- 3 hours ago
Top Chef (2006) Season 23 Episode 11
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00:00Brother!
00:00I think you might be the only one frying it.
00:02Is taco too easy?
00:05A taco?
00:06This was so good.
00:08I did not want to have a dry fish.
00:10My whole journey in this competition has been like this.
00:14What is it that they want that I'm not giving them?
00:17It's perfect.
00:17It's heavy-handed on the sauce.
00:19I'm making a steamer.
00:20I made a Cantonese steamed fish.
00:22This thing is awesome.
00:24There's so much flavor.
00:25The skin isn't crispy.
00:26Maybe the skin of this fish is just tougher.
00:29Is everyone's fish cold?
00:30Mine is way under.
00:32The winning chef today,
00:33Lawrence.
00:35Gwen, please pack your knives and go.
00:41Six chefs remain to compete in the ultimate culinary showdown.
00:46At stake for the winner,
00:48the grand prize of a quarter of a million dollars provided by Graza Olive Oil,
00:52a feature in Food & Wine magazine,
00:54plus an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen,
00:56their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York,
01:01and the title of top chef.
01:14Hello.
01:15Hi, Daddy.
01:16Hi.
01:18Proof of life.
01:19What's up, y'all?
01:20The last two challenges, I've been on the top.
01:24To be on the top now is more impactful than it was the entire season.
01:28This is taller than you.
01:29You see how tall it is?
01:29The sacrifice is real.
01:31Kids went back to school, missed my wife's birthday.
01:34Like, it hurts, you know?
01:36I'm just updating my calendar because I'm counting.
01:39The days?
01:40Up to like, who's going to be back?
01:42Really exciting.
01:44But at the same time, it's like, oh my God.
01:47I know I'm here for a purpose.
01:48And this purpose is to win Top Chef.
01:50And now it's my job to prove that to everybody.
01:54Love you, Daddy. I'll miss you.
01:55I love you too.
01:57Bye.
01:57Bye.
02:04Gorgeous.
02:05Gorgeous.
02:06There's kids everywhere.
02:07There's dogs everywhere.
02:09The sun is shining.
02:11Hello.
02:11Hi.
02:12How's it going?
02:13Good morning.
02:14Every single time we click outside, I'm thriving.
02:17The other chefs are dying and they're overheating.
02:19So yes, thank you, God.
02:21Welcome to Unity Park.
02:24Your journey has been all about pushing your creativity
02:27and trying things that you may have not otherwise tried before.
02:30Please welcome two people that know a lot about trying something new.
02:33Prolific social media content creators.
02:36We've got the VIP treatment.
02:38Keith Habersberger and Rachel Cole from The Try Guys.
02:41Oh, cool.
02:41I recognize Keith immediately.
02:43Not bad.
02:44Hi.
02:44Hello, hello.
02:45I remember watching quite a bit of Try Guys with my wife in London.
02:50He's hilarious.
02:51Tell us about The Try Guys.
02:52Our group has been trying and testing pretty much everything
02:54in the world around us for over a decade.
02:56I've raced fan boats on the Everglades.
02:58Cooking entire dishes without a recipe.
03:00And of course, eating literally thousands of different foods.
03:04You guys must be good at trying new challenges.
03:06Not at all.
03:09So for your quick-fire challenge, we are going to try something different.
03:16Every season, our social media profiles are flooded with ideas about different challenges for the season.
03:22So today, we thought, why not give the people what they want?
03:25Oh, great.
03:26We're going to put your challenge in their hands.
03:29Here we go.
03:30There we go.
03:30Yeah.
03:32We put out a few polls that will affect different elements of your quick-fire.
03:35And you're going to get those results periodically throughout the challenge.
03:38So that means you have to be ready for anything.
03:41There's a lot of internet trolls on social media.
03:44I think they're going to make it worth their while to vote against us, not for us.
03:48Are you ready for the first part of your challenge?
03:50Yeah.
03:51Let's do it.
03:51Since we're nearing the end of our time in the Carolinas, there are a handful of iconic ingredients that have
03:56yet to be highlighted.
03:57So we gave the fans three choices.
03:59Peaches, which is the state fruit of South Carolina.
04:02Boiled peanuts, a very popular roadside snack.
04:05And an ingredient that is hard to get and hard to keep fresh, pawpaw.
04:08I love pawpaws.
04:09It's like if a mango and a banana had a baby.
04:14Don't eat the skin because you have diarrhea.
04:16The results are in.
04:18And don't eat the seeds because you also have diarrhea.
04:21You will each need to feature.
04:22Keith, want to do the honor?
04:24I would love to.
04:26Oh, yes.
04:28I'd say the fans took it easy on you.
04:30I personally voted for pawpaw.
04:31If you look over into the pantry area, you'll notice that there's enough equipment.
04:35But there's not a lot of food.
04:36Ah.
04:37So we'll provide the peaches, but you're going to have to shop for the rest of your ingredients
04:40without knowing what the rest of the challenge is going to be.
04:42Oh, great.
04:43Nice.
04:44I know there's going to be another curveball.
04:46So the last thing I want to do is, like, buy ingredients to make X dish.
04:49And then whatever curveballs happen, it just kind of screws me.
04:52So it's just wise to give yourself some options when you go shopping.
04:55Oh, boy.
04:57You'll each have $50 to shop at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery.
05:01Okay.
05:01And it's about two miles that way.
05:04Oh, nice.
05:05The Swamp Rabbit Trail is about 20-plus miles of a multi-use trail used for hiking, biking,
05:10running, walking.
05:11And it goes to many landmark spots around Greenville.
05:13But don't worry.
05:14You're going to enjoy this trail in style in these pedicabs.
05:17Yay.
05:18Oh, boy.
05:18When you get there, you're going to have about 20 minutes to buy any of the ingredients you
05:21think you're going to need to cook with.
05:23And don't forget, we'll reveal the results of the next poll when you get back.
05:26Drop your knives and head over to the pedicabs.
05:30Just think about us.
05:31The whole time and our stomachs.
05:32Yeah.
05:32Buy me snacks.
05:35Aloha.
05:35Oh, I love a good pedicab.
05:37Hey, guys.
05:38I'm happy to be a passenger princess.
05:40Thank you very much.
05:45Man, it's so pretty here.
05:47Pretty busy trail.
05:48Yay!
05:51So what's good at this market?
05:52Have you been there?
05:53Yeah, it's like local fresh food.
05:55Nice.
05:56They're kind of famous for the steca bread.
05:58I have a plan.
05:59And now that you told me about this bread, I don't know, maybe I can make just a sandwich,
06:03you know?
06:04Let's see what they have there.
06:06Beep beep.
06:06It's packed.
06:07All right.
06:08Let's see.
06:11Let's go.
06:13Is there baskets?
06:15Baskets over there.
06:16I want to find things that are unique to this region.
06:18I got some really nice local ricotta.
06:21You know, that's the vibe.
06:22I think part of why we're at this market is just to be a part of this local staple.
06:26Sieg, I got some scumpernongs for you.
06:31I have like a very expensive taste, so $50 is not going to get me through this.
06:35I'm taking any donations you might have.
06:38I am just looking for fresh produce I can work with.
06:41I'm trying to figure out what honey I can and can't afford.
06:44Something local, preferably.
06:46Seeing as how we don't know what the next twist is going to be, I'm shopping just so that
06:50I can have three different avenues.
06:52Sweet, savory, and spicy.
06:54Where are the spicy peppers, then?
06:55I want to be able to evolve and change the dish as the challenge progresses.
06:59Seven minutes.
07:00Seven.
07:01Seven.
07:02I got tomato.
07:04I got burrata.
07:04I don't know how much time I'm going to have to cook, so I want to make sure I grab
07:08something
07:08that is ready to go.
07:11I'm just looking at things I'll pair well with peach.
07:14Sweetness, bitterness, creaminess, richness.
07:17Five minutes, guys.
07:18I don't know if I want to have this swing sweet or savory, so I'm grabbing bread.
07:24A free loaf of Azteca?
07:25Sweet.
07:26I got some sardines, $1 off.
07:28What's up, homie?
07:29I got some arugula, some garlic blossoms.
07:32Could you just tell me as we're going price-wise?
07:34Since this is your first time here, you get free loaf of bread as well.
07:37Oh, yeah?
07:38Oh, my God, we got snacks.
07:4049er.
07:41Yep, I'm done.
07:42All set.
07:42Beautiful.
07:43Appreciate you.
07:43Got some good stuff, I hope?
07:44Yes, I did.
07:46It's a great store.
07:48Coming through.
07:49We got the goods, Gavin.
07:51Oh, you got a stack of bread, too?
07:52You had to get it?
07:52I'm going to use it as well.
07:53People don't know that.
07:56Oh, here they come.
07:57Wow.
07:57Do you think they'll underscore this with, like, Roman Colosseum music?
08:00Yes, 100%.
08:04I have a good feeling.
08:05I think I'm going to win this one.
08:08All right, thank you.
08:09Stealing an echo, Phil.
08:09Hello.
08:10All right, you ready to go?
08:12Yes.
08:12The fans voted on whether you should have 15, 20, or 30 minutes to cook.
08:17Oh, no.
08:18Oh, man.
08:19The amount of time you have.
08:20Drum roll, please.
08:2430 minutes.
08:25Yes.
08:26Oh, hell yes.
08:27Thank God.
08:27That's awesome.
08:28Those are really good fans.
08:29Thanks, fans.
08:30That's a very mature and respectable answer.
08:33One last thing.
08:34The winning dish will receive $10,000 in quick-fire quick cash.
08:37Oh, yeah.
08:38So you have 30 minutes to make a dish featuring peaches.
08:41And your time starts now!
08:49And your time starts now!
08:50Wow.
08:51Am I the only one grabbing peaches for a peach competition?
08:53What is going on here?
08:54Yeah, but now you don't have equipment.
08:56Yeah.
08:57Hey, y'all.
08:5830 minutes.
08:58We're kind of lucky, right?
08:59The fans are nice.
09:00There's definitely a curveball coming, but I'm going to keep it kind of loose just in case something
09:04else comes up.
09:05So, working on a peach mostata and maybe toast off some bread.
09:09I'm ready for whatever.
09:10This is my quick feta for my peach salad.
09:14Rhoda, is that another $10,000 salad?
09:17I'm hoping.
09:18Yeah?
09:18I haven't won a quick-fire yet.
09:21I cannot leave more broke than what I came.
09:24A perfectly ripened peach.
09:26There's nothing that compares to it.
09:28So, I'm going to do a peach amburada tostada, and I'm going to garnish it with a fresh corn
09:33salsa.
09:3519 minutes and 30 seconds.
09:37I got sardines, something in sardines, peaches, tomatoes, something similar to like a panzanella,
09:44and then a green harissa.
09:46And just pick this direction, because it's going to highlight the peaches, but then also
09:49be a composed dish.
09:50I think just peaches and bread on a plate is going to be the move for a lot of people.
09:55I want to, you know, put a different spin on it.
09:58Oh, that sounds like exactly the same dish I'm doing.
10:00I got peaches, tomatoes, and sardines.
10:02All right, so I got some gochujang on my peaches, and we're going to do a peach amburada toast.
10:08Guys, we have 16 minutes.
10:10Halfway there.
10:10Lawrence, what are you doing with that bread?
10:12I got a little crostini.
10:13Jammy peaches, lots of fresh herbs, got some feta.
10:17That smells like peaches.
10:19It does.
10:20You're right.
10:21So, you remember when I said you got to be ready for anything?
10:24Oh, man.
10:24I knew it.
10:25Tell us.
10:26There is one more thing that the followers voted on.
10:33Wait.
10:50I knew it.
10:52Let's go, bring it.
10:53You must take over the station to your right.
10:57Right.
10:58I called that.
10:58Right.
10:59I called it.
11:00Uh-oh.
11:01Wait, what?
11:01All right.
11:02Clock is not stopping.
11:03Let's go.
11:03Bring a knife.
11:03Take your knife.
11:04Take your knife?
11:05Just take this knife and stab me right in the heart.
11:08Like, put me out of my misery.
11:10Damn it!
11:11I'm pissed.
11:13Switch!
11:14Wait, are we still cooking our dish or that dish?
11:16So you can make whatever you want.
11:18You just have to use what's on the station.
11:19New dish!
11:21Make it yours.
11:22So your dish is my dish.
11:23Twelve minutes, y'all.
11:25What is the plan here?
11:26Burrata toast with a pesto.
11:29Oh, great.
11:30Another toast.
11:31There's already four other chefs making toast.
11:33And there's a bitter-ass puree in the Vitamix.
11:37What are the sardines for?
11:38That was going to be an extra garnish, but it was a backup plan.
11:41What is the ISI gun for?
11:42That was going to be for the burrata, but that's a backup as well.
11:44This is a setup.
11:45Rhoda, you got to make like a chipotle aioli.
11:48Put lime juice on it.
11:49Sherry, you are on the money with this.
11:52I know!
11:52I was going to win $10,000 with that tostada.
11:55Sherry leans very bold flavors.
11:59I love that about her.
12:01All I have to do is make sure everything is seasoned to my liking.
12:05She gave me some good stuff over here.
12:07We'll take it from there.
12:09No more twists!
12:10Ten minutes!
12:11Ten minutes!
12:11Ten minutes!
12:12Hey, what are you making?
12:13I was doing a amostata, but now it's up to you, buddy.
12:17The only thing that was missing was some kind of cream and some dairy,
12:20so my biggest spin is just going to be making a yogurt sauce.
12:23Anthony's giving me some good stuff, so no complaints.
12:25Thank you, Lawrence.
12:26That was the right answer.
12:27What the ?
12:29Lawrence, you have seven pieces of bread.
12:32Do you not have salt on your station?
12:34The feta is pretty salty.
12:35What I didn't want to do is a piece of toast with stuff on top of it,
12:38but right now in the limited amount of time,
12:40I got to like try to just jush up the ingredients that I have.
12:43Luckily, Lawrence grabbed dill too,
12:45so I'm just going to shift a bunch of herbs and do like a take on an ayod.
12:50Jonathan, you got the biggest layup, just so you know.
12:52I know, dude.
12:53Dude, just don't put it on bread.
12:54Well, I kind of want a little bit of bread.
12:56But you're right.
12:56You got this.
12:58Wow.
13:00Got it.
13:01Lawrence, thanks for this, bud.
13:03You happy?
13:04No.
13:05What?
13:06Yo, bring the kids back, please.
13:10Chefs, you have five minutes.
13:12Five minutes.
13:13Five.
13:13Seager, I'm so happy I got your station
13:14because we pretty much had like the same .
13:15Seager was working on a green harissa,
13:18so I'm rolling with what he's doing.
13:21Seager, is this the only tomatoes you have here, brother?
13:22Yeah, let's do.
13:24Make it work.
13:25Frodo was working on some whipped feta.
13:27She was going to make a salad.
13:28I'm going to switch back to a crostini
13:30and try and get as much of the original favorites
13:32from my last one in here to balance it out with acid.
13:35I'm doing crostini.
13:36There you go.
13:36You have to do something else.
13:37You left me a crostini dish.
13:39Use your imagination.
13:40Set your mind free, Lawrence.
13:42One minute!
13:42I just want to get one more piece of sardine.
13:45It's a little garlic chive flour.
13:47I knew I shouldn't have bought those.
13:48Oui, Chef.
13:4930 seconds, y'all.
13:50Sherry, I love your dish.
13:52I know.
13:52I wish I was making it.
13:55Five, four, three, two, one.
13:58Time's up.
13:59You tense us down.
14:01Damn, the sastada looking good.
14:03Yeah, but how does it taste?
14:06Damn!
14:08Okay, Lawrence, let's start with you.
14:09Sucker, first crostini to go.
14:12Oh, I love the flowers.
14:13I love the flowers, too.
14:15That was totally all on me, not Anthony.
14:16I can still hear you.
14:17You're within air, Chef.
14:18Lawrence, what'd you make?
14:19A crostini with a peach and raisin relish,
14:22some pickled peaches, a little bit of arugula,
14:24and a yogurt sauce.
14:26Do you know what Anthony was going for?
14:28I think generally, yeah.
14:30My dish wasn't that unsimilar.
14:32Well, I'm chowing down on it.
14:33I like it.
14:35Ladies first.
14:35Oh, wow.
14:37This looks similar.
14:38Red and raisins.
14:39Similar.
14:39So you have a crostini and arugula
14:40dressed in a little bit of lemon juice
14:42and sherry vinegar.
14:43Roasted peaches, pickled peaches,
14:45a little bit of whipped feta underneath.
14:46Those are like you got to chop the same ingredients.
14:47Well, no, actually.
14:48We all got bread from the market because it was free.
14:52Okay, Rhoda.
14:53I made a peach and burrata tostada with some corn relish
14:57and chipotle aioli.
14:59Did you like Sherry's idea when you got there,
15:01and you were like, ooh, I upgraded?
15:02I really liked her idea, but I like mine too, so.
15:06Another chow-chow.
15:07That's good.
15:09Thanks, Sherry.
15:10Hi, guys.
15:11Hello.
15:12Another crostini.
15:13Surprise, surprise.
15:16I made a gogo john marinated peaches on a crostini
15:20with some burrata, marinated tomatoes,
15:23and a fresh basil pesto.
15:25Sherry, how did you feel about having to give up your station?
15:28A little heartbroken.
15:29What's really bitter in the pesto?
15:31Was there arugula in it too?
15:32I believe so.
15:33Yes, and basil.
15:34Thanks, Sherry.
15:35Thank you, guys.
15:36I took over Seeger station.
15:37He had very similar ingredients that I had.
15:40Heirloom tomatoes, peaches, sardines,
15:41and then the green harissa.
15:43And look at that.
15:43I tried.
15:45Oh, free bread.
15:46Didn't want to do bread, but here we are.
15:48Oh.
15:49Wow.
15:50We've got sunflower and peach ayad
15:53over some roasted peaches, whipped feta,
15:55and believe it or not, bread.
15:56Do you like this as much as you liked your original idea?
15:59Yeah.
15:59I think it was a good start.
16:01Was the dill originally a part of it?
16:03The dill was in his cooler, so the dill became a part of it.
16:06I like the dill.
16:07Cool.
16:10I think they all rose to the challenge.
16:11Thought there was a nice diversity among the flavors in the dishes,
16:14even if visually maybe a lot of them looked the same.
16:17I could taste the peach in every single dish,
16:19and it really was the star.
16:20Keith, who had one of the least favorite,
16:22but also still delicious dishes?
16:25Chef Jonathan, the sardines were a little bit overpowering
16:28and something that should be a peach-forward dish.
16:30Fair.
16:31And Rachel, who else?
16:34Anthony, the bread and the peaches were a little thick,
16:38so it was just hard to eat and get everything into one cohesive bite.
16:41And Keith, who else?
16:42Sherry, the bread was very big,
16:44the chunks of the tomato and peaches were very big,
16:45and there was also a bitter element otherwise delicious.
16:50That brings us to the better news.
16:52Who had one of our favorite dishes?
16:55Lawrence had one of our favorite dishes.
16:58It had really incredible textures.
17:01You could really get all the flavors in one bite,
17:04and the pop of, like, vinegar was really delicious.
17:08I thought that out since the beginning.
17:11Yeah, yeah.
17:12Rhoda, it was a well-composed, thoughtful dish.
17:15It felt fully intentional.
17:17Well, she gave me all of the means.
17:19Chipotle with peaches? A revelation.
17:21Who would have thought? Who would have thought of that?
17:23Damn it!
17:24Our final favorite is Seeger.
17:25We loved the size of it.
17:28The dill and the sunflower seeds
17:29just gave it a different flavor profile.
17:32You still mad, Seeger?
17:33No, I'm not mad.
17:35Keith and Rachel, as our guest judges,
17:36you get to announce the winner.
17:37The winning dish really beautifully highlighted peaches,
17:40had a lot of delicious elements,
17:41and I really went to chow town.
17:44And the winner of today's quickfire is...
17:49Rhoda!
17:49Yay!
17:51Yeah!
17:52Rhoda, congratulations!
17:54Good job on plating it.
17:55I'm sharing it with her.
17:56There's no way.
17:58Hey, fans.
17:58You guys did me dirty.
18:00You're gonna be hearing from me.
18:02You just won $10,000 in quickfire, quick cash,
18:05courtesy of the active cash credit card
18:07from Wells Fargo.
18:08It's so hard to fully celebrate this win.
18:11But I have 10K.
18:12I owe Sherry a vacation.
18:14Maybe.
18:16If she's nice to me again.
18:18Sorry.
18:20Rachel and Keith, thanks for taking us to Chowville, Chowtown.
18:23You've given me a lot of vocabulary.
18:25Congratulations.
18:26Thank you very much.
18:27Good luck.
18:29Chefs, now that you've gotten a taste of the Swamp Rabbit Trail,
18:31we're gonna hop in to this next challenge.
18:38As you may have already noticed, the Swamp Rabbit Trail has really made Greenville a top destination for biking,
18:44with tourists coming from all over the world to enjoy.
18:47It's also most recently started to attract professional cyclists as well.
18:50Greenville also happens to be home to a very, very important culinary organization,
18:54whose origins began with bike tires and cycling in France.
18:58Michelin, North America.
19:00Oh.
19:02You guys know that Michelin recognition can really put a chef or a restaurant on the map.
19:06So for your last challenge here in Greenville,
19:08we want to see you pay homage to the Swamp Rabbit Trail and the French origins of Michelin,
19:12by creating a dish with sometimes a notoriously tricky item.
19:15Any guesses?
19:17Rabbit.
19:18There you go.
19:19Hi.
19:20People kind of get scared from rabbit, but it's a clean, delicious protein.
19:23Blue Ridge Rabbit Meat Company is gonna provide you with some of the best rabbit in the country.
19:28Oh, sick.
19:29Nice.
19:29And then you'll have 30 minutes at Whole Foods Market,
19:31and $400 to shop for the rest of your ingredients.
19:35Wow.
19:36Really?
19:36Except for you, Lawrence.
19:38As the winner of the last elimination challenge, your advantage is $500.
19:43All right.
19:44How many people are we cooking for?
19:46Yeah, come on now.
19:46Yeah.
19:47Yeah.
19:48Not falling for that.
19:49We know.
19:50Tomorrow you're gonna serve your rabbit dishes at a restaurant called Topsoil.
19:53Right off the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
19:55You'll be serving your dishes to the executive chef of Topsoil, Adam Cook.
19:59Retired professional cyclist, Brent Bookwalter.
20:02And your guest judge, Michelin star chef and owner of Inaka, Nikki Nakayama.
20:07Oh.
20:07Oh, cool.
20:08Oh, yeah.
20:08Chef Nikki's a badass.
20:10Her skill and experience is really inspiring to me.
20:13But that's not all.
20:14Her.
20:16You're also gonna serve a dining room full of people.
20:19Oh.
20:19Somewhere amongst the 24 diners, there's gonna be some very special mystery diners similar
20:24to how Michelin operates.
20:25These select diners will be anonymously scoring dishes.
20:28So the chef with the highest score will be the winner of the challenge.
20:32And then the judges will determine who is going to be sent home.
20:35And because you're gonna be getting whole rabbits, you're gonna have three hours to prep
20:39before service begins.
20:40Thank God.
20:41Hell yeah.
20:41All right.
20:42Hop to it.
20:42We'll see you tomorrow.
20:43Oh.
20:43All right.
20:45Oh, Jonathan.
20:47Good job.
20:48Are you kidding me?
20:49It's all good.
20:54Sorry, Lawrence.
20:55Sherry's not around.
20:56No.
20:57She is pissed today.
20:58I'm a little upset after today's quick fire.
21:03I put my heart and soul on that facade, and it was stolen from me.
21:09Tomorrow, I wanna come back with vengeance.
21:12I'm gonna come out for blood.
21:16Sherry, are you cooking rabbit?
21:18I'm trying to lighten the mood.
21:20I like to have fun.
21:21Peeled garlic anywhere?
21:21Oh, I see it.
21:22Sherry, I know you got a big budget today, but save some crust.
21:25Yeah.
21:25Just back off a little bit.
21:28My bad.
21:30I'm gonna just leave her alone.
21:32Did you see any flowers?
21:3425 minutes left, everyone.
21:36When it comes to fine dining, especially for Michelin,
21:39I think of a certain way of plating and cooking,
21:41exceptional service and hospitality.
21:42Beef marrow.
21:43Oh, that'll work.
21:44But I'm gonna just have a little fun with it.
21:46That's carrot juice.
21:47I was a big Bugs Bunny fan when I was a kid,
21:49so I'm gonna wanna work carrots into my dish.
21:54Should I get gigantes if you want?
21:56Gigantes.
21:57Gigantes?
21:57Yeah, I think that'd be nice with a rabbit.
22:00How's it going?
22:01Do you guys have cull fat?
22:02Nope.
22:03Looks like we're gonna go bacon instead.
22:05Bacon works.
22:05Rabbit being such a lean protein,
22:08the cook of it can be very dry.
22:09It's not like pork or beef,
22:11so the gentle cooking of rabbit is the way to go.
22:13Thanks.
22:1615 minutes.
22:17Hey, Ant, where's the one-tone wrappers at?
22:19They're over here, actually,
22:20because I gotta go get them.
22:21This is gonna be a tough challenge.
22:23I've never cooked rabbit.
22:24I've never worked in a Michelin Star restaurant.
22:26I didn't go to culinary school.
22:27I started cooking when I was 27.
22:29I'm 38 years old now, and so if they are looking for fine dining,
22:33it's like I don't have that much experience.
22:35I'm gonna make a smoked rabbit sumai,
22:39which is a classic Chinese dim sum.
22:43All right, let's go.
22:43Keep up.
22:44I'm making a new Latin food,
22:46so I'm gonna make some fongo and jerk rabbit.
22:49I think those are flavors that you don't relate to Michelin,
22:53but I know that I can refine it
22:56in a way that will be undeniably Michelin-worthy.
23:00I only worked in Michelin Star Kitchens
23:02in my entire career.
23:05Four minutes, guys!
23:07Thank you very much. Appreciate you.
23:09All right, we good.
23:11See you maybe next time.
23:13We hope so.
23:13Yes, me too.
23:14I'm so scared.
23:28So did anyone have a pet rabbit before all this?
23:30I did, actually.
23:32Haki and Baki.
23:34Because I'm the year of the rabbit.
23:35I always liked the rabbit.
23:36Okay.
23:37I, too, am the year of the rabbit.
23:3887.
23:3987, baby!
23:40Lunar New Year for 87 is a rabbit.
23:43Maybe they're lucky, maybe they're not.
23:45I had, like, a crazy reading once.
23:47I, like, held these, like, energy sticks for 20 minutes,
23:50and then, like, this woman said that
23:52this lifetime is where I get my time to shine.
23:55How do y'all feel about your prepping everything for tomorrow?
23:58It's a lot for three hours.
24:00I think because the whole premise of Michelin
24:03is to have consistent quality of food.
24:05But also just, like, elevated enough.
24:07Right.
24:07And this is something that I've always struggled with.
24:09You have Michelin star restaurants that are fine dining,
24:11and you have Michelin star restaurants that are, you know,
24:14hawker stands in Singapore.
24:15That's a pretty broad scope.
24:17And so I need a balance never having worked with rabbit before
24:20with things that I know I can do well.
24:22I just gotta figure out how to break down a rabbit.
24:33I was feeling a little down after yesterday.
24:39So waking up today, I had to practice a lot of gratitude.
24:45I have a evil eye tattoo on my shoulder.
24:49And I think there's things that you can control in your life.
24:52But having something that you feel protected by
24:55kind of centers me a little bit.
24:58I'm trying to look at it from a more positive perspective.
25:02I have a clear head.
25:04I got this.
25:15Hey, buddies.
25:16Jerry, Lawrence, and I are going to be cooking outside today.
25:20Right behind, buddy.
25:20Let's go.
25:22After seeing that kitchen and how crowded it is.
25:25You're good. You're good.
25:25Come on out.
25:26Didn't want to hit anybody.
25:27Coming out.
25:28Outdoor kitchen's great.
25:30How do they look, Rhoda?
25:31They look beautiful.
25:33I'm gonna do your bean stew.
25:34I'm gonna start breaking down this rabbit.
25:36Wrap the loin.
25:37Oh, I see where the loins are.
25:39I'm realizing that there's definitely a loin piece
25:41that's a drier piece of meat and more lean.
25:43And then there's some leg meat and front, I don't know.
25:46Hoppers?
25:47I don't know what they're called.
25:48So you're sticking with your plan?
25:49Sticking with my plan.
25:50Nice.
25:51Rabbit sumai.
25:52I'm gonna cut chunks out of the loin and velvet that.
25:55What is this ancient Chinese technique you're doing right now?
25:57My grandmama taught my grandmama taught my grandmama.
26:00First thing I'm gonna do is make my jerk sauce.
26:03Yes.
26:04So as I'm breaking down the rabbit, I can start marinating it.
26:07Yeah.
26:10I didn't eat too much rabbit growing up.
26:12Did you, Anthony?
26:13My uncles, they used to hunt quite a bit, and a rabbit would end up on the dinner table.
26:16Culturally, I would say rabbit isn't considered fine dining here in the Americas.
26:20In Europe, it is classical cuisine.
26:22Rabbit's a tough sell.
26:23Yeah.
26:23Everybody thinks they're pets.
26:25Sorry, Mom.
26:26But they're yummy.
26:27Layer in some flavor.
26:28All I'm worried about.
26:29Mission and challenge technique is kind of expected.
26:31So I plan on showing off two different preparations of the rabbit.
26:35I'm gonna try and braise these hind shanks right here.
26:37The loins I'm gonna roll and prepare these carrots three different ways.
26:41Rabbit and carrot?
26:43I literally just put that together.
26:48I'm just gonna do a good amount of salt to let that get into the meat.
26:51And while that's happening, I'm gonna focus on taking these tenderloins out very carefully.
26:55I haven't won an elimination challenge.
26:57I've just been flying in the safe zone.
26:59So this time, I wanna show off a little bit of my style and technique.
27:02Rabbit's cooking.
27:03Now, rockin', bro.
27:06I'm starting to sear my rabbit so I can put in a pressure cooker.
27:10I want it to fall apart, but I wanna still, like, retain some of that flavor.
27:15It smells so good.
27:17Laser focused.
27:18I'm not around.
27:19I love it.
27:20I love it.
27:24You good, buddy?
27:25I think so.
27:26I got the hind leg meat here for the rabbits.
27:29I'm gonna grind it once.
27:30And then I'm gonna add in some of the awful meat on the second grind.
27:34The technique of doing the rollade, I learned when I was a line cook ten plus years ago.
27:38There's a saying, like, if you're not learning, you're dying.
27:40I take that every day into account when I'm a chef.
27:42I went in and I learned that technique.
27:45I didn't get paid to do that, but look at me now.
27:47Doing it on Tough Chef.
27:49Only gotta do about eight more now.
27:51All right.
27:51Bones here.
27:52This is going in the oven.
27:55These are gigante beans.
27:56Cool.
27:57And then I also have some peas.
28:02Nice outdoor kitchen, huh?
28:04It's impressive that they could do this out here.
28:06Yeah.
28:07So, rabbits.
28:08Rabbits!
28:09Yeah.
28:09You know, people think it's somewhat daring.
28:11I mean, myself included.
28:12It's still not part of Japanese cuisine.
28:14No, it's not, no.
28:15But I'm really excited to see which of the chefs will bring out the flavor of the rabbits the most.
28:19Two hours and one minute, chefs.
28:21Oh, Lord have mercy.
28:24Hey, chefs.
28:25How's it going?
28:26Hey, chef.
28:27What's up?
28:27Say hi to Chef Nicky.
28:28Hi.
28:29Hey, chef. How are you?
28:30Good. How are you?
28:31Nice to meet you.
28:32Those are the ones?
28:32Yeah.
28:33I mean, I've never seen them this big.
28:34These are nice.
28:35Six chefs left.
28:36I know.
28:36I'm getting real close.
28:37I thought Brandon would make it past me.
28:39He did, too.
28:41Is this dish based on something that you've made before?
28:44I've done, like, a couple of the garnishes before, but it's been a very long time since
28:47I cooked rabbit tenderloin.
28:48All right.
28:49Good luck.
28:49Thank you, chef.
28:51Anthony.
28:52How's it going?
28:53It's going all right.
28:53You all ready for a rabbit today?
28:55I hope so.
28:56What are you making?
28:56So I have some rabbit hindquarters braising right now, and I'm going to just do some preparations
29:01of carrots.
29:02Okay.
29:02I'm going to use the carrot tops to make a salsa verde of sorts.
29:05Got it.
29:05Have you used a lot of rabbits before?
29:06In culinary school, for my final for classical French, I did rabbit.
29:09I didn't get an A on that one, so, but...
29:11Why didn't you get an A?
29:11My teacher, he was really strict, and his feedback was that the loins were a little bit
29:16over.
29:16That doesn't sound like he's strict.
29:17If it was over, it was over.
29:18Chef, it was culinary school.
29:20I mean, you know, there's a little leeway there.
29:23No, there shouldn't be.
29:23If it's cooked correctly, then you learn something.
29:25That's true.
29:25And that's probably more important than getting the A, right?
29:28Checkmate.
29:28All right.
29:29I'll let you go.
29:29Nice to meet you.
29:32Hey, chef.
29:32Hey.
29:34Hey.
29:35Hi, chef.
29:35Hi.
29:36Rhoda, what are you making?
29:37I got the loins.
29:38There's forest in there with the rabbit.
29:40I'm taking some higanti beans and some peas.
29:43That's your tomato confit?
29:44There's my tomato confit.
29:45Just something rabbit forward, but super hearty.
29:48Okay.
29:48Looking forward to it.
29:51Hello.
29:52Hi, chef.
29:52How are you?
29:53Hi.
29:54So nice meeting you.
29:55Super excited to see what you guys are doing.
29:57What are you doing?
29:58So I'm making like a jerk braised rabbit, and I'm going to serve it with a Puerto Rican
30:02mofongo.
30:03I'm used to working in Michelin star kitchens.
30:05I used to make mofongo for staff meal.
30:07So this is my chance to represent.
30:08Okay.
30:09I'm just a little confused because jerk is not necessarily braised.
30:12I know, but I wanted to do those flavors.
30:14It makes sense to me.
30:15It's a little risky, but hey, you only once.
30:18Okay.
30:19Sounds good.
30:21All right, chef.
30:21There's about an hour left to cook before the first dish goes out.
30:24Good luck.
30:25I don't know if chef is saying this trying to mess with my head, but it definitely puts
30:30me in a face of self-doubt.
30:32So he just got me on like jerk is not braised, but like taste this and tell me it's not
30:37delicious.
30:38I'm going to season it with salt.
30:41It is good, right?
30:43That's just the chess meat.
30:44It's really good.
30:45I know it's good.
30:46Like what have I made that it's not good?
30:49That's a problem.
30:58Time, time.
30:5847?
30:5947 minutes.
31:00Yeah.
31:00For the first round.
31:02Crazy homie.
31:03I'm shredding my confit and I'm adding a little Dijon mustard to the braising liquid.
31:07Make little kind of curcats.
31:09I'm going to do a tester with these real quick.
31:11I'm going to fry the legs in egg roll wonton wrapper.
31:14It's going to be a little quicker for me on time.
31:16Keep it uniform and whatever moisture is in there, it's going to stay in there.
31:20How much time, Seeker?
31:2134.
31:2234?
31:23Sorry if I was being dramatic.
31:25I was hungry.
31:27What?
31:28I believe you.
31:29But seriously, enough of being in the middle.
31:32I didn't come to this competition to be mediocre.
31:34I came here to win it all.
31:37How's everything tasting on your end?
31:39I'm so proud of it.
31:40I think it tastes good.
31:41I love that.
31:42What are you doing?
31:43I'm just picking out my mirepoix from my beans.
31:46I have the red peas and then I also have some gigante beans.
31:51The peas are coming along great.
31:53The beans are not quite there yet.
31:55I'm not going to put the beans on the plate.
31:57I'm just going to stick with my peas.
31:58The diners are going to be voting for the winning dish.
32:01If there's one thing I've learned here, if you're not happy with something, you leave them off.
32:05When you know it's time to call it.
32:07It's time to call it.
32:08I respect that pivot.
32:11Oh, nice roulade, bud.
32:1419 minutes.
32:1519.
32:22Gorgeous.
32:23Beautiful in here, isn't it?
32:24Yeah.
32:25It's a beautiful restaurant.
32:27Thanks for having us, Adam.
32:28It's lovely in here.
32:29It's really cool.
32:29It was an old hardware store.
32:31Used to be a lumber yard outside.
32:33Cool.
32:33Nikki, thank you so much for being here.
32:35Thank you for having me.
32:36Welcome back to Top Chef.
32:36I'm really excited.
32:37Oh my gosh.
32:38Brent, is this like every Thursday you have a rabbit tasting menu?
32:40Yeah.
32:41Midday, a few rabbit dishes.
32:42Yeah.
32:43How many mystery diners are there?
32:45Five, I think.
32:46Okay.
32:46Are going to be choosing our winner.
32:48Interesting.
32:51Twelve minutes.
32:52Twelve hurt.
32:53Twelve.
32:53Me preparing the rabbit in two different ways could be risky because it could be considered
32:57two separate dishes, but I want to highlight both cuts in the rabbit.
33:00That was my goal from the beginning and I'm sticking with my guns.
33:03Two, three, four, five.
33:06What time, Zeke?
33:07Five minutes, chef.
33:09Five.
33:10This roulage should be nice and crispy and golden all the way around.
33:13And then once I have that, I know the loin will be perfectly cooked.
33:17Hot behind you.
33:18Every aspect of this dish puts the rabbit front and center.
33:23Endive is on.
33:24We'll hit him with a little bit of brown butter.
33:28I think it tastes delicious.
33:29I'm so proud of this dish.
33:31As you should be.
33:33Tom questioned whether or not this was the right approach for this dish.
33:37I know that's going to be delicious.
33:39And I also feel that it's my job as a chef to break this constructed ideas and barriers
33:44that people have about food.
33:47We're looking good.
33:4930!
33:5030!
33:5030!
33:53Reduce balsamic.
34:01Oh my god.
34:01That's great.
34:02Oh, oh.
34:03That looks really good.
34:07Okay, so what did you make?
34:09So here you have a rabbit roulade.
34:10It's filled with a rabbit and offal farce.
34:12Next to it, braised endive and then a hazelnut and cauliflower puree.
34:18Sherry, tell us about your dish, please.
34:19I made a jerk braised rabbit being served with a mofongo.
34:24It has yucca and plantains.
34:25And then I finished everything with avocado crema.
34:28I wanted also to represent like my Latin background on this dish.
34:32All right.
34:33Nice start.
34:35Hey Brent, what do you think of Sherry's dish?
34:37The braised jerk rabbit.
34:38It's a perfect amount of spice for me.
34:40I think it's a great balance of textures.
34:42Mofongo can be dangerous.
34:43Plantains are such a starchy ingredient.
34:45And then rabbit gets so soft when you braise it.
34:48But I think she kind of married the textures perfectly.
34:49It's not dry.
34:50It has a ton of flavor and it's juicy.
34:52Like it has fat.
34:53Really flavorful.
34:54Yeah.
34:54Very, very flavorful.
34:56Sherry's whole dish.
34:57Layers of flavor.
34:58Every time I reached into the bowl, I got something new and different.
35:02Sherry's rabbit dish had a lot of flavor.
35:04It was very strong in the flavor.
35:08How was it?
35:08I stood my ground.
35:09I was like, this is what I made.
35:12Is that what you said Sherry?
35:13Is that how you said it exactly?
35:14If you like it or not, I made great jerk rabbit.
35:17I think Sigurd did a phenomenal job.
35:19I love the cauliflower hazelnut combination.
35:21Delicious and earthy.
35:23I love the endive.
35:24It was the star of the show.
35:25This was memorable in terms of being a rabbit dish.
35:27I would walk away from this restaurant and I would remember-
35:30I hate rabbits.
35:30The rabbit I ate.
35:31This is Michelin style cooking.
35:33As much as we love Sigurd's dish, he's got to produce that.
35:36The mystery diners.
35:38If he missteps one and loses points, he's potentially not going to win.
35:41It was meaty.
35:42It was dense.
35:43It was good.
35:44It's flavorful.
35:45Right?
35:48Good start, Greg, and I hope it keeps going.
35:53John, do you want me to drop these drummies?
35:54No, not yet.
35:55I'm going to fry them at the last minute.
35:56This is going to be my carrot top salsa.
35:58Ready?
35:59Oh, no.
36:02The skin's not sticking.
36:04I've made Sumai so many times in my life.
36:07This is the first time doing it with rabbit, but this is also the first time doing it with these
36:10wrappers.
36:12They feel a bit drier.
36:14All right.
36:14The skin isn't sticking.
36:16The wrappers are just falling off.
36:18You okay?
36:26All right.
36:28Lawrence, how do you feel about this?
36:29The presentation's not exactly what I wanted.
36:31Normally it's face side up.
36:32Yeah.
36:32Not traditional, but it's still considered Sumai, so it's fine.
36:35The Sumai didn't turn out in terms of the execution.
36:38Some of them have to be upside down.
36:41A bit better, but luckily others are tighter so they stick a bit more.
36:45As much as consistency is key, all the flavors will be there, but I think the plating is going to
36:50have to be a bit different.
36:51Sumai itself is going to be kind of a sneaky good amount of flavor.
36:55Three minutes and sixteen.
36:57Three sixteen.
36:58Ju going in.
36:59Mustard ju.
37:00It's just a braising liquid with all the fun stuff in there.
37:04I'm so thankful.
37:05Top six.
37:06Dollop.
37:06Drag.
37:07Now, there's no rock to hide under.
37:10I gotta win.
37:18Lollipop.
37:19Oh, that is a lollipop.
37:20Oh, wow.
37:21That's a lollipop.
37:22Yeah.
37:24All right, Lawrence, tell us about your rabbit dish.
37:26I made a rabbit Sumai.
37:28I velveted the loin and a bit of pork fat as well, and that's the mix for the Sumai.
37:33You made your wrapper?
37:34I did not make the wrapper, unfortunately.
37:36I'm regretting that.
37:37All right, Jonathan, tell us about your dish.
37:39We got rabbit.
37:40I did it two ways.
37:41I took the legs, compit them, made them into a croquette, and then you have the rabbit tenderloin.
37:46It's on top of a roasted mushroom and leek sauté.
37:50Appreciate it.
37:52I thought Lawrence's dish, the overall seasoning was really good.
37:57The ratio of the meat to the skin was a lot.
38:00He said he tried to velvet it, which I don't necessarily think that that came through.
38:04I think it would eat more nicely if it was a little more uniform.
38:07It's tasty.
38:08It's just not that interesting.
38:10Lawrence's Sumai did not stick to it fully.
38:14I agree.
38:15Lawrence says I was a little bit confused.
38:17I've never really had Sumai where the noodle side is up.
38:20How did it go, Lawrence?
38:21I feel okay.
38:22I mean, the wrapper, part of me is like, I wish I made my own, but also I don't know
38:25if I had enough time for that.
38:26That's how it goes.
38:27Nikki, what do you think of Jonathan's dish?
38:29They're two very different dishes, and I would have been happy if he chose one and really, really focused on
38:36it.
38:36I feel like they're really nice elements from both of them, but it leans a little salty for me.
38:41I think the best part's the sauce.
38:43The mustard sauce is really good.
38:44I do love a lollipop, though.
38:46I wanted to pick it up, but it was enormous.
38:48Jonathan's I really enjoyed.
38:49I had a lot of elements to it.
38:51But the seared tenderloin was a little bit salty.
38:54You good, Jay?
38:55Yeah.
38:56Seven minutes.
38:56Last plate up, guys.
38:58To preserve the integrity of my rabbit loin, I basted it in copious amounts of butter just to help add
39:03richness.
39:04I just wanted to try and get as many flavors as possible.
39:06I wanted to keep the plating a little more simple just so I can keep it consistent at the same
39:10time.
39:11This is the rabbit livers.
39:13Rabbit liver adds, like, a nice earthiness to the dish.
39:16Two, four, six, eight.
39:20Flavors are there.
39:21They all complement each other.
39:22Once you mix everything around, you get a really good bite.
39:24Three, two, one.
39:26Hands up.
39:30I got it.
39:33Oh, okay.
39:35Oh, boy.
39:36All right, Rhoda, tell us about your rabbit dish, please.
39:38I ended up making a pea stew with all the rabbit and then rolled up the loin with rabbit sausage
39:44inside.
39:45What happened to the white beans?
39:48The white beans didn't quite make it.
39:50Good decision.
39:51Anthony, tell us about your dish, please.
39:52You have a little cylinder cigar of some braised rabbit hind legs and thigh meat.
39:56The sauce next to it is a carrot ginger puree for you to break through with the braised thigh meat.
39:59You have a loin on the other side.
40:01Underneath is a salsa ready with carrot tops and then some rabbit juice on top and then a carrot that
40:05was cooked in carrot juice.
40:08Great. Thank you very much.
40:10Whew.
40:11How was that?
40:12All righty, guys.
40:12That was a tough one.
40:14Nikki, what do you think of Rhoda's dish?
40:15I think it was a little less tender than I imagined.
40:19It's a pretty rustic dish.
40:20Yeah.
40:21That said, I like because she used all the parts.
40:23I think it's really flavorful.
40:24I don't think it needs the tomatoes.
40:25I think my favorite part of Rhoda's dish was what the tomatoes added.
40:29Actually, I think I would like more tomatoes.
40:31The loin itself was cooked nicely.
40:33Everything else is just taking away from what could have been a broth with a beautiful loin and that puree
40:39and just left it as simple as possible.
40:41I don't disagree with that.
40:42This is comfort food, right?
40:43It's a good ball dish.
40:44It wasn't the prettiest plate of food I've ever made, but I think it's pretty tasty.
40:49Anthony, Anthony's dish felt a little precious.
40:53It's a dish for Raddus.
40:54It was a, I thought, I literally thought that when it sat down.
40:57They just felt so far apart and strangely plated, but it did feel a little bit disjointed for me.
41:03It felt very hard to see it as a complete dish.
41:06It felt like a series of canapes.
41:08Just like three little canapes to start your meal or something.
41:11If it's a Michelin mission and it's going to be one tiny bite, you have to make it perfect.
41:16And I think the sauces were both great.
41:17I think both of the iterations of Rabbit were just, maybe fell a little bit short.
41:21The whole egg roll thing just threw me way off.
41:23It was so dry.
41:24I needed water.
41:27The rabbit in there is very dry, I find.
41:29To have two ingredients in your title and not have both of them shine, though.
41:33This challenge also was about consistency.
41:36We may have gotten really great dishes, but we don't know what everyone else got,
41:39and ultimately they are going to decide the winner.
41:41So, thank you both for being here.
41:42Pleasure.
41:43Thank you very much.
41:43Thanks for having me.
41:44Alright, so let's go find out what the Mystery Diners think.
41:46Shall we?
41:55Cheers, y'all, to another cook.
41:57I love my dish.
41:58Because, like, I could go technique, let's sous vide this, and let's just, like, sear it, and let's do this
42:04little thing, and then this little thing.
42:05Let's put a little sauce in a puree.
42:07And I didn't.
42:08You just blew me sea grout the water for sure on that one.
42:11Yeah, but that was also not my intention.
42:13We had a variety of point of view.
42:16Yeah.
42:16It's such a great representation of, like, who we are as chefs and as people.
42:21Yeah.
42:33You know, chefs, the overall majority of you have cooked rabbit since culinary school for a long time.
42:38But overall, I think we had some tasty food.
42:41How do you feel about the Mystery Diners and knowing that they were going to choose the winner?
42:45That was definitely a big factor in plating in general.
42:48Is there any relief knowing we're not picking the winner?
42:51No.
42:52No.
42:53Sherry and Seeger, please stay here.
42:54The rest of you can move to the side.
43:00So the two of you are standing here because you had our favorite dishes of the day, and one of
43:05you had the Mystery Diners' favorite dish of the day.
43:08Congratulations.
43:09Hell yeah.
43:09I told you we could cook together more.
43:11I know.
43:12Yeah.
43:12Yeah.
43:14Awesome.
43:15How's that feel?
43:16Way better.
43:17Yeah.
43:19Okay, Sherry, how did you arrive to making this particular dish?
43:23I feel like I have to ask for permission to step in and walk into a fine dining restaurant and
43:29represent where I come from.
43:30This is top six going to top five, and I think it's about time that I can become a little
43:36more confident and lean heavier on that side because there's so much to still be shown in this competition.
43:42This was a perfect challenge to highlight that.
43:46It was like one of the dishes you want to keep going back and eating because it was so flavorful.
43:50It was robust, and the mofongo was beautifully seasoned and so soulful and satisfying to eat.
43:56There was a lot of really nice, nuanced spices.
43:59The balance was really great.
44:00The rabbit, like, succulent, juicy.
44:03The olive oil added some fat to an otherwise very lean piece of meat, and the flavor was just, like,
44:09bam.
44:10All right, Seeger.
44:11When I heard rabbit, I went back to, like, one of the first dishes I picked up as a line
44:14cook, which was, like, a rabbit urlade.
44:16Your dish felt so classic but not dated.
44:18All the components were technically dialed in.
44:21It was as if you had been working on it for the past, I don't know.
44:2424 hours?
44:25Exactly.
44:26Gotcha!
44:27I think it's a good representation of me and the food that I cook.
44:30Your use of the bacon, it added to the rabbit.
44:33Overall, the whole dish tasted really good together.
44:36I think I have a better understanding of who you are as a cook after this dish.
44:39You've made a lot of really smart decisions.
44:41Did we get that on all the cameras?
44:43It's on a lot of them.
44:44Thank God.
44:45All right, cool, perfect.
44:47Wow.
44:47Look at us.
44:49Nikki, as our guest judge, you have the pleasure of announcing our winner.
44:52The winning chef today received the highest scores from our mystery diners, and we also really enjoyed the dish as
44:58well.
44:59The winner is...
45:04Sherry.
45:04Hi!
45:07Hell yeah.
45:08There you go.
45:09There you go.
45:10There you go, Sherry.
45:11Congratulations, Sherry.
45:13Finally, finally, take a win home.
45:16I wanted to prove a point.
45:18I wanted to highlight these flavors.
45:20You know, I really wanted this win, and I'm so glad that I got it.
45:24I needed that.
45:25Yeah.
45:26And for winning this challenge, you win an advantage going into the next elimination challenge.
45:30It's nice to have a little validation to keep me going, you know, like going the right direction.
45:35The two of you can step to the side.
45:37Next, we would like to see Jonathan and Anthony.
45:46The two of you had our least favorite dishes of the day, and one of you will be going home.
45:58Anthony, let's start with you.
46:00When you were thinking, you know, kind of going back to Michelin, like the starkness of the plate, what came
46:05first?
46:06First, it was how I wanted to cook and present the loin of the rabbit and then the thighs.
46:10And then I knew I wanted three sauces just to complement the rabbit itself.
46:13I thought that the components were not really talking to each other.
46:18You know, I'm fine with things that are separate.
46:21If they're perfect and they're dialed in, you are so excited to jump over here and then over here.
46:26But unfortunately, the first two bites I had were dry rabbit.
46:29The tricky part about cooking rabbit, you can't rest it.
46:33No, I tried to plate like at five minutes or four hours.
46:35One was cooked.
46:36Forget about plating, one was cooked.
46:38It wasn't cooked five minutes before you put it on plate.
46:40Right, yeah.
46:41Jonathan, what was in the braise?
46:43The braise was onions, garlic, a little bit of chardonnay, and rabbit stock that I made.
46:47It was really over-seasoned.
46:50It was salty.
46:51That was like the big problem dish.
46:53Like finishing salt was salty?
46:54No, the actual braised meat inside.
46:57Okay.
46:57Did everybody get the same size croquette?
47:00Yeah?
47:00It was a really big croquette.
47:02Like really, really big.
47:04My plate was not an hors d'oeuvre.
47:05No.
47:06Great.
47:07Wow.
47:07I'm going to take that.
47:09Wow.
47:10That's what I'm going to take for this whole...
47:12All right.
47:13No, I mean, I just, it wasn't an hors d'oeuvre, so I'm good.
47:16All right, we'll call you back in a little bit.
47:21Can I start chugging the wine now or what?
47:23Yeah, get it while you can.
47:24Anthony, how's your back?
47:26My back?
47:26Yeah.
47:27Just ran over a train on you.
47:29Oh, me?
47:29Oh, I know.
47:31My lollipop was so big, I was like, so it wasn't an hors d'oeuvre.
47:33I wasn't driving the bus.
47:35It's fun.
47:35It's fun.
47:36I was like, you know what?
47:37I'll leave with that.
47:38I remember my read differently.
47:39Yeah, I didn't take it personally.
47:41I didn't take it personally.
47:41I was like...
47:42I feel like Jonathan and Anthony made similar mistakes, in which their rabbit was not properly
47:47executed.
47:48Yes.
47:49I'm very conflicted, personally.
47:50I am too.
47:52It's very unfortunate that I didn't nail the rolled-fried cylinder well enough.
47:55My whole thing is I didn't want the fried vessel to get soggy, so that's why I kind of
47:59kept it apart from everything and then dressed up the loin and everything else with the sauce.
48:03That's the thing.
48:03It's like the first time you've played it.
48:04Yeah.
48:05You know what I mean?
48:05Yeah.
48:06I just thought that Anthony's, it wasn't a dish.
48:08It was an assemblage of parts.
48:10Yes.
48:10The big problem with the egg roll, that was dry.
48:13It was so dry.
48:14It was.
48:14And it had zero rabbit flavor.
48:16You know, I covered it in the ginger carrot puree, which is how I ate it.
48:19Well, you have to.
48:20Yeah.
48:21I did think the sauces on Anthony's dishes were a little bit more complex and I enjoyed them
48:26more than the ones on Jonathan's.
48:28They're both nice.
48:29Yeah.
48:29But they didn't also work together.
48:31I knew I wanted to represent the rabbit in two ways and I knew it.
48:33You know, and I was like, you know what, I'm just stick with this and do this.
48:36You know, sometimes like if you plate it tighter, like it mashes together and it forces them to eat how
48:41you want it.
48:42That's it, yeah.
48:43When I think of Jonathan's croquette, I'm so overwhelmed by it.
48:46Like it was so massive that it just felt so out of whack with the rest of the dish.
48:51If you're going to compare them side to side, if you do roll to croquette, even though the croquette was
48:55a little on the salty side, I'd rather eat that.
48:57I would too.
48:58In that roll.
48:59I just think we can't discard the saltiness of that dish.
49:02That was a technical error.
49:03The flavors were really nice.
49:04It was just hard to continue.
49:07And it was so big.
49:08It was so big.
49:09The way I look at Jonathan's is you separate that plate.
49:12There were two dishes.
49:13There was a dish on the loin and there was a dish.
49:15Like there are sauce, all the components to add value to the rabbit itself.
49:22Do we have our answer?
49:24All right.
49:25Let's get the chefs out here.
49:32You know, chefs, at this part of the competition there's six chefs left.
49:34We are looking at every single thing that hits the plate.
49:37You have to cook with intention.
49:39Everything needs to be deliberate.
49:40And we felt that both of your dishes felt like more of a collection of ingredients, not a cohesive dish.
49:50Anthony, please pack your knives and go.
49:53Thank you very much.
49:54Anthony, just that egg roll portion was probably the worst bit of rabbit that we had all day.
49:58So that was it.
49:59Yeah.
50:00Otherwise, it's been an absolute pleasure.
50:01It's been a pleasure cooking for you all, actually.
50:03I'm sad, of course, obviously.
50:05It's been a pleasure.
50:06Anthony, thank you very much.
50:07I took advantage of this opportunity to be on Top Chef, to push myself, to, you know, do some things
50:13out of my comfort zone.
50:14All right, guys.
50:15It was me.
50:15Aw.
50:16Man.
50:18Oh.
50:19I said anybody but you, even any of them.
50:22I can proudly say I was me consistently.
50:24You know, even though I'm leaving the competition, I'm leaving it in a positive light.
50:28I didn't win, but I am still proud of myself and what I did.
50:37Next time on Top Chef.
50:38Hey.
50:39Wow.
50:41There's no trip to the Carolinas without visiting Nashville.
50:44Oh.
50:44No way.
50:45Awesome.
50:46Before you feed your biggest crowd yet.
50:48200 diners.
50:49Ooh.
50:49Ooh.
50:50Ugh.
50:51We're going to the woods.
50:53Can somebody move these trees out the way?
50:55I can't get to my mise en place.
50:56Ah!
50:57There you go.
50:58I'm a strong woman.
50:59I hear the people.
51:01I just never cooked for 200 people in the woods.
51:03You just try to hold on for dear life.
51:05Fighting for our lives.
51:07Watch the snake over there.
51:08Oh.
51:09Oh my God.
51:10No, no, no, no, no.
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