04x12 - High Steaks

[bunniefuu]

[Padma lakshmi]
previously on top chef...

restaurant wars
is back.

[lisa]
who pulled
my rice off, guys?

seriously? Dale?

what?
[bleep]ing...

Come on. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go! Let's go!

Get the food out!

[Lisa]
jesus.

I was really impressed
by your performance.

Congratulations.

You were the winning team.

Thank you.

He asked me, "did you take--
taste the salad?"

I said, "of course I tasted
the salad, chef."

Yeah, I'm sure you said it
like that.

Dale, please pack your knives
and go.

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]

♪ ♪

[Antonia]
it's so exciting.

It's like one more person
goes home and that's it.

Let's just figure it out

So we know who
the final four are

And call it a day.

[Stephanie]
in top chef history,

There's never been
this many girls

Right up towards the end.

So there's a possibility

That it'll be
three girls in the finals,

Which would be
totally crazy.

We're all
a little bit nervous

That we're gonna get thrown
a little loop

'Cause you never know
what's gonna happen.

What do you say, everyone?
Let's go.

All right. Last one.
There's
a green apron.

[Stephanie]
I just need to keep focused
and be ready

For whatever strange thing
they're gonna make us do next.

[Richard]
so instead of heading
to the top chef kitchen,

We go to this place
called allen brothers.

Which I've heard about.

It's a nationally recognized
meat purveyor.

Right this way, please.

[spike]
hello.
hi. Welcome
to allen brothers.

come on in.

today, you're gonna experience
cutting some dry age

Long-bone rib eyes.

this is what
you are required

To wear in our plant
by the usda

And the united states
government.

I'm definitely worried.

I'm not the best butcher.

I've seen it done
and I can figure it out.

Going into battle.
♪ Duh duh duh ♪ ♪

I'm pretty comfortable
cutting meat.

Both of my grandfathers
were butchers.

So there seems to be a little
strain of butchery in me.

Everybody ready?
[All]
yes.

[Antonia]
joanne brings us all
to a line of guys

Flaying tenderloin.

I was, like, are we gonna
break down, like,

An entire cow?

Jesus.

What you have
in front of you

Is an american-raised,
long-bone rib eye,

Dry aged, usda prime

rib rack.

This is what we want you
to do.

you're gonna cut
individual chops

from these racks

And make sure
that the bone is frenched.

[Lisa]
butchering can be
really, really difficult.

You need to know exactly
how it's supposed to look

At the end.

If you make one cut
that's wrong,

You can really destroy
a piece of meat.

[joanne]
you have 20 minutes
for this challenge.

your time begins now.

[Richard]
the dry age on it
is just so tough.

And I realize that,
you know,

I'm just gonna have to
basically break down

The chops first and then just
start cleaning them up.

[Antonia]
there's seven chops

That are gonna come out
of this hunk of meat.

And we have 20 minutes.

That's probably enough time

For an extremely skilled
butcher.

But not for me.

Jesus!

[Grunts]

The first thing I do is I cut
around all the dry age.

So then you're rid
of any type of dry aged meat.

And you're ready to actually
just slice 'em down

And then clean them up.



It is so easy,
it wasn't even funny.

Jesus christ.

I can't even cut through
this [bleep].

Sort of like feeling
stupid and really small.

Huge piece of meat and it's
sort of heavy and awkward.

[Lisa]
there's only five chefs left.

And it's stressful knowing

The tiniest flaw

Or the tiniest imperfection
in something

Can get you sent home.

And it's gonna really suck

If I go home before I make it
into the top four.

time.

Rocked it.

Yours look good.

Okay, guys, get your meat
and let's head out.

We pack up our steaks

And we head back
to the top chef kitchen.

But once again,
we don't know

What's gonna happen.

[Richard]
we arrive
at top chef kitchen

And padma's there
and rick tramonto, uh,

Who's pretty much legendary
chicago chef.

Good morning, chefs.

as you all know,

This is the last round
of competition in chicago.

this will determine
who goes on to puerto rico.

[Dramatic percussion]

Now it's time for the next leg
of this quickfire challenge.

our guest judge

Is one of chicago's
most well-known

and loved chefs,

james beard award winner

And cookbook author,

Rick tramonto.

Hello, chefs.

Hi, chef.

Rick tramonto's known
for new american food.

He's definitely, you know,

A staple in chicago.

[padma]
this round

is all about the beef.

So you guys
now have 30 minutes

To prepare a tomahawk chop
for rick.

now, this may seem simple,

but cooking a perfect steak
takes a lot of skill.

and it's something
that a seasoned chef like rick

knows on sight.

This challenge is about butchery
and temperature.

Rick, how do you like
your steak?

Medium rare, please.

[Dramatic percussion]

The challenge has nothing
to do with taste or flavor.

It happens to do
with the doneness of the meat

And the butchery
of the whole rack.

[padma]
your time starts now.

Good luck.

If you're a good chef,
cooking a medium rare steak

Should be second nature.

You know, it's something
that you just do by touch.

I don't use a thermometer
for things like that.

But when you have
the pressure on,

You second-guess yourself
and you're, like, wait,

How do I do this?

Wow, spike did a really
nice job butchering his meat.

I feel you need 35 minutes
for that thick of a steak.

But listen.

You know, it's a quickfire.

You got 30 minutes
to do it.

So I'm gonna make it happen.

Yeah, there you go.

The key to getting
a piece of steak medium rare

Is just let it cook
for the same amount of time

On both sides so it's gonna be
pink all the way through.

And then throw it
in the oven.

You know, I like playing
with a lot of neat things.

I don't have two hours
to cook in a slow water bath

At 60 degrees.

I'm gonna have to do it
traditional.

I'm just sort of looking
at the clock.

I don't want to fire them
too early.

You want to time it
just right.

You don't want it
to rest too long.

You don't want it
to not have time to rest.

Sorry.

To be honest,
I'm really unsure

If mine's gonna be cooked
perfectly or not.

I'd rather have it be
a little under than go over.

So at about five minutes left,

I will pull it out
and let it rest.

Cooking a steak,

You know, there's gotta be,
like, a lot of love

That goes into it.

And the way I do mine,

Gonna get like a nice char
on both of those sides.

That seals in the flavor.

And then you baste it

And baste it and baste it
with butter.

And then you just
let it rest.

[Lisa]
two minutes, guys.
Two minutes.

Time's up.

utensils down.
hands up.

Hi, richard.
Hey, padma.
How are you?

so he's gonna cut
the steak.
okay.

How'd you cook this?

um, I roasted it.
I grilled it a little bit.

and then I actually
charred it

With, uh, the torch
a little bit.

Okay.

All right, thank you.
Awesome.

hi, lisa. How did you like
this challenge?

I've always wanted to take
a week and work in, like,

A-a huge, like, meat factory.

How'd you cook this?
I just did it
in a pan.

Okay.

Thank you.
thanks.

Hi, padma.
hi, stephanie.

What did you do?
I just did it

On the stove with some, uh,
butter and oil.

just sort of just kept
watching it to see.

Just sort of a guessing game,
but...

Okay.

hello, spike.

Hello.
How you are doing, chef?

How you doing, sir?

How did you like
this challenge?

I enjoyed it a lot, actually.

I think I fared pretty well.

How'd you cook this?

right over an open flame

and put a little bit
of rosemary

underneath on the grill.

Really simple.
Salt and pepper.

A little bit
of olive oil.

thank you.
thank you.

hi, antonia.
hi, padma.

So I started it
on the grill

and then finished it
in a pan

With thyme, garlic,
and a lot of butter

And just basted it.

How long
did you rest this for?

Um, it's been resting
for about five minutes.

[padma]
thank you very much.

So, rick,

Who was the least
successful in this challenge?

Stephanie.

the first thing

I was obsessed with...
that's all right.

was the butchery.

To me, a tomahawk steak
is almost like a lollipop.

And it needs to be clean
all the way down.

And I thought your cook
was really under.

I agree.

richard.
yeah.

The butchery was really
inconsistent.

I could never serve those

In my steak house

as a tomahawk
signature steak.

And I thought the steak was--
was undercooked.

[Dramatic percussion]

Well, now I'm ready
for good news.

Lisa did a great job.

Your steak was cooked
really well.

Think you nailed that.

Again, tomahawk chop.
Lollipop form.

nice job.
thank you.

Spike.

I thought your butchering
was amazing.

And, uh, the medium rare
was--was really nice.

And I guess that leaves you,
antonia.

You had a beautiful,
beautiful crust on your steak.

It was cooked perfect.

Thanks, chef.

So who won this quickfire?

Spike.

Thank you.

It's kind of rewarding.

It's just to show the other
four people

That, listen,
I'm still here

And I'm here to play hard
from now on.

congratulations, spike.

As you know,
you don't have immunity.

Come on.
Give me immunity.
I know. I know.

But you do have a really
important decision to make

In the next challenge.

and you know that can make
all the difference

Between going on
to the final leg

And going home.

For your elimination
challenge,

We're gonna entrust you
with something very precious

To rick.

You five are gonna take over

His gorgeous new
steak restaurant

tomorrow night.

Are you sure?

you know,
tramonto's steak & seafood

Has been very blessed

To have lots of awards
given to it

and it's very, very popular.

Don't screw it up.

We won't.

[padma]
each of you
must be responsible

For an appetizer
and an entree.

and you have
to create your menu

Based on what you find
in rick's kitchen.

so, spike, as the winner
of the quickfire,

You'll have first pick

over whichever protein
you want for your appetizer

And entree.

Personally, I wouldn't want
that much pressure.

That's gonna force you
into a decision

That you may regret
ten minutes later

And you can't change
your mind.

So the restaurant
is fully booked.

So don't let rick down.

Please take care
of my customers.

Good luck.
We'll see you tomorrow.

That was a monster,
I gotta say.

Had my chops cut
in the first five minutes

And then all I had to do
is scrape.

so maybe it's just
in your blood.

my grandfather
was a butcher.

So his spirit--

his spirit was speaking
through you today.

For sure.

I want to make it
to the final four.

That's what I'm here for.

I also would like to see
a little bit

Of a battle of the sexes.

Out of the three girls, I feel
the top chef is stephanie.

It's kind of debatable
as far as lisa and antonia go.

I'd like to see antonia
go home.

Pressure's on.

I have something to prove
to chef tramonto.

I have something to prove
to padma and tom and gail.

this would suck here

To blow it tomorrow

for anyone.
yeah. It's, like, so close.

I don't want to walk
out of here tomorrow

And say, oh, that was
a good game.

I was top--the fifth person.

No difference between
going home now

Or being the first one
to go home.

I want to get
to the final four.

Tryin' to sabotage me?
I don't want it to die.

What about me?
What if I die?

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

[Richard]
for the elimination challenge,

We're heading to rick tramonto's
steak & seafood.

And we're gonna take over
his restaurant

For a dinner service.

All of us working
a particular station.

Responsible for two dishes.

[Antonia]
it's a gorgeous restaurant.

High ceiling.
Beautiful, rich colors.

The kitchen's gorgeous.

Beautiful wood burning
fire oven.

It's a beautiful kitchen.

spike, you want
to pick your stuff?

Time--time's started.
Time's started.

What? Time's started?

Four minutes in.
Go.

When the time starts,
I have five minutes--

Since I have the advantage--
to pick my protein.

I immediately see
the tomahawks.

I pull those out.

I kinda fell in love
with them the day before

So I wanted
to use them again.

I had my mind set
on using scallops.

And I saw a bag
of frozen scallops.

[lisa]
what'd you take?

I took scallops
and the big boys.

Jesus.

Initially, I definitely
wanted scallops.

But these scallops
are frozen

And they look really bad.

I see shrimp,
so I'll roll with the shrimp.

And then I grab a whole
new york strip

That I'm gonna butcher down.

[Antonia]
there's actually a lot
to chose from.

I grabbed mushrooms.
I grabbed potatoes.

I grabbed
some boston lettuce.

I end up choosing
a bone-in rib eye

Then just start piling stuff
onto my containers

And walk to my station.

Salsify puree.
Mushrooms.

Poached sweetbreads,
mixed over.

And some sort of greens.

We basically have
three hours

To just create our menu

And make an appetizer
and an entree.

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

What meat did you get?
I'm doin' tenderloin.

I'm doing sweetbread
appetizer and then...
Nice.

Sweetbreads are the thymus
glands of veal,

Which sounds
really unappetizing,

But when you eat them,

It's like a chicken mcnugget
if it's done right.

If anyone else
is using the ricer,

It's beautiful.

I'm going to make
a peanut butter mashed potato

For my steak.

I want to show the judges

And the guest chefs things
that they haven't seen before,

Combinations they haven't
seen before,

And wow them with the flavors
and the techniques.

Do you have
your mandolin out?

I'm excited about
our last elimination.

Just being put
into somebody's kitchen

And being, like,
here's the refrigerator.

And then do, like,
full dinner service.

It's a huge test of, like,
what we're made out of.

[Richard]
I don't think anyone has
a set plan

Because it's kind
of all spontaneous.

So I'm gonna take this fatty
piece of hamachi,

Shave it
into a bacon-like strip.

And I'm gonna top it
with these little crispy nuggets

Of sweetbreads.

Basically, I'm kinda
deconstructing

A classic italian dish.

My back is on fire.

is this fire open
for a reason?

[antonia]
yeah, so that it can have air

and it gets hotter.

is it too hot for you?
little bit.

Great.
Shoulders are slightly
on fire.

Tryin' to sabotage me?
I don't want it to die.

It needs air.

What about me?
What if I die?

Well, then I guess
you're not going

To puerto rico, lisa.

My nerves are a little bit
higher than normal.

I definitely want to make it
to the finals.

I didn't give up everything
and quit my job

And, you know,
spend this amount of time here

Away from my life

To just go home early.

I have chosen scallops.

When I finally
opened the bag

And let the scallops
thaw out a little bit,

I see that
every single scallop

Was pretty much torn
and just soaked with moisture.

Part of being a chef is kind of
adapting to the situation.

So, you know, I roll out,
you know, towels

And I start dumping
all the scallops on them

And pilling them on
with more towels.

Letting them sit.
Let water drain through.

I'm gonna have to do it
till they're dry

Because I'm not gonna
be able to sear a scallop

The way I want to
if they're wet.

Hey, antonia.
Yeah?

How's it goin'?
Oh, chef.

How are ya?

I was like,
"that voice sounds so familiar."

How are things?
um, good.
good so far.

So you're working on
a app and an entree?

For my appetizer,
I'm doing, um,

A warm mushroom salad
with artichokes.
Okay.

And poached egg
with a bacon vinaigrette.

Okay.

for my entree,
I have a bone-in rib eye

And I made a caramelized
shallot gratin.

So spike got first choice
and he took scallops

And--and the tomahawk.

Did that sort of alter
your plans at all?

Um, no. I mean, I would've
loved to work with scallops.

But when we came in,
they were frozen.

So I wouldn't have been
too excited for that.

Okay. I'll see you
in a little bit.
thanks, chef.

Hey, chef.
How's it goin'?

Good. How you doin'?
Good.

How do you feel
about this challenge?

I think it's a great
last challenge.

It definitely shows
who should be in the final four.

Why is that?

We really just had a few minutes
to create some dishes.

so, you know, to show
your creativity

And your ability
to sort of think on the fly.

Great. All right.
thanks.

I'll see ya
in a little bit.

All righty.

Hey, richard.
Hey, chef.
How are you?

Good. Oh, bacon for me.
Super.

Yeah. Sure.
It's nice and hot.

So how do you feel
about the challenge?

It's a tough challenge.
I'm nervous today.

Uh, what dishes
are you making?

uh, I'm doing hamachi.
okay.

Uh, the meat dish,
I'm gonna do a beef tenderloin.

it's actually a cut
that i--the older I get,

The more
that I actually enjoy.

What are your garnishes?

Um, it's gonna be
potatoes and turnips

And--and red wine.

so let me just check

on my red wine--yeah.

That's pretty straightforward
for--for you.

Uh, well, you know,
we'll see.

I kinda underpromise,
overdeliver.

so hopefully I'm gonna get
around to a few other things.

Few twists in there?
All right. Okay.

Tom kind of--
he said something to me

That really bothers me
a little bit today.

And he says, it seems like
you're playing it safe today.

It is straightforward for some
of the things I've done.

I'm not smoking anything
in a plastic bag.

And, you know--but it's--

It's--it's a steak house.

what are you doing
for your dishes today?

Um, my first course
is gonna be, uh,

Grilled and chilled
shrimp.

Okay.

my second course
is gonna be a new york strip

with spicy apple caramel
and, uh,

Peanut butter whipped
potatoes.

Okay.
Have you done that before?

Yes.
Okay.

It just gives it, like,

A little bit
of a nice creaminess.

and, you know, peanuts,
apple, caramel,

all kind of goes together.

But it's not like
a mouthful of peanut butter.

Got it.
Interesting. Okay.

so, I mean,
this is it.

It's never a good sign
when you say that.
Well....

Tom's a little bit
weirded out

By the peanut butter
mashed potatoes.

He kinda just blinks
and pulls his head back.

That look that he gives.

If it's good, it's good.

He just made me feel
so weird,

I just kinda wanted to like
hide under my station.

Okay, I'll see you
in a little bit.

all right,
thanks, chef.
good luck.

Hey, spike.
Chef, how's it going?

Good. How you doin'?
Fantastic.

I hear you have some pretty good
butchering skills.

Yeah, i-i totally
manhandled those ribs, chef.

So, um, i-i asked everybody

If you choosing scallops
and the tomahawk

Sort of presented
a problem.

And they all said
that after seeing your scallops,

That they were glad
that he--that you took that.

Yeah, uh, I'm a little
disappointed

After I opened the package.

Didn't you see
they were frozen?

Yeah, I saw that they
were frozen.

Oh, okay.
And you were okay with it.

I mean, I don't have a problem
using frozen scallops.

[Dramatic percussion]

um, a little disappointed
on the way they look.

so I'm gonna try to sear
them slowly

so they don't fall apart.

And if I make these things
look good,

I think I can make
anything look good after that.

That's about right. Okay.

Good luck. I'll let you
get back to work.

Thanks, chef.

Okay, chefs,
just give me one second.

I need you down here
real quick.

In about an hour, we have
around 60 guests coming in.

Rick, gail, and padma, uh,

Will be in the dining room
with three v.i.p. Guests

You'll meet later.

I will be expediting
this meal.

You guys know the routine.
You all work in restaurants.

[Antonia]
tom being the expediter
is just awesome.

Expediting basically means
he coordinates the timing

For the dishes.

Restaurants that I used
to work in,

You know,
when the "executive chef"

Would actually expedite
the service, you know,

It was always just exciting
'cause he was, like,

The head guy.

I want all the apps out
in ten minutes.

After that, we're waiting
for the clear on the--

From--from the servers
putting out entrees, okay?

Just have a great service.

And, uh, everybody do
your best job, okay?

[Stephanie]
awesome. Thanks, chef.

[Tom]
get back to it.

[Spike]
I let tom get in my mind.

And I started second-guessing
myself.

It's kind of ironic
that I get an advantage

And it ends up just biting me
in the ass.

But the bottom line is,

If I have my mind
on using scallops,

I'm seriously, seriously
gonna try to do

Anything possible

To make those things
look pretty on the plate.

Who's using these two?

Oh, there's all-clads
above us.

[Antonia]
ten minutes before
service starts,

I clean up all the steaks
and put it on the grill

'Cause I want to get
some nice color on it,

Leave it be,

And then as tickets
start coming in,

They can just go
right into the oven

And that's it.

[Richard]
I really want to make it
to the finale.

The closer it gets,

The more important it is

For many different reasons.

You know, my wife is at home
busting her hump

And workin' really hard.

And to be here for so long

And then come home a loser,

Not really what I had
in mind.

You know, i-i've failed
at many things in my life

And I don't really feel
like failing at this.

Just wanted to, uh,
introduce you

To our v.i.p. Guests tonight.

Oh, yeah.

[tom]
um, you probably recognize
all of them.

Two minutes, two minutes.

[Richard]
with five chefs left,

There's definitely no room
for error.

A stake in the last
elimination before the finale.

So everyone is super on edge,
super nervous.

Get out of my way.

To be so close
and then go home today

Would be tragic.

[Beeping]

And away we go.

[tom]
guys, can you come over here
for a second real quick?

Steph, lisa.

Guys.
Oh, yeah.

I just wanted to, uh,
introduce you

To our v.i.p. Guests
tonight.

um, you probably
recognize all of them.

you have harold,
our winner from season one,

ilan, who's our winner
from season two,

and of course hung
from season three.

guys, you were in their shoes
not so long ago.

Any suggestions for them?

Yeah. I think, uh,
first off,

Just cook your style

and just be true
to yourself.

You're here to win,
not be fan favorite.

just do what you gotta do
to win.

Ilan.

Don't shave
anybody's head tonight.

Don't try it.
Don't--just--

I don't know if these
former top chef winners

Are gonna be more gentle
or harsh.

Good luck to everybody.

Get back to it.
Good luck.

[Antonia]
you know, once you're on
that other side

And you're sitting
at the judges' table,

It's very easy to start
becoming very critical.

Everybody hungry?

I'm starving.

Gentlemen.

hi. Wow.
it's beautiful in here.

I cannot wait to try
peanut butter mashed potatoes.

What can I bring for you?

I'm gonna do the grilled and
chilled shrimp to start with.

Ordering one shrimp!

I'll do the, um,
vitello tramonto.

Got that? I'll take a vitello
right now.

I think we're getting
the tasting menu of everything.

Chefs.

the judges want
a tasting menu, okay?

So I need about a third size
portions.

six each.

Tom comes over and tells us
that he's gonna need

Six tasting portions
for the judges.

And although we probably
should've expected this,

Nobody really thought

That we were going to have to do
tasting portions.

[All]
cheers.

Thank you guys
so much for coming back.

[All]
cheers.

This goes to the six
in the center--the judges.

My appetizer is grilled
and chilled off prawns

And I'm serving them
with a salad

Of confit lemon zest
with some baby tomatoes

And basically a crostini.

I think it needs
a little more sugar.

The lemon's great though.

The lemon just sets
the whole thing off.

I wonder why she chose
to chill the shrimp.

yeah, 'cause it really--

It makes it
a lot more subtle

Of a, you know,
shellfish flavor

By chillin' it.

Okay. Next up, scallop,
sweetbread,

Shrimp, vitello.

My appetizer
is the vitello tramonto.

You know, veal and tuna.

Even though the tuna's
hamachi

And even though
the veal is veal sweetbreads.

Judges' table.
This is richard's.

[Richard]
it definitely fits
into my style.

I think that they'll get
a kick out of it.

This is good.

For me, this is delicious.

This is absolutely
delicious.

the hot and cold
with the hamachi

and the sweetbreads

And the apple popping and...

[ilan]
the avocado is perfect.

It's really good.

Would you put this
on your menu?

I would in a heartbeat.

I wanna pick up
a scallop.

Scallop right now, chef.

My appetizer dish
the scallop

With roasted hearts of palm
and oyster mushrooms

And a little bit
of scallions.

I'm tasting it as I go
and it tastes delicious.

There's clearly some acidity
inside the sauce.

The mushroom's good.

[Padma]
I don't think these

Are fresh hearts
of palm though.

There's something sort of
dehydrated feeling about them.

[harold]
it just kinda all tastes
the same.

There wasn't anything really,
like, I don't know,

Texturally interesting.

Sweetbread in the window.

[tom]
thank you.

My appetizer is crisp
veal sweetbreads

With italian
sweet and sour sauce

Of golden raisins
and pine nuts

With a little bit of fennel
and haricots verts and bacon.

I think my food looks great
as it's going out.

The sweetbreads
are nice and crispy.

Got enough sauce.
Got enough veg.

They're all cooked
perfectly.

So everything's good to go.

[harold]
I think this is really,
really impressive.

Really only criticism
I have about it

is I would've like to have seen
the pine nuts toasted.

I think it--overall,
it's really solid.

[hung]
I love sweetbreads.

And, uh, i-i like, um,
the lightly tartness of it.

The sweetness.
The crunch of the fennel.

Exactly what spike's dish
was missing,

Stephanie's dish had.

Ordering
one mushroom salad.

My appetizer is a warm mushroom
and artichoke salad

With poached egg
and bacon vinaigrette.

With the salad,
there's always a couple things

That I would've done
differently.

But, you know, my egg
my cooked perfectly.

And I was poaching eggs
to order, which is, you know,

It's not an easy thing
to do.

It wasn't the strongest dish
we've eaten.

the egg was actually
poached perfectly.

But I thought the rest
of the dish fell apart.

I thought it got
real soggy with the lettuce.

there was no presence
of artichoke.

It just kinda seemed
hit and miss.

[tom]
I need a tenderloin, please.

Come on, richard,
you're dragging.

You're k*lling me here.

I have it
right now, chef.

My food is pretty intricate.

You know, there's 19 things
that go onto one plate.

Don't rush me.

I'm dyin' out here
and you're k*lling me.

[Richard]
I'll take slow and perfect
over quick and half-assed

Any time.

Hot plate.

Pick up, please.

My entree is beef filet

With, uh, potato puree,

Turnips, red wine,
and pickled brussel spouts.

Oh, wow.

Ooh, that's a rare
piece of meat.

Tenderloin is my least
favorite cut of meat, so...

you know,
I'll tell you what,

You get some of the brussel
sprouts pickled

And you get all the--
all the elements together,

It really works.

Then put everything
together.

I-i agree.

It's not a relaxed
dining experience.

You know, it's a--
it's a project.

[tom]
okay, lisa,

I need those tastings
now too, right?

My entree is grilled
new york strip

With a spicy
apple caramel sauce,

Peanut butter mashed potatoes,

Some haricots verts,

And then just
an apple-peanut gastrique.

[Padma]
this is lisa's
peanut butter mashed potatoes.

[gail]
I'm a little bit nervous.

[rick]
I'm telling you, for me,

I'm really, really diggin'
the mash.

Really?

I like the nuttiness
and the smokiness of the beet

and the pop
of the green apple.

Like, it's really working
for me.

I have a problem with the beef.

I think it's completely
underseasoned.

Underseasoned
and it's tough.

I find it
not entirely balanced.

and the piece of meat
that I got was very thin.

Pick up, please.

oui, chef.

judges.

[Spike]
my entree is the tomahawk.

It's a sweet potato puree

With blanched brussels sprouts
and some cipollinis.

I think the meat's better alone
with nothing else.

the crust on it's nice.

I just think it can do
without everything else.

yeah.

the potato puree,

It tastes like he added
honey to it.

yeah, it's too sweet.
it's too sweet.

this is the episode
before a finale.

You know, blow my mind.

Um, yeah. It was okay.

Does this look stupid?
No. Not at all.

[Stephanie]
my entree is beef tenderloin

With salsify puree,

Some wild mushrooms,

And a little bit
of an apple sauce.

Tastings from me
are coming to the window.

As long as it tastes really good
and it's perfectly done,

I feel like that's
enough reason to get you

In the final four.

[padma]
really gorgeous.

[harold]
yeah, I want to finish
this whole dish.

[hung]
everything was just compact.

Just take one bite.
I love it.

Guys are doin' a great job.
Let's go.

Keep it comin'.

It's actually just nice
being with tom in that setting

Instead of it being, like,
judges' table.

One sweetie all day.

[Antonia]
it's a very fun atmosphere.

You know, him just
watching us cook,

It was like he was
in the grind with us.

Can I get a rib eye?

hey, tasting
in the window.

My entree is a bone-in rib eye
with roasted fennel

And cipollinis
and a shallot potato gratin.

This is food that I would eat
hands down in a steak house,

And I'm a super picky eater.

The fattiness of this piece
of meat is...

I'm falling in love
with it.

the only thing that I think

I'm sort of feeling
on this

Is that it's all
very rich.

This--this dish for me

Out of all the dishes so far,
I'm really diggin'

because it ate

The most rounded.

That's really nice.

[woman]
I was hungry!
what can I say?

One more filet,
medium rare.

A tomahawk medium well
and a rib eye medium.

And that gets me home.

[Stephanie]
service is ending
and I think I did really well.

I kept up with service
really well.

My food looked good.

My beef temperatures
were on.

From what I created today,

I don't think I could've done
any better.

start doing tasting app
portions for me, okay?

[Antonia]
I think everybody's
just nervous.

Nobody wants to go home.

We all want to go
on to the finals.

And not all of us can.

I don't think I'm going home.

But then again,
I just don't know.

Nobody knows.

For one of you,
the journey ends here.

[Spike]
whoo! The last time ever

In this [bleep]ing place.

Who wants a glass of wine?

[lisa]
I need a xanax.

[spike]
it's probably the most

nerve-wracking day

Of our lives.

[lisa]
no matter what happens,

No matter who goes home
tonight,

We've all been
through a [bleep]load.

We've all rocked
these challenges.

And everybody's [bleep]ing
awesome.

And I hope we all
stay in touch.

[All toasting]

[Spike]
you're the only one
that made a speech.

Hello.

Hi, padma.

Thank you for a great meal.

Oh, that's a good start.

We'd like to see
all of you.

Of course.

[padma]
as you know,
this is our last time

here at judges' table

In chicago.

[Dramatic percussion]

For one of you,
the journey ends here.

[Dramatic percussion]

Richard, how did you feel
you did?

Generally, I felt
I did--

Well, why don't you tell me
how I did?

Had you made
that appetizer before?

No, I have not made
the appetizer before.

[tom]
would you put it
on your menu?

Um, i-i would maybe tweak
one or two things.

[rick]
that was a brilliant dish
for me.

I wish there was a little more
sweetbreads to it.

that was one of my favorite
dishes of the dinner.

Your main course...

We had some problems with.

The meat was a little
undercooked.

that, um, was more undercooked
in some dishes than others.

Was a bit
of inconsistency there.

[padma]
stephanie.

[tom]
first off, I just gotta say,

Obviously, there's a lot
on the line here.

There's a lot of pressure.

But at no time
do you ever show

that you're under pressure
at all.

[gail]
except right now.

Well, you guys
are freaking me out.

I thought the sweetbreads
were cooked beautifully.

They were lush in the middle.
They were crispy outside.

I love
the sweet and sour play.

Yeah, it was a nice dish.

Thank you.

Were you happy
with the way the entree went?

Uh, when I tasted it,

I thought that it could use
a little bit more acidity.

I think that the sauce
could've used

A little bit
more bite to it.

And that's a dish
you've made a lot.

I've never made...
Never made it before, no.

[padma]
lisa.

[gail]
I really loved the lemon.

I thought it was beautiful
and fragrant.

really nice touch.

I just really would've wished

That that shrimp was warm.

um, to me with the butter

on a really cool dish,

It sort of tasted congealed.

[rick]
I struggled with the dish.

I-i really couldn't
get my arms around it.

[Dramatic percussion]

[padma]
wanna talk about
your main course.

Had you made this dish
ever before?
yes.

This is a dish that i, uh,
worked with a lot

At my previous job.

You know, when I read the dish,
I wanted to hate it.

and when I ate it,
it was interesting.

If the technician work
was done a little bit better,

I think it would've really
exploded the dish.

[tom]
the steak that I was served

Was cooked more on the top side
than the bottom side.

And I'm kind of a stickler--
when you cook meat,

It needs to be cooked,
you know, evenly on both sides.

you just need to focus
on the ingredients

and make sure
everything's right.

That was my big issue.

[Dramatic percussion]

Antonia.

I really honestly
went about the challenge

Knowing that it was
a steak house

And honestly what I like to eat
when I go into a steak house.

The egg
was cooked perfectly.

You know, the main course,
i-i thought,

Going up there,
it looked steak house.

a nice chop.
it was nicely charred.

The gratin was fabulous.
I mean, it could--

It was perfect steak house.

Wonderful.

So, spike,
you won the quickfire.

Yes. I fell in love
with the tomahawk,

Uh, the other day
and i-i was hoping

That it was gonna be
in the cooler

And I can, uh, do something else
with it.

My pieces of meat
were cooked very well.

Rested well.
Tasted good.

I-i guess you--
you get this far,

there's five people left.

you're in a restaurant.

scallops come in.
they're frozen.

Send them back.

Choose something else.

I was really surprised

that you stuck
with those scallops.

They were--they were
really terrible.

Being a chef
is all about choices.

Sure.
choices every day

on everything you do.

I mean, a vendor brings in
something like that

In your restaurant
in the back door,

You gotta be able to say,
you know what,

Change in plan.

Change in direction.

Well,
with all due respect,

They were in your walk-in.

and, uh,

it should never make it
in the walk-in

If it's not high quality.

[rick]
I'll take the shot.

I had frozen--
no, I mean--

I'll take the shot, bro.

I had frozen scallops
in my cooler.

But you gotta take
the shot that you used them.

I did use them.

I mean, I understand that
I used the frozen scallops and--

Wrong move.

[Dramatic percussion]

All right, thank you
very much.

We'll, uh, call you all back
when we have a decision.

Thank you.

Thanks.

[spike]
I can't believe
I said that about, uh...

I can't believe
I said the walk-in thing.

I don't know where
that came from.

You feel like you're
in trouble?

no.
you don't.

if you asked me if I feel like
I should be at the top four,

i-i-i do.

and that's what
the question is--

I mean, that's what
I'm answering.

none of us want
to go home.

[Lisa]
none of us want
to [bleep]ing go home.

We've come too far.

I-i thought this was
a great challenge

Because each chef
was totally self-contained.

They had their station,
their two dishes, and that's it.

no excuses.

I think that hung, harold,
and ilan,

At different times in the meal,
were all really impressed

With the cooking
that came out of that kitchen,

and really excited
about it.

there was a lot of things
that all of us tasted

That we never tasted before

That we thought
were really clever,

Really delicious,

And a lot of fun.

I think stephanie
was the most well-rounded

And she hit both of those apps
and main courses

Pretty spot-on.

[Gail]
stephanie showed me
something new.

And that's what I get
really excited about

when I sit down
at a restaurant

And I try something
that I will remember.

[tom]
richard gave us
a well done first course.

It was innovative, um,
but it was also delicious.

[Padma]
with his main course,

The whole should be greater
than all your parts.

And I think in this case,

The sum didn't add up
to more.

but his appetizer

Was the single best dish
of the night.

And antonia.

[rick]
I loved that gratin.

I couldn't stop
eating it.

[tom]
her steak dish, um,

Was my favorite
of all the steak dishes.

[Gail]
I think that antonia is a very
insightful cook.

I think she says it

And she knows it.

She cooks from the heart.

And it really shows
on her plate

That she is very thoughtful
about the food she does.

So what do we think
about spike?

You know, i-i had--i had issues
with--with both courses.

Big issues.

listening to him talk

about what's important
to him,

When I hear "simplicity,"

I-i love simplicity
in cooking.

But if you're gonna cook
simple and--and naked,

Everything just needs
to be perfect.

and I think he made
a bad decision

In choosing frozen scallops.

I love his spunk.
I love his fire.

but coming off
of yesterday,

I was expecting more.

I guess what bothers me
about lisa

And--and--and her cooking, um,
especially tonight,

Is I just always get
that she's slightly apathetic

To what she's doing.

Regardless of whether or not
you think you do rustic food

or refined food,
you still have to do it right.

She has an amazing palate.

and I think she focuses
more on flavor

And less on the technique.

But technique
is how you make flavor.

Okay, so of these two,

who do we think, guys?

[rick]
as tom always says,

It's a cooking
competition.
Yeah.

and I always had to keep
that in my head

All day today.

This is a cooking
competition.

It's not
about personalities.

What is on the plate?

Yeah, I think we can agree,
the shrimp was--

Was terrible.
Was it everybody's
least favorite dish?

No.
It was my
least favorite dish.

for me.
gail.

They're on par for me.

They were both
really weak.

At least the scallops
had this much hope.

Spike put a lot more work
into his dish.

So I'm really looking
at the main courses.

See, I look at the main course

And I think he put very little
work into that main course.
Right.

[Padma]
it is the most crucial
of decisions

Up to now.

And, uh, I think
we have our answer.

Let's get them all back out.

[tom]
you've made it this far.

and you've done a great job
through twelve quickfires

and--and twelve eliminations.

And unfortunately,
one of you are going home.

[padma]
so we're gonna start

With the good news.

since rick
is our guest judge,

He's gonna announce
the winner

Of this elimination challenge.

You know, the one
that really stuck out

and really brought
the whole thing together for me

in both appetizer
and entree

Was stephanie.

[Laughter]
thanks.

thank you.

Thanks, rick.
It's--it's an honor. Thank you.

So stephanie, that means you're
going on to the final leg.

congratulations.
awesome.

[padma]
you have a little souvenir.

I do. I have a little gift
for you.

It's a copy of my new book,

fantastico!,
which is a follow-up

To my amuse-bouche and my
tru book.

I have the other ones.

and congratulations.
did a great job.

[padma]
stephanie, as the winner,

You'll also be receiving

your very own suite

Of ge monogram
kitchen appliances

Just like the ones you've been
using all season long

In the top chef kitchen.

Just the fact of being
in the final four

Is super exciting,

But winning
a ge monogram kitchen,

That's really...
Freaking exciting.

I'm on, like, cloud nine.

Whoo!

Richard, your appetizer

was the judges' favorite
appetizer this evening.

Congratulations.
You'll be going to puerto rico.

[Exhales]

antonia, your entree
was our favorite entree.

So congratulations.

you will make it
to puerto rico.

Thank you, chef.

Three of you can leave
the kitchen.

thanks.

[antonia]
thanks a lot.

Thank you very much.

It feels awesome
to be in the final four.

I just can't believe
that I've made it

Through all the bull[bleep].

I'm glad it's over
because now we get to go

Into the final.

It's so exciting.

So unbelievably exciting.

Are you kidding me?
Holy [bleep]!

Yes, I made it
to the final four.

I worked really hard
at it.

I'm proud of myself.

I came out here
and did what I had to do.

Congrats.

[tom]
lisa, you've been in the bottom
at judges' table

five times this season.

and spike, you've been here
seven times.

Now I would imagine,
based on our comments,

that neither one of you
should be surprised

to be here right now.

And unfortunately,
one of you will be going home.

lisa, I think all of us
through your food

just got a sense that you're
not pushing through.

you're not driving.

You're not being
sort of absolutely ferocious

When it comes to some
of the ingredients

That you're working with

And some of the things
that you're doing.

we really didn't care
for the shrimp dish that much.

There were certain things
that were just lacking.

From hearing you talk,
we know there's passion there.

We know there's something
inside that's driving you.

We gotta see it.

spike, there's--there's
choices we make as chefs.

Everything that goes
on a plate is there by design.

we thought that you made
a huge mistake

in serving those scallops.

I love the fact that you talk
about simple flavors.

but if you're going to cook
using very simple flavors,

Everything has to be perfect.

Padma.

Spike, please pack
your knives and go.

[Exhales]

Congratulations.

Guys, thank you very much
for the opportunity.

I had a fabulous time
while I was here.

Gail. Tom.
Nice work.

Thank you. Padma.
Pleasure.

Chef.

[padma]
so lisa, you're also
going on

To puerto rico.

Thank you.

I'm definitely
gonna bring it.

Congratulations.

I'm disappointed.

I'm outy.

I felt like I showed
so much of myself here

In so many different ways

More than any other
individual in this competition.

[richard]
we'll see each other.

Yes.
We'll see you soon.

You guys have fun
in puerto rico.

It's just, it sucks that it had
to end like this for me.

ciao.

Of course I wanted
to be the top chef.

But it's not gonna stop me
from my goals.

I'm still gonna
excel in this career

And in this business.

It's not gonna
hold me back at all.

I don't give up.
I have a lot of strive.

It's hard to put me down.

You know what I mean?

Like, no one puts me down.

[Lisa]
I am excited as hell.

It's a clean slate,

And I'm going to shock
the [bleep]

Out of the judges.

And then there were four.

I'm very proud of myself.

We all are well-rounded.

We all have our strengths.

We all have our weaknesses.

And it's anybody's game.

Cheers. Congrats.
Congrats. Great job.

It's not over.

Now that I know
how the game is played,

I'm ready to train.

So I'm pretty excited
about it.

Let's go to the finals.

Cheers.
I love you guys.

Cheers.

[Padma]
next on top chef...

Welcome to puerto rico.

It feels awesome
to be in the final four.

[Stephanie]
get to see a little bit
of san juan.

Different neighborhoods.
Beautiful colors everywhere.

[Lisa]
there's a band.
There's dancers.

And everybody's just kind of,
you know,

Hanging out,
havin' a good time dancing.

There's time to play

And there's time to work.

[Lisa]
richard just starts
hackin' at the things.

[Antonia]
we're pushing the envelope
a little bit.

[Stephanie]
it's time for me to just
go to town.

[Antonia]
blais is, like,
sawing the thing in half.

[Richard]
it's--it's a pleasurable
experience.

[Stephanie]
holy shh-nikies.

[Padma]
for more about the recipes
seen tonight,