04x13 - Puerto Rico

[bunniefuu]

[Padma lakshmi]
previously on top chef...

you five are gonna take over

His new steak restaurant
tomorrow night.

I wanna make it
to the final four.

That's what I'm here for.

[Stephanie]
we have to make an appetizer

And an entree.

I mean, it's a lot to do
in three hours.

I don't want it to die.
What if I die?

Well, then I guess you're not
going to puerto rico, lisa.

Didn't you see
that they were frozen?

I don't have a problem
with using frozen scallops.

Um, it's gonna be potatoes
and turnips and red wine.

That's pretty straightforward
for--for you.

Tom kind of--
he said something to me

That really bothers me.

I was really surprised that
you stuck with those scallops.

Being a chef
is all about choices.

Well, with all due respect,
they were in your walk-in.

But you gotta take the sh*t
that you used them.

I would imagine
neither one of you

should be surprised
to be here right now.

Spike, please pack your knives
and go.

[Blows out]

[Padma]
now lisa, stephanie,

Richard, and antonia
remain to fight it out.

At stake for the winner
of our top chef finale

In puerto rico:

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]

♪ ♪

[Latin music]

♪ ♪

[Stephanie]
for the past six months,
I've been traveling

Through thailand,
vietnam, and cambodia.

Just been enjoying life
a little bit.

Being here in puerto rico
is awesome.

hey!

Hey.

[Antonia]
my preparation
for the finale...

My restaurant opened,

And I've been cooking
100 hours a week.

My daughter,
she's getting used to the fact

Of me not being there
six or seven nights a week.

[Richard]
just wanna help
get the game started.

I think it's the time
to be focused for sure.

So there's time to play,
and there's time to work.

Oh, there's blais.
Hey, what's up?

Welcome to puerto rico.
How are you?

Please drop your bags off
here.

[Richard]
it's really, really good

To see stephanie
and antonia.

The three of us have been
the chefs

From the beginning
that most people said

These were gonna be
in the finals.

So, you know,
I don't think

Too many people expect lisa
to be here, for sure.

Where's lisa?

Where's lisa?
God.

Lisa.

you've cut off
all your hair.

How are ya?
Group hug.

Mwah.

Look at this.
Holy smokes. Wow.

[antonia]
that's pretty.

[Lisa]
everybody looks relaxed.

Much calmer than the last time
I saw them.

It's--it's really not
kicking into me yet

That we're--we're actually
in puerto rico.

[antonia]
nice.

[Chuckles]

So it's time to begin
the endgame.

this round of the competition

Will determine who makes it
through to the final challenge.

I'd like to introduce you

To our guest judge
for this round,

one of the most celebrated
chefs here in puerto rico.

wilo benet,

Of pikayo restaurant
here in san juan.

Welcome to puerto rico.

Hello.
Hi, chef.

Wilo benet,
probably the chef

That most embodies
puerto rican cuisine.

Kind of embodies the spirit,
I think, of the island.

so one of puerto rico's

Most popular food traditions

Is the beachside frituras,
or fritters.

they're fantastic, simple
little fried snacks served best

With a cold, cold beer.

Your quickfire challenge
is to make some frituras

For wilo and i.

if I have to choose

One product
that clearly represents

Puerto rican gastronomy,
would be plantains.

each of you
will be required

To make two different frituras,

Both containing plantain.

[Stephanie]
before I came, I tried,
you know, shredding them

And frying them and just
eating them different ways.

And they're just--
it's just really not

My favorite thing
to cook with.

Plantains are pretty common.

I would assume most chefs
have worked with it.

I definitely know
how to use the plantains,

So I'm not nervous
at all.

So you have 40 minutes.

You can use anything

you see on this table,

and anything you find

In the little kitchen
back there.

Your time...starts now.

good luck!

[Lisa]
time starts, everybody runs
to the table.

I run straight into the kitchen
to check out the proteins.

Wanna make sure
that things are fresh.

So right away I'm like,
okay,

I'm gonna get some chorizo,
grab some duck,

And head back out
to the table.

I think my problem
throughout the season

With quickfires is,
I have too many ideas going

In my head, so I'm trying
to just focus

And just figure out something
that's gonna taste good.

[Antonia]
being in a kitchen
that you're not familiar with

Does take a little bit
more time

Than if it was obviously
your kitchen.

[Lisa]
in preparation
for the finale,

I've been trying to play around
with different things.

Tostone is very traditional
puerto rican item.

You take a green plantain,
you smash it,

And then you fry it,

And it comes out
nice and crispy.

[lisa]
whoa.

[richard]
you smell my, uh, eyebrows?

I do.
It's a little scary, blais.

Thank you.

[Laughs]

Hi, wilo and padma.

Hi, stephanie.

Some little fried snacks
for you.

So this is a tostones

With some seared tuna.

I used a vinegar,
some red onions,

and peppers,
a little bit of sugar

just to add
a little sweetness to it.

And on this side there is a pork
and shrimp little fritter.

With a, um, brown butter,
lime,

and basil drizzle
on top.

Have you ever made tostones
before?
I haven't.

For first-time tostones,
they're not bad.

All right.
Thank you.

hi.
hello.

Hello.

So today I have for you, uh,

Crispy oysters
with a cilantro plantain jam.

So does this fritter

Have any plantain
in it?

It has the plantain jam
underneath.

But other than that?
No.

And then just a, uh,
fried yellow plantain

with a spicy slaw.

The breading on the oysters is?

I soaked it
in a little bit of milk,

and, uh, we had panko
in the back.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

Hi, lisa.
how's it going, guys?

[wilo]
going good.

all right, I'll put this
between you guys.

First over here,
I have a tostone

With a little bit
of pan roasted duck,

Little bit of crispy duck skin.

And then a very spicy,

little bit sweet
mango papaya salsa.

just to kind of keep
the tropical flavors.

And then over here we have
my version

Of a mofongo fritter.

Um, sweet plantains,
some caramelized red onions,

uh, a little bit of, um,
rendered chorizo.

and then a spicy

Chutney slaw, if you will.

The chutney slaw
is--is what now?

It's basically, um,

A little bit of kumquats,
oranges.

um, a little bit
more chilis.

um, and then, um,

Some cucumbers
just kind of dressed

With the same juices
that came off

of the oranges.

[padma]
thank you.
thanks, guys.

[padma]
hi, richard.

How are you?

Very good.
How are you?

So two versions
using plantains.

Really playing off
the whole bar food, salty/sweet.

So abondigas, um, of pork

With some cilantro and herbs.

With a little sauce
of the ripe plantain.

So a kind of salty meatball,
sweet sauce.

and then on the other dish,
I really wanted

to focus on just plantains.

So the--the green plantain
fried as a chip.

Kind of a play
on chips and salsa,

Which I think works great
for beer.

And then the ripe, uh,

plantain as the salsa.

These are ripe plantains
in the salsa?

these are raw.

I mean, I really wanted
to just do them raw.

all right.
thank you, richard.

Awesome.
Thank you.

okay, so wilo,

How did our chefs do?

I think they did fantastic.

loved that I saw
a lot of applications,

Uh, to the plantain.

And lots of neat
little sauces and relishes

and chutneys
that I truly loved,

Actually.

Did anyone's fritura
fall flat?

Antonia.

I would've hoped

For a little more integration

Between the ripe plantains
and the slaw.

And on the jam,

I felt the, uh,
uncooked, ripe plantains

Were a little bit slimy,
uh, with that

raw taste to it.

so it was a little bit
of a turn-off there.

Richard.

Those, uh, raw,
ripe plantains

Had a little bit
of that raw taste to them.

And I felt the meatball
was a little dry.

All right, on to
some good news.

Stephanie, great job.

i, uh, absolutely loved

The fact that you used
tostones.

And, uh, I felt the sizes

And the balancing
of all the flavors

Was very nice.

overall, the portions
were right size.

I loved the size
of the slicing of the tuna.

Thank you.

lisa, great job.

I loved the fact
that you used the tostones.

And that they were,
as well, well-ex*cuted.

I would have loved to see
the meat

Sliced a little smaller,

Just to help it
a little bit

to be consumed.

uh, but I loved
the whole plate.

So well done.
Thank you.

Okay, so wilo, who are you
picking as the winner?

Oh, stephanie.

[padma]
congratulations, stephanie.

It's my first quickfire win.
Ever.

Better late
than never.

No immunity this time,
I'm sure,

But that's cool.

So I win my first
quickfire challenge.

Um, just really excited.
It came at the best time.

Just gotta keep up
the momentum

And not freak out,

And just really showing
what I can do.

Congratulations.

and I'm sure
you want to know

What advantage
that gives you.

and you'll find out
about all of that

Tomorrow.

Of course.

In the meantime,
wilo has an invitation

for you.

Like to invite
all of you

to a little party we have

in old san juan
this afternoon.

We're gonna have
some great local food.

And as well, some of

The traditional music
of puerto rico.

Welcome to puerto rico.

[Singing in spanish]

♪ ♪

[Lisa]
so we walk into the party.

There's lots of rum,
lots of food, lots of people.

There's a giant pig
that's being roasted.

There's a band,
there's dancers.

It's like a nice way for us
to be really welcomed

Into puerto rican culture.

♪ ♪

You have to come and dance
with everybody.

What do you mean?
Come on.

[Richard]
I'm having fun at the party.

You know, I mean,
I'm not much of a dancer.

I'm just concerned
about the task at hand.

[Stephanie]
tomorrow's a huge day,

And we're all still
a little bit nervous

About the competition.

I think that,
though we're having fun

At the party,
we just want to get cooking.

[Antonia]
I'm not even thinking
on those terms

Of what's at stake
if I don't win.

For me, i--
I just want to win.

[Lisa]
being on top chef

Has definitely been
a long journey.

And I'm just--
I'm just waiting

To see the--the light
at the end of the tunnel.

I was like,
what are you doing over there?

[stephanie]
holy shi...nikes.

[Padma]
welcome to beautiful
la fortaleza.

It was built originally
as a fort in 1533.

But it's been
the private residence

of all puerto rico's governors
since the 19th century.

So we're very honored to have
the top chef finale here.

tomorrow night, there'll be
a garden party.



will be here,
just to see

what the finalists
of top chef can do.

As I think you learned
yesterday,

In puerto rico,
it's just not a party

Without a pig.

You'll each get
one whole local pig

just like this guy right here.

we want you to make
at least two dishes

Using different parts
of the animal.

The challenges
have progressively

Gotten so much harder.

I mean, when we first get
to chicago,

And we're, like,
making a pizza.

And now we have, like,
an entire pig.

Deep dish is looking
real good right now.

it's a big job,

But we're gonna give you
a little help.

[Lisa]
we look up, and we see

Dale and nikki,
spike and andrew.

Definitely don't want
to work with dale.

Several times,
he's blown up on me.

He and I don't get along.

We never have
and we just never will.

And andrew and I had
a little problem in the past.

Andrew felt that
I threw him under the bus.

He was very upset with me.

I'm looking at the options,

And they're very limited.

[padma]
so stephanie,

As the winner
of the quickfire,

You get to assign
the sous chefs.

Wow.

I'm just gonna try
to put people together

That will actually
work well together,

Just 'cause I'd rather have
everybody in the kitchen

Getting along, rather than
having like people screaming.

Um, I'm gonna take dale
for myself.

So right away I pick dale,

Because I've known him
for about ten years.

And I just know
he's very talented.

For richard,
I'm gonna pick spike.

For antonia,
I'll pick nikki.

And for lisa,
I'll pick andrew.

[Andrew]
never have I thrown someone
under the bus.

I play with honor.

I'm her sous chef,
I'm gonna try

To help her win
the best I can.

You will have 30 minutes
to check out the kitchen here

And plan your menu.

then you will send
your sous chefs

off to the local
produce market

While you stay here
and butcher your pigs.

[Richard]
ooh.

[Chefs chuckle]

I'm not too thrilled
about this.

I would rather be
at the market myself

To really see what's fresh,
so this is

Kind of like going into it
a little bit blind.

This afternoon, you will have
two hours to prep.

And tomorrow,
you will have five hours

before the party starts.

So good luck.

So we walk into the kitchen,
and we each have

Our own wilbur
just sitting there.

I'd really like to do
braised pork belly.

The average person,
I think, when they eat pork,

They just go
to the grocery store,

They pick up some pork chops,
they might get some ribs.

And they might not
really think to themselves,

That this came out of...

That pig that
they just saw walking around.

I'm gonna pull
the entire head off.

Pull the feet off.
Right.

So like with just the head
and the feet.

Right.
And we'll call it
head to toe.

I think it's important
to kind of be inspired.

You know, to really show
who you are in a dish.

And I think that's kind
of the way spike cooks too,

So as long as he goes
and buys great ingredients,

Things that are fresh
and beautiful,

Then we're gonna be okay.

You know, you're not
my sous chef, you're my partner.

Yeah, I know, I know.
Okay.

so to do like
a pigeon peas

And rice with, um,
like, some sausage.

Being in puerto rico,
I definitely want

To go more traditional.

Definitely want to use
my surroundings

And sort of go for it.

That, I think,
sounds really solid.

Yeah.

I'm gonna stick
with the local flavors.

I'm not really gonna put
any of my asian flair onto it.

Definitely appropriate
some sort of, um,

Like a spicy rum glaze.

I don't think
it's a good idea

To do puerto rican food.

It's like playing
someone else's game.

You know?
It's like, play your game.

Maybe like
a pineapple mojo?

Does that sound
kinda interesting?

I think it does.

I know latin food.
I know latin flavors.

And I'm confident enough
with myself

That the people
who are from puerto rico

Who are going to try my food

Are really going
to enjoy it.

[antonia]
bye.

Piggly wiggly.

[Nikki]
we arrive at the market,

And, um,
it's just so crazy

Because I walk in...
What is this?

And find some things
that I'm not familiar with.

I was basically,
get what looks good.

I'll take one of those.

I'm going to buy
a lot of stuff.

So I need to--
maybe I give this to you?

Not speak english.

[Andrew]
I don't speak
that good of spanish.

So, uh, I usually refer
to like their things

As colors,
so I'll be like,

"esta roja...hmm..."

And, like,
try to do some visual [bleep].

And then usually they get it.

que es?

es.

que es?
apio.

apio?

apio, verdura.

nura, okay.

Or they don't.

And I come off
looking like a ret*rd.

Which happens
more often than not.

[Speaking pidgin spanish]

plastico...

crudo?
crudo.

crudo. okay.

I want you
to open this piece.

In the philippines,
we eat black plantains.

Almost exclusively.

They look rotten.

They look rotten.

And people don't like
to mess with 'em.

But they're just like candy.

You know, I think steph
will love that.

gracias.

[Lisa]
happy hoggin'!

[Antonia]
♪ wah-wah ♪

I've never actually
butchered a whole pig.

When butchering anything,
from a fish to a chicken,

To a rabbit, a pig,
it's really all the same thing.

You just want
to follow the bone,

So you don't have
any meat to waste.

mallets would've been awesome.

[Antonia laughs]
look at this leg.

Oh, that's terrible.

I feel like
I'm in the flintstones.

Breaking down a, you know,

A 60-pound pig
is a lot of work.

[stephanie]
it looks a little
too natural, lisa.

It's always
a little violent.

[Laughter]

Yo, the fact that I'm jewish?

The fact that I'm jewish?
This is what's--

this is what's happening
right now.

I was like,
what are you doing over there?

All I need is my chef Kn*fe
and my steel.

If you angle it this way,
you can actually

Just pop it out of its socket.

I know.
It sounds terrible.

Sorry, buddy.

As I'm breaking down
the pig,

I think of this friend
growing up.

He was a haitian kid that drank
these malt beverages, maltas.

I hated the flavor of it
when I was 12 years old,

'Cause it's almost
like caramel-y beer

With no alcohol.

But lately,
the last couple years,

I've been using it
to glaze ribs.

So it just hits me
that while we're in puerto rico,

I'm sure that they have
these drinks.

I have one special request
that wasn't on the list.

it's a--it's a drink.

Malta. Malt beverage.

they drink 'em down here.

they drink 'em
all over the islands.

Just ask someone

If they have any malt--
maltas.

A couple cans.
Like a six-pack of it.

[Spike]
cool, cool, cool, cool.
All right, bye.

Holy crap!

[Andrew]
pigeon wars!

Is there more stuff?

[Spike and richard chatting]

[Antonia]
nikki did a really,
really good job.

She got really great fruit.

Oh, my god.
Look at these mangos.

I know.

Really great local honey.

She's got some really
good finds.

Spicy.

We're organized.

Anything with green tape is us.

What, do you want me
to lay these ingredients

Out over here?
Whatever you wanna do.

[Richard]
there's eight chefs

In cramped quarters.

And it's...
It's really bad.

Actually, one of the secret
ingredients that I brought

Is a roll of, you know,
bright green painters' tape.

blais, can I use your...

Tape?

It's gonna help me
stay organized

The whole way through.

Taste that rub.
Tell me what you think.

[Stephanie]
I had dale
do the pork belly.

Just want to get the meat
rubbed for the next day.

Just to get as much flavor
in it as we can.

It's a nice
spice blend.

That's goal number one.

And you didn't get
any scallions, huh?

Lisa has a very strong
personality.

This and this
is more than enough.

Like, if it's not
what she wants,

She'll just toss that [bleep]

Right in the garbage
without question.

[Bleep].

[Richard]
lisa is a bit much sometimes

For me.

She's just got
a bad attitude.

It's like a gray cloud
in the kitchen,

To be quite honest.

All right,
why don't we switch jobs,

'Cause I seem to be
a bit faster than you at that.

[Lisa]
making sure that everything

Is absolutely perfect
is so important right now.

Basically, any kind of error
is gonna send someone home.



[lisa]
nice.

[Bleep]ing disgusting
is what that is.

[Dale]
I'm trying to get stuff
organized

And set her up
for success for tomorrow.

It's not gonna look
too good in here.

Everyone's jockeying
for fridge space,

'Cause there is none.

Bye!

All right.

[Stephanie]
so our two hours are up,

And we say good-bye
to our sous chefs.

I feel really organized.

I've got everything ready to go.

[Dramatic chord]

[andrew]
hey, kitty cats!

[Chefs exchanging greetings]

This [bleep].
Let's do this [bleep].

[Antonia]
we have five hours
in the kitchen today,

But five hours goes,
like, you know,

In seconds.

[dale]
I [bleep]ed up.

I walk into the kitchen
and immediately stare

At the pork
that I left out all night.

I just totally
forgot about it.

I'm not using that.
We're throwing it away.

You know what I mean?

It's not my kitchen.

I don't know how hot
it was in here, like--

Somehow there's pork belly

Sitting in the kitchen
overnight.

I really don't want
to chance it.

I don't wanna,
you know,

Make a bunch of people sick
at a cocktail party.

So we're losing
a whole dish.

And that probably really
could hurt my chances

Of winning.

I'm so sorry.

It's okay.

If I get her sent home,

I swear to god,
I would never forgive myself.

It's like someone pulled
my heart out of my chest

And stomped on it.

[Bleep].

...is that we're gonna use
some of that pork

For a third dish.
Okay.

'Cause that's a buttload
of [bleep]ing pork.

I'm not feeling
100% confident.

But I also know that I seem
to pull things together

At the last minute.

And, uh, just start working.

Uh, the pickled watermelons
done already, chef?

Oh, no, chef.

I definitely learned
a lot from richard.

Put some saran wrap
right on top of it,

So it doesn't discolor.

He always has something
behind the dish.

It's always something
a little tricky

And a little interesting.

[Richard]
I like, you know, equipment

And gadgets and toys.

But it's important
to simplify

And focus on execution.

Not bite off
more than you can chew.

So we're gonna do
braised pork shoulder

Cooked in a coffee
barbecue sauce.

Pork belly with pickled
watermelon rind.

Fresh ham with beans.

And the ribs that we're gonna
glaze in malta.

We're at four hours
right now?

I'm gonna do like
a crispy pork belly

Where I can heat it up
on the grill.

I'm gonna make
my own sausage.

And then just do
a very classic,

Like, pigeon pea
and rice.

And a curried pork
with pumpkin and yucca.

okay.

this is totally and completely
overcooked.

It is?

The bottom's, like, mush.
And the top is, like, raw.

The rice is not turning
into the consistency

That I want it to.

Uh-uh, just
throw it out.

[Nikki]
I get the feeling
antonia's not...

As strong
as she normally is.

And something is off.

So I feel like
I need to really stay focused.

You're burning on the side,
honey.

[Antonia]
focusing on the details

Is definitely a big part
of today's challenge.

I-i try not to think
too much

About having the restaurant
just opened.

Just so that it doesn't,
sort of, you know,

Get me unfocused on what
I'm trying to do for today.

I need to pull myself together.

Open.

I'm thinking
a bit of sugar?

One of the dishes
that I'm making

Is a yuca rillena

With, uh, pork inside.

Uh, my next dish
is a citrus pork belly.

And my third dish
is a tostone

With adobo roasted pork
and sofrito onions.

[stephanie]
I don't know what the [bleep]
to do

With that [bleep]ing
ground pork.

Okay, well, how many--we have
two dishes already, right?

I'm not just doing--

If I do two dishes,
I'm going home.

Pretty much [bleep]ed
right now.

Just--i'm [bleep]ing--

I stand there with dale
for a little bit.

Sort of just bounce ideas
off him.

What I want to do
for the third dish.

What about
a crispy skin salad?

I came up with this idea
about chicharonnes,

Which are crispy pig skins.

Really her style.

How about crispy skin salad

With maybe one of these
as a garnish?

Actually kind of excited about,
um, doing the chicharonnes,

Tropical fruit,
and prosciutto salad.

I'm also doing
a plantain pancake

With coconut braised pork.

And I'm doing
a pork satay

On sugar cane.

That's [bleep]ing good.
Sounds good.



God, this [bleep]ing,

[bleep]ing--

I'm definitely feeling nervous.

I think that all the stress
has built up.

Behind you.

I want to go all the way
to the end--i want to do this.

My daughter said,
"don't even bother coming home

Unless you win."

All right, this blini thing
was a really bad idea.

There are absolutely
no room for mistakes right now.

I think whoever makes
the little error

Is the one
that's gonna go home.

Careful.

You're awesome.
Thank you.

So today's challenge,
we're cooking for

A cocktail party tonight.


Of very v.i.p.s.

I'm definitely feeling nervous

Because I decided to ultimately
throw it out, the pork belly.

All right, this blini thing
was a really bad idea.

There are absolutely no room
for mistakes right now.

I think whoever makes
the little error

Is the one that's gonna
go home.

Getting through this challenge
is gonna put us to the finals,

When we get to cook
our own food--

Exactly what we wanna make.

And I don't wanna come
all the way to puerto rico

To be sent home.

the beans?
yeah.

Just give 'em
one more last little taste.

Winning the challenge today
is so important

To me because a disappointing
quickfire the day before.

No one can make
a fatal flaw,

Or else they're gonna go home.

One minute, dale.

We need to have stuff
on the table in a minute.

Ready.

[Beeping]

[Lisa]
party starts.

The first lady is there.

Very sweet, very welcoming.

It's really awesome
that we're getting

The privilege
to cook for her

And, you know,
a lot of her friends

And a lot of important people.

We have ham hock,
pork sausage,

And a little bit
of pigeon peas.

Enjoy.

Thank you very much.

Mm!

Hello, stephanie.

Hi, padma.
How are you?

I'm hungry.

Uh, first you guys have

Pork satay
on a sugar cane skewer.

There's a little
miso-almond sauce underneath.

Cilantro vinaigrette.

the pork has a little

lemongrass, ginger, shallots.

Definitely influenced
a little bit by my trip

to asia over the break.

Um, and then we have
some coconut braised pork.

There's a whole bunch of stuff
in here.

We've got peppers, pineapple,
olives.

And here we have
a black plantain pancake.

Tell me about the pancake
a little more again.

I just took
some black plantains,

blended them up
with some milk,

added a little
creme fraiche,

flour,
a little baking powder.

And then lastly we have a...

Just some tropical
fruit salad.

We have some nice mangos
and papaya.

And then there's some
chicharonnes on top.

Oh, it's nice.
It's really refreshing.

Thanks--have fun
eating lots of pork.

Very inventive,
the pancakes, huh?

[Laughs]

When the judges
tasted the food,

They all seemed
to really like it.

Everybody had smiles
on their faces.

Thanks, dale.

I think I'm good.

[Padma]
hello.
How are you?

It's good to see you.
[wilo]
good to see you again.

hoping to redeem myself.

I grew up
on pork and beans.

So, like, it's kind of a,
you know,

An homage to my mother,
who wasn't a great cook.

it usually came
out of a can.

not real super aggressive
flavor,

but I think clean and nice.

I'm really inspired
by pickled watermelon rinds,

Which we eat
in the south a lot.

So this is pressure cooked
pork belly.

'Cause I didn't have time--
I usually like

To do my pork belly
for 48 hours.

These are costillas, ribs.

I grew up in a really
diverse neighborhood.

This kid would drink
this malt beverage.

Very popular here.

Yeah, and it's got
this nice caramel flavor

That I think works
really, really well

For, like, ribs.

I kind of have my dishes
playing into

The regionality
of where we're at

And the regionality
of where I'm from.

Each dish has a story.

I mean, it's a painting.
It's more than just food.

This dish, a little homage
to where I live right now,

Atlanta, georgia.

So pork barbecue
cooked in coffee and cinnamon.

And then usually I'd serve it
with preserved peaches.

But I think mango's a bit more
appropriate for puerto rico.

[tom]
nice job, richard.

Thank you, chef.
Thank you.

Top lesson to learn
on top chef, you know,

Is that the goal
is to bend each challenge

To your strength.

Not to totally change
your style

To the challenge.

You never know,
but I'm feeling okay.

Hello.
How's it going?

What's for dinner tonight?

All right, so over here
we have

Some citrus braised
pork belly.

And it's coming
with a boniato

and sweet plantain mash.

[gail]
really sweet.

Ende, ende.

Over here is a tostone

With a little bit
of a black bean puree,

Some adobo roasted
pork butt,

And some sofrito onions.

This is my third dish.

My version of a rillena.

Yuca on the outside,

And it's got
some minced-up pork

On the inside,
and then pineapple,

Red onion,
and kulantro mojo.

What exactly
is a mojo?

It's just a dipping sauce,
typically.

lots and lots of garlic.

I'm not really sure
how the judges

Are gonna feel, you know.

I know that they're,
you know, much more a**l

About food
from here on out.

No matter how comfortable
you are,

The slightest little error
can cost you going home.

There's definitely no room
for mistakes.

You don't even want
to finish this beautiful--

[Tom]
thanks.
It was delicious.

thanks.
lots of love.

[gail]
thank you.

Hello.
How are you, padma?

Good evening.

Uh, so for tonight,

I have a pickled
sweet pepper salad

With avocado, papaya,
mango,

A little bit of chayote,
and pork belly.

We've glazed
in a little bit of honey

That we got
in the market

in puerto rico.

Here I have
some curried pork

With pumpkin and yucca.

What was the inspiration
for the curried pork?

Um, I was actually just going
a little more traditional.

even though curry is caribbean,
we're still islands.

Mm-hmm.

And to my right,
I have pigeon peas

With a pork sausage,
a little bit of ham hock.

Enjoy.

How long did you soak
the beans?

Overnight.

They've got a little kick.

I put a little bit
of habanero in there.

Thank you.

Thank you, chefs.
[nikki]
thank you.

Judges come by.
You know, they eat.

They ask a couple
of questions.

But they don't leave me
with any inclination

Of, like,
what could be an issue.

You know,
it's one more hurdle

To sort of jump over

Before you get to go
to the finals.

So, you know,
nobody wants to go home today.

Good job, chef.

Thanks, chef.
Good job.

I've been a puerto rican
all my life, and I've never

Seen anybody use malta
to cook a rib before.

I liked antonia.

The curry was really good.

The pigeon peas
were a little bit dry.

It's something that's,
like, by instinct.

I loved lisa.

Tostone rilleno.
It was so spicy, but I like it.

My favorite dish
was the sweet plantain blini.

I'm glad to see they're using
the local ingredients.

[man]
thank you.
enjoy.

Thank you.

I was surprised

That you decided to go
in this direction.

I thought her dishes

Were the least sophisticated
of the four.

In the end, I don't think
it had as much balance.

Oh...good ol' stew room.

[padma]
wilo, what did you think
of the food overall?

I saw originality.

Uh, I saw
well-ex*cuted classics.

overall, I felt that

The general offer
was tremendous.

you know,
richard's pork belly,

I thought that was really,
really a highlight.

Stephanie's salad that she made
with the chicharonnes,

I thought that was very nice,
and also a very classic dish.

lisa and antonia,

A few things were just
not as good

As others that I think
were strong across the board.

How's everybody feel?

are you nervous?

No fatal flaws.

[antonia]
no, my--my peas were--

[richard]
your peas were undercooked.

Don't like this part.

Well, it seems pretty clear
who our favorites are,

So, uh, why don't I go
get them out here.

[padma]
can we please see richard...

And stephanie.

thank you.

[Antonia]
at this point,
I definitely know

Lisa and I
are in the bottom.

And it's a little frustrating
for me.

You put so much,
like, hard work

And so much, like,
blood, sweat, and tears.

You know,
you don't wanna go home.

[Bleep] me.

so you two

Were the judges' favorites

in tonight's challenge.

Congratulations.
well done.

Congratulations.

richard, I'd like
to start with you.

How did it go tonight?

I thought it was
a great challenge,

And to--
to actually say,

"Here's--
here's one whole pig,

Go do what you do,"

Um, you know,
I really liked it.

What I kind of liked

About the four dishes
you put together,

It almost seemed like you--
you sort of were self-editing.

because I think we're--
we're used to dishes

that are a little more
out there and adventurous.

it seemed that your dishes
were simpler.

And sometimes that's--
that's a good thing.

Well, thank you.

Stephanie.

It was a lot of fun.

great working with dale.

we were bouncing ideas
off each other,

And I think we just

Really brought together
a nice menu.

I absolutely loved
the satays.

you know,
the flavor of the meat

Was exotic,
it was very present.

Thank you.

Wilo,
as the guest judge,

it falls to you

to announce the winner
of this challenge.

It was a unanimous decision.

and certainly
the crowd's favorite.

Richard,
you're the winner.

[tom]
congratulations.

Thanks, chef.

We have a very special prize
for the winner

of this challenge.

And here it comes now.

What?

[Laughter]

[padma]
it's the all-new 2009
corolla.

and richard, it's yours.

Congratulations.

What?

[Judges laughing]

[gail]
congratulations.

Holy smokes.

Wow.

So I win the challenge,

And I win a new car.

I don't know how
to react to it,

To be honest with you.

I'm gonna have to ask you
to send back

Your other two colleagues.

Hey, guys.

richard won
a brand-new car.

You got
a [bleep]ing car, dude?

You're up. Good luck.
[stephanie]
good luck, you guys.

you two were the judges'
least favorite.

let's start with you,
lisa.

Are you surprised
to be here?

I mean,

In retrospect
of my own dishes,

I felt that my dishes
were very strong.

I did, however,
taste stephanie's

and richard's dishes,

And their dishes
were also very strong.

So...

you know,
I was surprised

That you decided to go
in this direction.

and the question I had was,
why did you decide

to go into

A sort of latin direction

When you're, I guess,
known for doing

asian-influenced food?

I do have a lot of experience
cooking latin food.

I lived in south florida
for six years.

I cooked a lot
of caribbean food.

You know, latin is really
not far-fetched

From the things
that I do cook

on a regular basis.

I have two issues

That, um, occurred to me
when I was eating your food.

One, the puree
was really, really sweet.

To me,
it totally overpowered

The rest of the dish.

secondly,
your dishes in particular

Focused more
on the garnishes

Than on the pig itself.

the tostones,
I have a question

For you--
how long in advance

Did you do those?

[Lisa]
they came out of the fryer
about three minutes

Before, um,
the guests started arriving.

my idea with that dish
was kind of to take a typical

Puerto rican meal,
where you have

you know, your sofrito,
your onions,

your protein component,
and your tostone,

And put them together
to make

A really amazing,
balanced...bite.

In the end, I don't think
it--it had as much balance.

Antonia.

how did you feel
things went for you today?

I definitely think
that my pigeon peas

Uh, could've used
a little more cooking.

You're not gonna get an argument
up here about those beans.

They were--
they were undercooked.

Actually, when I took them
off the stove initially,

They did seem soft enough.

They did?
and I don't know--they did.

I do enjoy my peas a little bit
more on the al dente side.

at what point
did you realize

That they were indeed
underdone?

Um, honestly,
not till really the end.

Why the decision
to make

three different dishes

That are served
in the same plate?

That was my intention
not to have it as refined,

To separate each dish.

It's...an interesting choice.

I mean,
you're this far along.

I just find that
that's something

that you--you're used
to doing every day.

That you wouldn't
rely on that

And that you'd go
so far outside

Of--of that comfort zone.

When they sort of all
fell in together,

I couldn't distinguish anything
from anything else.

Okay, thank you both.

we'll call you back
when we have a decision.

[tom]
thanks.

That was fun.

you know, at this stage
of the competition,

It really comes down
to mistakes.

and, um, you know,
lisa made a few mistakes.

to me,
there were elements

Of each dish
that I wasn't crazy about.

I thought that her
sweet plantain

And sweet potato puree
was too sweet.

I-i liked the citrus
plantain puree.

I didn't like it
as a foil against

The citrus braised
pork belly.

That's what, I think,
what k*lled it.

I still think
her biggest mistake,

For me,
was the tostone.

If you're gonna serve
a tostone to this crowd,

You really have
to do it perfectly.

Conceptually, I think
she had the right idea.

But you need--you know,
you need to execute an idea.

I'm telling you right now
I'm going home.

Who knows.

I'm--i don't know.

I'm not saying I did
a horrible job.

I'm being realistic.

Antonia,
on the other hand,

I think her mistake

Came earlier on
in the game.

I think she had in her mind

To do something
very rustic

And very home-cooked.

I thought her dishes

Were the least sophisticated
of the four.

I don't buy into

The putting everything
on one plate.

I think these were
very distinct dishes.

and, you know,

If you put 'em
on the same plate,

They all kinda
blend together.

You know, I always like
to sort of understand

The intention of a chef.

But the intention of--
of undercooking beans

Is just bizarre to me,
you know.

There's no such thing
as al dente beans.

No.
[tom]
no.

I don't wanna go home.

I really, really, really
don't wanna go home.

[richard]
I know you don't.

Well, I think we have
our decision.

Yeah.

Okay, let's get them
back out here.

It's a long road
to go from chicago

To puerto rico,
and both of you

have fought all the way
through it.

put together
some great dishes.

but to get into the finale,

You really need
to bring your "a" game.

And I think both of you
were sort of competing

At probably a b-plus.

Antonia.

you made a decision to cook
in a caribbean style.

You say these flavors are--
are familiar to you.

and for the most part,
we found

the dish to be good,
but just question the judgment

As to why you served them
on the--

on the same plate.

but also, I think
the fatal flaw was the fact

The pigeon peas
were just not cooked enough.

lisa, you've also decided
to go into

A caribbean or a--
a latin direction.

some of the dishes
were memorable,

And some of them just
fell short of the mark.

overall, the real
sort of telling tale here

Was when you looked out

into the garden,
there was one table

That just didn't have
the crowds around

That the other tables had.

Antonia, please pack
your knives and go.

Okay.
Thank you.

Chef.

Thank you guys.

And lisa, congratulations.

Thank you very much.
You won't be disappointed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Coming all this way to make
such a silly mistake

Is...is sad.

[Sniffles]
I don't want to go home.

My entire, like, heart
was invested in it.

My daughter is the only person,
honestly,

Who could just, like,
make me feel better.

She means more to me
than anything else.

It's been great.

Bye, chef.

I know I'm a good chef.

I just wasn't ready
to, like,

Pack my knives and go.

I know you guys are upset
that antonia's leaving,

But a congratulations would've
been a little bit nice.

Sorry. Congratulations.

[richard]
I'm just tired.
congratulations.

Yeah, I get it.
But, you know.

I'm over it.

This isn't
a popularity contest.

You know,
you can have your opinions.

But the bottom line
is that people

Really enjoyed my dishes,

And forget about the friendships
for right now.

Being a fellow chef, you should
congratulate me on it.

What did she expect?
I don't understand that.

You won the [bleep]ing
bronze medal.

Congratulations.

There you go.

[Padma]
next on top chef...

Cheers.

I kind of just managed to get
through by the skin of my teeth.

But you know what?
I'm about to b*at you.

Watch out.

There's no completed dishes.

I don't want service
to be a mess tomorrow.

Chefs, hey, listen up.

[Stephanie]
it's gotta be some sort
of curveball.

It feels good to finally
be at that final point.

[Richard]
I'm the best chef here.

I think I have
the most skill.

[Stephanie]
I want to be top chef.

This is it.
Meal of a lifetime.

One of you

is top chef.