06x09 - Restaurant Wars

[bunniefuu]

[Padma]

Previously on

Top chef...

Robin, robin, if you wanted me

To clean it up,

You can say,

"You can clean it up,"

Without copping

A [bleep] attitude.

[Robin]

Some of the other chefs

Don't feel that I deserve

To still be here.

[Eli] you're not my mom.

Cut it out.

If I was your mother,

I would have raised you better.

I'm maybe not gonna be standing

At the top at the end,

But I am still standing

Here, damn it.

Shut the [bleep] up, bryan.

Michael voltaggio tries

To manipulate his brother.

[Bleep] yourself.

It's like he's setting

A time b*mb.

-I'm not finished!

I'm not finished!

-Hurry up!

There can only be one winner

In this challenge.

And that winner tonight

Is kevin.

Thank you.

-[Padma] did you taste

Your dish?

-Oops.

Ash, please

Pack your knives and go.

[Padma]

At stake for the winner,



A feature



In

Food & wine

Magazine,



$, Of merchandise



Provided by macy's,



A showcase at the annual



Food & wine

Classic in aspen,



And $,

To help turn

Their culinary dreams

Into reality,

Furnished by the makers



Of the glad family of products,

And the title of top chef.

[Jen c.] Yes, I'm cooking

In my bathing suit today.

-Really?

-[Laughing]

That'd be hot.

My bathing suit and heels.

[Laurine]

As the numbers dwindle,



I feel like the best chefs



Are remaining,

And what's made me feel

Really good

Is the fact

That I'm still here.

In spite of almost going home



At the pigs & pinot event,



I'm kind of forgetting



About that.

You can't, like, really let

What happened yesterday

Affect how you go into today.

[Kevin]

To hear that ash was leaving

Was hard on everyone.

It takes a dynamic



Away from the house



That we just really



Can't replace,



Especially



With the voltaggio brothers



Arguing all the time.

They have this

Eternal-competition

Thing going on,

And I'm sure it's existed

For the majority of their life.

All right, guys.

Let's go, huh?

-Should we skedaddle?

-Skedaddle? Yeah.

All right, guys,

Let's go to the m resort.

Good morning, chefs.

[All] good morning.

I'd like to introduce you

To your guest judge

For this round,

Celebrated chef and champion

Of conscientious cooking,

-Rick moonen. Welcome.

-Thank you.

Hey, guys.

[Kevin]

Rick moonen's a chef



That I really respect.



My restaurant in atlanta



Is focused on sustainability.

It's a personal mission of mine

To help make people realize

That making sure



That your impact



Was for the better

Doesn't have to mean

That your food is boring.

So there's

Only eight of you left,

And only three of you

Will make it to the finale

To fight it out

For the title of top chef.

But a top chef

Can only go so far

On his or her

Individual talents.

No question about it.

It's about a line of people

Working in synergy

That makes it

Successful service.

So for this quickfire challenge,

We're testing your teamwork

In the first ever

Top chef

Tag-team cook-off.

What?

To determine your teams,

Please draw knives.

Nothing.

Nothing?

Nothing.

[Kevin]

We start pulling the knives,



And they don't have



Anything on them.

I am blank as well.

I'm pretty sure



That this is an error,

That someone forgot to put

The stickers

On the knives



Or something like that.

"First choice."

Alright.

-Nothing.

-Mike.

-[Laughs]

-[Padma] nothing.

Which one do you want?

Just take it.

Nothing.

And michael.

"Second choice."

[Padma]

So, jennifer and michael,

You'll each get to pick

Your teammates.

Jennifer, you get first choice.

So who do you want

On your team?

This is a hard choice.

-[Padma] give me one name.

-Kevin.

-[Padma] kevin.

-I'll take bryan.

Mike.

[Padma] mike isabella

With jennifer and kevin.

Michael?

-[Michael] um, eli.

-[Padma] okay.

[Eli]

I'm a little relieved



That I don't get picked last,

And michael and bryan

Are both really strong,

So I just hope



That we don't get robin.

Laurine, sunshine.

Laurine.

And that leaves robin.

You're on michael's team.

Grab an apron

And please suit up.

[Robin]

I'm the mom here,



And I know that's



What they think about me.

It's all right.

T-they're stuck with me.

[Chuckles]

Each team will make one dish

In minutes.

The first chef in line

Will start the dish

And cook for ten minutes.

After ten minutes,

The next chef on your team

Will take over,

Until all four chefs cook

For minutes total.

You can't speak

To each other at all.

And until you cook,

All of you

Will be wearing this.

-[Laughs]

-[Kevin]

This quickfire might be



The most ridiculous thing



I've ever heard.

You have nothing.

Basically, you're gonna take off

Your blindfold,

You're gonna run to a station,

You're gonna see

A lot of mise en place,

And then decide



What's the next step



To create this dish.

I don't--that's just ludicrous.

It's crazy.

The team that creates

The most cohesive dish

Will get

A very significant advantage

In the elimination challenge,

And this is

A high-stakes quickfire,

Which means

That the winning team

Will get $,

From the m resort

To split between you.

[Eli]

This is very cool,



Because I think that this is



An opportunity for me

To take home

Some cash here.

Blue team,

Why don't you guys head over

To your side of the kitchen?

Good luck to all of you.

Please put

Your blindfolds on.

Your time starts...

Now!

[Whistle blows]

[Jennifer]

As soon as time starts,



I see what's in the fridge.



I pull out the proteins.

I pull out black cod,

And I pull out scallops

If somebody

Wants to do that.

The first thing I do

Is to get my sauce on,

Hoping to olive oil poach



The fish.

Ahh.

To go with the sauce, I have



Shrimp and mushrooms out,



Because I'm using them



In my sauce,

And I want to keep it

Nice and simple.

[Padma] five minutes.

You have five minutes

Until your teammate

Takes over for you.

My game plan is basically

Take some raw ingredients

Like the strip steaks,



Like the mushrooms,



And just start cooking them

In a very basic,

Straightforward way--

Start cleaning the greens

And radishes,

So the next person



Isn't constricted



To a flavor profile.

[Whistle blows]

Go, babe, go.

[Laurine]



I get over there, and I see



These two pieces of fish.



I have a sense



Of what she's gonna do,

But I find scallops,

And I pull those out as well,

'Cause it

Wouldn't be horrible

To have a piece of fish



And a scallop.



This is obviously a sauce



That just needs to simmer



For a while,



And I find a pan of oil



With a piece of thyme in it.

I pull the thyme out.

I'm kind of like,



"Does she want to do



A fried-thyme garnish?"

I don't get it.

I was thinking like,

"What would jennifer do?



What would jennifer do?"

And I finally realize, like,

"Oh, she wants

To poach the fish,"

So I turn it down.

I'm blown away by how much eli

Got done in ten minutes.

And so I just kind



Of go with it.



I see the anchovies



And the yuzu,



So I make a little fresh



Yuzu-anchovy vinaigrette



To do with the shaved fennel.



We all get ten minutes,



Which is no time at all.



A piece of me is like,

"God, I hope I got enough done

For the next guy."

[Whistle blows]

So radish, mushroom.

It took me

A couple of minutes

To kind of see

Where everything was,

And then I see what's going on.



I see the vision,



I see the path.



A sauce reducing--



I see the pot



Of burning oil,



So I get another pot of oil,



Put some herbs in



To let kevin know it's gonna be



For the poaching



Of the cod.



Then I started sauteing



The mushrooms.



[Bryan]

Trying to decipher



Where the direction



Was going is tough.



I see ingredients that could



Kind of drive this dish

More in an asian way.

Basically what I do is



Just set him up for the finish,



And that way he can come in



The last ten minutes,

Take these ingredients,

And place the dish together.

[Whistle blows]

[Kevin]

The hardest part



About going last,



Aside from the time



That you spend in the blindfold

That's throwing me off,

Is that I'm the one



Who actually has to figure out



What the hell's going on.



I got to put



The finished plate up there,



So I'm the one



Who is possibly

Gonna wreck it for everybody.

I did note a pot of oil on.



I feel like it's probably there



Because they want me



To poach the fish,

But I'm not gonna do that.

I am gonna take



Sort of a breakaway



From what my team



Has set me up for,



And I'm just gonna butter roast



It in a pan.

I think it gives it

A little bit of texture,

So I'm gonna go



With that route.

[Michael]

The most difficult part



About this challenge



Is that I'm finishing



Other people's food.

That's not what I do.

I walk over and touch the beef.



It's not cooked.



So the first thing I do



Is get that in the oven,



Because it needs to cook,



And it needs to rest.

I taste this soy concoction

On the table.

I'm adding some water to it



To dilute the flavor,



'Cause it's too salty.



There's an avocado mousse



Inside the food processor,



So that's a good foundation



To start the dish.



I think



I'm just gonna finish off

What everyone started.

Five, four, three, two...

[Whistle blows]

Okay, so first,

We have the red team.

[Michael]

We have a pan-roasted

New york strip

With a whipped miso,



Avocado puree,



Nasturtium salad,



And some pickled vegetables.



[Rick]

A lot of layers.

[Michael]

The miso is a little salty,

But the meat is actually

A little bit under-seasoned,

So the idea is to mix

The two together.

I'm trying to make

The perfect bite here.

-[Padma] you went first, eli.

-Mm-hmm.

Is this what you imagined?

I was actually thinking

The beef would end up

Seared and raw,

Something like this,

But, um,

This is not terribly far off.

It's interesting to watch

The whole process going along,

'Cause it's like a game

Of telephone.

You just have to leave,

Like, little clues behind.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much

For your team effort.

Cool.

-And, blue team, hello.

-Hello.

Well, jennifer,

You were team captain,

So do you want

To describe the dish?

Sure.

It is a pan-seared trout

With sauteed mushrooms



Over a ginger shiitake broth,



And the salad on top



Is radish leaves

And radish tossed in

A little bit

Of yuzu vinaigrette.

-Pan-seared trout?

-Mm-hmm.

I'm pretty sure this is

A sablefish or a black cod.

-[Jennifer] okay.

-It's a great fish.

And it's very sustainable too,

From alaska,

Which is what I like about it.

[Jennifer]

I'd called



My black cod trout

On national tv.

Awesome.

So, first of all,

How do you think our chefs did

In this challenge,

In general?

I think, in general,

Both teams did

An extremely great job.

I found the red team's dish

To be very intriguing,

Really delicious,

Although it was slightly rare,

I found the other components

Of the dish

Really kicked in

And helped a lot.

Uh, the blue dish had

A really nice finish to it.

I think that was the shrimp

In the broth with the ginger--

Was what brought that dish

And gave it a longer finish.

[Padma] as our guest judge

For this quickfire,

Who won it?

Wow, if I had to choose one

Over the other...

The winning dish

Came from the--

The blue team.

Congratulations.

Yes.

So the blue team wins,

And I'm really excited,

Because I've been pretty much



Hanging around in the middle,



And that was my first win



Of the competition.



[Michael]

It's hard



To lose a challenge



When you're not



In complete control over it.



There's $,



That could have been divided up

Amongst four people,

You know.

Lesson learned.

You need to rely on your team



And create synergy,

And without that, obviously,

You can't win.

[Padma]

Alright, so as the winning

Team of this quickfire,

You get an advantage

In the next

Elimination challenge,

Which is the most

Highly anticipated challenge

Of the season.

It's restaurant wars.

[Laughter and applause]

[Kevin]

Restaurant wars



Is awesome, you know.



It's putting us back



In our element.

I actually think we have

A really super-strong team.

No, I feel good about it.



I don't know that we have



A strong or a weak link.

[Bryan]

This is gonna be fun.



It's restaurant wars.

And I'm real excited,

And I think we're ready.

But I'm also competing



Against the blue team,



And I think that, talent-wise,



It is gonna be kind of tough.

I'm gonna be giving up

My restaurant,

Rm seafood in mandalay bay,

Which is two different floors,

Two different kitchens.

Each team will take over a floor

With their own kitchen

And create their own

Restaurant experience.

So, blue team,

You have the choice

Of which kitchen

You'd like to cook in.

Oh, and this time,

You are not responsible

For the decor.

Good.

[Laughs]

Beautiful.

It's all about your restaurant

And menu concept--

The execution of the food

And the total experience

You give the diner,

Including front of house

And service.

But whoever does

The front of house

Is also responsible

For the conception

And execution of one dish.

In a moment,

You'll have minutes

To plan your menus.

And then two members

Of each team will have one hour

And $,

To shop at whole foods.

The other two team members

Will have the same time

And the same amount of money

At restaurant depot.

So, blue team,

I told you earlier

That this is

A high-stakes quickfire,

And now you have

A big choice to make.

You can keep the ten grand

From m resort,

Or you can let it ride,

And if you win

Restaurant wars,

You each get $,.

[Scoffs]

-Let it ride?

-Let it ride?

-Let it ride.

-Let it ride.

[All] let it ride.

[Padma]excellent choice.

[Jennifer]

We all decide



To let it ride.

I think we're all confident

In each other,

And we're going

For the $,.

It's restaurant wars-

The game is on.

See you tomorrow.

-Best of luck.

-Thank you.

I got a notebook right here

I'll grab for us.

[Mike]

So we got minutes



To plan for restaurant wars.

-No dessert?

-No dessert.

-No dessert.

-No dessert immediately.

[Jennifer]

I know chefs in the past



Have done desserts,

And it has bitten them

In the a*s,

So we are not risking it.

Who's working

The front of the house,

I guess is what

It's coming down to.

I know quite a bit

About the front of the house.

[Mike] alright,

So you do front.

[Laurine]

I'm fine with doing



The front of the house.

It's not necessarily

My favorite place to be.

I'd rather be in the kitchen,

But this competition

Is all about working



Together as a team.

I can do a shellfish

Or something,

And then you go

Into the heavier stuff now.

-Let's do that, then.

-I think that's the way we go.

I mean, I think

That all of us kind of cook

Moderately american food.

I agree with that.

I can be driven that way.

[Michael]

We've tossed



Around several concepts.



I think what



We're gonna settle with



Is a modern american



Restaurant,

Maybe some contrasting flavors

And things like that.

We want to do dessert

For a third course, yes or no?

I'm strong enough

In pastry

That I believe

We can present that.

She loved

Your apple crisp the other day.

Let's do a pear crisp.

I think that's fine.

Asian pear

And elderflower?

What are you thinking,

Chocolate?

-Yeah.

-[Michael] what?

Something similar to what-

What I presented the other day.

No, that dish didn't work

The other day.

Easy.

[Michael]

You lost that challenge



That day

.



I'm just saying,



Think about that.

[Bryan]

But I'm not gonna do



That preparation.

[Bryan]

Michael's gonna sh**t down



Some of my ideas,



Because it's like



Second nature.

That's his personality,

He's a bit c*ck.

And with any young chef,



They want to be the first



To get their opinions out.

So can you execute it

Like your ganache not being

Grainy and, like...?

I'm just saying, 'cause that's

What happened the other day.

Mmm, yes, absolutely.

It's on my menu.

Don't get angry.

I'm just saying,

I don't want to-

Like, we can't lose this.

We won't.

I always listen first,

But if it's a bad idea,

I'm gonna speak up

And say it's a bad idea.

Bryan's my brother,



You know,



But I came here



To win this competition.

Let's get on

Out of here, guys.

[Upbeat music]

[Eli]

The two brothers



Head off to whole foods,



And me and robin head over



To restaurant depot.

I've had some issues

With robin in the past,

But, you know,

We're in this team together,

So we might as well



Not fight it.

Meet back over here.

So I need about racks.

Do you have more tilapia

In the back?

It's all skinned already?

[Laughs]

[Bleep].

[Mike]

No, it's not a problem.

Don't worry.

-What's that?

-[Mike] where's the seafood?

Okay, puff pastry.

Okay, I got chicken.

Tell them what we need

That we don't have.

-[Woman]

Fresh squeezed



Orange juice.

-Okay.

We need mascarpone cheese,

They don't have.

-Okay.

-Okay, I'll get it here.

[Eli]

Each side of the team



Is hooked up

With sprint mobile phones

So that we can talk

And communicate and figure out

What each other has going on.

-I already got the almonds.

-You did? Alright.

Should we copy them?

I didn't want them to see it.

Don't copy us.

Let's go get pellegrino.

You [bleep].

You push us out of the car

And close the door on us.

-No pushing.

-Oh, I'm getting pushed.

Robin gets really mad at me,

Like, we steal their idea

For the sparkling water.

I didn't want them

To see that, eli.

I wanted us to be the only ones

With sparkling water.

It's a competition,

You know?

I'm getting pushed.

If she thinks

She's gonna win this challenge

Because they have

Sparkling water,

That's ridiculous.

[Jazz music]

So it's a good look

Right there?

We made a decision--uh,

It'd probably be

A little bit better

For me to take care

Of the front of the house.

And the shirt untucked

Looks alright?

Yeah.

I think it works.

-Okay, so...

-How about "revolt"?

Robin, eli, and voltaggios?

-[Laughing]

-That's perfect.

[Michael]

The name that we've come up



With is actually revolt,

And then the word, obviously,

Revolutionary,

Standing up, and just cooking

The food that we believe in.

High five.

Love it.

Like in the architectural

Sense and stuff?

Like mission stuff

Is very clean,

And it's all about crafting

Things the right way.

I think-

I think that's our name.

The name that we settled on

For our restaurant is mission.

We sort of relate it back



To mission-style architecture--

Very simple, understated,

Not especially flashy,

And we think that's

What we're all about.

I think we got a good menu.

As long as we execute,

There's nothing

That's gonna stop this team.

Good luck, guys.

See you guys later.

[Jennifer]

Since my team won



The quickfire,

We have first choice

Of our kitchen and restaurant.

Chef moonen



Has a casual restaurant



And a fine-dining restaurant,



One on top of the other.



We decide as a team



That we want to pick



Fine-dining upstairs.

It feels more elegant,

It feels more refined.

Yeah, I mean, this is

My station that's clogged.

Oh, well.

[Bryan]

The blue team



Is gonna take upstairs,

Which is great, 'cause I think

For what we want to do

And our concept, it wouldn't

Have worked anyway.

It doesn't give them



Any advantage.



So we get into the kitchen,



And we get to work.

I've opened

Several restaurants before.

It takes a very long while.



I mean, the idea of having



Three hours one day



To open a restaurant



Is ludicrous.

Boy, these three hours

Are gonna go fast.

Robin, get everything set up

To start making pithiviers.

That's exactly

What I'm doing.

-Egg wash, puff pastry...

-It's all out. It's all out.

[Robin]

Michael has asserted



His domination.

-Bryan, is the ganache cut?

-Yeah, it's gonna be cut.

[Robin]

And I welcome feedback,



And I welcome comments,



But, you know, the minute



You start telling me

What to do constantly,

It's sort of like,

"Where's my voice?

And have faith in my ability

To be a contributing member

To this team."

Just getting

My simple syrup done.

The simple syrup's not-

We're not gonna need that

Until like halfway

After they're baked.

I'm just letting you know

It's on.

[Michael]

I'm not discrediting



Robin as a chef.



I just think,



At this far in the game,



She's a little bit



Out of her league now.

Some feelings are gonna get hurt

A little bit maybe,

But, uh, you know,

That's not gonna be my focus.

We need to focus

On putting out great food.

-Do you have egg wash?

-Got it.

-Brush?

-Yep.

-Inspiration?

-Check.

[Kevin] hour, left.

An hour, five-zero?

Yeah, one-five-oh.

I'm doing

Front of the house,

But I need to help my teammates



Get as much prep done

Before I walk

Onto the floor.

For the first course,



Mike's doing



Pan-skillet asparagus



With six-minute egg,



An arctic char tartare.



Second course--jennifer's



Gonna do a bouillabaisse



With a poached halibut,



Clams, and mussels,



Then a pan-seared trout



With braised endive,



And then kevin's dish



Is pork three ways



With a grits mousseline



And a chow chow.



I'm responsible



For the rack of lamb



With a carrot jam.



I've butchered the lamb,



I've marinated the lamb,



But kevin's gonna end up



Executing it.

Think we're there?

I think it needs

Acidity and salt.

Yep.

What we're looking for

In our menu

Is simplicity, refinement,



And seasonality.

What other herbs do we have?

Do you know?

We have some scallions.

[Jennifer]

Unfortunately,



We're running tight on time.



I still have to finish cleaning



My mussels.



Mike is still cutting



Arctic char.

We're all a lot further behind

Than we should be at this point.

Let's go, bouillabaisse.

-Are you in the [bleep]?

-No, not yet.

-[Laughs]

-Not yet.

[Bryan]

For a first course,



Michael was doing



A chicken and squid



Preparation.



Eli is doing



A smoked arctic char



Served with horseradish



And beets.



I have one of the entrees,



Two preparations of meat,



A strip loin



And a braised short rib.



Michael's fish is a cod



With billi-bi sauce and mussel.



Robin's dessert



Is a pear pithivier



With vanilla-bean ice cream,



And I have



A chocolate ganache

With spearmint ice cream

And a chocolate caramel.

Frangipane

In the middle again?

-No, no, no. Yeah.

-Okay.

[Michael]

I think revolt's different



From the mission



In the sense that



Our food will probably be



A lot more playful.

I think the food upstairs

Will be a little safer.

Tonight it doesn't matter



Who had a better idea.



It's gonna come down



To who executes better.

Michael, do you need

Anything else from me?

Okay.

Breaking away.

Alright, you guys,

I'm gonna go get ready.

All right, laurine.

[Eli]

With a little bit less



Than two hours left,



I go ahead and do my clark kent



And change into a suit

And jump into the dining room.

So would these tables

Be a better four

-And these to be a better two?

-Yes.

-Okay.

-[Tom] hi, laurine.

-Hi, there. How are you?

-Good. How's it going?

Good.

-What dish are you doing?

-I'm doing the lamb dish.

You're doing

The lamb dish, okay.

So I've worked a lot

With kevin today.

Kevin's taking care of the third

Course, the meat courses.

Do you plan at all

On getting back

Into the kitchen

And seeing how your dish

Is going?

Actually,

When any of the dishes go out,

I mean, if they're not right,

I'm gonna throw them back.

Okay.

Good luck.

Thanks, chef.

-Hey, chef.

-Hey, eli, how's it going?

-Good.

-How are you?

Busy, but good.

[Tom] how do you feel?

I mean, you could possibly

Go home for this,

For working

The front of the house.

You know,

I mean, the reality is,

Is I'm putting

Myself out on two sides.

Do you think

You're safer out here?

Because if service goes well,

Then you're off the hook, right?

Well, no, because

I got a dish back there too.

-Okay. Good luck.

-Thanks, chef.

Minutes, guys.

[Laurine] talk only to jennifer

And let her know I need to fire

The second course,

I need to fire

The third course.

[Kevin] are you plating

Over there, mike?

Yeah.

How you looking, jennifer?

In the weeds.

If you fire it right

When you're clearing,

It'll come up on time.

[Michael]

Right before service,



I think everybody's rushing.



Robin seems to be on track.



Bryan is moving



Like a machine.



Eli is just plugging away



And excited as usual.



It seems like every time



The clock starts



In this competition,



It moves a little bit faster



Every time,

So I definitely think

We're a little flustered.

Where's the water

For the char, bryan?

I don't have enough

Room for all of it, right now.

Let's work on this

Like a team, alright?

Don't be a d*ck.

-Two minutes, guys.

-Two minutes.

[Kevin]

Time is about to be up,

And we're not ready

For restaurant wars.

I'm behind.

This sucks.

-Showtime.

-Time, guys. Time.

We're gonna seat in about

Three minutes, all right?

Time's up,



And doors are open,

And I'm just ready

To get this going.

I got a bunch of people



Sitting at the bar.



I want to get them



At tables quickly.

You guys enjoy.

-Thank you.

-Great. Thanks so much.

I'm not sure what "revolt"

Has to do with this menu.

Are they, like, things

That contradict each other?

Good evening, guys.

Come on in.

-Thank you.

-[Eli]

The judges show up.



We want to get them sat



Right away,



And start getting food



To them.

I'm a quick talker,

And I know how to sell stuff.

I think we're just gonna go



Out there and wow them.

So, welcome, you guys.

Uh, restaurant revolt.

We're a modern american

Restaurant.

We made sure

To stay really conscious,

And we decided to stick

With the most sustainable stuff.

Yep.

[Padma] we just need

Two of everything.

Alright, I'll get some food

Coming your way.

-Thank you.

-Cool, thanks so much.

I don't know

About this name.

-I mean...

-It's a terrible name.

What did they think,

That we weren't gonna think

Of the word "revolting"

-As it relates to food?

-Yeah.

Other than the name, though,

I like the way

They set up the menu.

[Eli]

So first we have



A lightly smoked arctic char



With some beets,



Some horseradish sour cream,



Some crispy potatoes.

And then right here,

We have a pressed chicken

With some calamari noodles

And a little bit



Of fideua noodles,



Tomato confit,



A little fennel salad,



And then just some



Eastern mediterranean flavors

On the broth.

-Enjoy. Thanks so much.

-Thank you so much.

Ooh, that's delicious.

-It's good, isn't it?

-Really good.

Mmm.

This chicken is amazing.

It's michael's dish.

It's michael's dish?

Wow.

I love this.

I would order this.

Can I get more chicken please?

But I'm surprised you left me

As much as you did, tom.

I was being nice. I thought

Maybe you'd give it back.

[Laughter]

How is everything, you guys?

Any questions?

The chicken is lovely.

Great.

Thanks so much, guys.

You guys,

They're very, very happy

With their first course,

But we got to push, guys.

We got to get

This first turnout, guys.

Judges' entrees, fire.

Rick, what do you think

Of the char that eli made?

It was little one-dimensional.

I agree with rick.

It didn't really pop.

You coming out

With the judges', you guys?

Here you go.

We have a little duo of beef.



We have a braised short rib



With a sauce matignon



With a sunchoke puree,



And then it has



A prime new york strip,

Then right here, we have cod

With a parsley sauce,

A billi-bi croquette,



And a zucchini tenderloin.

Enjoy.

It's really good.

-It's like melted. Isn't it?

-Yeah. Tastes like butter.

Let's start by talking

About the cod that michael made.

It was melt-in-your-mouth,

Sustainable, delicious.

And it picked up quite

A lot of the mussel flavor.

It's brilliant, brilliant.

I'm very, very, very impressed.

We have meat and potatoes

From bryan.

I wasn't, um, overwhelmed

By bryan's meat and potatoes.

I thought the sauces

Were a little bland.

I enjoyed the dish.

The only thing--

I wish it were a little hotter

When it came out.

[Robin] that's like a third

The amount.

I'm not using that one.

I'm replating.

Why are these getting

So big now?

They're not.

That's one-third.

Can I do it?

This is my dessert.

[Bleep] you.

This is my [bleep] dessert.

Yeah, then can you

Cut them smaller?

And don't cuss at me again

Like that, okay?

Don't cuss at me like that

Again, do you understand me?

I asked you to let me

Do my dessert.

I'm helping you.

I'm helping you.

I don't need your help.

This is a restaurant, okay?

Be professional.

Go plate. Finish the plate,

So we can get it out.

[Bryan]

Robin tells mike, screw off,



And, um, you know, michael



Took offense to that.



I mean, obviously,



I would too,

But we're here to win

Restaurant wars.

Put your damn feelings aside,

And let's win.

[Robin]

It is inappropriate



To swear.

You know, I recognize that,

But he's my competitor.

I needed to establish

And maintain

My presence and ownership

Of that dish.

-I asked you to respect me.

-Then let's play it the way

We all agreed.

You don't respect anyone

When you start yelling

"[Bleep] you" to somebody, okay?

You weren't respecting me

By jumping on my line

And grabbing my utensils--

When you change a dessert

In the middle of a service...

You asked for three pieces

To an order.

We're supposed to do this

Together, robin, okay?

This isn't a one-person show.

Relax, alright?

[Robin]

Of course, and I'm trying

To work with you.

-Relax, relax.

-[Robin] I am relaxed.

[Michael]

If we tank on dessert,

We sort of fall into the history

Of restaurant wars,

And, uh, that's

Not an option for us.

[Bryan]

So we have a little flexible

Chocolate ganache

With a spearmint menthol



Ice cream



And, uh,



Some chocolate tuiles on it.

And then over here,

We have a pear pithivier

With a little

Homemade frangipane,

Some intense vanilla ice cream,



And a little elderflower syrup



Drizzled over top.

On the bottom,

There's a little almond praline.

Enjoy.

Try that.

This is wonderful.

Toby, what did you think

Of the pear pithivier?

I thought it was easily

The best thing

Robin's done so far.

I thought it was really good.

This dish was put together

With so much consideration.

It had so many layers.

It was like a perfect massage,

One thing after the other.

[Padma]

What did you think

Of the ganache?

Beautiful.

It could have done

With more mint ice cream.

I think it's delicious.

-It's silky.

-Yeah.

Any questions, comments,

Concerns with it?

-No.

-Okay, very cool.

Thanks, guys.

How do we think eli did

At front of the house?

I liked eli's intensity.

He tried really hard.

Let's go see what

The other restaurant

Has in store, guys.

-Thanks, guys.

-Thank you, eli.

-Thanks, eli.

-Thanks, eli.

[Upbeat music]

One in one, order in.

One in one for you, kevin.

-Good evening.

-Hi, laurine.

Welcome to the mission.

This evening feels different

Than any

Of the other competitions,

'Cause I'm learning



To cater to the judges.



But you have a restaurant



That you have to feed,

And they have comment cards,

And so that's

All gonna be taken into play.

Oh, thank you.

I think you'll notice

Right off the bat,

There are no desserts

On this menu.

-[Gasps]

-Wow.

Judges are here,

Table number two.

Two of each on the judges

Are in.

I got, uh, three minutes.

[Mike]

I'm doing the first course.



I know the judges are coming.



I have dishes prepared



For them.

I got to plate up -something

Dishes already,

So I'm happy.

All right, I'm ready to go home.

Pack it up.

-No, no, no, no, no.

-[Laughing]

-[Padma] alright.

-[Rick] whoa.

[Padma] she's gone.

What do you think

Of the char there, toby?

It's got a bite to it.

It doesn't have salt.

But it lacks salt.

Really lacking salt.

I really liked

Mike's skillet asparagus.

It just needed something.

It was a little bit boring.

I don't know.

I didn't dislike it.

We're a little slow on that,

But the servers

Are talking to the guests,

And we're keeping them happy.

The second course

Kind of comes to a halt,

And it makes me realize



That having jennifer



Responsible



For two highly



Intensive fish dishes,



Is not a great plan.

I'm getting hungrier

By the minute.

Can you tell me where

The judges are at their table?

I will go look right now.

We will have

Your fish up shortly.

I apologize for the wait.

Things are getting



More and more hectic



As the night's going on.

I am, uh, kind of running

Around like crazy at this point.

I only sent out three before-

Two tables and the judges.

Now I just sent out two,

So I don't know

If this is right.

We got to get

Laurine in here.

Laurine seems to be



Struggling rather hard.



I think her dining room



Is flooded.



We're putting up food.

It's not going out

At the pace that we want it to,

And I don't think



It's going very well for her.

I apologize for the delay.

[Padma]

Yeah. How much longer

Is it gonna be?

Uh, probably

About a minute.

I'm gonna go back right now

And check on it.

I come back in, and the course

Isn't even fired.

Padma is not happy

About the wait.

[Bleep],

I asked like ten times

About the judges' table

To be fired.

-This is judges' table, yes?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, laurine.

You're welcome.

It would have been nice

If we had a little explanation,

Don't you think?

-Hey, laurine?

-Yes?

Can you explain

The two dishes, please?

Absolutely.

Idaho trout--

It has a brown butter emulsion,



Hazelnuts, braised endive,

And then we have

An alaskan halibut

With some mussels and clams,



A little saffron aioli,



And a bouillabaisse consomme.

-[Padma] thank you.

-You're welcome.

The mussels and the clams

Were really fishy,

So it wasn't my favorite.

I think the halibut's

Actually cooked okay,

But this is not consomme.

It's not clear.

It's not clear,

But it's probably

The best part of the dish.

It was disappointing.

Jennifer's trout

Was an absolute disaster.

The butter sauce broke.

It's broken.

[Rick] yeah, it is.

[Tom] all you taste is grease,

'Cause it's not emulsified,

So it's grease.

Jennifer is such

An accomplished cook,

I've just come to expect

So much more from her.

Her mentor would not be happy

With her right now.

-I apologize.

-Can you explain the dish?

Absolutely.

[Man]

It was more rare



Than medium rare.

Chef, can I get more fire

On the lamb chop, please?

Yes.

[Kevin]

We're having temperature



Issues with the lamb.

I'm having a hard time

Getting it to cook evenly.

I got overcooks and under-cooks

-And [bleep]

All over the boards.

-Yep.

Also, laurine and I are having

Sort of communication issues.

What I think of as medium rare

Is apparently

What she thinks of as rare.

This is

The medium-rare lamb, right?

Yes, it is.

And I don't know



Who's right or wrong.

I actually don't know

That there is anyone

Who's right or wrong.

Laurine, tell us

About these two dishes, please.

Sure. The lamb

Has a carrot jam,

A green-bean salad



With an herb dressing,



And a morel mushroom sauce.

We have pork belly

That has a maple glaze.

We have a pork sausage



Wrapped in cabbage,



A little cornmeal mousseline,

And then red eye gravy.

-Is yours cooked well?

-Mm-hmm.

[Man ] mine's a little raw.

[Tom] I don't like jell-o lamb.

I think if they were trying

To make a rare lamb,

They did it.

I'd expect the waiter

To ask me how I wanted my lamb

And not just assume

I wanted it this rare.

This is judges' plate

Right here in my hand.

[Padma] kevin's pork plate,

I thought, was better

Than the lamb dish.

The sausage is

Really flavorful and tasty.

The pork belly's really nice.

I thought it was a good dish.

I actually

Do miss a dessert.

Oh.

From our chefs in the kitchen.

Thank you.

They want to say thank you

For joining us.

[Rick] I did like the chicken,

And the calamari was a very nice

Complement with that.

[Woman]

You should write "revolt"

Is a bad name for a restaurant.

[Man] I thought the cod

Was amazing.

Those your last tables?

That's the last table, chef.

End of service,

We feel okay.

I mean, you always feel like

You can do better.

You know, I think we're



Just replaying in our mind



Everything that happened



Throughout the night



And just hoping that it was



Received well by the guests.

It was fantastic.

Everything was delicious.

Service was great.

The pear dessert-

It was delicious.

Like, I really liked it.

[Mike]

I'm worried.



I think we're all going home



Tonight together as a team.

The third course

Was a little weak...

-Yeah.

-Altogether.

It wouldn't make up

For the taste of the food

How long we had to wait.

I would have appreciated

A little bit more education

About what we were eating.

What'd they say-

They hated everything?

The only feedback was

That it took--our timing.

Great.

Service is over. Kevin said

He had a horrible night.

He knows he's going home.

Jen said she put up

[Bleep]



All night.



And she's disappointed



And embarrassed.

I know laurine

Didn't do a great job

In the front of the house.

We're going to the judges' table

And not on the good side...

Bottom line.

We certainly have a lot

To talk about,

So let's get going.

Let's get on out of here

And see how we did.

You don't respect anyone

When you start yelling

"[Bleep] you" to somebody, okay?

You weren't respecting me

By jumping on my line...

Running a good team,

It takes a good leader.

Just 'cause you're

In the [bleep], bryan,

Don't come over here getting

All [bleep] upset now.

And I want to demonstrate the

Fact that I can be that leader.

Take my time tonight.

[Bleep].

I didn't realize it.

Yelling and screaming

And arrogance

And things like that,

There's really no place

For that in a kitchen.

[Bleep], bryan.

[Bleep].

No, I'll fry them myself.

Don't touch them.

I think people mistake

Confidence for arrogance.

Relax, all right?

Relax, relax, relax, relax.

Relax.

At the end,

I'm just a nice guy, you know?

Um, I probably have

The biggest heart here.

I'm counting on them,

And you're just sitting over

There [bleep] ignoring me.

[Kevin] that might be

Some of the worst cooking

We've done

In our [bleep] careers.

What happened?

I don't know.

It just all broke down.

If we win, you guys

Must have did a horrible job,

Because we didn't do

A good job.

Good evening.

[All] good evening.

We'd like to see the members

Of revolt restaurant.

-[Sighs] cool.

-Thank you.

[Suspenseful music]

[Suspenseful music]

[Padma] bryan, robin, eli,

And michael,

You won restaurant wars,

So congratulations.

Yes!

[Tom] really, across the board,

Best restaurant-w*r restaurant

We've had in six seasons.

Wow.

If I was reviewing revolt,

After having some fun

With the name

And chastising

The front-of-house manager

For being

Woefully underdressed,

I would have given you guys

Three stars.

Thank you.

Of course,

Your whole team won,

But only one chef

Can win this challenge.

Rick, as our guest judge,

You have the honor

Of telling us who that is.

Wow, this is

A real difficult call,

But the person that showed

The most promise

Would have to be...

-Michael.

-Wow. Thank you.

[Padma]

Congratulations, michael.

As the winner

Of this elimination challenge,

Rick has something

For you.

I'm gonna give you all

An autographed copy

Of my book,

Fish without a doubt.

This is like my bible.

And, michael, I have

A little something for you--

, Buckaroos

From the m resort

That the other team forfeited

And let ride.

Can I actually split that

With everybody else?

You can do whatever

You like with it.

-[Padma]

It's your money, michael.

-Thank you,

So I get the win for the best

Restaurant wars

Restaurant ever,

And I pick up the ten grand



From the m resort

That was originally meant

For the blue team.

And now we need you

To send in

The other team, please.

Does anyone want to cuddle

Before I go home?

[Mike] I don't think

You're gonna go home.

I mean, I should have like

Stopped everything

And dealt with the judges,

But I mean, I have

A [bleep] waiting room

Full of people.

[Mike]

You know, honestly,

I just wish

I would have worked

The front of the house,

Because I run

Big restaurants.

Mr. Michael.

Congratulations, guys.

Thank you.

I hate to say it,

But I think you guys know

They want to see

All of you.

Good job, guys.

Come back, mike.

Obviously, you were

Our least favorite restaurant.

How did you decide

To put laurine

In the front of the house?

I felt more comfortable

Than anyone else here.

Do you still feel

That comfortable?

I mean, I think

We're all embarrassed

That this is not

How we would run a restaurant.

[Exhales sharply]

[Tom] this is tough.

It really is.

But there were some execution

Issues with each dish.

[Padma] let's start

With the first course.

I was happy

About the asparagus dish.

I thought

It was pretty good.

You know, the char dish,

I liked it, but, you know,



If you don't eat everything



In the perfect bite,



It's gonna be a little bit



Inconsistent as you eat it.

That's pretty much

Exactly what happened.

Let's move on

To the second course.

I could have done

Some things differently.

I could have steamed my clams

And mussels beforehand.

You steamed the clams

And mussels to order?

-I did it to order.

-Wow.

Well, that explains

Why it took so long.

I think you cooked

The halibut perfectly.

It was glistening

In the middle,

And I enjoyed the flavor

Of the broth.

But the halibut



And the broth,



Together they seemed



To kind of nullify each other,

So the dish in total

Was less than the sum

Of its parts.

I agree.

[Padma] but your trout,

Tom, I think, at the table,

Mentioned it was a disaster.

[Tom]

The dish was just beige,



And the sauce



Was completely broken.

It was broken

When it came out to you?

Oh, yeah,

Just completely broken.

[Scoffs] I don't really

Have anything to say.

Um, I'm feeling pretty broken

Right now, and...

The third course,

The lamb dish,

Was severely underdone.

It didn't go

Through a resting process.

Um, the center of it

Was like, uh, jell-o.

Laurine, you served

The dish to us.

Did you think it was too rare?

[Laurine] I think I personally

Would have preferred it

Cooked a little bit more.

Go back to that conversation

That we had.

I mean, you were pretty clear

That you were gonna put

Your hand all over this dish.

[Laurine] I know I said

That I would make sure

-That it went out to my liking.

-And?

I didn't take that initiative

At that point.

It was clear to us

That a lot was going wrong,

And you looked like a kind

Of deer in the headlights.

You initially didn't tell us

Anything about the dishes.

We had to kind of bring you back

And prompt you.

I admit,

I was overwhelmed.

[Padma] well, we have

Some discussing

To do, obviously.

-Thank you. That's all.

-Thank you.

Uh... Hmm.

[Sighs]

Well, they seem to know

They didn't deliver a good meal.

You got a bad night,

You know it.

And they just

Didn't prepare themselves,

And they didn't have

A system of communication.

The wheels came off the bus.

But mike isabella,

Nothing went

Seriously wrong in his case.

In everyone else's case,

Something went

Seriously wrong.

I want to go to jen

For a second.

I can't believe she was steaming

Mussels and clams to order.

-Out of her mind.

-[Tom] that's insane.

Yeah. That's why

The mussels were undercooked.

I think the trout dish

Was the big flaw.

The trout itself

Had absolutely no...

-No flavor.

-Character.

It had no personality,

And then

With a broken sauce on it,

It was pretty disappointing.

Two people had their hands

On that lamb,

And we all liked

The pork dish.

But, you know,

Kevin cooked the lamb.

In his mind, what he gave us

Was medium rare.

I just can't eat lamb

That rare.

I can't even swallow it.

It was just seared raw lamb.

And laurine said,

"If it's not right,

I will send it back,"

And she did a pretty bad job

In the front of the house.

She froze up.

She got to that mentality,

Like, "I can't wait

For this nightmare to be over."

Well, I think

We have our answer.

-I think so.

-Yep.

Alright,

Let's get them out here.

[Suspenseful music]

[Suspenseful music]

[Tom] every season, the chefs

Just really look forward

To restaurant wars.

It's a real badge of courage

To win,

And clearly, when you're

On the losing end,

It's very difficult.

Jen, you weren't able

To perform to your top at all.

Several things were wrong

With your dishes.

Kevin, on one hand,

You cooked that lamb,

And it was a pretty poor job

Of doing that.

On the other hand,

You did give us the pork dish.

Laurine, not only

Was the dining room

Poorly organized,

When things got bad,

You seemed to hide,

As opposed to taking care

Of that lamb dish.

Michael, there was

Really nothing bad

About your dishes,

But they weren't great either.

Laurine...

Please pack

Your knives and go.

Okay.

[Padma] good luck to you.

[Laurine]

This was a much,



Much harder experience



Than I ever imagined.



Most people call me a rock.



I'm pretty rock solid,

And I've never had my rock

Rocked so much in my life.

[Crying]

You deserve to be here.

Kevin, thanks.

I appreciate it.

I don't blame you.

I feel like every obstacle



I hurdle makes me stronger,

But I think I've learned

Something about myself,

And, uh, I don't know that

I want to be in a competition

With anybody



For anything really.

What'd they end up saying?

I don't--i don't really

Want to talk about it,

To tell you the truth.

I'm actually really,

Really angry right now.

[Laurine]

I have met



A lot of great people.



I'm gonna miss all of them.



I mean, they have exposed me



To some



Really innovative cooking,



And that's



What I'm gonna take away.

It's the end of a chapter.

At the same time,



I'm kind of looking forward



To going back



To my own life.



Next on

Top chef...

Padma and I have

A special guest in town.

Wow.

[Tom] let me introduce

Natalie portman to you.

And she's gonna tell you

Her likes and dislikes.

-The one thing is--

-[Tom] got that?

Oh, [bleep].

[Robin] awesome.

I'm really comfortable



With it.

I'm gonna shine

On this challenge.

I'm in the [bleep] weeds.

I'm in a tough situation.

This is disgusting,

And I'm confused.

You think it's that bad?

Yeah.

Could be any one of us

In the winner

Or the loser's circle.