19x08 - Restaurant Wars

[bunniefuu]

- Top of the morning, mate.
- Morning.

So, what do you think?

We're not going to
the Top Chef kitchen.

I don't know.

I mean, I guess it's, never
gotta be anything for Top Chef.

Yeah.

You know,
after the Jurassic Park.

Can we really guess
what we're going to do?

The last challenge was
the most fun one.

Each team is responsible
for making dishes inspired

by these jaw
dropping dinosaurs.

It was a huge moment for me
to see things differently.

The dish just
didn't come together.

It seemed like a collection
of ingredients

and things
as opposed to a dish.

It's time to showcase
what kind of chef I am.

It's so funny.

Like, me, you and Evelyn
have always been at the top.

The team that ruled
the world today

is the Brown Team.

Oh, my God.

But the last time
I was on the bottom.

Maybe we'll wait
till 15 minutes

That way we can
keep your food hot.

I don't feel like
my input or my opinions

are really mattering at this
point.

- No.
- Yeah, like that way.

Everything that Tom said on that
table was absolutely correct.

We ended up with quail
on the dry side.

I didn't plan my time well.

Jo. Please pack your
knives and go.

Ah, that's where we did
the night market.

What's this look like, guys?

- Hi, chefs.
- Oh my--

Welcome to Restaurant Wars.

Ah, Restaurant Wars.

I'm ready.
Let's do it.

Oh, God. I'm scared.

Eight chefs remain

to compete in the ultimate
culinary showdown.

At stake for the winner:

A feature in
Food & Wine magazine,

an appearance at the
Food and Wine Classic in Aspen,

$250,000 furnished
by San Pellegrino

and the coveted title
of Top Chef.

That's right.
You've officially made it

to one of the most feared
and anticipated challenges:

Restaurant Wars.

I was a little jealous
of last season.

Having to serve only the judges?

That was a little too easy.

But that's why we're upping
the ante this year.

Not only will you have
to serve the judges

at a chef's counter,
but you'll also

have to feed a restaurant
full of diners.

Oh, man.

Come on.

Come on up and grab
a Kn*fe, everyone.

- What's this?
- There's nothing on mine.

Who got first choice and
who got second choice?

We're doing an old fashioned
schoolyard pick.

Here we go.

Everyone with a blank Kn*fe,
please step to one side.

Okay, Nick.
You get to pick first.

I'm connected with
Damarr, Ashleigh,

because of their Southern roots.

Damarr.

Jae, who's going to be
your first teammate?

Evelyn.

Ashleigh.

Jackson.

Buddha.

I guess that means you're
going over to Jae, Luke.

I would rather work
with Luke than Buddha.

That sounds horrible.

After last challenge, he
and I just don't really click.

In 36 hours,
both teams will open

their restaurants
up for business.

You'll seat
and serve 50 guests.

How do you decide
to run your restaurant

is completely up to you.

Today, you'll start
conceptualizing

your restaurants
and planning your menus.

Each team will have time
to meet with a designer

from Aztec Events and Tents.

First, you're going
to head to Whole Foods.

Then you'll visit
some specialty shops

where your contactless
Mastercard

will allow you
to simply tap and go.

So you'll need to create

a truly priceless experience
for your guests.

Tomorrow,
you'll have five hours

to set up your restaurants

and train your servers
before service begins.

The team with
the winning concept

will take home $40,000.

A cool 10K in your pocket?

Yeah.

- That's a lot of bread.
- Yes.

You've already won some
money, right Nick?

Yeah, I'm the one
with the bread.

Yeah, we call him The Baker.

Well, let's bake
some more bread, guys.

Good luck, chefs.
We'll see you tomorrow.

Have fun.

Oh, big moment here.

I'm excited to work with y'all.

Do we want to work
concept down?

We got three real
strong South cooks.

I want to work
around you guys.

I can do front of house
and do the first course.

I've studied
Restaurant Wars quite a bit.

Dealing with the front
of house has sent home

a lot of excellent
chefs in the past.

High risk but I'm
in it to win it.

We all have really
strong mothers.

So I think with the
Southern theme

it'd be cool if we named our
restaurant Matriarch.

Okay.

- Matriarch without the H.
- I like it.

Think it also as Matriarc
will look good if

she's kind of in command
of the kitchen.

- Know what I mean?
- Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

- If you feel good about that.
- Yeah, yeah.

I do have an idea if
I can just start off.

- What is it?
- Southeast Asian.

Oh, you wanna do
South East Asian.

I do. And we could call
it No Name but N-E-M,

like Nem sausage.

Oh, I like.

You're going to be a rock
star if we do that.

I would love that.

Evelyn's a really strong
personality.

- Yeah.
- I'm totally happy to help out

with that front of house
thing if you guys want.

She's just naturally going to
be our leader in this

so I want to play
to her strength.

You know, I'm not familiar
with Southeast Asian.

But you're familiar with
bold flavors, right?

Yeah.

I think if there's one
dish that's not,

I think that's okay as well.

It has to be all or none, man.

Mm. Okay.

I never worked at an
Asian restaurant,

never made specific
Southeast Asian cuisine.

My specialty in cooking is fish.

I worked at Le Bernardin for
two years.

I've been seriously missing
cooking fish.

We're in Houston. We haven't
done like a gulf thing,

so I think maybe
highlight seafood.

- I really want to highlight--
- Seafood, right?

We'll be able to execute this.



just because we don't know

what the experience of
the servers are like.

Maybe the first course is an
array of snacks with bread.

- What do you guys think?
- As long as it feels like you.

It's still gonna feel like me.

Well, I would like
to do dessert.

Yeah. Yeah, you've got
a solid carrot cake.

I was just gonna say I have a
raw beef course in mind.

And then I was thinking green
gumbo was pretty veg-heavy.

Yeah, so I have my mind set
on a oxtail marmalade

but we need seafood in here too.

Maybe do some
cured salmon. Or...

Some kind of smoked
catfish pâté or something--

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

And also serve
four to six courses.

- Family style.
- Family Style?

Is so much
easier to execute.

Watching the show I just know
that that was one thing

that really messed them up was
because they did that.

It was family style
but not cohesive.

Some dishes didn't
even make sense.

I'd rather do it one plate
at a time so you can

really showcase
our individual skills.

But I'm the only one
that has concerns.

Everybody seems
very confident with it,

so that makes me confident.

I would like to do a
pani puri, like a--

- Sure--
- First bite.

I'm totally into that.

I was actually thinking
of some spring rolls

but it's like, a kind
of like, crudité.

It's called No Nem.

Like we could end the last
savory with pork meatballs,

like, literally made from Nem.

A-ha, so funny.

Okay, I like it.

I was going to make, like, a
smoked fish bone sauce.

But what if we do
it with the curry?

I mean, yeah--

- You're the curry master.
- I can make a curry.

- I can do this.
- Yeah.

I feel like it will really
free up your time

depending on what you go with.

Then we'll go into
a fish course,

And then this
carrot cake situation.

We'll be done.
- Mm-hm.

This concept
represents what Southern food

It should feel
like one voice and not,

you know, four chefs who
decided to play restaurant.

Team, let's go pick out
some tables and chairs.

That is my favorite I will say.

In quantities,
are we looking around 56?

- What do you think?
- I'm cool with it.

This is not only
a woman led kitchen

but the name is Matriarc,

so there needs to be some
feminine touches.

On the napkin. What you think?

Off-white.

All I know is restaurants,
but in Asheville, North Carolina

people don't typically
come to my city to eat.

Even though I've been
on the James Beard list

I was getting comments
in my dining room

that it was too spicy
and I started to feel

like my food
was unapproachable.

I'm for that.

I don't think
that's a matriarchy.

Being deemed the executive chef

and playing such a big role

in the creation of
our restaurant,

I feel like I can be me.

So I'm gonna show up
and do it.

All right,
we got all we need here.

Let's go check out
everything else.

All right, let's get to it.

Hey, guys! So I'm Hailey.

I'm going to make your logos.

Tell me about what you want

your people to feel when they
walk in the restaurant.

I mean, we're definitely going
for, like, tropical florals.

Our food is going to be
very bright, very bold.

Not fine dining, more
like fun atmosphere.

Good, okay.

- But also not, like, neon.
- Right.

I was thinking white flowers
with lots of greenery.

I think it'll break up the room.

- Bye!
- Bye.

Yup, yup, yup. Here we go.

My destination,
Whole Foods Market.

Hello?

I was thinking we
should send out

course one and two
at the same time.

And then courses three and
four at the same time.

Okay, I like that.

Are we all kind of
on the same page

that Evelyn's basically
our executive chef?

I think she should be.

I'm very comfortable
expediting, too.

Evelyn, I don't want to feel

like I'm not
doing anything, you know?

Oh, you'll have sh-- to do.
Don't worry.

'Sup, Buddha.

Hey, Damarr. Hold on.
It's a little bit too loud.

Let me turn it down.
- Hey, hey, hey.

Hey. So we're thinking
that maybe

we just do a bitter
lettuce salad.

What, instead-- instead
of the gumbo?

No. Instead of the tartare.

I have this idea. I'm going
to do just like a salad

of bitter lettuces,
buttermilk pearls,

a simple citrus vinaigrette.

Is that it?

I thought you were gonna be
way more excited about that.

Whatever I've learned
from this competition

is that they don't
like that sh--.

It's Restaurant Wars.

We need to make an impact.

If we incorporate salmon
tartare, cool.

It doesn't need to happen.

Yeah, you can, like, put the
salad on top of the salmon.

Buddha's smart. He has
studied every single chef

that has been through
this franchise.

He can tell you what
they did wrong

and how he would definitely
not make that mistake.

But this is our restaurant,
so if it's my course,

I'm going to make it to
where I believe in it.

Yeah. Let's go for it. Cool.

Go, Luke!

We need garlic, shallots.

- Is this your black cod?
- This is black cod?

I'll take this one, these two
and then one more as well.

And then after that,

I'm also going to get
some shrimp from you.

Holy crap. Are you ordering
the whole market?

- Or...?
- Yeah.

We have Restaurant Wars.
There is $40,000 on the line.

And we're doing a salad
with citrus dressing,

- you know what I mean?
- Okay. We can get the salmon.

Buddha thinks that salads
aren't that exciting.

And I know that Nick wants
to do a beef dish.

Can I get New York strip whole?

So I've decided that I
definitely want to do

this salmon tartare with

some lettuce components,

like, kind of make it a
tartare with a salad.

You guys need a cutting board
for all that mincing about?

There go all
the smack talk, again.

Oh, sh--.

Yo, this is enough for,
like, 200 people.

I know.

I still have to get all
my seasoning meat

'cause there's none
of that here.

You feeling good, Nick?

- Is that everything?
- That's everything.

Thank you.

I guess the plan now is that
we go to Viet Hoa, right?

Yeah.

All right, guys.
We're going to 99 Ranch.

- Let's go.
- We'll see you guys back there.

- Oh. Sorry.
- Ow. Be gentle!

A lot of different types
of meats here.

Yeah. I'm happy to have found
smoked turkey legs.

Love this store.

Do you see green papaya?

Over here, Jae.

Oh, yes.

Taking on a lead role
and also being able

to teach my team
about the cuisine

is more pressure on myself.

- Mm-hm.
- It's really strong.

Winning. Okay?
Like, that's the mentality.

Evelyn!

Where did she go?

Oxtail. Let's see here.

Kind of looks like it.

Without oxtails,
my dish will not exist.

Hey.

Hello?

No oxtails, man.

We have oxtail here. Not a ton.

Get all the oxtails.

We're uh, hitting our limit.

Ooh.

On to the sent.

- How much is it?
- 173.32.

Okay. All right, easy. Great.

- Let's go guys.
- Thank you so much.

Let's set it up.

- Evelyn.
- Yes?

Jackson.

Okay.

One-two-three. Matriarc!

Aye! Jesus.

Let's kick some ass.

Oh, yeah. Just a little
smoked turkey leg

for the green gumbo.

I've got two dishes
and I'm exec.

It's either that they're
tired of looking at me

or they really believe in me.

Game plan. Turkey stock.
Buttermilk cheese.

I take on a green gumbo
representing the matriarchs

of the food world.

I think of Leah Chase.

Still to this day,
rave about her green gumbo.

It's a little scary.

Like, I don't want
to mess this up.

Is this you?
Oh, no, no, no. This is me.

Hm. Sorry.

I'm currently working
on our curry.

I'm going to try to bang
out this entire dessert,

except for the coconut.

I'm cleaning and
butchering the snapper now.

I'm going to go straight into
breaking down all the cabbage.

First course,
I'm making pani puri

with poached shrimp and
passion fruit vinaigrette.

For our second dish, Jae's
making snapper summer roll.

You got another curry you're
helping Luke with, right?

- I know.
- The curry queen.

Luke is making
choo chee curry

with black cod and
charred Napa cabbage.

Our team dish is barbecued nem
in fried Brussel sprouts.

Jackson is making a dessert,

which is citrus curd,
shortbread cookies

and whipped coconut cream.

I'm hungry. I want it.

Buddha. What you doing?

Looking at the floor plan,
you know what I mean?

For the first course,
I'm going to be making

quite an array of
Southern-inspired appetizers.

For the second course,
Ashleigh is going to be

making salmon with
buttermilk and peaches.

And for the third course,
Ashleigh's making

gumbo Z'Herbes.

So this is my seasoning to
encrust my steak on tomorrow.

Who wants
to eat a boring steak?

I'm doing the fourth course.
I am bringing oxtail marmalade

and pairing that up with
strip loin potatoes.

This is the symbol of Matriarc.

I want to put love on a plate.

All right, guys.
I'm really going to focus

on getting this carrot
cake in the oven.

All right, all right.

And we're going to finish
it up with a carrot cake

which is a Southern staple.

Carrot cake is my thing, man.

It was the first dish I put
on the menu at Roister.

It was actually the first
dessert I put on any menu.

So I'm pretty excited about it.

- 50 minutes, guys.
- Five-zero.

Hey, Jackson, you excited
to do front of the house?

For better or worse, it's been
mostly what I've been doing

for the last year and a half.

My restaurant is a
little over a year old

and I've run front of house
for about 95% of its life.

I really enjoy it.

Evelyn, can you just
explain this curry to me?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I don't have too much of
a point of reference

so Evelyn and myself
are going to make

the curry for my dish together.

So I fried the paste and then I
added four pucks of palm sugar,

- half a jar of tamarind on each.
- Mm-hm.

I really want to make
sure that I learn how to do it

so I can take full
ownership of it.

It's very strong on the
lemongrass.

Can you just taste this butter?

I think it's good.

For each element of this dish,

I've taken a lot of advice.

We have Nick's Comeback sauce,

Ashleigh's country ham.

And Damarr's chow chow

that I'm hoping influence some
of the flavors on my dish.

- Chow chow.
- Cut it all up.

You're going to make
the pickling liquid,

bring it to a boil and
let it sit overnight.

Damarr, how ya cake lookin'?

Oh sh--. This mother
is at 150. What the?

The thermometer inside
the oven says 150.

I just lost like 40
----ing minutes.

There's no way that I'm
going to get these cakes

in another oven and get
them cooled in time

to put the semifreddo base on.

What'chyou need, man?

Nothing, really.
I'mma have to change the dish.

- 15 minutes!
- Yes, chef.

I need to wrap my fish.

All right, here's the pickle.

- Start packing down.
- Five minutes.

If you need anything, man,
just say it and I'll do it.

I'm feeling like a weak link.

I still haven't
resolved in my head

what I'm going
to change this dish to,

even though I know I'm going
to have to change it.

We're back.

- How's it going?
- Hey! How are you two?

Yeah.

Yeah. How are you,
mom, are you good?

Yeah. Good.

It's a very emotional
time right now

with the recent
passing of my dad.

My mother is always on my mind.

- How's the restaurant going?
- We're doing all right.

Mom's
made her famous matzah.

Oh, wow. Looks fantastic.

To be in Restaurant Wars
and having something dedicated

to the matriarch in your life
is very important to me.

I wish I was there to cook it.

There's a saying as
you send food out,

"Would you send that
out to your mother?"

And everything that we put out,

we're going to have
that question.

Happy birthday.

- All right. Bye.
- See ya.

You walk into the restaurant,
you should be feeling

like you're going
to someone's family's home.

You're eating with family,
we're treating you like family.

The whole deal is that,
like, how do you feel

when you go back
to mama's house,

when you go back to
grandma's house?

- That should be the focus.
- Mm-hm.

We've got all
the things in place?

Yeah. This is the
Server To Do list.

We'll just have to
tape that together.

We do have the set.

Are you guys feeling
okay with the flow? The timing?

Yeah, yeah, I think-- Yeah.
We have a lot to discuss.

How can we make the
fish with integrity

exactly the way you want it?

Probably batch 'em,
like 10 at a time.

Batching to me, it just
makes it sound bad quality.

Since I'm going to be cooking
the two main courses in a way,

I'm going to be
grilling the fish

and I'm going to be
cooking the nem sausage.

In the back of my mind,
still, I'm like,

"Don't bog me down with
too many people at once

so I don't go down,"
and that's all I care about.

We have a lot of stuff
to do, so let's get going.

Yeah. Let's do it.

Matriarc!

Nothin' but love,
nothin' but love.

So you're going to make a
dessert right away?

I'm gonna do that right now.
Literally, right now.

Evelyn, how's it going over
there with the prep?

My play on the pani puri.

Like, 30 minutes before service
we can just fry them all off.

I'm gonna start
rolling the pork.

Okay.

Great. Because I don't know
if I'm going to have time.

Yeah, I know.

The barbecue nem is not
only our namesake

but it's a dish that
we all have hands on.

And it's very important
that we nail it.

Yo. Taste, taste, taste, taste,
taste the barbecue sauce.

As of right now, the salt,
I can taste.

But that's it.
It's very odd,

very mind bending.

I've never experienced
anything like this in my life.

I didn't make it
too spicy, though.

I just got to get these
desserts fully ready for y'all.

Something that you
guys can execute

without me being
around, you know?

Yeah, that's key.

I'm feeling pretty confident

about the other
teammates dishes.

I'm going to bang out
the last of my dessert

so that I can start setting
up the dining room.

Jackson, the shortbread done?

Yeah. Here.
This one's a little over

so if you want to try--
- Oh. Yeah.

- Is it all right?
- Yeah.

Guys, 30 minutes down.

So, Damarr, are you changing
up your carrot cake any?

It baked a little bit unevenly,
so I'm going to cut around that.

Yep.

You know, originally it
was going to be set

with a coconut kind of
semifreddo situation

but now that's going to
be a coconut ice cream.

You never want to be the
weak link on the team,

especially in
Restaurant Wars.

So I'm a little bit terrified.

What about you, Buddha?

Yeah, I'm going to get
more butter made.

Also going to get these
Parker House rolls done.

If I can get this proving,
I got myself a good day.

Ashleigh, how you doing?

Good. I'm still on gumbo.

I'm going to try and fly through
that tartare prep.

In honor of my lovely
grandmother, Pearl,

my buttermilk cheese,
it's just going to kind

of add this creamy tartness
to the tartare.

They do look like pearls.

Hey, how are y'all peaches
looking? Peachy?

Yes, Jack-son.

You want to talk about
bringing some fire.

Are you going to add more
seasoning or just the curry?

Well, depends on what
the curry's like.

The curry is also
strong, you know.

So I'll go a touch less salt.

You know, this isn't the
first time I've been told

that my seasoning needs a little
bit more of this or less of it.

Really bland.

The whole dish was too salty.

Honestly, it's getting annoying.

Is my palate off or
is their palate off?

I don't want to sound
like an arrogant chef

and just say,
"No. You guys don't know

what you're talking about."

What else you need to do, Luke?

I need to finish
seasoning the curry.

- We can try it together.
- Heard.

Oh.

Servers.
My friends. How are we?

All right, guys.
My bread is done.

I'm going to start
getting the waiters

to start setting up
the restaurant.

I'm hoping they're ready for
the ride of their life.

Let's have someone grab
a couple of chairs.

Chef's table. That's going
to be five judges,

the most important
table of the day.

Chair here. Right?
And a chair here.

Normally, I'm very anxious.

Today,
I'm extraordinarily anxious.

Another one of these,
we're going to put back here.

Just because there's
so many moving parts.

These are actually beer glasses.

Honey, I'm home.

Don't come to the back.
That's just too creepy. Okay?

Come to the front.

The challenging part of is
going to be the Chef's table.

The judges are going to be
having a bird's eye view

of every single detail.

Every single chair I want
facing the kitchen.

- Is there any questions?
- No, sir.

You guys are fantastic. I
really, really appreciate it.

Thank you.

How you feel, Buddha?

I feel fired up.
I love front of house.

That's what I'm
talking about man.

- Ah, look at that guy.
- What up, what up?

Can you unwrap those plates
for me please, Nick?

- Ooh.
- Oh, my God.

Damarr, how you doing?

For the most part, I'm set.

Ice cream seems pretty,
pretty firm.

- Okay, cool.
- Hopefully it stays that way.

You have good writing, right?

Something like this.

Is that cheesy?
No? It's okay.

That's perfect. I love it.
I think it's a great idea.

Let's have a good service.

All right, we're ready.
We ready, we ready, we ready?

Ready, ready, ready?

Woo! We're open.

All right, servers.
Let's get into place, please.

Guests are coming.

Oh, there come the guests!

Welcome.
Excited to have you.

C1's drinks go down.

- Course one, heard.
- Yes.

That is the beauty
of an open kitchen.

C'mon, you got this.

For two. Okay. Thank you.

So we like to do things family
style around here.

- Keep it casual. Please, enjoy.
- Thank you.

Houston is hot, man.

How are you? Welcome to our
restaurant, Matriarc.

Honor of our
mothers tonight.

The guys are going to
put on a show for you.

Welcome.

- Chef.
- Yes.

- Order in.
- Heard.

All right, let's fire
two starters for 22.

- Yes.
- Yes, chef.

Wow. This is very cool.

Here we go, guys.

All right, all right.

- Very dramatic entrance.
- Very dramatic.

- Good evening.
- Good evening, Buddha.

How are you doing?

It's looking great.

Welcome to Matriarc.

I'm going to take
you to your table.

Great. Thank you.

Judges are sitting.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Thank you.

Welcome to our restaurant,
Matriarc.

It's going to be
Southern inspired.

Obviously,
I'm not from the South

but I am resonated from the
Southern Hemisphere, tonight.

Everything will be a five
course tasting menu.

Can we start you off
with any wine at all?

I'll have Terlato
Pinot Grigio, thank you.

- Pinot Grigio, all round?
- Let's do it.

Excellent.
Thank you so much.

We have a nice, full restaurant.

We haven't seen too many
white tablecloths lately.

But it doesn't feel stuffy.

What do you think
of this open kitchen?

The way the dining room chairs
are all facing.

So we can see the kitchen.

Yes, I like it.

I think for the diner,
it's exciting

when you're watching the
chefs prepare your food.

It's dinner and a show.

- Five for the judges.
- Five judges.

Just a little bit more
crab on there.

Cheers.

Thanks for joining us, Hunter.

Give me one bread.

Yes, that's
the bread.

We need to start bombing,
you know?

Yep, yep, yep.
You're good to go.

Okay. A couple of things
to start off.

Look at that flower.

So elegant. Very nice.

Thank you.

I'm pulling that one off.

- Here.
- Thank you.

We have
Parker House Roll

with a country ham butter
in the shape of a rose,

smoked fish and crab tarts.

And we have a oyster with
a comeback sauce.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Tom, as somebody who has made

a lot of Parker House rolls--

I have.

- These are fantastic.
- Yeah.

It's beautifully cooked,

soft and pillowy on the inside,
the crumb is nice.

The crunchiness of that
ham butter is perfect.

I love the chow chow, like,
pickle on the crab tart.

Nice, big chunks of crab.

That fried oyster
was crispy,

it was hot. It was juicy.

This course got me super
excited for what's to come.

That was really good. I could
just sit here and eat the bread.

It was like, smokey, sweet.

Let me see that butter again.

Good evening.
Welcome to Matriarc.


those are going to be VIP's.

Okay.

So we get this here.

I'm plating the salmon
tartare slower

than I would have liked,

but it's kind of a lot
of touches on the dish.

- I need a lot of tartares.
- All right.

First few tickets in a service,
it's hard to get a rhythm.

It's not seamless.

Something's going on
because the food is very,

very slow coming out.

Would y'all like to begin
with a salmon tartare?

I think we're ready whenever.

This is my worst nightmare.

I feel like I'm going
nuts inside.

- You're working four tartare.
- Heard.

All right. I'm going
to eat more bread.

I know.

This is not good.

I really need those tartares
really badly.

Damarr's kind of overloaded
with salmon tartare.

And the guests are
looking right at you.

Damarr is just starting to plate
our next course, right now.

Buddha, I don't have a ticket
for that, just so you know.

- I'll just write one out.
- Just write one down.

Tickets are coming in.

And Tom, especially,

I feel like, does not take
his eyes off of me.

I know that he can probably

see everything that's happening.

I'm even wondering if
he can read my lips.

Four tartares coming.

I just maintain
this quiet storm.

- On your left.
- Thank you.

They seem quiet and calm.

Whether they're losing it back
there is hard to say yet.

I'm impressed by
their composure.

Okay. We're going to
the Chef's table.

Here we go.

So here we have the
sockeye salmon

in the form of a tartare

served with buttermilk
pearls and peaches.

This is a dedication to
Ashleigh's grandmother

whose name is Pearl.

Thank you.

I have two little baby pearls.

- They don't do much.
- No, but they're pretty.

Mine is all bitter and spice.
There's a lot of heat.

So weird when people
are talking about you

and you can hear it.

It's really good.
It's like peaches and cream.

The best bite is when you get

a little bit of
everything together.

I did not think I would have an
empty plate on salmon tartare.

Course two for two, another two.

- Two by two.
- Uh-huh.

Evelyn is making sure
everything is on point.

I would do ten.

Do we have ten guests now?

We have them on
their first course.

That's delicious.

I see happy face.

So, this is going really well.

- So good, wow.
- Amazing. Glad you're enjoying.

They're all just so good.

They're literally saying
amazing things, guys.

You guys should be
proud. Seriously.

Order in.
Five gumbos for the judges.

I don't want it to be, like,
covering the rice.

Just that.

Bring it up. Bring it up.
Let's go.

So here we have gumbo Z'Herbes.

It is a green gumbo with red
rice and seasoning meats.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Very smokey.

It smells great.

Mm.

It's so rich.
It's so deep. I love it.

It's delicious.

It is smokey.
The greens are cooked enough

to where they're starting
to kind of break apart.

The red rice
is really, really good.

Yeah and I appreciate how
beautiful she's made it.

How arduously she
cut those carrots.

Any time that you tilt
your bowl and you go in,

you got a good dish.
That's all I'mma say.

Oh, oh. You hear that?
You hear that?

I think it's got the
perfect combination

of everything you'd
want in a gumbo.

Your five beefs fire for judges.

Heard.

Pick up, Ashleigh.

Let's go. Chef's table, please.

This is coming at a really
good pace right now.

Lovely.

We have a Texas strip loin.
It's been roasted

in Nick's famous 26 spices
that he has bottled up.

Not in retail stores yet.

Yet.

It's been lightly barbecued,

served with Southern styled
pomme puree,

herb sauce and also
an oxtail marmalade.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Really nicely cooked.

Sour cream and chive and
the potato. Yes, please.

The potatoes were like
super luxurious

but I think the best part is
that oxtail marmalade.

He balanced that sweetness with
the.

It's really well done.

- The meats not bad.
- Oxtail's good.

The only thing that can
make this dish better

is a big chunk of bone marrow.
- Yeah.

You don't need it.

It's not about need--
It's about want.

It's about want.
It's about desire.

You folks enjoying everything?

- That's good.
- Wonderful.

There we go.

It's not cutting.

Try and cut that.

Exactly.

You can't do it.

Woah. I did it too.

Okay. My things real hard.

The short cookie.
One, like, flew off.

I don't want desserts flying
all over the place.

So we have to pivot
pretty quickly.

We're going to ask
the guests to eat

the dessert with their hands.

- Your dessert.
- Thank you.

So it's kind of like a cookie,

pick it up and eat it
with your hands.

- Okay?
- Okay, great.

- This is the way to go.
- Very good, though.

That was an adventure.

Two more tartare.

Then we can--
That'll solve 42.

- Enjoy.
- Thank you so much.

Damarr is just like a
workhorse back there.

He's in the groove.

Thank you.

Something to finish off.

We have Damarr's
mother's carrot cake

served with a carrot caramel,
coconut and candied ginger.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Mm.

I love this carrot caramel.

It's so carroty, right?

Yeah. I love the
coconut-lime-ginger combination.

This feels distinctly different
and it's very special.

It's really great.
I love it.

This is the way to end the meal.

It really makes me want
to come back for more.

The coconut ice cream
was... Divine.

Don't lick your plate.

They ----ing love it. All right?

They love it.
Especially your dish.

Everyone agrees.
- Oh. Awesome.

This actually feels more
like a restaurant

than any other experience.
- Yeah.

Like, a real restaurant that's
actually been open.

If this is 36 hours in,
I can't wait to see

what they do within a week.

Dessert this evening,
we have a carrot cake.

No, Buddha, he's, a...
a lovely host.

Hi, I'm so sorry to interrupt.

I just want to say thank you
for coming to Matriarc

And I hope you all
enjoyed everything.

- Our fearless leader here.
- Oh, I try, I try.

Thank you so much.

Let's go do
it all over again.

- Yeah, let's do it.
- Come on.

About 15 minutes of
turnover. All right?

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

We got another set
of VIPs coming.

We ready for 'em.

And you're doing a great job
staying at front of the house.

Ah, thank you. I just don't want
to interrupt people too much.

You know, just kind of check in
and see how they're doing.

But it's very hands off.

When the judges walk
in, fire the five.

Like, go grill it.

I mean, I do want close to
as possible.

I absolutely refuse to have a
fish sit here for 20 minutes.

But right when you see
them walk in, okay?

This is what I need
fired, just fire it.

I'm trying to run a line
and not lose my sh--.

They are-- Oh, here they come.

Oh, there they are.

Right now,
this is like life or death.

It is showtime.

Here we go.

Hi, do you have a
reservation for Lakshmi?

Yes, ma'am.
Follow me this way.

Evelyn, you want me to fire now?

Yeah.

All right, I'll be back.

We have a table right here.

Great. Thank you so much.

All right.
All right, all right.

That's cheesy.

How about
a little human interaction?

Hello.

Great. Thank you.

That's a lot of pressure to
put on your wait staff.

Evelyn, I would say three
minutes to my dish.

Okay. Once you're
plating, I'll go.

I see some nice pani puri.

They seem very neat and focused.

- Jackson.
- Yes.

I got a question.
You got this--

These beautiful
flowers, by the way.

- Yes.
- Yeah. Beautiful.

What's up with this?

Uh, it was supposed to be fun
and clever for everyone.

Whose idea was it?
Tell me the truth.

- It was mine.
- It was yours? Okay.

If you're here to welcome
us, you don't need that.

Yeah, you're right.
Thank you for coming.

- There you go.
- Thank you.

- Yeah.

Let's go.

Oh, so we're getting the first
two courses at the same time.

It's very pretty.

The pani puri
is just beautiful.

Is someone going to talk to us
or can we just eat it?

Listen, if they're not here to
talk to me, I'm eating.

I think we're eating.

I really like the crunch.

I think it played really
well with the seafood.

But the crispiness of
a pani puri is judged

by how much liquid in it.

And there was no liquid in this.

- Oh--
- That's true.

- I'm happy with what we put out.
- Okay.

It's just the judges
it just sucks hearing it.

I love this summer roll.

I love that
it's wrapped in fish.

It's pretty clever.

It sort of was a cross
between a roll and a ceviche.

And then when you put
that beautiful,

sour, bright, spicy
sauce on top,

like, the whole thing
just came to life.

The snapper is really good.

You know, I'm really missing
Jackson, a little bit.

- Good evening.
- Hi.

- Dessert all right?
- Yes.

My goal is to touch every
table and not hover.

Enjoy.

I'm showing servers
that I'm willing

to work hard to support them.

Jackson did not really
come and welcome us.

But he did leave you
a note, though.

- Yeah.
- Yes!

- I hear them.
- Yeah?

The judges are right in front
of us, so I'm hearing tidbits.

Could I get Jackson?

He's interacting with everybody
really, really well.

But it's almost as if
he's trying to avoid us

for some reason.

What's up, chefs?

Maybe schmooze with
the judges table

- a little bit more.
- More?

Yes.
You need to talk to them.

Okay. Heard.

They're saying hospitality
is not great.

I'm like, "Can you just
get it together quick?"

I'm trying to win
Restaurant Wars, bro.

Fry Brussels.

Frying Brussels.

Folks enjoy the last few bites?

Hopefully it's not too much.

- We're professional--
- Professionals.

Right.

Are you kidding me?
Bring it on.

Four of you.

All right, excellent.



Yes, chef.

Red wine. Cheers.

Woo!

Fabulous indeed.

Guys. We're having, like,
a back up with the customers

who are not leaving
at the moment.

So if we can just make sure
that we're super ready.

We are so ready.

Any more wine for you folks?

- Coming over.
- Okay.

- Hot.
- Here you go.

All right. Sausage is ready.

We have more pickles, huh?

Yeah, yeah.

I'm plating this up.

So how do we eat?

I don't get it.

But maybe just to put the
curry on top of it, right?

I'm just mixing everything
on top of it,

like taco style.

Would you like a
new plate, Gail?

I'm good.
But I would love for you

to just tell us what we're
supposed to do here.

Yeah. We have curried black
cod with coconut rice.

The barbecue name
is from all of us.

And a Choose Your Own Adventure
for the lettuce wrap

so I suggest a little
bit of everything.

So this is a wrap. Right.
That's in a set--

Correct, this is all one set.

And can you just rewind
for a moment?

Who is responsible for all the
dishes we've had so far?

Sure. So part one, of course.
One is Evelyn.

Part two is Jae.

Part three is Luke, with
Evelyn's help as well.

So kind of combination
then I'm on the dessert.

- Thank you.
- Of course.

The curry could be a
little bit more flavor.

You guys did good.

I have nothing negative to say.

Thank you so much. I actually
lost my sense of taste

and it hasn't come back.

They don't know because
I don't want to go home.

I don't find the curry to be
sweet, like really sweet.

I thought the fish needed a
little bit more salt

but it was perfectly cooked.
It just sort of flaked apart.

It was butter, baby.

Unsalted butter.

Oh!

The cod could maybe use a
little bit more seasoning.

I also want some spice.

It was a Thai curry that spent
a lot of time in Copenhagen.

Ah, that's a mom joke.

I do love a lettuce wrap.
I'm not going to lie.

The sausage perfectly
cooked and the sauce

packed with flavor, just sang.

Do you think it lived up to
the namesake restaurant?

I do. I would come to have that
one dish again and again.

Yeah.

It was colorful.
It was fresh. It was bright.

I wish that energy of that dish

carried through with some
of the other things.

The sausage is amazing.

I definitely think the sauce is
the game changer for that one.

Everybody is raving
about the sauce.

Yeah?

- I hear them.
- Yeah?

I think the entire experience

would have felt better
if it were coursed out.

The fish curry had nothing
to do with No Nem

so why serve them
at the same time?

We don't do spoons for
dessert or nothing?

No, no, no, no.

- I'll go behind you.
- Heard.

And you can schpiel.

I'm going.

- I'll go behind you.
- Heard.

And you can schpiel.

I'm going.

This is meant to be
eaten with your hands.

We want to have fun.
It's a family style restaurant.

We don't want to take
ourselves too seriously.

- Okay, so like this?
- Yeah! Enjoy.

- I need some more for 13.
- Can you schpiel them?

- Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- All of us.

Shortbread
has lime in it,

as well as vanilla,
mandarin orange curd

and then whipped coconut.

Something light
to finish the meal.

Enjoy.

The curd was really nice.

It's tasty but it doesn't
feel restaurant-y.

It doesn't feel buttoned up.

Jackson's dessert was fine.

It was no carrot cake.

It was no carrot cake.



The flavors here were exciting,
here at No Nem.

There was spice and
there was sour

but I feel like it didn't
have the connection

that I wanted it to have
throughout the whole menu.

These restaurants are aspiring
to two very different things

and it's very hard to
compare them side by side.

Typically, when you have
all this beautiful food

and the dessert
is an after thought.

But, you know, this one
was super exciting.

Last dessert.

To finish off we
have carrot cake.

Restaurant Wars.
We made it.

- You wowed us.
- It was a real treat.

Good. It feels good.

I feel like
I can breathe a little bit.

- It was great.
- Oh, thank y'all so much.

Glad you enjoyed everything.

I think it's time to
head to Judges table.

- Let's do it.
- And talk to these chefs!

Have a good night.
Thank you very much.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

Bye guys, thank you.

I don't know.
This was absolutely

the hardest challenge
we've done so far.

Absolutely.
Hands down.

I think both these restaurants
did a great job

putting out some really,
really delicious food.

All in all, yeah,
it was very successful.

Matriarc.
Please stay here.

No Nem,
you can step to the side.

Congratulations.

You are the winners of
Restaurant Wars, Matriarc!

As the winners,
you will be receiving

$40,000 from MasterCard--

Wow--

To help you start
something priceless.

So congratulations
to all of you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Good job, guys.

How did you decide
on your rolls?

How did Buddha get
front of the house?

I put my hand up to it.

I feel very
comfortable with it.

I really enjoy
front of house.

Beautiful job in front of house.

He really represented
the three of you so well.

And the other thing
I have to say,

this didn't seem like
Restaurant Wars.

It seemed like this
was in the planning

for the last,
you know, eight months.

And you all should feel really
proud of the work you did.

Everything happened so
organically. I felt really good.

You were the team
leader in kitchen.

Is that correct?

Buddha, did anybody
question the bread?

Buddha was like,
"I got this."

And usually when Buddha
says he's got something,

he's got it.

And we were like,
"Great, let's go."

It was the best bread
I've ever had on Top Chef.

Oh, whoa.
Wow.

Your Parker House rolls were,

one day in was as good as
anything I've ever served

in 40 years of working
in the business.

It was that good.

Then we had the butter
with those

crunchy pieces of ham.

From that moment I was sold.
It was fantastic.

Nick, you had the steak.

- Yes.
- Steak and potatoes.

I mean, it can be a very,
very basic thing.

But I think you took it
to another level

with all of the components--
The way they were layered,

the way the sauces
came together

and melded on the plate.

I think you're on with
something with your spices.

You better get
that bottled, soon.

You're leaving out
the best part.

The oxtail marmalade.

Oh, yes! I loved your
oxtail marmalade.

So yummy.
That made your dish.

Thank you.

Damarr, I'm actually not
a big carrot cake fan.

It's in my mind from childhood.

But you, like, redeemed
carrot cake for me tonight.

That carrot caramel
was fantastic.

I celebrate my birthday
with carrot cake.

This is the best carrot cake
I've ever had. Hands down.

I mean, it was absolutely
delicious.

Thank you.

Ashleigh, you expedited
so it was a woman-led kitchen.

And you made the salmon
and you made the gumbo.

Why did you choose
to do salmon?

We needed a raw dish
and salmon tartare is

what got me back in the game.

So that was part
of why I chose

to make salmon tartare.

Salmon tartare isn't
something necessarily

that I associate with the
South, but you took it there

with the peaches
and the buttermilk.

I kind of just wish
it was a little punchier.

Great idea.
Maybe a little re-work.

PADMA; Now we're going to talk
about that gumbo.

I'll keep this really simple.
It was delicious.

And I know that
that Leah Chase

was one of the matriarchs
sitting over your shoulder

and she's smiling
at you right now.

Thank you.

I want more right now.

When the gumbo came
to the table,

the color was so enticing
and the depth of flavor,

it was so bold.
And I thought that,

I mean, this was
the anchor of the menu.

It left me wanting more.

I mean, it was incredible.

The greens were cooked perfect

and it was a perfect
blend of everything.

- I just wanted more.
- Thank you.

You all are truly
amazing chefs.

But there was one chef
who was instrumental.

And the winning
chef today is...

Ashleigh.

That feels good.
Good, good, good.

This is the first time
that I haven't,

like, watered down my food.

- Congratulations, Ashleigh.
- Thank you so much.

It feels like I'm, like,

proving a little
something here.

I love it.

Hopefully it helps me
with these

other challenges
going forward.

Matriarc, baby.

Thank you guys so much.

You can step to the side.

No Nem, please step forward.

Team No Nem,

your restaurant was
our least favorite of the day.

And one of you
will be going home.

Team No Nem.

There was a lot of good food
and elements of your restaurant.

But let's talk about concept.

Jae, you picked this team.

I picked the members but
Jackson kind of give an idea.

Which was?

Southeast Asian
inspired, family style.

Was there an executive chef?

I was lead in the kitchen.

How did you decide to
serve two courses at once?

That was my idea.
It just kind of dawned on me

that these two bites
were very small.

But this is the perfect
time to get in there.

You show up with a tray of
pani puri

and walk down the table and say,

"Pani Puri, this
is what we're serving tonight,

welcome to the restaurant."

You seemed to be a little uneasy

about when to actually engage
with our table.

My goal was to treat you
exactly like a normal table.

Understandably so but a
good front house person

knows when to actually
get in there or not.

Sure.

Now I want to talk
about the Pani puri.

Evelyn, I think you
nailed the Puri part of it.

Pani is the Hindi word
for water

and that is a crucial element.

I should have just put
more of the vinaigrette.

Yeah. Yeah.

Then we have the summer roll
that you made, Jae.

The fish was,
it was really fresh.

It was nicely cut.

And the sauce just
tied it all together.

Thank you.

You have quite
a way with sauces.

And that leads us to
the cabbage and fish curry.

Luke.

I wanted to, of course,
marry the flavors

that I did not know,
that Evelyn taught me

with the fish
that I knew how to cook.

I felt like there was
no salt on that fish at all.

I think you're caught between
a couple of cuisines here.

If you're gonna want that
fish to stand up to the curry

it needs to have a punch.

Did anybody else on the team
try the dish together?

Yes, we all tried.

And you thought
it was seasoned?

I actually thought
it was over-seasoned.

Who made the sausage?

Oh, it's between me
and Evelyn.

It was his recipe
and then I added my taste,

flavor into it.

- And who made the sauce?
- I did.

This was a very
successful course.

Both the sausage,
the seasoning

and that beautiful sauce.

You really know your way
around a condiment, Jae.

Your nem
was the star of the show,

as it should have been.

I would come back
to your restaurant

several nights of the month
just for that dish.

Thank you.

Who did the dessert?

I thought your shortbread
was well-made.

I got the lime and
I liked the break of it.

I guess I just
found it uninspired.

And I wish there had just been
a bit more of a point of view.

I'll go out on a limb here
and say that you probably

put together the best restaurant
to lose Restaurant Wars.

It wasn't that you guys
failed.

Most of what we
had was very good.

You just happened
to run into a team

that just did something
completely out of left field.

Never happened before.

We have a very hard
decision to make, obviously.

You guys can all head back.

We'll see you all in a bit.
Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay. All right, guys.

So there is something
I wanted to share with you all,

which I've kind of been
hiding from you guys.

What?

I got COVID about
three and a half weeks

before we started filming.

My taste and smell went away
and it hasn't really come back.

So I've kind of been
doing this all blind.

- What?
- Yeah.

Wow.

I didn't want to tell y'all

because I feel like it's,
like, a weakness.

You know what I mean?

I mean, all day yesterday,

we were all like, tasting,
tasting, tasting.

It's shocking to hear.

I seasoned the fish
a little bit less

since Jackson decided it
was a little bit too salty.

I'm less anxious in
real life, I promise.

Plot twist.

That's a twist
but that's just a twist

you're going to have
to live with

'cause you're not
going home today.

- Yes, I am.
- 100% me.

It's such a shame
because this team gave us

some delicious
food for Restaurant Wars.

They did.

I think the mistake they made
was to go family style.

The flavors of each
dish were diluted

by what was served next to it.

They were too deferential.

There wasn't, to me,
a clear leader.

I think that somebody
needed to step up.

I think there was
a leader in the kitchen.

That was Evelyn.

Evelyn was the executive chef.

She did make that curry,

in fact, teaching
this curry to Luke.

And I don't think she did
a good job of teaching it.

But Evelyn had some
flavor in that sausage.

It looked to me, at least,
like all of those

wishy-washy decisions
that don't seem to be

thought through
came from Jackson.

Yeah.

Jackson was also responsible

for the nonexistent
front of house.

And a pretty mediocre dessert.

It was my idea to do
the whole two course thing.

I guess I just wasn't
thinking it through.

I'll tell you, one person
who's not going anywhere is Jae.

Because both her sauces
were delicious.

Quite frankly, I think Luke--
Luke should go home.

He gave us one thing.

You could fault
someone like Jackson

for having the idea to do
family style and for putting

himself out there and saying,
"I'll run the front of house."

But I have a hard time
not sending someone home

who didn't really,
do very little.

I came in thinking
Jackson because of all.

But, I mean, Luke did
minimum effort

So there's not a whole
lot of,,

to blame him for.

Don't worry, Jackson.
You're safe.

Dude...

I think we have our decision.

Let's get them out here.

- Good luck, bro.
- All right.

I'll try to come back.

Chefs. Obviously,
opening a restaurant

takes a huge amount of energy
and focus and planning.

And so obviously,

Restaurant Wars
is compressed down.

And unfortunately,
in this restaurant,

mistakes can get you
sent home.

Jackson. Please pack
your knives and go.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.

Jackson,
you clearly took on a lot.

But things didn't work out.

We'll see you in
Last Chance Kitchen.

You'll have a sh*t
to get back in.

- Sure
- Thank you. That'll be all.

I've learned
that like everyone,

sometimes I make
the wrong decision.

And sometimes
it bites you in the ass.

- I'm out, guys.
- Man.

- That's a big blow.
- It's been real.

I was basically on top
every round and then

was on the bottom on
the eighth and got eliminated.

All right.
Thanks, guys. Cheers.

It's a tough pill to swallow
but I'm just going to lean in,

cook the best food
that I can

going to Last Chance Kitchen
because I came here to win.

And I think I actually
have a sh*t at this.

Tonight, Jackson enters
Last Chance Kitchen.

Restaurant Wars, man.
Of all the ones to lose.

As front of house
he took on too much.

Who the does this.

Will this challenge
finally break him?

Jesus Christ.

Find out now, On Demand,

or wherever you stream
Top Chef.

Next time on Top Chef.

For your elimination challenge,

we're putting on
a fundraising block party.

Anyone who asks,
"Where should I go?

I want to be free."
People would tell you,

"Go to Freedman's Town."

I love this sense of
Black people finally free,

coming together to build
this very special thing.

It makes you almost
want to shed a tear.

I scrapped my whole
entire idea.

Are you going to be okay?

I b*rned the whole case.

The love in your eyes
is emanating.

I can't see sending
anybody home.

We're going to have a hard
time at Judges' Table.

I don't know why I'm
getting emotional right now.

This one really hit home.