22x08 - Restaurant Wars

[bunniefuu]

Previously onTop Chef...

This is a beautiful setting

for Top Chef's
very first pizza party.

-Whoo!
- Whoever wins this challenge

will have the very last
immunity of the season.

It's dough time.
I think the dish looks cute.

The oxtails came out cute.

I wanna make a pizza
that starts a conversation.

This is a classic flavor
combination, but he elevated it.

And the winning chef is Tristen.

Oh!

What's up, man?

I am really,
really close with my mother

and my stepdad.

I feel like
I'm making them proud.

Oh, no!

It seemed
to be very undercooked.

I apologize.

About to give you a sushi pizza.
It is what it is.

It's really
just kind of falling apart.

Henry, please pack
your knives and go.

Eight chefs remain to compete in
the ultimate culinary showdown.

At stake for the winner,

the largest prize package
in Top Chefhistory.

The grand prize of a quarter
of a million dollars

furnished by
Saratoga Spring Water,

the official water of Top Chef,

Delta Sky Miles
Diamond Medallion status,

and $125,000 to spend on travel
with Delta Airlines.

A feature
in Food & Wine Magazine,

an appearance at the Food & Wine
Classic in Aspen,

and for the first time ever,

the winner of Top Chef
will headline

their own exclusive dinner

at the historic
James Beard House in New York.

And the title of Top Chef.

Morning.

- Morning, morning.
- Morning.

The g*ng's all here.

I honestly didn't think
I would make it this far.

- Nobody's safe.
- Nobody's safe anymore.

Oh, no.

Send them away.

- Let's ride.
- Loud and proud.

- Chefs.
- That's me.

-That's us.
-Grab your knives

and meet me
at the warehouse venue.

Do you think we're doing a rave?



You think
it's large enough to house

two restaurants
that would pop up in 24 hours?

-No, that can't be it.
-That couldn't be it.

It's definitely the rave.

Let's go, let's go.

Oh.

Good morning.

-Hey.
-How are you?

Morning.

- Morning.
- Morning.

Please say hello

to your guest judges
for this week.

We have
James Beard award winner,

executive chef and owner
of Compère Lapin, Nina Compton.

- Hello, chefs.
- Hello.

Nina Compton! Oh, my God.

She's a badass Black woman
doing it for Black women.

Pressure's on.

We also have Toronto native,
restauranteur,

and Top Chef Canadajudge,
Janet Zuccarini.

- Hello, chefs.
-Hello.

Janet is the founder

and CEO
of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group.

Oh, my God. Janet Zuccarini.

She has such
an incredible palate.

There's a very good reason

that these two are
your guest judges this week.

Welcome...

to Restaurant Wars.

Oh, my gosh. Here we go.

Yeah.

Restaurant Wars has become
the make or break moment

for a lot of chefs.

You're gonna be responsible
for creating

your very own restaurant concept
in just 24 hours.

So much to do.

It took me weeks
to pick a paint color

for Jackrabbit Filly
when it first opened.

You'll have to come up
with a three course menu

with two options per course.

So six dishes in total.

So chefs, are you ready
to draw for teams?

- Let's do it.
- Yeah.

Massimo, take the first pick.

Two. All right, Vinny.

Also a two.

It looks like we're opening up
an Italian restaurant.

Bailey.

If she gets two,
then you're opening Italian.

-Aw.
- One.

Looks like we're not.

Paula.

Paula has opened
several restaurants.

I want her on my team.

Okay.
One.

All right, César.

One. Okay, Tristen, come on up.

Strategically, I don't wanna
be on a team with Tristen.

He has immunity.

So if you lose, you have a 33%
chance of being eliminated.

Two.

All right, Lana.

Two.

And Shuai, come on up.

I wonder what it's gonna be.

Ah, just as I thought.

Massimo is strong-willed.

Lana's a little bit
more reserved.

Vinny is really confident
and I am also really stubborn.

Team two, how are you feeling?

Make it work.

We could either come together
or fall apart.

Pressure's on

because we want you
to assign your executive chef,

your front of the house
and your line cooks right now.

Okay, what's everyone vibing on?

Who would like what?

I don't mind
taking front, but...

I do everything
in my restaurant,

doing the dining room.

I'm comfortable doing it.

Come on.

Lana has experience
building a dining room.

I have experience talking
in a dining room.

Rock, paper, scissors, sh**t.

Front of house it is for you.

Just let the man have it.

Does anyone really
wanna do anything?

I would do either front or exec.

I work in an open kitchen,

so I'm very comfortable
talking to people.

You know, I can turn
on the charm when I need to.

What about exec?

I can do EC
if you wanna be front.

- I don't mind.
- All right, sure.

All right, 30 seconds.

Who wants to be E.C.?

He has immunity.

So I'll take whatever
they don't want.

Naturally, you wanna give

one of the higher-risk roles
to the person with immunity.

Us line cook, him.

I'll be fine to be line cook.

I don't mind. If I need
to be E.C., I'll be E.C.

All right, you're good?

- This is exciting.
- Fabulous.

Just remember that in,
like, five hours.

- Oh, jeez.
- It's exciting!

Oh, my.

I remember being in
your shoes many years ago,

and Restaurant Wars is
the most difficult challenge.

Leave the egos
at the----ing door.

But really have fun with it

and make sure that your concept
is clean and concise.

You're creating
a transporting experience.

Make it compelling.

Today, you'll have an hour
to create your concept

and start planning your menu.

And then you'll head
to Element Event Solutions

to meet with a specialist
that's gonna help you

select all the decor.

You'll have $4,500 to shop
at Whole Foods Market

and an additional $2,300 to shop

at a variety
of specialty markets.

After that, you can prep
and cook until 8:00 p.m.

The more time you take shopping,

the less time you're
gonna have to prep,

so it's completely up to you
how you wanna spend that time.

- Oh, wow.
-Tomorrow,

you're going to have
four hours to prep,

cook, set up your restaurant,

train your servers
before service begins

and then serve 100 diners.

You wanna know
what you're playing for?

What, what, what?

The winning team will
take home $40,000.

Whoa.

- I could use more monies.
- Monies is good.

Get to planning. We'll see you
tomorrow and good luck.

Good luck.

Hi. What the hell
is going on? Okay.

All right.

- I have an idea.
- Okay.

We could do six dishes

that represent
the different stages of Canada.

So, something French,
something English,

because they colonized
after the French.

Did you have some things
written down?

He's easy, so.

My thought
was doing veg forward.

With that,
we could still be ourselves.

Mm-hmm.

I'm just not sure about

vegetable forward
for a competition.

- Does that mean no proteins?
- No, no, no, no, no.

The proteins
might be the sauces,

the accompaniments,
stuff like that.

They named me executive chef,

so I am going to step up
and make some decisions.

- Does everybody agree?
- Mm-hmm.

- I'm comfortable with that.
- Let's do it.

Concept first.

Italian-Latin, Latin-Italian.

That'd be really fun.

It is, like, grandma chic.

I love grandma vibes.

Could we just do
a grandma's restaurant?

CÉSAR: Yeah.

Start throwing out
grandma names.

My grandma's name
is just Grandma.

- My abuelo was Pipón.
- Pipón.

Pipón actually means,
like, have a belly.

That was a term of endearment
for my grandfather.

- That's cute.
- Nonna Pipón.

- Nonna Pipón.
- I love that.

How do we make sure that

it is a vegetable forward
restaurant by the name?

- Um...
- Like, garden.

Something like flora, right?

Flora and fauna?

Like P-H-L-O-R-A for Phlora?

- I like that.
- Perfect.

- We have to get food.
- We'll just--

- Yeah.
- The last thing I wanna be

doing is coming up with a prep
list while we're shopping.

- Yeah.
- When there's

this much pressure and stress,

I might come off as c*ck,

but the goal is to win.

I'll do the first course
and I'll do a mushroom salad.

- That's fresh.
-Yes.

I also make a potlikker
consommé, which could be fun.

Okay, so let's start
with the progression of dinners.

- I could do, like, an arancini.
- That sounds amazing.

Yeah. Or maybe just, like a
Spanish-Italian frutti di mare.

Perfect.

Do you want to do pasta since
you're so friggin' good at it?

Baked pasta is very nonna.

Ooh. Perfect.

And then, what do you think?

I do like the idea
of beef and polenta.

This sounds good.

Paula,
you could take the dessert.

So, it's actually
an Italian cake.

-Oh, yeah.
- Torta di noci,

but it doesn't have any flours.

It's gluten-free.

- Okay, next.
-The second course.

I was playing around
with the idea of,

like, making a terrine.

We could do a pithivier.

I think
that could be really cool.

Let's do it!

One I have,
it could be sweet potato.

It could be squash
with an XO and a sauce.

Flavors make sense to me.
I like that.

Do you feel comfortable serving
sweet as your final option?

I don't mind doing
a vegetable-forward dessert.

Chocolate, custard.

I'm still coming up with
the veg. Probably parsnips.

This is a dish I am okay doing.
I am 100%.

All right, guys. We gotta go.

If you got a second speed,
now's the time to find it.

- Oh, wow, gorgeous.
- I like this.

- Hello.
-Hello, hello.

- Beautiful.
- Oh, let's do dishes.

- Let's do dishes first.
- Okay, sure.

So we have a flora
and fauna kind of theme.

- Right.
-So looking natural,

forest-y, garden-y.

There needs to be a look that
is h*m* with our concept.

We want people
to really come in and think,

you know, plants and vegetables.

- Is that weird?
- It looks like outdoor wedding.

Yeah, that's fair. Guys?

No? What about this one?

Let's just...
I don't know. I don't know.

You know,
we can't be here all day.

You like this one? No.

You have not seen
something you like more.

I respect the fact that
the boys are trying so hard

to hammer out
every single detail.

What do you guys-- I think
the green could be nice.

Are you sold on the nut?

Does not have to be a nut.
Do you like the color?

It just needs to get done at
a little bit of a faster pace.

I personally like this one.

All right,

- then let's go that color.
- Okay.

This?

I kind of like this one.

Ooh, that looks cute, honestly.

We're going for,
like, grandma chic.

It's like old-timey plates,

pinks, some splashes
of green, flowers.

-This is cute, I think.
- CÉSAR: I think that's cute.

-This is kind of cute.
- These are cute.

This one looks cute.

Oh, that's cute.
This one's cute, too.

-Those are cute.
- CÉSAR: That one's cute.

-So cute.
-It's kind of cute.

Not necessarily.

-We're doing the silver?
-Yeah.

So, entrees, entrees.

I don't hate this with this.

-Okay.
-So, 60 of everything

I see on the table?


you see on the table.

I got it.

How many of these
bowls would you like?

- For those, 65.
- 65 bowls. Okay.

- Okay, great. Let's...
-Yeah, 65.

- Dale.
- You've being amazing.

Thank you so much, guys.
Good luck.

I'll go to Whole Foods Market.

You guys are gonna go
to St. Lawrence Market?

Yes.

This is actually
the best idea ever.

The four-headed dog,
maybe a little much.

-Let's go.
-Let's do it.

We need to divide and conquer

or else we're going home.

All right,
let's go to St. Lawrence Market.

Is anyone having an anxiety
attack like me, or...

For sure.

- I think proteins first, no?
- Yes.

Hi, do you guys
have the short ribs?

Chorizo as well? Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Do you have any beef cheeks?

We all decided to shop together
at St. Lawrence Market

because we're a team.

All right, so mushrooms,
and we need dry goods.

Ooh, that's a big-a*s fennel.

Oysters and maitakes.
This one?

We're going pork first.

Pork then seafood? And lamb?

The goal is to get as much time
as we possibly can

to prep today.

That's why Massimo's
going alone to Whole Foods.

I don't have a bunch
of heathen chefs running around,

screaming times at each other.

Even though
most of the time, it's me.

Keep up, guys.

Phlora + Phauna
we wanna be very seasonal.

Vegetable, pork.

So, I'm rolling with
the blueberry and corn desserts.

Corn starch. Come on, man.

Help! Help, please!

This is a winner.

Ugh. You just put it there.
Whoo!

Can I see how much eight pounds
of clean squid looks like?

- Eight pounds?
- Yes.

For the first course,
I am making a frutti di mare,

using shrimp, octopus,
squid inside aguachile,

so you have both Italian
and Latin flavors.

That's all our seafood.

Greens? You wanna see
if there's collards here?

Yes, I do.

I really wanna do
this potlikker consommé,

because my background
is originally in journalism.

I do a lot of
investigating food now.

My ancestors,
a lot of Black American sl*ves.

Potlikker was sometimes
all they had to eat,

so I'm using techniques
that I've learned at

all of these
Michelin-starred restaurants

to make this dish sing.

I need
to get the smoked ham hock.

You guys are finding
everything you need?

- Yeah, more or less.
- More or less.

All right, see you soon.

See you soon, cheers.

All right, thank you so much.

Peace and love, guys. Thank you.

Paula, I'm done.

Honestly, do we think
two of us should break off

and start going
to Whole Foods now?

- I'm okay with that.
- Yeah.

- I'm down with that.
- Why don't you two go?

In an ideal world,
we would all be going together,

but time is
definitely ticking down,

so we're gonna
divide and conquer.

- Let's go.
- Do you know where that is?

-Yes.
-We'll figure it out.

All right, Massimo.

- Hey.
-What's up, guys?

Tomorrow, I won't
have time to do any cooking,

so I've got to get all of
my mise en place done today.

Guys, where's the clock?

What up, dog?

César and I get back
to the warehouse

and we have about
two hours to prep,

which is plenty of time.

Did the girls take the seafood?

They took the seafood
themselves, right?

- It's in their car. Okay.
- So it's with them.

We realize Bailey and Paula
have half the groceries.

They also have all my seafood.

It just really sucks
because tomorrow,

I wanna be
focused on the dining room.

So not great.

I'm sorry.

Ooh!

It feels like time is
totally slipping away from us.

I really need to see if those
red bell peppers peeled are here

or else it's gonna be
a bad time.

I wish we had just
split up from the start.

-Bailey?
-Yes?

-Got your peppers.
-Oh, great.

How about I get in line
and start checking out?

I am getting
my ice cream base on.

-So ready.
- As ready as we're gonna be.

Hopefully Restaurant Wars
is ready for us.

-Oh!
-How are we doing, chef?

I'm just gonna make
a little mushroom stock.

I'll be in charge
of the first course,

doing a mushroom escovitch.

I'm going to use a little
bit of African flavors,

using some dawadawa.

Think of it like African umami.

Lana will be doing cured
and smoked steelhead trout

with collard greens
potlikker consommé.

We're just going to
give them a light cure.

Tomorrow, we'll give them
a light smoke.

Tristen, just so you
can see a visual here.

That's the pork. Make sense?

- Get it?
- Yes.

For the second course,
Vinny is making a squash dish

with pork tenderloin
and XO sauce.

Trist, when you have a sec.

- What do you need, chef?
-The pressure cooker.

- Which one, chef?
- The big one.

- Yes, chef.
-You're the chef, chef.

I'm making truffle potato
celery root pithivier.

Honestly,
this is going to be really nice.

It's going to
fit perfect, actually.

Pithivier is basically
like a meat pie,

but we're making it completely
vegetarian on the inside.

Then we're going to put just
a really rich lamb jus with it.

We're getting there.

All right, well, I just
put the pressure cooker on.

Don't touch my stuff.
Don't touch my stuff.

Oh.

Massimo,
I like your hair like that.

- All wild and sh--.
- Always, bro.

A little wild.
It's kind of cute.

For the third course,

we have the option of
either my corn crèmeux

with a corn cob ice cream,

grilled blueberry condiments,
and a blueberry crisp.

Or Tristen's
milk chocolate custard

with Ontario parsnip
and chocolate swirl.

Vegetable-forward restaurant,

vegetable-forward menu,
vegetable-forward dessert.

Do you have an ETA on the girls?

Hello.

We have, like, at least 15 bags.

- You guys have all the seafood?
- Yes.

That's the shrimp.
It was terrible.

I didn't expect it to
take so much time on the shop.

Bailey, start doing
your pasta. Go.

We get to the warehouse

and there is an hour
and four minutes

to prep and pack everything.

Behind you, behind.

Stressful.

So, these three are all yours?

- Yep.
- This is all mine?

All right,
César is making short ribs,

start on pasta right now
and start arancini.

I know we're in the weeds,
but as the executive chef,

I need to make sure that

I'm organizing everything
we need for every dish.

Ricotta, you good?
Arancini, going.

For the first course, we have
chipotle chorizo arancini

ex*cuted by Bailey.

Quickest risotto of
my life. Will you scrape for me?

- There.
- I got it, I got it.

It's the perfect marriage
between Italian

and Latin American cuisine.

You want me to go ahead
and start cleaning your shrimp?

Yeah, I'm gonna start
cleaning my shrimp.

-Okay.
- Cleaning the shrimp's great.

It's not tedious at all.

Also, for the first course,

Shuai's making a frutti
di mare with chili.

Try to get
my seafood poached today.

I'm nowhere where I need to be.

This is my only dish
I have on the menu,

so if I screw this up,
yeah, I could be going home.

Shrimp juice in my eyeballs.

What do you need for your soup?

- I have already some going.
- Okay.

So I'm just gonna
get these next ones going.

Second course, we're doing
braised short rib

with polenta, ancho peppers.

I just wanted something
nice and homey and braisey,

put some nice spices to it,
and then a baked pasta.

I'm a busy woman
about town, okay?

I feel like I'm doing
seven things at once.

I know we don't have to
do the churros until tomorrow.

For the third course,
César is making a churro

with a pistachio crumb,

and Paula is making
a walnut torta with tres leches.

As it is right now,
I'm just focused on

everything else
that needs to happen today.

My dessert
could happen tomorrow.

All right, all this is desserts.

Behind you.

Okay.

Just these vacuumed
and put in the cooler.

Hey, Ma.
What is-- what's going on?

My stepfather, who is my father,
has had a stroke

and is now in an induced coma.

Trist, you good?

- You sure?
- Everything okay?

I'm fine.

- Let's finish this sh--.
- Yes, chef.

This really wavers
my focus right now,

but my mom said,

"He would never want you
to quit on this dream.

"Don't you dare leave."

So, I will do what
he would want me to do.

Should I put anything,
any kind of liquid inside?

- Maybe just some butter.
- Okay, I got it.

I can tell
that something has happened,

but if he just wants us
to go ahead and push,

that's exactly
what we're gonna do.

Nine minutes.

I just need tables
cleared and knives and bags.

You good?

Stepdad had a stroke
and he's in a coma.

Sh--.

CÉSAR: All right, guys. It's
going to be a long day tomorrow.

Let's get some rest.

Last night,

I learned that

my father, Russell, passed away.

He's always been one of the most
supportive people in my life.

When someone believes
in you that much,

you don't wanna let them down.

And so I do not wanna disrespect
my family by giving up.

I was told to stay

and I listened to my parents.

Okay.

Tristen is such a sweet person.

Losing someone, I can't even
imagine what he's going through.

It's important
for all of us to succeed

and make it
worth his while to be here.

When judges' table comes,
like, you know, be present,

but not like, there 24/7.

Honestly...

With our family-style service,
I feel like it's very doable.

We're plating one dish
for a whole entire table.

I'm excited to work
front of the house.

I just love to take care
of people because,

um, here's the thing
about communism, kids.

Growing up in China,
we didn't have electricity.

We had candles.
There was no running water.

There was no toilet.

But the most amazing part
about my mom and grandma is

that they made sure
that I never felt that.

I never felt hungry.
I never felt cold.

And that's
the biggest reason I cook.

All right, guys,
let's check on Nonna Pipón.

Let's execute.
Let's do what we do every day.

And let's have some fun.

Wow.

What do we got?
What do we got? What do we got?

- Whoo.
-Oh, my God.

- I like the color.
- It's beautiful.

- All right.
- It's so cute!

- Oh, it's so cute!
- This is so cute.

We have to run.

Like, there's so much
that has to get done.

All right, guys, here we go.

CÉSAR: I have to make sure
I finish my braises,

have polenta cooked,
same with the churros.

I'm excited.

As a line cook,
I need to make sure

I step up and I execute well.

César, let me know
when you have the beef

- already in the oven, please.
- CÉSAR: Yes, chef.

Bailey, let me know when your
pastas are ready to go, please.

Yes, chef! Ugh.

We are very behind
right now, I would say.

I'm still doing, like, 12 things
at once, it feels like.

Making tonnato aioli,
breading arancini,

trying to finish the romesco.

Okay, you got it.

Thank God Paula takes
that lift from me.

That's one of the true signs

of being an incredible
executive chef.

- Chunky.
-Chunky? Okay.

♪ Let me check my polenta

♪ Let me see how she doing

- It's hot. Sorry.
- More seasoning.

What do you think? More salt?

More salt, more acid.

- Warm.
- Yeah.

Especially because
you're gonna clarify it,

which is gonna rip some flavor,
so over-season.

Okay, heard.

All right, squashy squash.

Butternut squash.

Kind of confited them
in some brown butter,

lemon oil, and some thyme.

Aguachile.

Hello. How you doing? Shuai.

Thank you for being here.

We have, as you can see,
a lot of work to do.

I have to just make
the place look cute.

You know,
our vibe is grandma style.

It's not gonna be pristine.

There might be a pile
of magazines from 1988.

You know, who knows?

These floors are very dirty.

We're getting a broom
and a mop right away.

We're in a construction site.
There's dust.

Not going home for
a dirty floor, that's for sure.

One small table here.

Paint just dried. Tables
are getting straightened.

Glasses are being set.
Everything is coming together.

One hour and 30 minutes.

My cake is the last thing
I'm getting into.

It's just walnuts,
eggs, and shrimp.

I think the judges will like it.

I'm experimenting right now.

Every course
is served family style.

Hopefully, you know, you
can be like, "Oh, hey, like,

"We suggest
that you order kind of evenly

"so you guys
can share everything."

Whole thing is that

you come in as strangers,
you leave as friends.

You know, I just want
you guys to have a good time.

I don't even know where they put
the mop in my own restaurant.

The person you're hearing

is Massimo.

He's the other chef.
He's very loud.

I think I'm gonna hear Massimo
for the rest of my life.

Any other questions?

Even now as I sit here,
I can hear-- I can hear him.

Yeah.

You're not touching
churros yet, no?

Not yet, chef.

I feel very rushed.

We're definitely gonna
be working to the very end.

Are you piping the churros
to order hard, César?

A little bit. I mean,
I'll have the dough ready.

It's gonna be firm.

Cool. Then,
you'll be my lead server, then.

Every order is
gonna be written on the menu.

I need your name on it,
your table number,

and then seat numbers.

I will not accept it

- any other way, okay?
- Yes, chef.

Guys, one minute until we open.

- Heard.
-I wish we had

just a little bit
more time to just,

like, make adjustments,
but here we are.

- We're open.
- Let's go.

-Let's do this.
- Yep.

All right, guys.
Everybody have a great service.

What a beautiful crowd outside.

Everybody's excited.
Everybody's looking forward.

k*ll it, dude.
Go have fun out there.

- How are you?
-Good.

Welcome
to Phlora + Phauna.

We made a vegetable-forward
menu for you guys.

- Order in. Two mushroom.
-Two mushroom.

- Two collard greens.
-Got it.

I snap right into my expo mode.

- Good pull.
- Yes?

I owe it
to my team to be focused

and to be present for them
and support them.

Then going one-by-one dessert.

Got it.

Hi, welcome to Nonna Pipón.

First two tables
are down, chef.

- CÉSAR: Yes, chef.
- Heard.

Nonna Pipón is "grandma"
in two different languages.

We're going for, like,
an Italian, like, Hispanic vibe.

Ooh!

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

They have a question? Yes.

So the table,
they're four people.

Two of them ordered one
and two of them ordered another.

They're supposed to have
four plates, so only two--

So everything is
for two people, basically.

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, my God.

Everything is in the middle.
It's a shareable concept.

Family style,
it is easier for execution

because the idea is
for them to pick either/or.

- They want three of each?
- Yeah.

Uh, Shuai,
we have a problem.

But as tickets are coming in,
people are ordering everything.

Oh, they want
three orders of each thing?

Make it happen.

Restaurant Wars.

It's gonna be
a lot of food.

Ah, I don't know.

Damn, they're hungry. Okay.

Hi! We have a reservation
for Kish, Simmons,

Zuccarini, Compton,
and Colicchio.

How are our first bites so far?

-Really delicious.
-Delicious.

- Good.
- I love it.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

May I take this plate from you?

We made it.

Yeah. Restaurant Wars, 22.

Should we let them
talk first? What do we do?

You can just go. I would say go.

Yeah, all right.

- Hello, everybody.
- Hello. Hi.

- Welcome to Nonna Pipón.
- Thank you very much.

We are an Italian,
Hispanic-inspired restaurant

bringing the comfort
of grandmother's house

to your plate.
Any questions about the menu?

-Nope.
- One of everything.

One of everything.
Got it. Order coming up.

- Thank you.
-Thank you.

- Our waiter was trained.
- Yeah.

Shuai is front of the house.
I haven't seen him yet.

I thought he would be
at the table greeting us

as soon as we came in.

I never know
when to talk to the judges.

Oh, there he is.

It's, like, being rude
if they're talking

and I go say hello.
It's quite confusing.

Judges are ready
whenever you are, chef.

- CÉSAR: Yes, chef.
- Hey, wanna try?

Frutti di mare.

- More salt?
- I think lime.

I have two orders
of arancini.

Thank you, ma'am.

I'm about to give you
the frutti di mare, too.

All right, guys, let's go.
That's VIP. Thank you.

This is
the arancini here.

This is the frutti di mare.

-Hello.
-Hi, Shuai.

Welcome, welcome.
How's everyone doing tonight?

Great.
How are you feeling?

I'm a little tired,
but I feel very good.

So the arancini,
who's the chef?

Arancini was Bailey.

And I made the frutti di mare,

and then Paula helped me
make the aguachile for it.

Did you guys all
taste everything together?

We did. We didn't get to taste
the whole dish, unfortunately.

- Great, thank you, Shuai.
-Thank you all.

Oh, wait. I lost my fork.

Oh, is this your fork?
I think this is your fork.

I have
a serious pet peeve.

When you're offering
the service of family style,

you need to have
sharing utensils.

I think the arancini
is really good.

The breading is not too heavy.
It's quite light.

My first bite of
the arancini, I tasted pizza,

which then connected me
somewhat back to this concept,

and it brought me
a little bit of joy.

The chorizo was such
a powerful flavor in there.

I think it's
a really unique twist.

The arancini's good.

- Isn't it good?
-Mm-hmm.

All right, on the fryer,

we need two orders of arancini,
please, Bailey.

The aguachile, everything
just kind of, like, fell off

the smoothness of the squid,
and it's, like, lackluster.

The seafood itself
is kind of bland.

Yeah, it is.

I think they had different
parts of this thing,

and as they started building it,
they didn't

- season it properly.
- Yeah.

I got more spice in the chipotle
chorizo than in the aguachile.

You took
all four orders

and then brought 'em back?

-Yeah.
- That is a big no-no.

Give me one order,
then give me the ticket.

All right, let's go.
Dessert now.

Table 300.

What the [bleep] does this mean?

I need Massimo now.

We have one server that is
writing their tickets wrong,

and it's creating
a little bit of confusion.

This young lady, she came back

and just gave me
four tickets at one time.

What does she need? She just has
check marks next to everything.

If I have to,
I'll take her off the section.

Be nice, be nice, be nice.

Andrea?
Please come here.

It's normal for it to not
always go completely perfect.

-Well, this is 504.
-504 and 504?

Needs to be one per table.

But we have quick pick-ups, so
we have less margins for error.

Very good catch. It was the same
table, just in different chips.

- She misunderstood.
- Okay, let me just get

- a one-by-one app, please.
-I got you right now.

Chef, picking up
on VIPs, please.

Bailey, it looks gorgeous.

Okay, let's go.

One on each side, yeah, guys?
One on each side.

Okay, so this is
the cannellini here.

This is a cannelloni.

And then ancho braised
short ribs.

Thank you.

This already looks
just, like, really homey.

- I wish Shuai would come and...
- Check in.

-Give us a little spiel.
- Yeah. Who made what?

I agree.

Hi, Shuai.
We have some questions.

Would you chat with us
for a sec?

I hopefully have answers.

Can you tell us
who made each course?

The ancho short ribs
are from César,

and then the pasta
is from Bailey.

-Great.
-Thanks, Shuai.

- Thanks, y'all. Enjoy.
-Thank you.

I think the short rib
had a lot of flavor,

but the consistency
of the polenta is a little bit

- off-putting for me.
- Yeah.

Can't believe we're doing this.

This is the----ing
craziest thing ever.

What'd you think
of the cannelloni, Tom?

It's good. It's a smart idea,

'cause you can
produce it pretty easily.

I would prefer the sauce
actually smoother.

I'm getting,
like, whole almonds.

Not even crushed or chopped.

I like wet nuts
for my ice cream,

but warm wet nuts together...

not for me.

You know, Grandma had a blender.

Yeah, of course she did.

I do think
that Nonna Pipón

is delivering on
their concept really well.

Like, it does feel homey,
it does feel rustic.

Have they asked
any cryptic questions yet?

I didn't bother them too much,
so it's hard to tell.

VIP desserts, please.

- CÉSAR: Yes, chef.
-Ready for judges.

- Oh, here we go.
- Pardon my reach.

- Thank you.
- Tres leches.

This is from Paula.

We're already at dessert?
How time flies.

And then just a little
churro, dusting a little sugar,

cinnamon, ground pistachios,

and then a pistachio
créme anglaise on the side.

- It's from César.
- Thank you, Shuai.

Thank y'all.

Order in!
Five orders of arancini.

The tres leches is
not what I was expecting.

Tres leches is normally
a very light, spongy cake

that is very juicy,

but this is almost like
a very dense, nutty pound cake.

Because it's so dense,
when it soaks,

it's just the outside gets
the milk, and it falls apart.

And that's when
you get that old cereal,

like what's left in
the bottom of cereal bowls.

Three more orders of churros.

I love a churro,

but this eats a little bit dry
because the ratio is off.

These almost eat like a biscuit.

I don't know why they put it
in this shape, 'cause it made it

- so much more dense.
- Right, right.

-I like the churro.
- I really like the churro.

Nina, what did you think
overall about the entire meal?

It feels so satisfying.
I think that's what you'd want

when you go to Granny's house,

is this beautiful
stick-to-your-ribs.

You wanna sit there
for hours and just talk.

But I think the desserts
definitely fell short for me.

There was a certain amount
of charm to it.

I think their concept
carried through.

But there was just
some small technical issues

that dragged some
of the dishes down.

Maybe I'm gonna be a little
bit picky here with Shuai,

but when you approach
the table, "How are you?"

"I'm tired."
Don't tell anything that isn't,

like, positive
and about the customer.

- So, meal number two.
-Let's go.

I'll be right back
with some food, okay?

- Hey, guys.
-Hello.

-Welcome.
-Thank you.

So, judges arrive.

Greet them as soon as they
hit the podium with Prosecco.

- Santé.
- I don't think
we've had the luxury to meet.

-Nina.
- Massimo.

The definition
of hospitality for me

is the way Henry Hill
and Karen Hill felt

when they walked into
that restaurant in Goodfellas.

Within five seconds of them
being in the dining room,

they have something to drink,
and greeted with a warm welcome.

We'll have
this table for you.

Fabulous. Thank you very much.

No problem.

That's a nice little touch,
isn't it?

Well, it was, but I noticed
that the group in front of us

- didn't get that touch.
- Oh, that's true.

-Judges just sat down.
- Okay, thank you.

I'm, like,
excited by this menu.

There's some buzzwords
for me that I like.

I love a consommé.

Welcome to
Phlora + Phauna, guys.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

A vegetable-forward restaurant

where we're celebrating
the land and the soil.

It's going well so far?

It's going. It's going great.
Yeah, it's fun.

How long are you
in town for, chef?

- Uh, I leave on Sunday.
-On Sunday, yeah?

Are you in town for a while?

Just for a few days.

Just enough to eat
some delicious food.

Good idea, guys.
I will be back with some food.

- Thank you.
- Okay, thank you.

Massimo is a character.

- So?
- So?

- Is it Friday?
- It is.

What are you doing outside
the kitchen on Friday, chef?

- I'm here for you.
- I'm so happy.

The kneeling down
and resting on the table...

I'd like it to be
a little bit more

buttoned-up and professional.

All right,
I'm walking, Tristen.

All right.
Keep it cute.

-Hello, judges.
-Hello.

So this is gonna be
your first course this evening.

Cured and smoked trout,
and then a potlikker consommé.

Just a little bit
of chiffonade collard greens

and crispy trout skin.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- Good evening.
-Hi!

So part
of your first course,

I did a mushroom escovitch,
grilled Ontario mushrooms,

a little ajo blanco
at the bottom,

and then the broth
is made from dawadawa,

and then some beautiful
bay scallops in there as well.

So we're veg forward
with a little essence

of land, sea,
as supporting cast.

- Thanks, Tristen.
- Absolutely. Enjoy.

Thank you.

I was shaking
like a leaf, dude.

Like, I've looked up to
Chef Nina, like, forever.

I enjoyed the broth.

I wasn't a fan of the greens
being raw,

and the chiffonade
was very hard to eat.

I did enjoy the chip.

The consommé itself was just,
I thought it was stunning.

- Consommé was great.
- It was beautiful.

It's exactly what you wanted.
It was potlikker consommé.

Three more mushroom,
one more trout, please.

Tristen's dish,
I really loved.

He managed to do something
that was a juxtaposition

of subtle and light
yet rich and savory.

This is just beautiful.
He's got a lot of finesse

- and he knows when to do it.
- I do appreciate that the chefs

are coming out
and explaining their dishes.

Not one person
but Shuai came out to us,

- which is fine.
- Yeah.

How long
on judges' table?

One minute, one minute.

Try to go a little heavier
on your collards, please.

Yes, chef.

Can we get every set
of hands we possibly can?

I'm ready. You ready?

-Yeah.
-Take one and one.

Thank you.

-Hello again.
-Hello.

I made the pithivier with
potato, celery root, truffle,

and then the sauce on the side
is lamb jus.

I made you
a confit butternut squash

served with some grilled pork
on XO condiment

in a sauce of butternut.
Obviously, we're veg forward.

We still wanna be able to give
you a little bit of protein.

- All right, thank you.
- Enjoy.

I really enjoyed Lana's dish.

I really commend
Lana's technical work.

The dough is slightly raw.
It could've been cooked

a little bit more,
but... it's tasty.

- Thank you so much.
- Yep.

Okay. We're good?

I loved Vinny's pork. I thought
it was perfectly cooked.

The squash was excellent.

How do you get squash
to taste that amazing?

The low point on the dish,
and it still was

ex*cuted very well, is the pork.

There was as much pork on the
plate as there was-- I know.

Well, we just can't
have a conversation.

Feel like you're being handled?

I feel like we've been
over-touched a little bit.

- It's getting to be that way.
- There was as much pork

on the plate as there was
squash on the plate,

and they're telling me that
this is all veg forward,

and yet that dish
didn't come through.

Have you had
one of the courses yet?

You have not.
I will bring it to you.

Tristen,
what do you need?

I need-- I need Massimo, please.

I'm hungry.

A little weary.

I'll be back with some food.

Guys, did we get
our fire for 104?

Being backed up is
absolutely normal.

It's my job to make sure
people don't feel it.

And if they do feel it,
it's my job to save them.

Hey, guys, thank you
so much for your patience.

Thank you.

All right,
I apologize for the delay.

I apologize.

Totally redeemed yourself.

Thank you so much.
Thanks, guys.

Bailey, we need to fire
that cannelloni, please.

I need one more churro, please.

I'm gonna cut it pretty short
on the tres leches.

We're running low.
I need to stretch them out.

Are we giving them
extra churros?

CÉSAR: Yeah, that's fine.

Guys, this is it!

We don't have anything else.
This is it.

So apologies, we're running
a little low on the tres leches,

so we put up some
extra churros for y'all.

All right, guys, the
judges are ready for desserts.

It's the final push, guys.
It's a final push, okay?

Yep, we got you.

Let's go,
let's push it, guys.

All right, I have
everything you need right now.

All right, can you guys start
picking these up over here?

One-on-one to judges, please.
One-on-one to judges.

I'll take those.

Thank you.

- Thank you.
-All right, guys!

We have a corn crémeux
with a corn ice cream,

some grilled blueberries,
and a crisp of blueberries.

Please go ahead and
break the crisp with energy

and eat in harmony.

Go ahead.

Just for a little bit
of a decadent end,

on the bottom is
a chocolate custard.

On top is "dirt" chocolate,
as I call it,

parsnip caramelized
with some sherry vinegar

for a touch of acidity and
to bring that vegetable forward.

- Please enjoy.
-Thank you.

Massimo's dessert,
I thought, was stunning.

Those plump blueberries,

that could've been
dessert in and of itself.

The corn is subtle,
but it's just so creamy.

It's so perfectly made. And
I smashed the beet with energy.

- With energy.
- Did you wink at it?

It's really good.

I really enjoyed
Tristen's dessert.

It's very rich, very decadent.

The parsnip adds, like,
a little bit of sweetness,

but it tastes very balanced.

I think it's a great way
to end the meal.

These aren't pastry chefs,
but it was all ex*cuted well.

This was
a really cohesive meal

- from the start to the finish.
-Yeah.

-Thank you!
- Thank you so much.

-You're great.
- Thank you.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Yeah, we did it, guys!
Restaurant Wars.

-So proud of you.
-So proud of us.

Good job.

What a----ing night.

We put a lot of pressure on
ourselves going into this cook

because we wanted
to perform for Tristen

after the news he received.

You seem super happy.

Yeah.
You know, but who knows.

I can only imagine
how difficult

that really is for him.
Most chefs,

the best thing you can do
to cope is cook.

And that's exactly what he did.

- Cheers, mama.
-Cheers, guys.

Thank you so much.
It was a pleasure.

So overall, how are we feeling
about Phlora + Phauna?

Really delivered on the brand.

Plant-forward, very
sophisticated, very elevated.

So I wanted that to be
mirrored in the service,

and the service was very casual.

I think we should
continue the conversation

and a nightcap at judges' table.

Let's do that.

You know, chefs,
each team had an idea for

what the restaurant should be,
and I really believe

that it was, in both cases,
supported really well

with your food, with
your service, with your style.

I think that's the mark
of a good restaurant.

You say who you are,
and you support it.

Nonna Pipón,
how was the day for you?

Day one was a bit rocky.

As soon as we got into
the kitchen, we were running.

So I'm lucky to say
that we were ready for opening.

Shuai, what was your approach
with the front of the house?

I just trained them
like how I train our staff

at Jackrabbit Philly,
and I did all the things.

I cleared, I set food down.

That was a good way to also keep
an eye on every single table.

We asked you questions.

Unfortunately,
you told us the truth.

We said, "How are you?"
You said, "I'm tired."

You've got to be selling us
on your concept.

I needed your presence
a little bit more.

Got you.

Phlora + Phauna,
how'd the day go for you?

It was good.
I mean, we had a plan on

how to execute, what to execute.

You wanna talk about
the front of the house?

At all moments of service,

it was somewhere between
perfection and a car crash.

It was that line
right in the middle,

and it's just
riding off that energy.

Massimo,
I'm also on the business side.

You know, your concept overall
was extremely refined.

You have
a fantastic personality.

Slightly too casual.

We just wanted you to be
a little bit more refined

to match the brand.

Phlora + Phauna, stay here.

Nonna Pipón,
you can move to the side.

Phlora + Phauna,
you're standing here...

because you had our favorite
restaurant of Restaurant Wars.

Oh, my God, we just won.

Congratulations.
- Congratulations.

And in case you forgot,
I'm here to remind you that

you just won $40,000 as a team.

We got money!

- Yeah!
-Great job, guys.

We're gonna talk food.

Lana. I loved your dish.

It was so, so elegant,

and it needs to be on a menu
at your restaurant.

It's a very southern dish
that you don't see very often

in this elevated platform,

- but it was beautiful.
- Thank you. Thanks.

Tristen. You've done dishes
that have just been powerhouses

where they hit you on the head
with big, bold flavors,

and yet this was as subtle as it
gets, and that just shows range.

Thank you.

- You also had the desserts.
- I did.

It didn't feel like just
such rich chocolate pudding.

The texture is beautiful,
but the sherry vinegar

was, like,
the shining star for me.

Thank you.

Vinny, what magic juju spell
did you put on that squash?

Because it's the best squash
I've ever had in my life,

which is why we wanted it
to be more squash.

- Beautiful dish.
- Thank you.

- Massimo's desserts.
- It was very simple

and straightforward,
but it had a lot of flavor.

It was balanced.
There was tartness,

beautiful textures, that
dehydrated blueberry on top.

It was one of the best dishes
we ate all day.

Thank you.

You all won as a team,
but there was one chef

that really kind of took it
over the top for us.

Nina and Janet, as our guests,
you get to announce who that is.

The winning chef for us today
who contributed the most

to the success
of this team is...

- Tristen.
-Whoo!

I am more proud of my team
than I am myself,

but I am really proud
that I got through the day.

It was a really hard cook
for me, honestly.

I mean, I found out
my-- my father passed away.

Oh, God.

- I'm so sorry.
- So sorry.

So trying to stay "on,"
you know what I mean, was...

hard all day.

God.

Well, you led a beautiful team.

He's proud of you right now.

Yeah.

And you never have to feel
like you have to ever be "on."

Like, this is also real life,
too, and...

It wasn't just me, though, so.

Your parents
should be commended.

They've done
a fantastic job with you.

I think everyone knows
how hard it is to work

when real life
is happening around you.

We're really sorry for your
loss, Tristen, in every way.

Well,
congratulations to you all.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Nonna Pipón,

you had our least favorite
restaurant of the day,

and one of you
will be eliminated.

Let's start with Shuai.

Your frutti di mare, the base
of the flavors were there.

I just wanted
all the flavors amped up.

The second that something
is under-seasoned,

that dish falls flat.

Who ex*cuted it on the pickup?

Chef Paula picked it up.
I had the pass.

It just needed a little bit
more pump-up in the aguachile.

Bailey. The arancini,
I thought, were fantastic.

A great start to the meal.

I loved that idea
of the chorizo,

so you were bringing in
the nonna and the abuelita.

But the cannelloni, I had one

really frustrating issue
with it: the almonds.

- They were whole.
- Yeah.

-That was strange.
- I wanted to finish in

the Robo-Coupe, and
I just didn't have the time,

so we immersion blended instead,
and that's where-- Yeah.

- Yeah. It was uneven.
- Got it.

- Yeah.
-Paula.

We all had a problem
with that cake.

The texture was very strange.

It just looked like
a soggy piece of cake.

You know, with
the progression of the meal,

we get to the final course,
it was like a screeching halt.

I'm gonna be honest,
I'm the EC.

Everything you guys
have mentioned,

it could have been fixed by me.

Everyone plays a role.

And César?

The short rib,
I thought was braised nicely.

There was a lot of flavor there.

I did think that the polenta
was maybe a touch too tight.

The churros,
you wanna deliver on crispy

and then light and fluffy,

and it ended up just
feeling like it was dense.

Flavors, though, it was tasty.

Do any of you have
anything you wanna add

before we have our discussion?

I'm super proud of everyone
on the team,

but I do think that Paula
just absolutely crushed it.

She kept us super organized,

and she made sacrifices
on her own dishes

so that our other dishes
could come to life.

Okay. Thank you, chefs. We'll
call you back in a little bit.

-Thank you.
- Thank you.

Oh!

Can I still
squeeze in on that?

Of course.

Both of you guys
were obviously

the right choices for EC.

Nonna Pipón had a great concept

and followed through overall,
but at the end of the day,

it's about the food
that is put in front of us.

I liked Bailey's dishes.

The arancini,
I think we would all agree that

- that was the best dish.
-Yeah.

- Bailey is safe.
- She's safe, yeah.

That was rough.

Can anyone make a case
why César should go home

before Paula or Shuai?

Even with a churro that wasn't
a churro, it still tasted good.

It always comes down
to the chef and the manager.

Why didn't you wear
a nonna scarf, Shuai? Come on.

Knit a sweater, maybe.
Some caramels in my pocket.

I should've rubbed
myself down with mothballs.

That's what I should've done.

The only element
that was a detraction

from the concept was Shuai.

There was no interaction. It was
just like, "How is everything?"

And then he scurried away.

But he also wasn't
managing his dishes either.

Right. His dish was okay.
Not fantastic.

Which part of the dish
wasn't fantastic?

- The aguachile.
- Who made that?

Paula did.

The aguachile
should've been seasoned.

I think we're letting him off
a little bit easy here.

When you're, like, a guest chef,
what's one of the first things

you do
when you get to the event?

You go and you make sure

- it's what you want.
- Yeah.

For all the whole menu, I mean,

the one that he was not
working on was my dessert.

Paula, if it wasn't for you,
we wouldn't be open.

It's not gonna be you.

But I'd much rather eat
an under-seasoned aguachile

- than that torta.
-If she were a cook

and had no responsibility
other than cooking that dish,

- she goes home.
- Yes.

It becomes clouded a little bit
by the amount of work

the team really conveyed to us
that Paula did as the chef.

But, like,
she didn't blend the sauce.

She seasoned the aguachile.

Yeah, I think
the time management definitely

got away from them,
and it showed in their food.

Just sucks that you
just worked your a*s off

for the last 24 hours,

and the result is
someone has to go home.

We feel good about our answer?

- Absolutely.
- Yeah?

- Absolutely.
- Let's bring the chefs back.

Obviously,
opening a restaurant in one day

is kind of ridiculous, but
that's the whole point of it.

And I think for the most part,
you ex*cuted very well

on delivering that concept.

It sounds like what held you
back was just time management.

Unfortunately,
one of you are leaving.

Paula...

please pack your knives and go.

Thank you, chef.

Paula, Bailey got through
Last Chance Kitchen.

- You can do it too.
- Bring it on. Yes.

Thank you, chefs.

I'm proud of what I have done.

The journey has been amazing.

We came as strangers, but...

I'm coming out
with a whole community.

So... it's emotional.

- I'll see you soon.
- I'll see you guys. Bye.

- Go kick some a*s.
-We love you.

Kristen got eliminated
in Restaurant Wars.

She came back,
and she won the whole thing, so.

Maybe it's a good omen.
You never know.

Tonight,
Paula's leadership fell short,

sending her to
Last Chance Kitchen.

- This is so fun.
-Can her food lead her

to victory against
the reigning champ?

- Yes!
-Watch now on Peacock

or on BravoTV.com.

Next time
onTop Chef...

- The hell just happened?
- Oh!

Your mission is to create
a dish that features a stunt.

All right, cool, cool, cool,
cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

-And we're off.
-Let's go.

Oh! Nice catch.

It was giving
Mission Impossible.

Big, big deal.

One misstep will affect
the whole dish.

It looks dope, man.

- I thought it was fantastic.
- Mission accomplished.