04x04 - Film Food

[bunniefuu]

[Padma]
previously, on top chef...

It's time for a field trip.

[Andrew]
we're basically running around
like new york city rats.

This is gonna be
a nightmare.

[Spike]
I'm not sabotaging anybody.

That's how it rolls,
you know what I mean.

We all thought it was
a universal disappointment here.

Stephanie, what were you
responsible for?

I sort of conceptualized
the dessert,

And I also helped
with the drink.

[colicchio]
we loved the drink.

And that's probably
why you guys won.

Thank god.

I thought we kicked their ass
to be honest.

You didn't.

Erik, please pack your knives
and go.

At stake,
for the winner,

A feature
in food & wine magazine,

A showcase at the annual
food & wine classic in aspen,

A gourmet dream vacation
in the french alps,

Provided
by evian natural spring water,

$100,000 To help

Turn their culinary dreams
into reality,

Furnished by the makers
of the glad family of products,

And the title of top chef.

[Rock music]

♪ ♪

[Manuel]
a little quieter
around the house without erik.

He's a big guy
with a big heart,

And I'm definitely sad
to see him go.

I'm just gonna sear these up.
You want 'em scrambled?

Yes?
Yeah.

[Manuel]
this experience,
it's really tough.

I'm missing my sons
more than anything else.

But you know,
it's part of the game.

[Jennifer]
everyone's mentioned
that they miss

Their boyfriend
or their girlfriend

Or their kids.

I try to be
really respectful

Because zoi and I have
an advantage.

We can look at each other.

We actually get
to touch each other.

So I'm trying to be as fair
as I can,

And, like,
we keep our distance.

[Spike]
I love those girls,

And I feel they complement
each other beautifully,

But I am ready
for one of them to go.

It is a competition,

And having two people
in the house

That are kind of, like,
working together

And understand each other's
thought process,

It puts the rest of us

At a slight disadvantage,

And that's all it takes
in this competition

Is a slight disadvantage.

All right, guys,
let's go.

Blah.

Hello, chefs.

[All]
hello.

[Padma]
and if you guys don't know
who he is,

You should just leave
the kitchen now.

our guest judge
for this round,

As you can see,

is one of the country's
most decorated chefs,

Daniel boulud.

[Applause]

Thank you, padma.

[Roger]
it's a familiar face to me.

It's daniel boulud.

Daniel's one of the best french
chefs in the world.

[padma]
so, daniel,
what do you consider

The most important foundation
for a chef?

Technique.

Without a good technique,

I don't think you
can accomplish great cooking.

[padma]
your quickfire challenge

Is to create
a beautiful vegetable plate,

using the ingredients
from the basket

and from the top chef pantry.

Your plate

must demonstrate
at least three techniques

that you think

Will impress daniel.

[Lisa]
I'm a little bit nervous
about this quickfire.

I'm not into
the classic training methods.

I like to do things
differently.

I like to do things
however I feel

Is the best for that moment.

This is just not my style
of cooking.

Of course I have
two young chef here

Who has previously worked
in my restaurant before,

richard and ryan,

and that will not effect
the work of anyone else.

Be reassured for that.

[Ryan]
I spent a very short time
with daniel.

It wasn't my style.

So you have 30 minutes.

and your 30 minutes

Starts now.

good luck.

[Nikki]
I'm completely intimidated

Because this is where
I feel I fall the shortest.

Technical, classical,
but I'm gonna blanch,

I'm gonna grill,
I'm gonna make a quinoa

Out of the asparagus
and the green beans.

[Manuel]
I feel okay because my Kn*fe
skills are pretty strong.

The only problem is that
daniel's sitting in front of you

To grade your Kn*fe skills.

It's a daunting task.

I want to accomplish
a vinaigrette.

I also want to do
a supreme of lemon,

Which is the meat of the fruit,

Without any pit or skin
to it.

[Richard]
you know, technique is more
than just Kn*fe skills.

This is a competition
about being a chef.

I did not do

What a lot
of my other colleagues did

And bang out
great little brunoix of this

And little batons of that.

You know, which to me is, like,
kinda like culinary school.

Anybody else's hand shaking?

No.

Thirteen minutes,
ladies and gentlemen.

[Zoi]
this particular challenge,
it makes me a little bit nervous

That I'm not
classically trained,

But I feel like I have
kind of a unique style.

I see radishes, asparagus,

And a couple different kinds
of endives.

All those flavors pair
really well together in a salad.

And I decide to do
a poached egg.

[Lisa]
I wanted to do a cucumber

Where you run your Kn*fe across
it and rotate the cucumber,

So that you have like a thin,
almost like a wrapper,

And I look over and dale is
doing the exact same thing

And just whizzing through them
like soft butter,

So I decide, maybe not.

[padma]
five minutes, guys.

Five minutes left.

[Spike]
you know, I trained in france,

So I've got
all the french techniques.

My plan of att*ck
is to show off

How creative I can be.

I have a neat little tool
to do scallion curls.

It cuts 'em in about,
like, eight,

And you put 'em
into cold water.

It shocks 'em
and curls 'em.

Five, four,

three, two,

one, time is up.

Ah!

utensils down,
hands up.

Hi, zoi.
Hi, padma.

This is daniel.
Hello, how are you, zoi?

It's a pleasure to meet you.
Pleased to meet you.

So I did a simple--

A shaved asparagus salad
with poached egg

And a sherry shallot
vinaigrette,

Batoned some green beans,
blanched those as well,

A chiffonade of radicchio
and frisee.

Very nice.

What I tried to do

is a vegan sashimi platter.

I took daikon
and marinated it

In a little bit of tobanjan,
rice wine vinegar, and sugar,

And then I wanted to show
a little bit

Of the japanese-Kn*fe skill
by tourneeing

A avocado and using that
as a maki wrapper

Very impressed.
and tourneed a cucumber.

Before we take it apart,

Let's just see how beautiful
it is like this.

[daniel]
oh, my god.

I'm very impressed.

[Dale]
I felt I showed
a lot of technique

That other people didn't.

Crossed out.

[padma]
hi, lisa.
how are you?

what did you do?

I have a poached egg,
some blanched asparagus,

Batonettes of bell peppers.

Grilled, obviously.

Did you marinate like the
zucchini before you grill it?

Just with a little bit
of olive oil and salt.

This is back-to-basic.
Thank you.

Thanks.
well, thank you, lisa.

hi, richard.
hi, padma.

It's good
to see you again.

Restraint, I think,
is one of the techniques

that I showed, something that
daniel taught me, actually.

you know,
that a radish on its own

Is a beautiful thing.

So the mushrooms
briefly got blanched

And then they got tossed in
a little truffle oil and yuzu.

The beets have been pickled

In a little bit
of honey and vinegar.

Then the radishes
have just been sliced

With a little bit of lime juice
and scallion.

[daniel]
it is nice, the different
tastes and texture.

So I did
the carpaccio of cucumber,

A tagliatello of asparagus,

The world-renown cucumber cup
with pepper confetti,

And the beet carpaccio

With my style
of a tournee mushroom.

I blanched some asparagus,

And I did little pencil tips
on those.

I did a little brunois
of yellow pepper,

A simple beet vinaigrette,

And I did supremes of lemon,

And then made
a little endive-fennel frond.

You know, I mean,
fennel frond

Is not really
a technique right there.

It's just more of a composition.
Pleasant.

So I made a lemon vinaigrette,

I blanched some green beans

And asparagus,
and I made a quinoa.

My salad's shaved fennel
and radish,

And this is just
some grilled zucchini for color.

But you see,
when you grill

a vegetable, even if
it's to show the technique,

A little bit of seasoning.

Because you will never,
ever grill something

without seasoning.
thank you.

[padma]
let's hear about
what they did today.

[daniel]
what I would have wish

Is that everyone took
five minutes to think of a plan,

and then execute that after.

[padma]
so let's hear
the bad news first.

Well, one of the bottom three
was nikki.

To just take a plain piece
of endive

And just use it
as a boat,

it's cute,
but not well thought out.

Well, my second least favorite
was lisa.

again, there was not

Such a train of thought

On the combination
of all this technique together.

The final least
was manuel.

To me,
he was level-one technique.

and I think if you are
all competing as top chef,

You should push it a little more
than just level one.

[padma]
who were your favorites,
daniel?

One of my favorites
was zoi.

the poached eggs
was perfect.

it was composed

Into a dish
you could serve.

Thank you very much.

One of my favorites
was dale.

I really thought
that you made a plan.

Your Kn*fe skill--
amazing.

I mean, you really pushed it
to what a chef should do.

my last, but also favorite,
was richard.

I think you did
an amazing presentation.

the mushroom were
very interestingly prepared.

So, daniel,
who is your winner

For this quickfire?

The one,
who I think showed

Something amazing,
was dale.

congratulations.
thank you very much, chef.

[Applause]

[Dale]
that's my first win--
it feels good,

Especially after coming off
the chopping block

Two times in a row,
but it's not gonna change

The way I approach
the challenges by any means.

Dale, congratulations.

As you know,
this gives you immunity

in the next elimination
challenge.

Your challenge is to create
a dinner

Where each course

Is inspired
by your favorite movie.

I love movies.

I'm a total movie buff.

[Antonia]
this is an opportunity
to be really creative.

[Ryan]
I start thinking,
I have seen

Two movies in three years,

So...great.

So, daniel,
what's your favorite movie?

casablanca.

Of course, I think of morocco.

That will inspire me
to do something.

[padma]
so the dinner for twelve
is being thrown

by the famed chicago
film critic, richard roeper,

For his friend, the actress
and tv star, aisha tyler.

tomorrow, you have two hours
to prep and cook on location

Before the first course
comes out.

you'll be working
in pairs.

so we'll need you all
to draw knives,

Except for you dale.

Number three.

That means you're cooking
the third course.

Number two.
Number five.

Number three.

Third course with jen.

Six.

I guess one.

[Daniel]
easy to guess,
number one.

[padma]
with richard.

So dale, you can cook
with whichever pair you like.

Who's it going to be?

You have first course?
Yes.

I'll do first course
with richard.

okay, he's going first.

[Antonia]
honestly, I think richard
is an amazing chef.

His food tastes good,
hands down.

[Antonia]
they're my biggest competition.

[Dale]
I'm chomping at the bit
to work with richard.

I think he's
a very talented chef.

Andrew's equally as creative.

I think we all kind of come

From this progressive,
forward-thinking background.

[Andrew]
dale decides to join our team.

It's kind of like
a third wheel now.

I feel, you know,

The weak choose the strong.

What's your movies,
g?

[Ryan]
I draw knives,
and I get mark.

We're not gonna have
anything in common.

crazy bad, what's that?

[Ryan]
he starts naming this stuff,
and it's all I hear,

"Wa-wa-wa."

[Richard]
the next challenge
is to cook a six-course dinner,

And each team will be
responsible for one course.

The guest of honor
is richard roeper.

It's gonna be kind of,

"Hey, what's
your favorite movie,

And how can you create a dish
inspired by that movie?"

I guess it should be a movie
that we all are familiar with.

Okay.
Right.

willy wonka is an easy one to
bring creativity to the table.

I'm down
with willy wonka.

I'm down with it,
yeah, most definitely.

You know, willy wonka
is about imagination.

It's about making a gumball

That tastes
like a roast beef sandwich

That turns into a blueberry pie.

So, obviously,
my idea was going mexican.

Sure, absolutely.

Because I mean,
I would go,

What movie?

[Spike]
manuel comes up with a movie,
I forgot what it was called.

But he doesn't have anything
to offer.

I've been cooking vietnamese
food for two years now.

So I picked
good morning, vietnam.

[Manuel]
my style, it's embedded
in my mexican roots,

But spike's cool,
you know.

I'm looking forward
to cooking with him.

Something gives me a chance
to learn something

And put in a little input
into that, as well.

Okay, so, what's this--
let's think.
Oh, god.

[Jen]
so it's me and nikki.

Since we're both
kind of italian in our style,

She's actually italian.

You know, we started
trying to figure out

What italian movie
we both really liked.

Yeah, totally,
I think it's great.

I think it's romantic.
Yeah, it's nice.

It has that country,
like, italian--

Yeah, we can hold hands.
I love it.

It'll be cool.
[Laughs]

[Jen]
we came up

With il postino,
which is a beautiful movie,

It's a romantic movie,

And it's all about this man,
he rides his bicycle

Through the beautiful mountains
of italy.

I can bang out the pasta
really quickly

If you want to make
the tortellini.

Awesome.
[Bleep]

because I'm, like,
so fast at that.
that's great.

[Jen]
it's more difficult
than I thought

To be competing
against zoi.

You know, especially
that she's a really good cook,

But this is a competition.

I mean, I hope
we both continue to stay on,

And I think
we have a really good chance.

But it's gonna get harder.

Okay, I was thinking
then, like, doing

Like a braised lamb shank--
I love that.

[Antonia]
my partner is zoi.

She cooks
exactly the way I do.

I love this movie called
talk to her.

Maybe do something spanish.

Obviously, they did
that bullfighting,

So you just want to kind of--
red, something sexy.

talk to her
is a spanish film

About two very creative women.

It just sort of represented us.

I think this--
I'm happy with this.

Yeah, me too.
I'm actually
really happy with this.

Okay.
What's your movies, g?

[Ryan]
I draw knives, and I get mark.

Like this guy's new zealand,
new england--

Where the hell's
mark from?

[Ryan]
we're not gonna have anything
in common.

Why don't we just put down
a bunch of movies?

Yeah, so what's some movies--
I love dumb and dumber.

I think it's as funny
as [bleep].

Great.

old school.

crazy bad,
what's that?

[Ryan]
like what movies do you watch?

He starts naming
this stuff,

And it's all I hear is
"wa-wa-wa."

Like he has not seen
once were warriors,

Or mad max, or bad boy bubby.

What about
the christmas movie?

Which one?

Oh, what's the one with the kid
that gets sh*t with the bb

In his eye and they go get
asian food instead?

You know
what I'm talking about.

He takes the glass leg
for his mom's christmas.

And he puts it in the window.

And then they go
and get chinese food

And have duck
instead of normal turkey

Because the turkey
got [bleep] up.

It's a normal christmas feast.

It's a christmas
[bleep] movie.

And they sit down
at the table--

[ryan]
what's the christmas movie,
you guys?

"you got your eye sh*t out."

a christmas story.

[Mark]
a christmas story

Is something that, you know,
all the families see,

Everybody's seen it,

And it's a, it's a--
I believe it's a comedy.

So if we were to do--

[lisa]
I just would hate myself

if I got thrown off
this [bleep] show

for doing a dessert after
I said to myself I wouldn't.

no, totally.

[Lisa]
I end up with stephanie again.

We get the sixth course.

We immediately
start thinking

[Bleep],
we just made a cobbler,

And now we have
to make dessert again.

Let's think
about our options.

[Lisa]
and we are deciding dessert's
not gonna happen.

Guys, we're doing beef
and short ribs on the plate,

So just so everybody's got that
out there.

we can do--

Have you seen the movie,
top secret!?

[Lisa]
the first thing that I think of
when I think of a cow

Is the movie top secret!

There's a funny scene
with these two guys

In this cow suit
and a little baby cow

That comes up to them--

And I won't give
any more details.

[Stephanie]
I would describe
lisa's personality

As very strong and bold,
so it's a little ironic

That lisa chose
to do top secret!

It's sort of along the lines
of airplane!

And movies like that,
just funny humor,

But it's supposed
to be really funny,

And so I trust
her judgment.

And it actually is one
of my favorite movies.

[Man]
so we have the menu planned

And we head off to whole foods.

We have $150 and 30 minutes

To get everything
for our own course.

So I'll take that one
for sure.

Scale off, skin on,
deboned.

Our team is doing
the first course.

And we're making a smoked salmon

With faux caviar
made from soy tapioca pearls

And a wasabi
white-chocolate sauce.

Okay, I'll be back.

[Andrew]
I have no doubt in my mind

That the people who
will be eating this food

Will culinarily crap
in their pants

When they see
what we have for them.

Apple vinegar?

[Spike]
you don't need

To put, like, caviar
on top of a summer roll

To make it good,
you know what I mean.

You can take very simple,
regular,

Everyday ingredients

And make something
really kick-ass out of it.

Fabulous. I'm excited.
You have it?

yeah, you ready for it?
yup.

[Spike]
manuel feels

That wild chilean sea bass
is the way to go.

[Spike]
I'm happier going maybe
with tilapia.

It's not so pungent.

But as a chef,
you have to compromise

With your employees and--
the people you're working with.

[Manuel]
chilean sea bass holds up
very well.

And will also take on the chili
rub that I'm gonna make for it.

You want me to go
over there?

Sure, grab saffron.

[Antonia]
our dish is rack of lamb

With cauliflower saffron puree
and romesco.

Rack of lamb is
muy, muy expensive.

We could only afford four.

So cutting the lamb?

No messing up
on cutting whatsoever

Because there's no...
None to spare.

[Mark]
just like on the movie,
christmas story,

There was no turkey,

And there was no duck either.

Do you have quail?

Uh, the quail, quail--
quail I have in the back.

[Mark]
I'm excited with quail

Because prepared the right way,
it can be more flavorful.

Cranberries just came in.
Just came in?

[Mark]
first-of-the-season cranberries.

Awesome, you know,

That's christmastime
right there, isn't it?

Thanks so much.
See you soon.

Welcome to the world
of film and flavor.

[Andrew]
richard comes up
with the idea to do

willy wonka
and the chocolate factory.

I have an idea

To be the oompa-loompa.

Today I will serve you
a magical concoction--

[Andrew]
to make more of a connection,

I wanted
to show them, like,

What an oompa-loompa was.

Do-do-do-do-do,
I'm a little chef.

Look at me.

[Dale]
it's one thing

To do willy wonka,

But to show them,
hey, I'm an oompa-loompa midget,

To me, is a little kitschy.

do you not feel that'd be
the perfect representation

Of what we're doing,
really, honestly-speaking?

I think it might be

A little too tongue-in-cheek,
that's all.

[dale]
you want to put a top hat on
and do a song-and-dance?

I'm not ready
to do that.

Let's go, guys.

[Mark]
and we head to a place
called gallery 37

To create a dinner

For critic richard roeper
and actress aisha tyler.

[Richard]
I'm grabbing plates.
Grab a vita-mix.

I think we should
start cooking, no?

[nikki]
I'm going for the pasta,
okay?

Can you watch the kale
with your sauce?

[Jen]
we came up with il postino.

Great, beautiful romantic movie.

We're both pasta-makers.

I mean, that's pretty thin.

Do a little bit.
Let me see what it looks like.

This is definitely
my forte.

[richard]
you're on the fish, right?

I'm on fish right now.

[Richard]
I think myself, you know,
I'm a leader,

But I probably have been sitting
in the back seat

A little bit too much
over the first few rounds.

Talk to me,
everyone.

[Richard]
and I'm ready to kinda
just take that chance,

If it's good,
it's me.

And it it's not,
it's me.

You'll have the caviar,
you think, in a half hour?

I think it will be all right
by a half hour, yes, sir.

[Andrew]
we're actually running
a small, tight dish,

And not everything is
what it seems.

Maybe add a little touch more
of mushroom soy?

[Andrew]
I think that it's going to be
a really hard act to follow.

[Spike]
good morning, vietnam
speaks for itself.

Everybody knows summer rolls
are made in vietnam.

Second course is going to be
a challenge

Because I'm going
after first course,

Which is mixing chocolate
with wasabi and celery

Is something I would not
want to imagine.

So what,
what's on our check list?

[Manuel]
our dish is
a vietnamese summer roll

Made with chili-rubbed
chilean sea bass,

Prepared with pickled
swiss chard.

[Ryan]
lovin' our dish.
Lovin' it.

Mark does a lot
of asian-influenced food,

So just gonna run
with a spring roll.

And the fact that they ate
in an asian restaurant,

I was like,
yeah, let's run with it.

It's really rich.

It's good though, right?
It's really good.

Lisa, are you still using
ginger?

You can take that piece
right there, that's fine.

[Stephanie]
lisa and I work well together.

She's very strong-minded
in her thoughts.

[Lisa]
they're [bleep]ing horrid.

I'm gonna throw this away.

[Stephanie]
but she's a great chef,
and she's really organized,

And I think that our dish
is gonna taste awesome

And we're gonna totally hit
what we're going for.

We're making new york strip,
pot stickers

That have also apples in them,

Just to bring a little
of the fall in,

A reduction of braising liquid,

And a savory caramel.

[antonia]
the cauliflower

Is really good,
it's like very light saffron.

I don't think the color's
gonna change too much on it.

So we should maybe
add a touch more,

But let's taste it.

[Antonia]
the concept of the dish
is spanish,

So we've got like orange,
and red, and green.

If we put more saffron in it,

It would be a great,
vibrant yellow,

But then it would just taste
like saffron.

I'm feeling that, flavor-wise,
we're spot on.

Hot pan up top.

Are you ready
to start plating, chef?
Yeah.

We gotta get hopping, dude.

First plate.

Okay, let's go, let's start
moving a little quicker.

I'll do the machine.

You do the torch.

[Richard]
it's [bleep]ing stunning.

No one's gonna do this.

Okay, wrap it up.
I'm happy.

The flavors are good.
We're really pushing it.

We have
this little electric smoker.

[Richard]
we use it to impart, like, a
little smoke flavor in the dish.

Have this presentation
where the guest

Can poke through the wrap.

And then the smoke kinda billows
out at the table.

It's [bleep]ing not working.

[Richard]
not even halfway through,

The little electric smoker gizmo
that I brought with me

Goes down.

What can we do, dale?

[Andrew]
on the third dish,

The thing completely goes kaput.

And it's like,
oh, [bleep].

Take
the [bleep]ing plastic off

And let's just drop
something else on there.

I don't know--anything else
to get this working

Because this is gonna be failure
right here.

It just didn't have a lot
of flavor.
This is too thin.

The dish is kind of one-note.
It's a little soggy.

I think it's better
than all the experts

have been saying so far.

I thought it was wonderful.

I thought it was better
than just good.

is it working?

no, you b*rned
the plastic wrap.

Nah, dude,
no, no, not a chance in hell.

No, not a chance in hell,
dude, not with this.

Now I'm thinking of the smoker
and some of the things I do,

They're absolute bonus,
you know, it's a bonus.

[Richard]
we have a strong core on flavor.

Plastic off, plastic off,
plastic off.

[padma]
well, I'd like to propose
a toast

To richard roeper,
to aisha tyler,

To chicago,
thank you

for welcoming top chef.

So cheers.

Lovely.

Can we hold it
and let's just see--

Can we get some smoke
sh**ting off of here?

So we find
a new-fangled technique,

Which is basically
lighting a piece of wood on fire

And holding the salmon above it
while it smokes.

Andrew and I and rich is holding
this piece of wood

And we're going back and forth,
we're wiping the plates,

Kind of replating everything.

Take those out.

And then you know,
zero hits and we're done.

[Beep]

Hi, everyone.

Hello.
How are you?

[richard]
so the movie we chose
is very personal to me,

And it's willy wonka.

it's all
about pure imagination.

so what we have here

Is a salmon
that's been barely smoked

And seared
with some faux caviar.

Of course, it's served
with some white chocolate

And wasabi.

And kind of a play
on the fizzy lifting drink--

a pear and a celery soda.

Now we have been working on
trying to get

The guests to float,

And if you do float,

I think burping is the way
to get down from the ceiling.

thank you.
enjoy.

Give a little bit of fattiness
to the wasabi.

[aisha]
it's nice.

The spice is--

Surprisingly good.
Yeah.

All the combination
are so creative,

And maybe not predictably

made to go together,

but very well-ex*cuted, no?

I loved
his explanation.

you know, 'cause I thought
at first

It might be a little bit
of a stretch

For this to actually
fit the film,

But I think he did a nice job
of explaining it,

I think with the drink
in particular.

I do appreciate
that he started us off

With an appropriately delicate
starter.

[padma]
here is our next course.

[ted]
oh, fantastic.

The movie that inspired us
was good morning, vietnam.

and vietnamese food
is just being accepted

As a world-class cuisine.

we basically took
the traditional summer roll

and made it ours.

[Manuel]
so inside
you have black vermicelli,

Some green apple,
bean sprouts,

Mint, cilantro, a little bit
of wild chilean sea bass

That's been marinated
in chili.

To the right of that,
you have a swiss chard.

Enjoy.
Enjoy.

[Spike]
I am feeling confident,
but I have been

On the chopping block now
twice in a row.

You know, it's usually
the leader takes the fall.

Well, my first impression
is I would have not used

fish inside.

With the budget they had,
they could have bought lobster,

Or they could have bought crab.

I mean,
nothing else is expensive here.

I'm used
to spring roll wrappings

Being very kind of light
and easy throughout,

but I felt like I was really
working on that noodle.

The other thing is, this little
bit on the side over here--

I have no idea
what to do with it,

What it's there for.

[Aisha]
there's not that much connection
to the movie.

It sounded to me like they
wanted to do vietnamese food,

So they chose the movie.

I think that's exactly
what happened.

[Nikki]
il postino--

So we're hoping to transport you

To the hillsides of italy
with our dish.

[Jen]
fresh tortellini
with cavolo nero,

Which is
an italian black cabbage,

With a fresh ricotta,
a little pecorino cheese,

A kabocha squash
with some grains of paradise,

Which is a peppercorn from
africa that's extremely floral,

Hopefully, you'll enjoy
that gavi that we've poured

to go along with the dish.

Enjoy.

It's good.
It's not great, it's good.

They didn't care much

About the beautiful,
pretty shape of it.

[ted]
well, I love the rusticity
of the shape of the torte--

I prefer handmade pasta
that doesn't look

Like it was stamped
out of a machine.

I keep hearing rustic,
and I think that kind of fits in

With the theme,
and I think it's better

Than all the experts,
that you've been saying so far.

I mean,
I thought it was wonderful.

I thought it was better
than just good.

We're picking it apart
because we're being,

you know, as nitpicky
as can be.

It was that the dish
was kind of one-note.

I eat mediterranean food
every day,

And this is like,
the closest thing

Where I picture the village
and the sheep running around.

I think it's great.
I liked it.

Nice.

Here, let's go.

[Mark]
so time's counting down.

I'm a little nervous
that the spring roll was dry.

Nothing else
I'm very concerned about

Because all the flavors
seem to gel well together.

I need some sauce
on these spring rolls, mate.

They're going to be dry.

I'd be happy to.
I'd be happy to.

[Ryan]
the christmas story.

so what we ran with
is actually the part

Where the dog comes
and takes the turkey.

They go and have their meal
at an asian restaurant.

And they end up having some form
of a duck during christmas.

[Mark]
on the plate tonight,

We have a carrot puree.

On top of that, you have
the quail breast

With some cheeky little
cranberry chutney.

Also, we have a spring roll,

Which is utilizing
the leg of the quail

And watercress puree.

'Tis the season
to be jolly.

May I sauce.
Thank you.

[padma]
it's really delicious.

First impressions
having just tried half of it

Is that so far,
I have a new favorite dish.

Ooh.
Beautiful,
sophisticated, complex.

Looked like some things
might not work together.

They do work together.

christmas story is one
of my favorite holiday movies.

And I like what the guys
had to say about it.

And they took a specific scene

And really brought it
into the dish.

[Aisha]
the carrot puree
is like wonder--

This whole--
fantastic.
Beyond.

Like I'm trying to get it all
up off the plate.

Take another small spoon.
Swipe it through there.

Plating's going really well.

Blais comes over
and just helps

With a little swoosh
of the cauliflower puree.

And I'm slicing lamb.

You know,
I'm just really concerned

With making sure that we get


And go.

[Antonia]
so our film
was talk to her.

it's a spanish film.

[zoi]
the women in the movie

Are very passionate women,

so we felt that this movie
well represented

Two strong females
with a passion for what they do.

[antonia]
our inspiration was vibrant
colors, reds and greens,

And that vibrant color
and feel from spain.

It's a roasted rack of lamb with
a saffron cauliflower puree,

Romesco, and a parsley-orange-
sage-rosemary gremolata.

Enjoy, everyone.

She was talking about
the fiery--

and I don't really see
the translation of it.

I agree
with daniel.

The colors aren't as vibrant
as they made them out to be.

[Tom]
my big problem was the lamb.

I would prefer to have
a single chop.

I'd like something
that you can actually chew

And something that has a bite
to it, and this is too thin.

[aisha]
when you eat a great plate
of food, you feel transported.

This was fine,
and it tasted good.

I didn't feel anything
transcendent about it.

Didn't bring you to spain.
No, not at all.
Not even a little bit.

The scallions.

[Stephanie]
I think our dish is
a little bit different

Than classic french cooking.

But I'd like to show daniel

That we know
how to balance a dish,

Season it properly,
cook it properly,

And hopefully,
he'll enjoy it.

[Lisa]
uh, the movie we chose
is top secret!

it's one of those comedic
movies that's like

A naked g*n-style movie,

the cow scene is the most
hilarious thing I've ever seen,

and every time
I think of a cow,

I think of that movie.

So we have new york strip
that we've sauteed for you,

It's served over--
we have a little wonton

That's filled
with braised short rib.

And a little bit
of caramelized apple

And some nice asian flavors.

The sauce that you see drizzled
on the plate

is a reduction
of the braising liquid,

As well
as some fresh apple juice,

And then we are going
to drizzle on top for you

A vietnamese savory caramel.

[Padma]
is this the same sauce
that's here?

[stephanie]
the one that's on the plate
is nice and tart,

and this is gonna be a little
sweet and savory together.

[padma]
daniel, first impressions?

Very asian,
very well seasoned,

I like the spiciness
of it.

I like this dish.
I like it a lot.

Don't you feel also, like,
this is an original dish?

like it feels original,
it feels like it goes

Above and beyond just
an iteration of a classic thing.

I couldn't make any
of these things at home.

And so, they all pass
that bar for me.

Now, does it say
val kilmer in a cow suit?

I don't know.

[Laughter]

[padma]
thank you, richard,

For inviting us,
and thank you, aisha.

It was lovely
to meet both of you.

And now we have a lot
of stuff to discuss.

Thank you very much.

You never know,
ever.

That's just the way--
this is a game.

Go back to willy wonka
with dale, andrew, and richard.

[Tom]
I thought it was whimsical,

I thought it was fun.

[Daniel]
the thought process of combining

Many surprising flavor
and going well together,

That's, for me, was most
professionally ex*cuted dish.

[ted]
it's especially impressive

If you can do that
with the subtlety

And the refinement
of a first course.

[Tom]
the good morning, vietnam dish

Had some flaws,
especially the fishiness

Of the fish they chose.

and the garnish on the side

just had no connection
to the dish at all.

Yeah, I mean, il postino,
nikki and jennifer,

I thought the dish was good.

it wasn't my favorite,
it wasn't my least favorite.

[Tom]
I thought the pasta was--
too much flour in it,

Too dry,
the filling was a little funny.

you know, mark and ryan,
I think they did a nice job.

I think they did a nice job
translating the story.

I think the colors
were evocative of the holiday.

[Tom]
the bird, the story,
the chinese food,

It all just kind of made sense.

The fifth course was antonia
and zoi doing talk to her.

They walked out here, and they
talked about these strong women,

And this fiery passion
that was gonna be on the plate.

[Tom]
they talked about, you know,
vibrant colors.

I didn't see vibrant colors
there.

[Daniel]
but it wasn't very fiery,
absolutely,

For something so passionate
as a subject.

[padma]
the last course.

Stephanie and lisa did
a very good job

At punching
all these combinations of flavor

And simplicity.

[Tom]
the garnish was good,

The sauces were good,
the flavors were good,

The meat was cooked perfectly,
it was flawless.

Well, we have our tops,
we have our bottoms.

Let's go back to judges table

And duke it out.

[Manuel]
I'm a little worried

With some of the dishes
that people put up,

Because there were
some really strong dishes.

And I think our dish
might be a little too simple.

[Zoi]
I'm confident going
into the judges table.

Everybody tasted our plate,
everyone said it was delicious.

Everybody really thought
it was beautiful, simple.

You know, hopefully, the judges
will appreciate that fact.

White chocolate, celery root,
and wasabi?

I would never think
to do it.

[spike]
I'm sorry,
but those flavors, to me,

They don't go together,
I'm sorry.

That doesn't taste good,
I promise.

[Laughter]

And if this is what they want,
then see you later.

Seriously,
I'm so unbelievably tired.

Can we please see chefs

from willy wonka and the
chocolate factory, as well as

The pair from top secret!?

Congratulations,

You two were
the judges' favorite.

[stephanie]
I think we're all
really excited.

Awesome, dudes.

[stephanie]
awesome, you guys.

[tom]
both teams did a really
great job with--with the food,

But also connecting the film
to the food.

[daniel]
who decided

To take the risk
of putting chocolate

In the first course?

That was me.

[Richard]
we thought it was gonna be

A pretty big risk.

I thought, actually, we were on
the negative side because of it.

[tom]
it's such a strange
combination, you just wanna

Look for ways
not to like it,

But I couldn't.
you made it punchy enough.

The wasabi

was the element
to lift the dish.

What about the faux caviar?
That was a fun touch.

The faux caviar
was all andrew.

What was the hydrocolloid
that you used to--

Tapioca pearls.

[andrew]
it was all--
just in right balance

And just done
with such precision.

[tom]
it was a great plate
of food.

So top secret! team,

Tell us how you, uh,
conceptualized the dish.

I think it all started
with lisa's great idea

For that caramel sauce.

Sort of worked on it
from there.

[Ted]
the reduction sauce that was
already on the plate

Was so delicious
that I was really worried

'cause I thought
you're gonna muck this up

with a bunch of other flavors.

And it all really was
so harmonious.

[tom]
everything about this dish
was great.

The beef was technically
just cooked really, really well.

It was a nice,
perfect medium-rare,

Seared nicely,

great dish.

Thank you.
[padma]
so, daniel.

As our guest judge
for this round,

It falls to you
to announce the winner.

[daniel]
one of the team,
the execution was,

I will say, perfect.

And that was team one.

And the one who really took
the lead, I think,

that was richard.

[padma]
congratulations.

[Applause]

[Richard]
I think willy wonka would be

Very proud of what we did.

This challenge has taught me

To just be myself.

Be confident in my palette.

It's really just about taste
and about technique.

Thanks, chef.

And now I need you
to do me a favor

and send back
some of your colleagues.

[spike]
I think that was good news.

[Bleep].

Richard's like light years away
from the way I cook.

White chocolate, celery root,
and wasabi?

I would never think
to do it.

[spike]
I'm sorry,
but those flavors, to me,

They don't go together,
I'm sorry.

Like the way
they don't make sense to you.

Didn't sound good
to me.

That doesn't taste good,
I promise.

[Laughter]

And if this is
what they want,

Then see you later.

You guys,
we won.

[mark]
awesome, awesome.

[Scattered applause]

[richard]
they'd like to see talk to her

and good morning, vietnam.

[Zoi clears her throat]

Good luck, guys.

[Padma]
you have the judges'
least favorite courses tonight.

let's start with you,
zoi and antonia.

Why do you think
you're here?

I am a little surprised,
being in the bottom.

I have to say,
I thought that our lamb

was cooked perfectly.

I thought that our romesco
was really nice

And our gremolata was nice.

Some of the issues
that we had

with your dish was one
in selling it.

You gave us this great story
about strong women

And very vibrant colors.

It wasn't very vibrant colors.

We envisioned, you know,
really yellow cauliflower,

And really red romesco.

but the bottom line
is flavor.

I think I'm hearing
you agree that the colors

Weren't as vibrant
as you wanted them to be.

As we had imagined.

Also as you sold it.

You might be right.

You cooked the lamb perfect,
as you mentioned.

Why slice it so thin?

that was kind of--

Our intention was to have
those two chops

Sort of in this playful way
represent

The two of us and these
two women in the movie.

And we didn't express that
as well as we should have.

[antonia]
I don't know
if you've seen the movie,

But absolutely, we said that
it's bold and it's beautiful,

And yes, that maybe
did not reflect in our colors.

What I also so much loved
about it is that

it was just
a very simple connection.

[padma]
I think that's all great.

I just wish
you had told us this.

Right.

good morning, vietnam.

What was the thinking
behind your dish?

Vietnamese food.

That's what I'm cooking
presently right now,

So I felt I can execute
something with that.

Did you decide
what to put into the roll?

Well, no, we collaborated on,
you know,

What we wanted in the roll.

you know, it's pretty much,
classically,

What goes into a summer
or fresh roll.

[ted]
something that wasn't classic
was the idea of swiss chard.

Can you tell us
where that came from?

[manuel]
the idea was

To put a pickle into it
somehow,

And, um, the swiss chard
really stuck out to me.

I thought
it was vibrant and beautiful.

The problem with the swiss chard
wasn't the fact

That you chose swiss chard
and took a risk.

The problem was there was
no connection to the dish.

There was a little pile

of swiss chard
off to the side

that really had no relation
at all to the summer roll.

You need to make
those connections.

did you spend
your entire budget?

Uh, yes.

Really.

it seemed like all
the other contestants

had a different budget
than you did.

I didn't see the value
on the plate.

it was something that--

You can find in a local,

Neighborhood
vietnamese restaurant

That you would pay
eight bucks for an appetizer.

[manuel]
the idea was to show
the progression

Of why the cuisine has come to
in a different light.

Then why give us something
that is fairly typical

in a vietnamese restaurant?

you know, you have
a different background,

so weave it together--
take what you know

And use those flavors
to make something different.

You know, being that what spike
does is vietnamese food,

I also thought it would be
a great opportunity for myself

To learn something about spike
and what he does.

You feel it's a little late
to learn from your partner?

Absolutely not, chef.

I think if I live a day
in my life without learning,

then I have a problem.

So if one of you goes home
for that dish,

Who should it be?

I don't play that way.

I'm sorry,
I mean, I'm not going to say

that he should go home,
you know, over me.

See you in a bit.
Thank you.

[chefs]
thank you.

I can't compete
with smoked salmon,

White chocolate,
and tapioca pearl caviar.

If that's what is the winner,

Then that's not me.

[Jen]
it's [bleep]ing bull[bleep].

I think it's unfair

That zoi's in the bottom
and antonia's in the bottom.

The dish was spot-on.

I don't want to see you go.
I don't want to see me go.

but I don't think
they're going.

[Tom]
you know, if you look
at the two dishes

On balance,
antonia and zoi's story

Just didn't match up
with what we got.

Had it matched up,
I think,

They may not even be here.

You know,
manuel and spike,

I actually think that they had
the dish before the movie.

Oh, most definitely.

Spike seemed
to have no concept

Of the idea
that a roll like that

Is something that you can get,
as you said,

In any decent vietnamese
restaurant.

Spike clearly drove this dish.

On one hand,
you can send him home

Because he was
most responsible

For this dish.

On the other hand,
you have manuel,

Who knows very little
about vietnamese food

And just allows
to be led down this path.

We made these decisions.

It's not, like,
"okay, spike, whatever you say."

I'm not gonna stand here

And fault him
for decisions that we made.

I think it's probably
gonna be me.

I don't know why, but I have
a feeling it's gonna be me.

Okay, I think we have
a decision.

[padma]
let's get them
back out here.

The challenge was
fairly straight-forward.

Find a movie

that you like,
that you know well,

and create a dish that sort of
worked in with that theme.

Antonia, zoi,

you told a great story.

Unfortunately, we didn't get
that story on the plate.

however, the dish was
a good dish.

You guys are safe.

Spike, manuel,

not only was your dish

Our least favorite,

it was unanimously voted
the least favorite dish

Out of the other eight diners,
as well.

you know, spike,
you took the lead on this dish.

It's something that you're very
comfortable working with.

Manuel, on the other hand,
you were just happy

To go along with his lead.

winning this competition isn't
about just sort of following.

it's about having the drive
and the determination

To take that role yourself.

And didn't see that
from you.

Between the two of you,

You left us
with a very difficult decision

because neither one of you

were really
sort of forthcoming,

And we had to make a decision
our way.

Manuel, please pack your knives
and go.

Thank you.

[Manuel]
definite disappointment,
obviously.

It's an honor and a privilege

To work with that talented group
of individuals.

Every day's
a learning experience,

And, you know, I learned
more than one thing today.

I'd like to thank everybody
for the opportunity to compete,

And I really appreciate
the experience.

chef boulud, chef colicchio,
it's been a pleasure.

[Manuel]
I don't regret going vietnamese,

Because if it was mexican
flavors that we were going with,

Spike would have been in
the same position that I'm in.

I just wanted to say
that never in my life

have I ever been surrounded

By such talented
and brilliant people.

I appreciate
the opportunity

to get to know each
and every one of you.

But, unfortunately,
it's my time to go.

It's just a phenomenal
experience.

I've met people here
that I know I'll have

Be friends
for the rest of my life.

[Applause]

And I'm honored.

It makes me remember

Why I chose this career

And what I want to do,

And so, yeah, it'll definitely
affect the way I cook

And the way I see food
in the future.

[Padma]
next, on top chef...

You'll be cooking
a very high-end dinner

For about 320 people.

Too bad there's scales
on the salmon.

I mean,
I have.

[padma]
that's bad.

I have five scales
in my mouth.

I assume there's a reason
if you put stuff on a plate.

what was it supposed
to do?

[Richard]
you know,
the richard blais charm

Has just worn off
on tom colicchio.

The entire dish
was bland,

start to finish.

You get to bitch
and whine about everything

You [bleep]ing feel about.

I feel that
that's bull[bleep].

[jen]
you just put your [bleep]ing
teammate in the ground.

So [bleep]ing what?

Yeah, so?
So [bleep]ing what?

You have a problem
with that?

[dale]
it's [bleep]ing weak.

[Padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,