02x02 - Alex vs Brunch

[bunniefuu]

I can smell victory.

Some competitors
prove themselves
in a sports arena,

others in a boardroom.

This is where I proved myself.

What's up with that, America?

There isn't a chef
more competitive than I am.

My heart,
I can't have you win.

It's just not in my DNA.

She's like the shark.

I know, she is.
- She's like
circling prey, right?

There's only one thing
I want to know.

Who's next?

This is about to be epic.

Chefs from across
the country,

all want a shot
at AlexGuarnaschelli.

So each week,
three of America's best chefs

will battle Alex
at the same time.

Yeah!

These chefs have been
hand-selected

for their mastery
in a specific type of food,

and they're all here
for one goal, to beat Alex.

- You are going down.
- I'm coming for you, Alex.

My name's up there
for a reason.

Pretending this is your head.

- Oh.
- Mwah.

I know they all
want a shot at me.

Bring...

it...

on.

This is the ultimate
culinary battle.

Wow!
This is Alex Vs America.

We searched the country
to find three

of the best brunch chefs
in America.

And tonight, they're here
to try to defeat the legend,

Alex Guarnaschelli.

Chef Alex is one of the most
acclaimed restaurateurs
and chefs in the country,

but her restaurant
doesn't do brunch.

I cook brunch
seven days a week

and I think today
is going to be the day
that I take her down.

Man, I do it all.

Competing,
it becomes an obsession.

It becomes a profession.

So are you guys ready
to meet the legend herself?

Bring her on.

Iron Chef,
Alex Guarnaschelli.

All eyes are on me,
even my own.

Mine are the meanest
and the worst.

Chef.

Hello, chefs.

Hello, chef.

You're staring at three
of the best brunch chefs
in America.

Brunch! Oh, man.
How do you feel about it?

Brunch is an emotional
meal period.

All Americans know
how they want their eggs,

- their bacon, their this,
their potatoes.
- Yup.

You need a bottomless mimosa
for the staff after brunch.

Well, Alex,
all three chefs are here
to take you down.

Okay.

Let's go ahead and meet them.

This is Chef Britnie Lia.

She's the executive chef
of New Hampshire's

The Sassy Biscuit.

Are you the sassy biscuit
or...

Oh, I'm as sassy
as they come.

She's won
Chef of the Year 2021

from the New Hampshire
Restaurant Association.

Her restaurant was awarded
Best Brunch on the Seacoast
by Editors Choice.

Meet Chef Michael Reed.

His Poppy + Rose restaurant
is listed in the top

100 brunch spots by Yelp
in LA and Orange County.

It's impressive. Wow.

It was also voted Best Chicken
and Waffles

and Best Fried Chicken
Sandwich by LA Thrillist.

And this
is Chef Alex Stratta.

He offers an extensive
weekend brunch menu

at his Scottsdale restaurant.

And buckle up.

He's won a James Beard Award
for Best Chef Southwest.

His namesake, Alex restaurant,
at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas,

was called the "triumph"
and earned two Michelin stars.

I know who Alex Stratta is.

I know Alex.

All right.
First up, the Survival Round.

After you prepare
a brunch dish,

two culinary heavy hitters
will do a blind tasting

and the chef
with the top three dishes

move on to the money round.

But the chef who comes
in fourth will be out,

even if your last name
is Guarnaschelli.

What, do you enjoy this, Eric?

I do, actually, yes.
Very much so.

I'm gonna allow you three
to pick the first challenge
all by yourselves.

You ready to check out
the choices?

Let's do it.

It's the type of drink
you'll serve with brunch.

Coffee, orange juice
or champagne.

You have to cook with them.

Oh, yeah. Okay.

I want coffee.

I would say coffee.

- I want champagne.
- I want coffee.

Coffee, you're going
to develop a lot more flavors.

If you give her champagne,
she's gonna...

she knows
what to do with that.

That's my thing.
She don't work with coffee.

She may be drinking it,
but she ain't working with it.

So what's the strong point?

- I want coffee.
- You want coffee?

- What say you, Michael?
- Coffee.

Alex?

I would do the champagne
in a second

'cause it's so much
more versatile.

I'm going to go with coffee.

All right.

- Done deal.
- Done deal.

This is it. Coffee.

All right, guys.

What equipment are you using
to make your dish?

Oh, okay.
- Waffle iron,
egg poacher or a muffin tin?

I don't like that
muffin tin at all.

No, I think the muffin tin
is a hard no.

No.

I love this guy,
but how are you going to do
coffee with eggs?

- She's like the shark.
- I know, she is.

She's like circling prey,
right?

I think the,
I think the waffle iron
is going to be the way to go.

I think waffle.

So two for two
and things that Alex
would not have picked.

I know, I hate this.

Let's go for three for three.

- Three for three, right?
- Okay.

Help.

Which direction
is your brunch going in?

Oh, okay.

Sweet, savory or both?

You guys figure it out.

I mean, there's no way brunch
isn't both.

Not always.

You're not used to this.
It's okay.

Wow.

Britnie, do you think
poking the bear
is a good idea?

You know,
she's that mama bear.

Oh.

So focus on the savory?

Focus on the sweet?

I feel savory
we have a better realm.

But I also understand both.

I understand both.
I think both.

- I would do both.
- All right, let's do both.

I like it.

I want to know
how much time
we have to actually...

That's a good question.
- That's actually
a fantastic question.

- Wow!
- You have three choices.

You can do it in 25 minutes,
30 or 35 minutes.

But do remember,
the more time
you give yourself,

the more time you give
this legend right here.

Thirty-five minutes.

You want all the time?

- I want 35.
- I want 35.

- I want the most.
- Yeah.

- Thirty-five minutes?
- Okay.

Yeah.

So 35 minutes
on the clock.

And one more thing
to tell you.

Whoever prepares
the top-ranking dish
in this challenge

will get to exclusively decide
what the next challenge
would be.

Your time starts now.

Thirty-five minutes, right?

It's not a lot of time
in the kitchen,

really not a lot of time
anywhere,

especially when it comes
to doing brunch service.

I love brunch,
which is why I never serve it.

I want to preserve my love.

So as a chef
I avoid cooking it.

But today,
it's my place of work.

I have to use coffee,
a waffle iron,

and make a sweet
and savory dish.

Shiitake mushrooms
are really savory.

So I'm gonna do a roasted
shiitake mushrooms.

I'm gonna do a fried egg
with bacon,

with coffee on it
as like my savory

and then waffles sprinkled
with coffee and sugar

and a coffee maple syrup.

For those of you
that don't know,

I do have a bit of a history
with the waffle iron.

I'm having trouble
even getting

these quesadillas out
of the waffle iron,
they're getting stuck.

The waffle iron, you know,
it's like my nemesis.

So I'm gonna cook like
everything in it.

Mushrooms is what Darnell used
on Tournament of Champions,
is that true?

Yeah.

You can see this right here.
She has the sugar.

She has that flour
on top of it,

she's just weighing it down

so she could really get that
crispy waffle press

on that portabella mushroom.

She's on it right now.
She's just k*lling it.

Alex,
she's a competitor, a beast.

But I'm classically trained
and I live and breathe brunch.

Today is the day
she might lose.

We might have to put
one of those chefs
next to alas.

So we're taking
a whole chicken leg,

we're deboning it,

and then we're gonna
brine it in buttermilk
and coffee

and then fry that up.

I gotta use a waffle iron.

I'm gonna make
chicken and waffles.

So in Los Angeles,
there's a lot of fried
chicken and waffle

places out there,
but I have the best.

Chef Michael, I know.

I know you're going
with chicken and waffles.

This is our classic
brown butter waffles.

Brown butter.

Now that the eggs are fully
aerated and whipped,

now I can start incorporating
the dry,

the brown butter and milk
to get to the perfect
consistency for this waffle.

So really, think about it,

chicken and waffles is like
the ultimate brunch,
sweet and savory dish.

The chicken needs to get that
beautiful crunch,

so the batter
is super important.

But then also you get
that really juicy,
tender interior, right?

That's going
to be really tough
to do in 35 minutes.

I don't use coffee often.

So, you know,
the one dish that's iconic
coffee dessert is tiramisu.

I'm making a waffle tiramisu
and a waffle

with pancetta, guanciale,
balsamic vinegar.

I've been making tiramisu
for about 25 years now.

I'm Italian.
It's my favorite dessert.

I'm making a coffee
zabaglione

which is going to be like
a tiramisu base.

And that's going to go
on the waffles.

Sweet, fluffy
with the kind of soft
and spongy waffle.

So I'm looking at like
the really cool mouthfeel,

no crisp going on at all.

So I want it sweet and soft.

Hey, Alex. How you doing?

Great. How are you?

Doing good.

I decided
I was going to do
chicken and waffles.

Michael has his own
waffle and chicken,

but I have a whole
different take on it.

I've developed this
waffle biscuit,

and I'm going to end up
making buttermilk-brined
chicken thighs

with a pickled blackberry jam.

My waffle batter is going
to be built like

my biscuit recipe,
typically would be,

from the sense of cutting
in the butter into the flour

to help add layers
of flakiness.

Is that a sassy biscuit
in the works I see?

It is a sassy biscuit.

It's always a little bit sassy
on this side of the kitchen,
that is for sure.

Speaking of sassy,
there's a little bit
of a quick banter

between you and Alex
over there.

I like it.
I like the games man ship.

So, are you trying
to get in her head?
What's the deal?

You know what?
I mean that's the thing.

I can talk all the game
I want,
but now I got to show up.

- So...
- I know.

I pushed mother bear
and I didn't mean to push
mother bear,

but I'm competitive, you know?

And I'm here to show Alex
this is how brunch
is thrown down.

Well, Chef Britnie over there
definitely put a battery
or two in Chef Alex's back.

Let's see if that
really charges her
up to get this dish.

It's exactly what she needs.

Alex Guarnaschelli
is competing against

three chefs known
for their extensive
brunch menus.

The judges, we'll keep them
fully sequestered.

I'm gonna go
check in on them.

We brought out
the brunch big g*ns.

Chef Brooke Williamson
began her career

working under culinary icons

before becoming
an executive chef
at 22 years old.

When she's not winning
Tournament of Champions,

she's serving up
a full brunch menu

at her SoCal restaurant,
Playa Provisions.

Our other judge
is Chef Adrienne Cheatham,

who served
as executive sous-chef
at Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin

and executive chef at
Marcus Samuelsson's
legendary Red Rooster.

Her debut cookbook,
Sunday Best,

is all about cooking up
weekend favorites
any day of the week.

We have four amazing brunch
chefs right now

who are all competing
at the moment.

First, they had to choose
a brunch drink
for their challenge.

They had the options
between coffee,
OJ or champagne.

Champagne, champagne,
champagne, champagne.

- I mean...
- They chose coffee, though.

- Oh. Okay.
- Well, okay.

I mean, that would have
been my second choice.

They have a waffle iron.

And the third option
was the choice between

a savory brunch dish
or a sweet brunch dish.

- They actually chose both.
- That's great.

- Oh, good.
- Yeah. Yeah.

I love the versatility
of brunch.

They have 35 minutes
to do so.

Any suggestions?

I mean, I would be excited
if somebody puts
something else

in the waffle machine instead
of just making waffles.

- I agree.
- So I'm curious to see
if we get some curveballs.

Totally.
I love a waffle.

All right, fair enough.

Ladies, I'm gonna leave you
out here

'cause I can't have
you inside.

But I'm gonna
let these cooks finish up.

I'll bring you out
when they're,
when they're done.

- Thank you.
- All right.

You are mine, waffle iron.

I put some espresso powder
in the batter between.

You can't just throw coffee
on the plate.

You've got to be methodical.

Here, I have a coffee
maple syrup.

- Very nice. Yeah.
- Yeah, yeah.

Tell me if you taste any.

It's good.

My waffles,
they look good.

They're cooked through.
They're brown nicely.

I'm happy.

You don't want to
let the waffle iron know

that it's doing well
'cause then it just burns
everything.

So this is going
to be a take

on our brown butter waffle,

but we took some
of the cold brew

and infused that into it

and we're just dropping
our chicken now
that we dredged it.

I'm still not confident enough
that I've incorporated
enough coffee.

I do not cook with coffee
that often.

So I started thinking about
the last two components,

the butter and the syrup.

So my plan with the coffee
is to reduce it

and then add
maple syrup to that.

You can't have fried chicken
and waffles without syrup,

so add some dark roast beans
into a French press

and take a little bit
of heavy cream, maple syrup,

coffee latte, kind of,
instead of your
traditional maple syrup,

dump that over
the French press,

let that sit for a little bit.

I just don't want to go home
because I didn't put
coffee in a dish.

So just take a little bit
of that extra syrup,

incorporate that
into the butter.

I think it's going
to be a winner.

I like the fact that
Chef Michael is like

going all out,
taking a page from Chef Alex

and kind of just
reincorporating

as much of that one element
all throughout the dish
as you can.

I like it. I like it.
I like it.

For 13 years in Vegas,

it's all brunch all the time.

Lots of hangovers,
which is perfect for brunch.

So I'm doing
waffles two ways.

I'm gonna do a sweet coffee
tiramisu waffle
and a savory waffle.

I'm gonna start working
on the savory component
of the dish.

So I grab some
guanciale and pancetta.

What I wanted to do
is get that really nice
and crisp and caramelized.

So what I did is I fried it
and then I tossed it

in maple syrup
and then I drizzle it

with balsamic vinegar

and give it that
kind of sweet and sour flavor.

I mean,
if we're going to get Alex,

you know, you got to,
you got to bring your game.

Trying to bring in the savory,
I want bacon.

We're gonna make like
a coffee-spiced bacon.

So I have to glaze
the pan with some coffee

and we're going
to candy the bacon

with some coffee
and brown sugar.

So I feel confident
that the judges

are going to get that
coffee essence
from that candy bacon.

It almost feels like
a restaurant
service right now.

It feels as if they're like
under the g*n.

I know I need
to be tip-top here

'cause I'm lacking
in brunch prowess.

This is not my comfort zone.

I reduced my syrup
and I put too much
espresso pattern in it,

and it just tasted muddy.

Six minutes left, chefs.

Six minutes.

I'm working on a syrup
and I realized that

I've added too much
coffee to it

and it's just better
to jump ship
and build a new one.

Time is the enemy,
but I've got to live with it.

For the mushrooms,
mixed garlic, mustard
vinegar

and olive oil together
and I make a little
savory vinaigrette.

I also fry some fresh thyme
and flake it
over the mushrooms.

I want that
to feel really savory.

So now that
I got the waffle,

I got this beautiful
boned-out chicken thigh
that's nice and crispy

and rested and warm.

I'm gonna start
with putting the waffle down.

I'm gonna take
the maple and coffee butter
that we made.

Then I'm gonna top it
with our crispy fried
chicken thigh.

We're gonna add
a fried egg on top of it.

Just about
two minutes left, chefs.

I don't know
who the judges are,

but I do want to wow them
with the creativity.

So first thing I do is start
building the tiramisu.

I put some
of the tiramisu base down,

I soak my pieces of waffle
and espresso with a more layer

of the tiramisu base and then
cocoa powder on the top.

So that's done.

And then the waffle,
I fry it and I drizzle it
with balsamic vinegar,

with the hot, crispy pancetta,
guanciale on top.

I want them to look at that
and go,

"Okay, well, that stands out
and it tastes good, too."

I grab my waffle,
it's nice and crispy.

I've tried them.
They taste great.

They're exactly
what I want them to be.

Place those two waffles.

I put my chicken thigh
on top of it.

I'm gonna take my coffee
candied bacon.

I'm gonna put that right over
top of the chicken thigh,

and then I'm going
to finish it off
with that pickled blackberry.

So I start
by interspersing my waffles,

shiitake mushrooms,
my bacon with coffee,

and the little vinaigrette
on one side.

I drop my eggs to fry them

and then I break apart
the waffles.

I sprinkled them
with espresso powder
and sugar.

And then I put two pieces
on the plate

next to the mushrooms.

And I finish by just landing
a fried egg

with a little Maldon salt
on each plate.

I am hoping the judges
get savory with the bacon

and the eggs
and the mushrooms,

to sweet with the waffles
and the syrup.

Five, four,
three, two, one.

That's it, chefs.

Time's up.

Step away from your dish.

You have your menu cards
right in front of you.

Write down the description
of your dish

in the way you want me
to describe it to the judges.

Do remember
this is a blind tasting,

so they will not see
who made what.

I'm gonna have to ask you guys
to kindly leave the kitchen.

We'll bring the judges in

and then we'll start
the deliberation.

So we have a tiramisu
version of a waffle
right here.

That's brilliant.

I think
it's so smart, isn't it?

Kind of like
sweet and savory.

Sweet and savory,
using the waffle as well

as like the ladyfinger
for the tiramisu.

That's brilliant.
I think that's really smart.

Chef Michael.

Oh, my God,
his waffle looks amazing.

Not bashful
on the size of the waffle.

- Gorgeous.
- It really is.

He won.

Chef Britnie.

- Oh, wow!
- Not bad.

She went--
- Oh, she did
the same thing.

Yeah, she went
a biscuit route
with her waffle.

All right, chef.
So we'll see you later.

We're gonna go ahead
and bring in the judges.

Hopefully we picked the right
ingredients to kind of
throw her off a little bit.

You know, her coming
out going, "Gee whiz,"

I hope I don't get that.

I'm like, "Yeah, okay."

You know?

Like, that's going
to be a tremendous surprise

if she doesn't whip
out the best waffle
we ever had, right?

Right.

That's her name on the back.

You know,
it's Alex Vs America.

It's such a big statement.

Yeah.

- What's going on, guys?
- How are you?

- Hey, chef.
- How are you?

- Good to see you.
- Great to see you.

- You guys look great.
- Nice.

Wow!

So our chefs had to prepare
the sweet and savory brunch

using coffee
and a waffle iron.

- Okay.
- Okay.

They had 35 minutes to do so.

So what you have
in front of you

is a biscuit-pressed waffle,

buttermilk bone bliss thigh,
pickled blackberry jam,

coffee-candied bacon
and a sunny egg.

I think it's peculiar
that Britnie chose the coffee

and gunned for it and then
made a blackberry jam.

I don't see the coffee
in her dish.

In the waffle itself,
I'm actually surprised
at how light it is.

And the jam,
it's very vinegar forward

and very rosemary forward.

I'm not getting any coffee.

Because once you
get the blackberry jam,

that takes over
everything else.

So the coffee doesn't really
come through.

And there are a lot
of sweet components to it.

And I think the best thing
about brunch

is when you have that
balance of salt and sweetness.

And here, I'm just getting
a little more
on the sweet side.

All right, judges,
the next dish you have
in front of you

is a bacon and waffle-iron
shiitake mushrooms,

fried egg, waffle
with coffee maple syrup.

- Enjoy.
- Okay.

I like what I put. I do.

I used waffle iron
in multiple ways.

The mushrooms and the bacon
are really good.

This mushroom
bacon situation over here

is probably my favorite
part of the plate.

There's a really beautiful
balance of that mustard

and some vinegar
and the savoriness
from the bacon.

I love the addition
of the sort of fresh thyme,

and this egg is cooked
perfectly.

With shiitakes,
you do want to make sure

you cook out a good amount
of liquid.

So pressing it in the waffle
iron is a really smart way

to intensify the flavor
and get some
caramelization on it.

So I could have almost
done with that

as their waffle iron component
without the waffle itself.

Yeah.

Let's go ahead and move
on to the next dish, please.

So we have a coffee
and buttermilk-brined chicken,

with a coffee
and brown butter waffle,

fried egg and coffee butter.

See, this is like simple,
straight to the point, right?

I think Michael's chicken
and waffles crushed it.

I think he won.

Beautiful.
It's what he does.

I think he did the best
out of any of us.

This waffle has the absolute
best texture

out of all the ones
I think we've tried so far.

Yeah.

The chicken feels
nicely seasoned.

The egg to me feels like
a bit of an afterthought,

but definitely feel like this
hit sweet and savory,

probably equal amounts to that
last dish with the mushrooms.

Yeah.

Anything else
which you guys would change
before we move on?

I would keep this here
while I try the next one.

Let's go ahead and move on
to the last dish, please.

Oh, do we have to?

- I hear oomps.
- I just want to eat.

So, ladies,
what you have in front of you,

a waffle tiramisu
with espresso,

and your savory portion
is a buttermilk waffle

with pancetta, guanciale

and an aged balsamic vinegar,
Aleppo chili.

Okay.

This is not a standard
waffle texture.

It's a little bit chewier.

Yeah, it's like spongy almost,
but I love it.

That texture works really well
for the tiramisu.

It almost feels like
it was deep-fried.

- Oh.
- Yeah.

But these feel like
completely separate dishes

that don't work
with each other.

My pancetta is very burned.

Oh, okay.

So it's really bitter.

Normally one
of my favorite things,

and I was looking
forward to that,

but when I ate it,
it was just like, whoa.

All right, let's go ahead
and clear the plates, please.

We have to rank the dishes
one through four.

Now, remember,
the fourth place chef
is going home after this.

- Ugh.
- I'm torn a little bit.

- I'm not.
- Oh, wow.

All right, chefs, come on in.

Good to have you here.

Likewise.

So the judges
ranked your dishes
one through four.

I'm sure you're dying to know
what they said.

Maybe.

Let's start off
with the good news.

The chef that finishes first
and will be moving on
to the Money Round

and who have exclusive picks
for the next challenge is...

Chef Michael. Congratulations.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

I mean,
I've judged a lot of these.

I knew that Michael
was going to win.

We all made waffles
and his was the best one.

Okay.

The chef that finishes third
and who barely survived

but will make it
to the Money Round is...

Chef Britnie.
Congratulations.

Yeah. All right.

Yeah.

So, of course,
that means one of the Alexes
finished fourth.

Oh.

Oh, it's so diabolical.

Oka-y.
It is.-

And the chef that finishes
fourth is...

Chef Alex...

Stratta. I'm sorry.

The use of your coffee
was just so profound.

Just really smart.

Unfortunately,
it just felt like

a disjointed dish
to the judges.

Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Chef.

- Thank you.
- Good luck.

You finished second,
by the way.

- Thanks.
- Yeah.

It's going to take me a week
in therapy, straight.

Congratulations,
all three of you.

You made it
to the Money Round.

It's pretty simple,
for you to earn money,

your dish
has to outrank Alex's.

But if Alex comes in first,

you guys are cooking
for nothing.

Michael, guess what you have.

To choose.

And a target on your back.
Let's go ahead and pick out.

First thing
is what animal protein

are you going to be using.

We have pork,
beef and seafood.

For me,
I would eliminate the beef

just because that's too much
of Alex's specialty.

She can cook steaks all day.

- Okay.
- Okay.

- I agree.
- Mmm-hmm.

I'm gonna choose seafood.

Why seafood?

I have a couple of dishes
in my repertoire

that can go
in two different directions.

Seafood it is.

All right. Let's move on
to the next one.

All right. What do we got?

Some folks say it's the best
brunch ingredient, the potato.

Oh, what--

Would you like to work
with potato flakes...

Okay.
- ...canned potatoes
or potato chips?

Have either of you
eaten canned potatoes?

I actually don't know.

I don't think I've ever had
a potato out of a can.

Think about it.

I'm gonna go
with the potato flakes.

You have to use it,

- and it's the only potato
you can use.
- That's fine.

- Flakes?
- Yup.

- Sure?
- Yup.

Final answer. Cool.

Every chef dogs canned food.

That's true.

All right, my friend.

Only one last detail.

What kind of brunch
are you making
and how long do you have?

You can do a diner brunch
in 30 minutes
or a high-end brunch in 40.

But if it's high-end,
the judges
are expecting high-end.

Do the high-end.

- I'll take the time.
- Yeah.

- You'll take the time.
- Why?

Because he's smart.

You don't trust yourself?

I did it last time
in 35, so...

Talking, talking, talking.

- You be quiet?
- Perfect.

- I love it.
- Yeah.

You settle down, son.
Don't listen to him.

We'll go high-end.

Forty minutes,
high-end brunch.

I'm gonna go ahead
and sip this.

Your time starts now.

Sorry.

No, don't be sorry.

We got seafood,
potato flakes

and a high-end brunch
in 40 minutes.

I knew exactly
which direction I wanted to go

once I started seeing
the ingredients.

I want to do shrimp and grits.

It's my wife's favorite dish
that her grandmother

used to make and we make it
at the restaurant.

So I'm making these shrimp
and grits for my wife,

thinking about this
third restaurant that
we're working on.

This money would go a long way
in helping us get it started.

Most people think of shrimp
and grits as classic diner,
home-cooked food.

But I'm gonna take this
and make it fine dining

with a little shellfish stock
and a bunch of soft herbs.

Building flavor.

I see fennel,
some celery,

aromatics, a little
tomato paste in there,

there's shrimp heads.

Trying to get as much flavor
in there as possible.

Right.

Normally
it would take me
45 minutes to an hour

just to make a normal stock.

So clearly I was going to use
the shrimp heads

because that's where
all the flavor
is in the shrimp.

Adding a little lobster
gives me a great sauce,

and I'm very confident
that this dish
is going to beat Alex.

More shrimp.

I'm going to assume
what you'll be making
is a shrimp and grits.

Yeah, absolutely.

We're also going
to do some
potato-fried shrimp

along with a potato biscuit.

And then we're gonna do
a little take
on red-eye gravy.

But being the high-end brunch,

I want to make sure
that the seafood shine,

so I get some peeled
and deveined shrimp.

I go ahead and I zest
some lemon,

orange and lime
because I'm gonna add the zest

also into the dry mix
for the flour batter.

And then I'm going
to use the juice of them

along with a little bit
of vinegar,

a little bit of saltand
I'm going to marinate
these shrimp

as long as I can,
but I want to make sure

I develop some
type of citrus flavor into it

to cut into the heavy
fattiness,

creaminess of my grits.

What is it?
A shrimp and grit cook-off?

It is a shrimp
and great cook-off.

- That is for sure.
- Interesting.

Are you... you're not going
the shrimp and grits route?

No, Eric,
that's not my wheelhouse.

When I think high-end,
I think lobster,

crab is like top of the fancy
seafood chain.

I think I'm gonna
make a crab cake

and a poached egg
with a sunchoke

with little cake with caviar
because if you can't
have potatoes,

I feel like sunchokes
are the high-end tuber.

Your dish is going
to automatically stand out.

So I'm gonna thinly
slice sunchokes,

mix them with fried thyme
and salt and pepper.

I grab the little
cast iron skillets
to make the cakes

and just layer them,
and I'm gonna put
potato flakes

in the sunchoke cake
to hopefully hold it together.

Lots of potato flakes
in this sunchoke cake.

I decided I need one more
sunchoke.

It's not quite enough.

Ouch.

And boop, I nipped by finger.

I cut myself.

- I need a minute.
- Okay.

Sorry.

Please don't film me
bleeding.

I do not want to be
filmed bleeding.

Ugh!

I'm bleeding a lot.

This isn't going to stop.

I cut the tip
of my finger off.

We're head down cooking,
and I look up
and Alex is gone.

All right. It looks like
we got the medics out
here making sure that,

number one, safety is first.

The mandolins are probably
the number one thing

that chefs cut themselves on.

And it seems like Chef Alex
cut herself pretty bad.

I hope she's all right.

I'm just gonna cook
with one hand for now.

Please.
I've cut myself 400 times.

I'm only worried about
the clock.

Just let me get this
into the oven.

Michael won round one,
so I'm the underdog here.

Any chefs that's
cut themselves,
you just keep going.

The dish is about the crab.

So I put a little mayonnaise,
a little mustard, lemon juice,

a little tarragon, and I have
potato flakes in my crab cake.

Are you feeling back on track
or are you still
a little bit behind?

I'm behind.
It's okay.

- Okay.
- I'll get there.

Even when she's behind,
she knows what she's doing.

She's hopping
right back into it

and she's doing it
with one hand.

It's crazy.

Nothing like half a finger.

Oh, yeah.

Nineteen minutes left.

So I won round one.

I feel very thankful
for that.

Might as well do it
in round two.

And I was just cooking
what I know how to cook.

This is one of the dishes
that my wife grew up with.

She loves it to death.

You cannot think about her.

This is her dish.

The most challenging
part of this

is not to serve gritty grits.

That's why I went
with instant grits,

mascarpone for the creaminess
and butter, parmesan cheese

and my aged white cheddar
because it has a nice
sharp bite.

So you're doing
the more quick grits,
Chef Michael,

and Chef Britnie is going
more stoneground.

I think they just have
a better texture to 'em.

Chef Britnie is pretty
much saying her grits

are going to be better
than yours.

Well...

- I mean,
that's the fighting words.
- That hurts you.

I really don't want
to go plate to plate with you,
but here we go.

All right.

And I also
have incorporated
potato flakes

to my grits at this point.

I'm also adding
the potato flakes

to elevate that shrimp,
to make them nice and crispy.

And I also have
incorporated them

as kind of part
of my dry mixture
with my biscuit.

I like to use products
that you typically wouldn't
in a certain way.

How is the texture
of your grits?

- Fifteen minutes left.
- It's getting there.

It's not there,
but it's getting there.

Grits normally
take about an hour.

Um, not today.

My crab cakes
are in the oven
and they look pretty good.

So I'm gonna poach some eggs
and I make the bearnaise

by simply whisking
together three egg yolks

with a splash of water
and getting that
nice and fluffy

over a double boiler.

And then I add about
a stick and a half
of melted butter

and some reduced vinegar
with tarragon.

But then I put
a lot of lemon in it
to go with the crab.

And I'm like,
"It's kind of a bearnaise
plus a hollandaise.

It's bearna-hollandaise.

The shrimp and grit off.

Are you guys
talking to each other?

- No.
- No.

Aha, I see.

Chef Michael's approach
to shrimp and grits,

he's focusing more
on the stock.

And that's really
where the flavor
and everything else

for his dish is coming from.

Versus Chef Britnie
who's focusing on the grits

and really want that to be
the star of the show.

It really is going
to come down

to how well does
everything else
come on their plate.

I have
the clean shrimp.

I'm going to season
it out with garlic,
smoked paprika,

salt and black pepper
so it can marinate.

Turning out great so far.

This is...

The shellfish stock.

Shellfish stock, okay.

And you're aerating it?

- Yup.
- What are you using to aerate?

Soy lecithin.

He's pulling out
the molecular gastronomy.

That soy lecithin
is a hydrocolloid.

And what it does,
especially when it's combined
with something hot, i.e.

in this beautiful
stock of shrimp heads
and lobster tails,

and almost creating like
a really light essence

that he probably
is going to add
to the top of the dish.

Definitely elevating
this brunch dish, right?

I was just figuring out
how to incorporate
the potato flakes.

I've never worked
with potato flakes before.

You needed to take those
potato flakes.

Get them smooth,
get them blended.

So I added garlic,
Calabrian chili and egg,

water, blended that up
and actually did something
fun and interesting.

So we're gonna see
what it can do.

I'm hoping that this thing
comes out nice and crispy
to add texture to the dish.

So you're just like
funnel kicking it?

Basically.

It's still giving me
the twill consistency
that I'm kind of hoping for.

All right.
It's gotta cook.

You know,
being raised in the South,

I may be in New England
right now,

but I'm always bringing
the South to the mouth up
in New England.

We do shrimp and grits
with a red-eye gravy.

But being the high-end brunch,

I knew that it couldn't
be the typical red-eye gravy
that we make.

So I chop up some
heirloom tomatoes real fast,

saute them in some butter.

The coffee
is super important.

Can't have a red-eye
without no coffee or espresso.

I'm trying to really have
all those flavors

that you would out
of a red-eye gravy.

Make this composed sauce.

I feel good.
Everything's coming together.

The sunchokes,
I put the pans into the oven

so the sunchokes
are cooked through,

but when I unmold them,

they're already burning
and not sticking together,

even though
I put the potato flakes.

This just keeps falling apart,
I don't know why.

So I just keep peeling layers
and searing them in a pan

and they just keep
falling apart and burning.

That's the end of that.

Super embarrassed.

It's half of my dish
and I just got rid of it.

Seven minutes
and 30 seconds left, chefs.

Oh, my God.
I'm the biggest disaster.

Everything I'm making
is ruined.

Come on, Alex.

Think for a minute about
what you're doing.

Just take a minute.

Less than ten minutes left
and Chef Alex is almost, like,
redoing her sunchokes.

It looks like
she's shaving them,

might be frying them
really quickly.

And I decided,
"Well, I'm gonna go back
to the mandolin,

even though it just cut me."

I cut some sunchokes
super thin

and then
I just fry them crispy

and just make crispy
little sunchoke chips.

The last thing
I need to do is make sure

I can fry a sunny up egg
that's not overcooked.

No mistakes this time.

First, I'm gonna start
with the cheesy grits

and then I'm gonna
add the shrimp,

then the sunny up egg,
and then I garnish it
with these crispy,

beautiful, lacy potato grits.

And then I'm gonna garnish
with a little bit
of the shellfish foam.

I want to plate
against a dark background

because I want the yellow
of the grits to really pop.

I want them to be like,
"I'm grits, here I am,
here I stand."

Ninety seconds left, chefs.

I get my fried shrimp

and I lay them out
across the grits,

and then I'm going
to go ahead

and take my deconstructed
red-eye gravy.

I commend Chef Alex so much.

I mean, despite all
that's happened
in this round,

the fact that she's even
gotten to this point,

she's finishing up her dish
like really nothing happened.

It's extremely impressive.

When I go to plate,

it's the crab cake
on the bottom,

the poached egg right on top,
the bearnaise all over it,

the caviar, and then
those little sunchoke chips.

Ten, nine,
eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one.

That's about it, guys.
Well done.

Beautiful plates.

For now, I think
you had better write it.

Thanks a lot.

All right, chefs,
it's time for you guys
to take off.

- I want to give you a hug.
- Yeah.

- Well done, chef.
- Oh, my God.

- I'm so sorry.
- No, you did good.

Sorry to everyone
in the room.

Ooh-hoo-hoo. Fancy.

Yeah.

That's so pretty.

Yeah, that's really nice.

Oh, my God.
This is so playful.

Yeah, it is.

So she crusted
the shrimp and potato.

Smart.

You're the only non-shrimp
and grits dish.

You think
that's going to help you?

You never know.

- We'll just see.
- All right, chef.

Go get your finger looked at.

We'll call you back in
once the judges are all set.

What a round.
What a round.

Let's bring the judges in.

I haven't cut myself this bad
in 20 years.

If I worked a dinner service
with a cut like this

and made it through,
I'd be like,

"Tomorrow's a new day."

Did you see Alex cut herself?

Yeah, I saw her go offstage.

Seemed a little bit worse
than a prick.

I definitely felt bad that
she had to deal with it,

but, I mean, I guess it
maybe gave us a edge up.

But we got rid of one Alex,

now we gotta get rid
of the other one.

So the winning chef
from last round chose seafood,

potato flakes and to make
an elevated brunch
in 40 minutes.

So what you have in front
of you is cheesy grits

with shrimp, potato crisp,

shellfish sauce
and soft herbs.

So weird that he picked
high-end and then made,

like, the noblest
of rustic dishes.

I mean, like, first of all,
this is absolutely stunning.

This is absolutely beautiful.

This reads elevated brunch
a thousand times.

Oh, yeah.

It doesn't lack
in the flavor department.

The grits are well cooked.

So I love the fact that
they got that texture right.

The only thing that
I feel like is a little off

with this is this feels like
a bowl of grits
with stuff on it.

So the ratio, proportion
of these is a little bit off?

- Yeah.
- Mmm-hmm.

- Okay.
- Sounds good.

Let's go ahead and move on
to the next dish, please.

Thank you, ladies.

And a little spice
from the frico.

Yeah, it's really good.

Clearly, brunch
is like my jam.

All right, ladies,
in front of you,

we have our second dish,
potato flake crab cake
with a poached egg, caviar.

We're calling
it a bearna-hollandaise
and a sunchoke chip.

I'm sorry. What?

Bearna-hollandaise.
What does that mean?

A mix between
a bearnaise and hollandaise.

Huh!

I mean, I'm glad I finished.

I don't think
it's my best work.

There's a lot of flavors
in here that I really love

and I really appreciate
the chef not hiding
behind those potato flakes

and filling this crab cake
with a bunch of potato.

Yeah.

This just seems that
there's too much acid
in the sauce.

Oh.

At the same time,
there's so much richness here

that, like, I appreciate
the acid.

The egg here is really soft.

This is a circumstance
where I want a little bit
more texture in my egg.

Okay.

Yes. Moving on.

- Moving on to the next one.
- I'm ready.

Thank you.

Shrimp and grits.

Shrimp and grits again.

We have in front of you
a white cheddar
potato flaked corn grit

with potato flake
fried shrimp,

deconstructed red-eye gravy,

sprinkled
with fried charred leaves

and pickled charred stems
finished with potato flake
biscuit crumbs.

I love the whimsy of using
a couple of ingredients
multiple different ways.

All of these elements connect
because of the fact

that there are really
only a couple of ingredients
on the plate.

- Mmm-hmm.
- Yeah.

The sauce
on the tomatoes is...

it tastes a little like
over-reduced in the pan.

So you're not getting like
a balanced sweetness.

You're getting like
a bitter sweetness.

Okay. You guys feel
high-end from this dish?

I don't feel as high-end
as the first two.

Same.

Had this plate been
just sort of presented

a little bit more
intentionally, it might,

it might read a little bit
more high-end.

All right. The fun part.

Let's rank these dishes
one through three.

So I'm about to introduce you

to whose food
you've been eating all day.

From right here,
from Los Angeles,
this is Michael.

From the great state
of New Hampshire,
this is Britnie,

and an up-and-coming
chef from New York City,
Alex Guarnaschelli.

Hello.

So, chefs, I'd like for you
to meet the experts

that had been tasting
your dishes all day.

She's the Tournament
of Champions

and Top Chef winner,
of course, you know her,

this is Chef
Brooke Williamson.

Hello.

Our other judge served
as executive sous-chef

at Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin,
an executive chef

at Marcus Samuelsson's
legendary Red Rooster.

The one and only
Adrienne Cheatham.

I get to now tell the judges
who made what.

We'll start off
with Chef Britnie.

She made the fried shrimp
and grits.

Okay.

Chef Michael, he made
the other shrimp and grits.

Oh!

So that means, obviously,
Chef Alex made the crab cake.

Chefs, just remember,

these judges
ranked your dishes

without knowing
who cooked what.

So the chef
who finishes third...

you know
you rep'ed your state well,

all the way
from New Hampshire,
Chef Britnie.

Oh. Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

Hey, it was good.

- It was...
- It was a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

...a real pleasure
watching you cook.

You really
are a sassy biscuit.

Thank you so much.

These were the top two chefs
in the first round as well.

- Oh!
- Okay.

Yeah.

So the question is,
Chef Michael,

did you go for two for two
and win this round?

If you win,
you're walking away
with ten grand

and the bragging rights
that you beat
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

So the judges decided
the winner

of tonight's brunch showdown
is...

Congratulations,
Chef Michael.

You beat
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

- Well done.
- Congratulations.

- You deserved it.
- Thank you so much.

Fantastic.

I would've given it to him
just for the first dish.

- Seriously.
- Great job.

Congratulations.

I'm coming in for a hug
from you, chef.

That was really impressive.

That was really great.

Like, really impressive.

I won.

I actually was able to outcook
an Iron Chef.

Well done, man.
Excellent.
That waffle was...