.
-[laughing]
[Fatima]
Oh, my God, it's working!
Thank you, Joe.
[Padma]
Ten seconds, ten seconds.
No pressure, no pressure.
♪ ♪
Time's up.
Hands up,
utensils down, please.
-Beautiful plates.
-Thank you.
Hi, Adrienne,
meet Chef David.
-Hi, how are you?
-Nice to meet you.
Good, how are you?
This looks pretty.
-What did you make?
-A seared scallop carpaccio
with watermelon radish,
black radish,
and a little bit of yuzu.
-[Padma] And what are these?
-[Adrienne]
These are radish blossoms.
-Mm-hmm.
-Thank you so much, Adrienne.
[David] Thank you.
The flowers that I chose were
chive blossom and onion flower.
It's a tartare of sea bass
and scallop with charred onion
and a little wanton crisp.
What were the onions
that you charred?
White onion.
I chose the mustard flowers,
the broccoli, and the arugula.
I made a paste
to rub onto the lamb.
The chili oil is chili de
árbol and Fresno chilis
and a touch
of orange blossom.
[Padma]
I don't think I've ever had
chili and
orange blossom before.
Taking advantage
of the aroma as well.
-[both] Thank you.
-Thank you very much.
Thank you.
[exhales deeply]
Hi! Today I made
you a fancy toast.
What makes it so fancy?
I steeped lavender
in my olive oil and my honey,
and it has
a little goat cheese, fig,
and a candied pecan.
Walks a nice fine line
between sweet and savory.
-Thank you so much.
-[Carrie] Thank you.
So I made a simple,
just roasted radish salad.
And then I took
a crème fraiche, thinned it
with a little buttermilk,
and I seasoned it
with chive blossoms,
radish flowers,
a little
of arugula flowers as well.
How long did you
roast the radishes for?
Like, five, six minutes.
So I did
a stuffed squash blossom.
Down on the bottom,
a fondue--
goat cheese
and squash blossom.
I was waiting
for the stuffed blossom.
I knew someone
was gonna do it,
and I didn't want to fry it.
I really like
the blossom on its own.
-Thank you.
-Yeah, thank you very much.
Thank you, Chef.
This looks very colorful.
What do you have here?
So today I prepared for you
a ricotta semolina cavatelli,
and I'm featuring squash
blossoms,
and then on top
as well is an arugula pesto.
-Pasta again?
-I was gonna make bucatini--
-But that's still pasta!
-I know.
It's my comfort zone.
I am terrified of having
to go to Sudden Death.
And Padma's
giving me some flak,
and that's
nerve-racking as [bleep].
You guys are k*lling me with
this pasta and polenta, man.
[dramatic music]
David, who had one of
our favorite dishes today?
♪ ♪
I think Fatima did
a very good job today.
What I liked about
the dish was the idea of
-using the flowers for a rub.
-Mm-hmm, who else?
♪ ♪
Fancy toast. Lavender was one
of the hardest ingredients,
and it can be
very, very floral.
Of these two dishes, who had
our favorite dish of the day?
In terms of being really
well-seasoned and balanced
the toast was
our favorite dish today.
Whoo. [laughing]
[Carrie]
My heart
is officially stopped.
I made David Kinch fancy toast,
and he liked it.
Sometimes what
appears to be the simplest
can be the best of all.
[Carrie]
Looking back from day one,
I wouldn't even
recognize myself.
I'm learning that I'm strong
and that I deserve to be here.
Congratulations, Carrie, and
while you don't have immunity,
you will get an advantage in
the next Elimination Challenge.
Unfortunately, there were a few
dishes that missed the mark,
and, of course, today
it's a little more serious.
[tense music]
Joe's dish
with the radishes
The roasting,
while a good idea,
didn't really have a reductive
quality with the radishes.
They were still watery
and perhaps way too much sauce
on the plate as well.
-[Padma] Who else?
-[exhales deeply]
Chris, with the bass
and scallop tartare
It seemed to be dressed
a little bit heavy.
We noticed on the plate
that a pool of liquid
-flowed from the scallop.
-And finally,
who is the third chef?
♪ ♪
Joe, with the
stuffed squash blossom
-Oh, God.
-[exhales deeply]
It's easily one flower
that can be
the main ingredient.
That was the easy part.
The hard part
would be to make it
as creative as possible, and we
thought it was very pedestrian.
Joe, Joe, and Chris,
you will compete
in a Sudden Death Cook-off,
and one of you
will be going home today.
[Joseph]
I was feeling on top
of the world this morning,
won Restaurant Wars,
and in quintessential
Top Chef
fashion,
they're just like,
"Hey, let me just get that rug
and just rip it out
from underneath you."
We can't make this decision
without your head judge,
Tom Colicchio.
♪ ♪
Cauliflower.
You brought me flowers!
[man exhales deeply]
You got this, guys.
Hey. How's it going?
♪ ♪
Chefs.
Cauliflower is something
that's usually overlooked,
but lately it's making
a huge comeback.
And whether it's roasted whole
or sautéed or even turned
into a pizza dough,
it's becoming
a really versatile
and very popular flower.
In our kitchen,
we find it to be a godsend,
just simply because when you
cook it certain ways,
it has
the texture of a protein.
[Padma] So we want you
to create a dish
where cauliflower is taking
the place of another item.
Chefs, you have minutes for
this Sudden Death Cook-off.
Your time starts now.
-[woman] Let's go, guys!
-[clapping]
[suspenseful music]
[Bruce]
These guys have never been
on the bottom like this.
♪ ♪
I feel stressed.
[woman]
Let's go, Joe, Joe, Chris!
[man] Sasto,
what are you making?
Doing buffalo cauliflower,
cauliflower blue cheese sauce.
I've had a lot of ups
and downs just cooking food
that I thought the judges
want to eat,
so now I'm gonna make
something I want to eat.
If Carrie can win with toast,
I can take this home
with buffalo cauliflower.
You do you, brilliant.
To kind of make it a little
more interesting,
I decide to smoke
the cauliflower
in the wood-fired oven.
This is gonna be
anything but pedestrian.
You can quote me on that.
-[man] Buffalo Joe.
-Come on, guys, let's go.
-Come on, guys.
-Chris, what are you making?
It's actually a caponata.
-All right,
that sounds delicious.
-[woman] Good one.
Caponata is usually made
with eggplant, zucchini,
black olive, capers.
But rather than eggplant,
here comes the cauliflower.
So I'm bringing
old-school flavors
with new-school ingredients.
I'm just gonna do it clean,
do it bold, do it right.
I'm fighting for my life.
-Time?
-Thirteen minutes!
-Where's the corn starch?
-Don't panic, don't panic.
You got this, Joe.
-Flammy, what you making?
-Risotto.
-That's my boy.
-Yeah.
With cauliflower
instead of rice, you mean?
-Yep.
-[Bruce] I like that.
I'm definitely cooking a
dish I've never cooked before.
But, you know, everything's
on the line-- I'm going for it.
[Adrienne]
Watch the color on purple.
Acid brightens,
liquid will dull it.
So far, so good.
[Adrienne]
I want to cheer Joe on
and help keep him
focused and motivated.
I have a lot of respect
for Chris and Joe Sasto,
but I like Joe Flamm
a lot more. I'm sorry.
Oh, my God.
[Padma]
You have five minutes left.
Five minutes, chefs.
[all] Five minutes!
Come on, Joe.
You got this, Sasto.
Behind.
Joe's making risotto.
My mind went there,
but I don't know.
David Kinch has a risotto
on his menu
where he subs out a vegetable
for the rice.
I don't know if Joe knows this,
but I do, and there's no way
I'm gonna try to re-create
Chef David's own dish.
-No chilis, no chilis!
-Ay-yi-yi.
[Christopher]
That's right, that's right.
-[Bruce] Here we go, one-thirty.
-Tell me when I'm at one.
[Joe] Hoo, I'm getting
a little sweaty over here.
By the time I tried one of
the pieces of the cauliflower
after it's fried, I realized
that that smoking technique
pre-cooked it in a way
I didn't
really anticipate happening.
Not good.
-Where we at?
-One minute, Joe.
[all] One minute!
[Joseph]
My risotto's not as
starchy as I want it,
but the flavor's good.
Hopefully this dish
is good enough to keep me in.
[all] Five, four, three,
two, one.
[all cheering]
-[David] Nice.
-Good job, everybody.
Let's start with you, Joe.
I cooked from
the heart on this one.
One of my favorite
things is buffalo chicken.
I replaced the cauliflower
in the buffalo,
put a little smoke on there,
I made a cauliflower cream--
with caramelized cauliflower
and crème fraiche.
What did you do
to the cauliflower?
Smoked it in the wood oven,
then deep-fried it.
I did a cauliflower
in the style of risotto.
I threw a bunch of a arborio
rice in my chicken stock
to try to add starch to it.
-And you removed the rice?
-Yes, Chef.
You know he does
a dish like that?
-[Joseph] Oh, really?
-[Joe] Yeah.
-[both laughing]
-Chris, tell us what you made.
It's a cauliflower caponata,
simple in technique,
but really bold in flavor.
What is your sour aspect
for this dish?
White-wine vinegar.
Considering how much is
on the line right now,
I'm a little disappointed
in all three of these dishes.
They're lacking flavor.
They're lacking finesse.
Tom, who had
your least favorite dish?
Joe Sasto.
I didn't even realize
it was cauliflower
when I first ate it.
The texture of that cauliflower
was so spongy.
It was very off-putting.
Joe Flamm, with the risotto--
just the fact
that it was not chopped fine
to make it fundamentally act
like a risotto
was the deal breaker for me.
All right, Padma,
it's up to you.
There was one for me
that was not reminiscent at all
of the original inspiration.
[sighs]
And I'm sorry, that person
is Joe Flamm with the risotto.
Oh, my God.
Please pack
your knives and go.
Thank you very much, chefs.
-Thank you. Thank you.
-Chef.
My brother.
Walking away today,
I don't feel like I'm done.
I didn't cook
dumb dishes today.
I just didn't execute
them perfectly,
and that's so not me.
-Joe, wait.
-[groans] Come on, guys.
It's hard to say
goodbye to everyone.
We've become so close.
I feel like I just
abandoned my crew.
Yeah, I'll see you guys soon.
I really wanted to make it
to the end of this competition.
I really wanted to see
where this adventure goes.
I'm gonna do whatever it takes
to get back in this competition.
[somber music]
[Fatima]
I cannot believe
they're sending
such an exceptional chef home.
I was convinced that
he and I were gonna make it
to the top three
and we would battle it out.
I already miss him.
♪ ♪
Okay, who's ready to kick off
the next challenge?
[dramatic music]
Please welcome barbecue
master Adam Perry Lang.
-[applause]
-Whoo!
[Bruce]
Adam Perry Lang
is a brilliant pit master
and also a good friend of mine.
I know another judge.
Well, we're here today
to celebrate
America's unofficial holiday--
the Super Bowl.
In honor of this year's
Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis,
we're teaming up
with the Denver Broncos
to host
the best tailgating party
that Mile High has ever seen.
[cheering]
You'll be working
in three teams of two
to create the best plate
of Super Bowl food you can
for hungry players
and fans.
Wow.
I'm feeling a little bit
out of sorts.
I don't know that much
about football.
If this was
a cricket challenge,
I'd be much more excited.
So, Carrie, as the winner
of the Quickfire,
not only do you get
to choose your teammate,
you also get to choose
the other two teams.
Ooh. [laughing]
Okay, so, first, who's
your teammate going to be?
-I'll take Chris.
-Okay.
Chris is the obvious choice.
He's a football fan.
And his food is soul food,
which is comfort food,
which is Super Bowl food.
And who are you going
to team up with whom?
Come on, Carrie,
I'm your friend, okay?
Adrienne and Joe.
Bruce and Fati.
-Awesome.
-Your dishes need
to be inventive,
because you will be impressing
some of the best fans in town,
including Denver's own mayor,
Michael B. Hancock.
-Wow.
-Suit up, chefs.
We'll see you on the field.
-Good luck.
-[all] Thank you.
Philadelphia is the only team
in the NFC East with no ring.
-Maybe it's their year?
-I hope so.
E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!
B-R-O-N-C-O-S!
-It's a damn horse.
-[both laughing]
It's a Bronco.
It's not a horse.
It's like he's doing
the Michael Jackson dance.
[laughing]
-That would be awesome.
-Right?
I really like to do
-a ridiculous nacho.
-[Bruce] Okay.
Do you know what the colors
for the Denver Broncos are?
-It's orange and blue.
-It's orange and blue?
-Yeah.
-Perfect.
So you're gonna do
blue tortilla chips,
-blue corn and--
-Yes!
Fati right away wants to make
nachos,
and she's thinking
about lentils
instead of beans.
I think it's a cool,
creative idea.
I don't know how I can fit
into that dish.
[blowing raspberries]
[Joe]
I knew she was
gonna put us together.
-[Adrienne] Did you?
-You and I have, like,
both been on the bottom.
And we've never
worked together.
-So I was like, "Oh, yeah,
that makes sense."
-Yeah.
For protein,
I was thinking ribs.
Pork ribs.
Doing ribs
for a barbecue pit master
might be
a little risky,
but working
for Marcus Samuelsson,
it's something I've done
several times before,
so we should be just fine.
I was thinking, like,
fried polenta cubes.
-Yes, or fried mac and cheese.
-Like poutine style.
-[both ooh]
-Yeah, fried mac and cheese.
Or we can do a poutine
with the classic French fry--
[Christopher]
Some type of white gravy,
I guess.
[Carrie] I would just do, like,
a braised-pork green chili.
I like this.
I like the poutine.
Okay. We'll call it
the Bronco Pooter.
[record scratches,
both laughing]
-That ain't gonna work.
-[laughing]
Go, go!
Works here!
Can I get pork ribs?
-Hey, guys, how are you?
-Everything you have in house.
I'm definitely concerned
about getting enough ribs
for people.
Baby backs are the smaller side
of the rib cage,
so they're
a little more tender,
but Whole Foods market has
St. Louis-style ribs on sale.
So I go for those.
-Thank you so much.
-No problem.
I know Adam Perry Lang
from LA-- I know his secrets.
I'm definitely
considering Adam Perry Lang
in the thought process here,
and I know there's a steak
that's gonna be
really delicious.
I'm gonna grab this.
And then I'm thinking
about pickling beets.
-You got your meat?
-I got some of it.
They're getting the rest of it
together for me right now.
-Awesome.
-Fati and I have
very different flavor profiles
as chefs.
Blue chips, baby.
We could have made
one dish together,
but when you go to a tailgate,
you don't get just one dish.
So I feel like
it's different than what
everybody else is doing.
-Boom.
-Whoo!
-That's all that was left.
-What should I get more of?
-[Christopher]
We're way good on potatoes.
-[Carrie] You want more cheese?
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Okay.
-Yes!
-Okay, I think
we're good, Fati.
-Put that on my tab, please.
-[woman] Thank you.
[energetic music]
♪ ♪
-Right here,
this is us, this is us.
-Here? Oh, beautiful.
-What you starting first?
-Everything.
[Adrienne]
I'm getting all the ribs
seasoned pretty heavily
and into hotel pans that are
gonna be tightly covered.
I don't have time to smoke
them for four or five hours,
so I think that this is
going to be the best way
to go to really
get the meat tender.
-[Carrie] What are you making?
-This is going to be
barbecue sauce.
-Barbecue sauce.
-It's got to reduce for, like,
another, oh,
whole time we're here.
[Fatima]
For my nachos,
instead of a typical bean,
I actually want to use
black lentils.
And I'm also going to put
a really delicious
peach and habanero salsa
into the mix.
Almost like
a chutney of sorts.
Rub-a-dub-dub,
thanks for the grub.
-Love that color.
-[woman] Guys, one hour left!
[woman ]
h* h* h*, an hour? Wait.
[Christopher] Hey, we got
a lot of work to do.
[Carrie] You know, people
is a lot of people.
[Christopher laughing]
[Thomas]
Hey, chefs, how's it going?
-Hi!
-What are you making?
[Christopher] A green chili
and pork poutine.
Okay, and
that's the whole dish?
That's going to be
the whole dish.
-You need curds, right?
-Right.
Don't you need
curds for poutine?
Classic poutine is, like,
gravy fries with cheese curds,
but we decide
not to use cheese curds
because we're going for
a little bit more elegant
of a plate,
so nacho cheese is
a better fit for us.
Has that ever been a sentence--
"nacho cheese is more elegant"?
-Chefs, how we doing?
-Good. How are you?
I'm feeling good, yeah.
I'm excited
to work with Adrienne.
-We haven't worked yet together.
-What are you making?
I'm going to do the slaw,
some fried mac and cheese,
and then Adrienne's
taking care of the caramel
and the braised ribs.
[Adam]
What's this reducing here?
This is going be
the candied nuts.
-Okay.
-You were, like, this close
to getting booted.
I know.
-Did you try that cauliflower?
-I did.
I feel great that I'm safe,
barely, but I was not expecting
to see Joe go home.
That was, like, wacked.
Anyway, all right, good luck.
[Joe]
It really shows you
how up and down
this entire competition can be.
-Hey, Chef, how are you?
-What's up man? I'm good.
How you doing?
Good to see you.
Hey, Chef.
Good to see you.
-What are you guys making?
-I got some sirloin.
And I've got a marinade--
it's, like,
pineapple juice, soy,
brown sugar,
a little fish sauce.
You add the pineapple juice
for tenderization?
Yeah, exactly.
And I'm accompanying that
with achiote beer-braised
nachos
-with tons of different spices.
-Now, does this work together,
these dishes?
Or are they
kind of separate on one plate?
No, the idea was that, you
know, when you go to a tailgate
a lot of times you get
all these different
things on your plate.
Sure. Nachos, I think, are
a big hit for Super Bowl.
-Oh yeah, absolutely.
-I love nachos.
It's one of my
guilty pleasures.
I think they can be really good
if you use good
fresh ingredients.
-That's right.
-Yeah, I think so, too.
-All right, good luck.
-Thank you very much.
All right, chefs, we'll see
you at the game tomorrow.
-Thank you, Chef.
-See you tomorrow, good luck.
-Good luck.
- minutes!
[energetic music]
[grunts]
As the time is
winding down in the prep,
my ribs are not as tender
as I want them to be.
Whew.
I'm nervous,
because Adam Perry Lang
has got more experience with
ribs than anybody in this room.
I don't want to give him
a tough rib.
♪ ♪
[Fatima]
At this point, it's like,
only one of us
is going to make it to the end.
-It's crazy.
-And we're all, like,
at the same point,
except for Carrie,
who keeps blowing my mind.
[Fatima]
Carrie's put
a spell on everyone.
She, like, sneezes
and, like, makes something.
And she wins.
Always.
-Every time!
-[laughter]
Every time!
Carrie is the perfect
example of why
you should never judge
a book by their cover,
because I think everybody
underestimated her,
and look at her now.
She's crushing
the competition.
Fancy toast, egg sandwiches,
a Nutella jalapeño jam.
[laughter]
Should we make
ourselves Broncos hats?
I just can't tell any
of my friends back in Philly.
Put it on the back.
We are Denver Bronco fans.
I feel like we should play
some football right now.
-[Carrie]
Ooh, I'll play football!
-Let's go!
You know,
I'm pretty athletic.
I played softball.
I was on the basketball team.
I rodeo'd for a little while.
[laughs]
I barrel-raced, pole-bended,
and goat-tied.
I couldn't pick up
a small baby cow,
so I couldn't cow wrangle.
I had to goat-tie.
[chuckles]
[Fatima] Whoo! Carrie.
Terrible catch, Bruce.
[laughs]
I'm not ashamed to say
I don't like sports at all.
Sports with ba*ls?
No, especially basketball.
The ball, like,
you throw it at the ground
and then you touch it again,
and then it's on the ground,
and you touch it again--
like, gross!
[Fatima]
All right, guys, hands in.
[Bruce] Hands in. On three
[all] one, two, three.
Go, Broncos!
-Whoa!
-What?
-Look at this!
-Mile High.
And go!
Oh, look at our
cool Broncos cooking gear.
-All right, Fati.
-Let's do this.
I got to finish up
my cheese sauce,
-heat up my lentils
and my chicken.
-Uh-huh.
Are you excited to be cooking
for some
football players today?
Definitely.
[Fatima]
I've never been
to a football stadium.
-Ever?
-Nope.
-What?
-I've never been.
-Oh, wow.
-Oh, sorry, correction--
I saw a Taylor Swift concert
at a football stadium once.
Which one?
The "" tour, obviously.
-No, no, like, which stadium.
-Oh. [laughing]
[Bruce] What football player
do you think
doesn't love
steak and nachos?
[Fatima]
That's a very good point.
In the next two hours,
we have to finish
barbecue sauce,
mix the coleslaw,
get the ribs set up.
Just another day in paradise.
The first thing
I get started on
is pureeing the miso glaze.
I want the ribs to sit with the
sauce for a little bit
before I get them on the grill.
The brown sugar that's in
the sauce is gonna char a bit,
which is a good thing.
[people cheering]
[woman giggles]
The Broncos fans
are pulling in.
They're painted. They've got
their Broncos trailers.
This is going to be
a lot of people.
Oh, they're ready
for some tailgating.
Do you want to try
the cheese sauce?
'Cause it's fantastic.
-It's nice.
-Mm-hmm.
Big bite.
One of the great things
about nachos
is the cheese
is, like, baked on.
And there's none
of that with Fati's dish,
but at the same time,
it's delicious.
So good.
It's a good play on nachos.
Maybe a little lime?
Yeah, it needs
a little bit of acidity.
-Is it holding?
-I can't tell.
-Is that no batter?
-That's no batter.
Okay,
it's coming apart? Yeah.
Yep.
I'm worried
about the mac and cheese,
which isn't close
to being crispy.
[Joe] Uh, I think we want
to do the batter.
We're hoping that dusting the
mac and cheese in corn starch
will make it firm enough
so that it sets,
but that we still get
some gooey cheesiness.
[rock music]
Oh, Bronco's here!
Or his name's Thunder.
[cheering]
[Mayor Michael] Welcome to the
Denver Broncos Super Bowl
tailgating party
with
Top Chef.
Make some noise!
[cheering]
I am so glad you're here.
Today I'm going to declare
this day Top Chef Day
in Denver, Colorado.
[cheers and applause]
I am proud
to bestow upon
Top Chef
their own street sign.
Congratulations.
[cheers and applause]
To get
the festivities started,
we called on a few friends
to join with us today.
From the great Denver Broncos,
Larry Jackson, Darryl Hall,
Brandon McManus, Bradley Roby,
Corey Nelson, T.J. Ward!
[cheers and applause]
[Joe] It turned out great.
[Adrienne] Yeah,
I'm really happy
with that sauce.
Let's go taste some food.
Oh, we're ready.
Come get some ribs, guys.
Get up here.
-[Ward] Man, I'm hungry.
-You hungry, man?
-Man.
-[Padma] Go, Broncos, enjoy.
I heard you're a really
big Denver Broncos fan.
I am.
We've gone to, like, almost
every home game for ten years.
And you know one
of our contestants, I heard.
Yes, Carrie worked for me
for about three or four years.
I'm very proud of her.
Okay, guys, let's go try
some food.
-Yeah!
-Come with me.
[Kalif] I heard Carrie's
from Denver, man,
so she has a little bit
of hometown advantage
with me, man.
-Hey!
-[Jennifer] Hi!
-How are you?
-[laughing]
-I'm so proud of you.
-Thank you!
When I moved to Denver,
I got a job at Rioja
with Jen Jasinsky.
Not only did she teach me
so much about food,
but about, you know, being an
adult and so many life lessons.
You know
Broncos tailgating is my thing.
-I know! I know!
-I mean, this is my thing.
It's kind of emotional.
It's like seeing, like,
you know, your mom.
-What are we getting here?
-[Carrie]
We made a poutine--
Colorado pork green chili
with stadium fries.
-Are they crispy?
-They are, Chef.
Carrie, I hope
you're having fun.
-I am.
-[woman] Thank you.
Let's see what we have here
from the White Team.
I think this is really
flavorful. The heat builds.
Each chili gives a flavor.
It's not just hot.
And as a Denver native,
this does scream Denver.
[laughs]
So my favorite
was the White Team.
-You like it?
-[Todd] It's the b*mb!
-Hi, guys.
-[Bruce] Hey, how are you?
-It's nice to see you here.
-You too, Chef.
Oh, yeah,
you guys know each other.
[Adam] Yeah, we know
each other from LA.
I'm used to his pasta, so this
is really fantastic to see.
-Padma's
used to my pasta, too
-I certainly am!
I'm glad
you're not doing pasta.
[Bruce] I've prepared
a grilled sirloin flap steak,
and then I made a bread
and butter beet salad
and an aioli with
fresh-prepared horseradish.
And what did you do?
Blue and orange nachos.
Go, Broncos!
With black lentils,
a sharp-cheddar cheese sauce,
and a peach
and habanero salsa.
The chicken
is rubbed in achiote,
-and then I braised it
in some light beer.
-All right.
-Thank you very much.
-[Bruce] Enjoy, thank you.
[Padma]
I think Fatima's nachos
have a lot of stuff on them.
[Adam] Yeah, it's done
a little differently.
[dramatic music]
-It's a little muddled.
-Yeah.
I think the Orange Team
did a great job with the steak.
And I don't really like beets,
but these are pretty good.
[Adam]
I thought that they made
a really good point
of giving
a diversity to the plate.
But I'm looking
for a bit of cohesion.
This is very exciting stuff.
I like all the noises you
guys are making right now.
[laughter]
It's turning me on.
-Yeah.
-Oh, man.
-Chef, you guys made it.
-Chef,
como esta
?
I like your mustache.
Thank you.
She has one, too.
-[laughter]
-[Adrienne] That's my twin.
[Thomas] So what's going on?
So we got some
fried mac and cheese,
Miso-glazed
St. Louis-style ribs.
Some kale slaw
made with some kimchi aioli.
I love mac and cheese, too.
It's my favorite.
Uh-oh, that's it.
No pressure, right?
The ribs are tender,
and the ribs have good flavor.
Macs aren't that crunchy.
I don't know.
[man] Would Grandma approve?
-Grandma would not approve.
-[man] Not approve?
[Thomas]
It's like the mac and cheese
ran the wrong route.
-Not open.
-Not open.
[laughs]
If you're gonna fry mac,
it has to be crispy.
Otherwise, why bother?
[Carrie] Here you go.
-Hi, Carrie.
-Hi!
Have you guys tailgated much?
Back in Philly, yes.
-He's from Philly.
-Oh, yeah?
Yeah, I went to Temple,
so North Philly.
Me too. What?
No bias here.
So good!
Have some more.
What do you think of Chris
and Carrie's green chili?
-I like it a lot.
-Yeah, it's very good.
I was concerned
about the fries,
but I think that
they came out fantastic.
I don't like real spicy food.
This is just right for me.
-[Bruce] Any feedback?
-The cheerleaders
just had one of our plates.
-Was it good?
-How was it?
-So good.
-This is my fave.
-[both] Whoo!
-Go, Broncos.
There we go.
-I love nachos.
-I do, too.
I like the chicken
on the nachos.
It's all right.
This is fine,
but it's nothing
that's, like, wowing me.
Yeah, the nachos had some
flavor but kind of mushy,
not that interesting.
[Bradley] You got to eat
those nachos right now,
because in ten minutes,
it's gonna be--
-Soup.
-Slop.
-What's up, man?
-Good, how's it going?
-You all right?
-Good, yep.
Let's take
a break and
Oh, what?
Zoom in
on that baby right there.
I should've wore mine.
-Hi.
-Hey.
Tailgate food
a lot of times
can get really just plain Jane,
chili and stuff like that.
We wanted to
elevate a little bit.
Was that a dig
at Chris and Carrie
for making chili?
He didn't mean it like that,
I promise.
All right, well, this is
not a light plate of food.
-[all] No.
-It's nice and hearty.
[Adam] I think the ribs
are really nicely tender.
I'd like a little bit
more sweet and sour.
I wish that
the barbecue sauce was
a little bit stronger
on the Blue Team.
It is missing what you
look for on a barbecue rib.
But I love the coleslaw.
What do you think
of the mac and cheese?
-I don't think
it's cheesy enough.
-What does the Bronco say?
-[chuffs]
-Ah, jeez!
I haven't had a bad dish.
At this rate,
I'll be fat and
happy by the time I leave.
That makes two of us.
I'm going to say good-bye.
-I know you have
lots of city business.
-Thank you so much.
-Pleasure, man, thanks a lot.
-Appreciate it.
-Definitely, I had fun.
-Good luck on the season.
-How's it going?
-Everything was great.
Everything?
Here's my thinking on this.
We're in, like,
the fourth quarter here.
There's six contestants
left, right?
There's a lot
on the line here.
And I don't see
a Super Bowl champion here.
I don't see someone
who's really going for it.
That, I agree.
[contestants exclaiming]
-What?
-Look at this.
-[woman] Oh, my God.
-[woman ] It's huge!
Mile High.
[dramatic music]
We got to be proud
of everything we've done
to this point.
We made it top six.
That's huge.
And look at where we are--
Mile High Stadium.
[Christopher]
To be in this huge stadium
it's like a play on what's
going on in our life right now.
[all] Top six!
[Christopher]
We're on this big stage,
doing our thing.
It's a very proud moment.
I got to get one touchdown
pass while I'm here.
Don't drop it.
[cheering]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
We had a great time out there
in the crowds,
but the food that we got today
is something that I expect
to get at any tailgate party
with nonprofessional chefs
cooking.
I know you guys are better.
I'm just not seeing it.
Well, in spite
of your ups and downs,
there was a clear winner
today and that team is
♪ ♪
White Team.
-Oh, wonderful. Thank you.
-Whoo. [laughing]
-Great.
-Yeah.
I thought of all the dishes,
you gave us an elevated version
of the tailgating experience.
We wanted to do one thing
that was really, really good,
-that spoke to the people.
-The flavor of the chili
was really good.
I liked that you used
many different peppers
so you built up different heat.
You had pork butt
that was still moist and rich.
Really tasty.
As the winners
of this Elimination Challenge,
both of you win a trip
for two to the nd Super Bowl
in Minneapolis.
-Oh, thank you.
-Yes.
[applause]
-That's gonna be fun.
-Yeah.
-Go, Eagles!
-Super Bowl!
[Christopher]
Winning these
Super Bowl tickets,
-it's a dream come true.
-I've always wanted
to go to a Super Bowl,
-and hopefully
the halftime show is, like
-Dig it.
♪ ♪
I want to start
with you guys, Orange Team.
You gave us a version of
nachos that were kind of soggy.
I appreciate that you
used lentils instead of beans,
but you can go to bars
in town and get better nachos.
[Fatima]
That peach and habanero salsa
was what I wanted,
to have that bunch of acid
and that little bit of heat.
I really wanted
to try and create
all these depths of flavors,
and I think my biggest misstep
-was in the proportion.
-And that's the problem.
This is what we're trying
to get through to you guys.
If you're gonna make
a version of something,
it's got to be
the best version.
We're not going to have
our noses up in the air
because you made nachos, but
we're gonna come down on you
for not making great nachos.
Bruce, I thought
your beef was delicious,
but why not make steak nachos?
You didn't need
to do two dishes.
I think there
was some really great elements
within that dish,
where it had the opportunity
for you to elevate it,
in that sense.
Blue Team
I thought
your ribs were cooked fine.
I felt like
it lacked intensity,
and I think it may have come
from cooking them in the liquid
instead of cooking it
directly on the grill.
The biggest thing
with the dish
is that you have this really
rich, unctuous, fatty rib,
and then the slaw
that tasted just as heavy.
And on the bottom,
you have mac and cheese,
then it's deep-fried.
How did you prepare
the mac and cheese?
So I blanched the pasta
the day before,
then cubed that up,
tossed it in corn starch,
and then just
gave it a quick fry.
I think the corn starch
may have been a mistake.
[Thomas] I'll tell you
exactly what I thought
was wrong with this dish.
'cause everything
was wrong with this dish.
I ate the macaroni
and cheese first.
It was soggy. It wasn't even
close to being crispy.
It also didn't taste very good.
You can make better
macaroni and cheese,
and if you want to fry it,
you can make it better.
You can make
better ribs than that,
and you can
make better coleslaw than that.
I'm frustrated right now,
and I'm frustrated
because I think
you're better than this.
That'll be all for now.
♪ ♪
-[man]
Well, that was rough, huh?
-It feels like [bleep].
[Fatima] He was really upset
at all of us.
Just [bleep]
rips my heart out.
Well, I hope
that scared them.
I think of all
these four chefs,
the one with the least amount
of mistakes, to me, is Bruce.
-Absolutely, yeah.
-I agree.
[Padma] You know,
his meat was delicious.
Everyone enjoyed it.
Yeah, at some point, you got
to turn to your partner and go,
"These nachos
aren't gonna work".
Yeah. Make a case for why
Adrienne should go home.
I can't, really,
because she
delivered on tenderness.
-[Padma]
Mm-hmm.
-So the roots are safe.
So now we have
Fatima and Joe.
The question is, of these
two really bad things
-Mm-hmm.
-You know, who's going home?
The only saving grace
in Fatima's dish
was the chicken was good--
the rest of it was terrible.
There was nothing good
about Joe's dish.
And the other thing
to remember
is that with Joe,
looking at somebody who
had a hand, maybe /,
in doing the dish, the slaw,
the this, the that,
the ribs, mac and cheese,
and someone that probably,
%, had to do nachos.
I think to isolate him on mac
and cheese is possibly unfair.
Are we, like,
that far off the mark
-with what we've been doing?
-[woman] Apparently.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
A lot of what we do
is actually
very much like athletics.
To be a champion, you got to
play like a champion.
You got to cook
like a champion.
Top Chef
is the Super Bowl
of cooking competitions.
You can't make mistakes.
You have to bring it
and leave it on the field
every single challenge
from here on in.
Unfortunately, one of you is
not going to get that chance.
♪ ♪
Fatima
please pack
your knives and go.
Good luck to you.
It's hard to get
in the top six
and then have to leave.
It stings.
It stings in a bad way.
Love you all.
There was a lot of hesitation
for me to come here
and cook Pakistani food
because I wasn't sure
if the judges
were even gonna be excited
about eating that kind of food.
But they were, and that really
reinforced a lot of faith
in the kind of food
that I want to cook.
Bye, guys.
This competition
really pushes you,
but it also strengthens
the part of you
that wanted to become a chef.
And that's the thing
that I will take away with me
above anything else.
Stephen King and his wife
checked in here for one night.
Are you ready
for the scary part?
-[banging]
-[in creepy voice]
Redrum. Redrum.
-It's freakin' terrifying.
-Yeah.
[suspenseful music]
Hey, chefs.
Wait, what did I miss here?
It's never a good sign to see
Tom during a prep and cook.
[timer beeps]
I completely ran
out of time.
[bleep]!
-Is that a good yes?
-It's a good yes, yeah.
If they're all
gonna be this good,
I might try to keep you guys
here for a couple days.
[giggles]
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15x09 - Bronco Brouhaha
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Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.
Show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges.