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Flavortown Food Fight (2026) S01E13
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00:01Citizens of Flavortown,
00:03thank you for attending this meeting of meat lovers.
00:06We love meat! We love meat!
00:08Order, order, please.
00:09Listen, let's not behave like animals.
00:11We're all very passionate about our favorite protein.
00:14I know that.
00:15But in the same spirit of unity,
00:17I'm asking you to join together as meat lovers
00:20in all of meat's savory and flavorful bliss.
00:24Spectacular.
00:24This is a boiling perfect dish.
00:26Chef, I do some barbecue.
00:27Oh, man, were you talking to the queen?
00:29Wow.
00:30So as your mayor, I hereby proclaim today
00:33Meat Lovers Day in Flavortown!
00:44We've got chefs from sunny Palm Springs
00:46and windy Chicago coming to make their meaty mark
00:49on Flavortown.
00:50Let's meet them now.
00:51Chef Quentin Garcia.
00:53What's up, Flavortown?
00:54Brent, what's up, buddy?
00:55I've been waiting for this.
00:56I knew that at a very young age,
00:5811 years old,
00:59that I wanted to cook for the rest of my life.
01:01I didn't want to end up sort of mediocre.
01:04That wasn't me.
01:05I have a big fine dining background,
01:06and I've traveled across the world.
01:08I've seen how different countries do things.
01:10And however big or small my name is,
01:12I'm gonna make a name for myself.
01:13And Chef Dominique Leach.
01:15Let's go!
01:17My entire career has meant adapting to situations.
01:21I've been in business for a long time,
01:23but the start of that business
01:24was my food truck being set on fire.
01:27Fortunately, I have a lot of resilience.
01:29I'm capable of conquering and overcoming any obstacle.
01:33Hey, hey.
01:34Just walking through my town with a knife out, huh?
01:36Oh, man, you know.
01:37Is that how it works?
01:37I was thinking of taking that car.
01:39It looks like you were going right for my car.
01:40Chefs, welcome.
01:41You have really impressive resumes and awesome accolades,
01:44and that's why you got this all-access invite
01:48to come party in Flavortown.
01:50Now, you have a shot at cooking your way
01:52into a five-figure paycheck.
01:54Ooh.
01:55But to succeed, you're gonna have to out-cook each other.
01:57And a chef who already knows what it takes
02:00to win in Flavortown, our returning champ,
02:02he's relaxing in my office, Chef Lambert Gibbons.
02:06Champ's back.
02:07What's going on?
02:08AKA the Boston Baller.
02:10You were making yourself a little too comfortable
02:11in my office, my friend.
02:12I get my competitive nature from playing football.
02:15I had the opportunity to go play D1 football
02:17at South Carolina State University.
02:18I grew up in a big cooking family.
02:20Now, I'm an executive chef in Boston.
02:22But right now, I only got one championship under my belt.
02:25Just looking to continuously dominate the competition.
02:28Welcome back, Chef.
02:29Thank you, Chef.
02:29When you were here last time competing,
02:31how much money did you win?
02:3217 grand.
02:3317,000 bucks.
02:35It was nice to see that you surfed your way
02:37to the competition and had that big victory.
02:40But now you have two new opponents.
02:41So, here are the basic rules of Flavortown.
02:44This is a two-round food fight.
02:46Before each round, one chef will earn the right
02:48to choose which restaurant kitchen
02:50all the chefs are going to cook in.
02:52The last chef standing will earn a paycheck
02:54of up to 20,000 bucks, and more importantly,
02:57come back to Flavortown, defend their title,
02:59and hopefully win even more money.
03:01But, of course, there is one special rule
03:03that all of you must follow.
03:05You must honor that it is Meat Lovers Day.
03:09There we go. Love that.
03:10Every dish you make tonight must be flavor-packed
03:14with red meat protein.
03:16I'm a meat lover.
03:18I own a barbecue restaurant,
03:20so I'm dealing with meat every single day.
03:22I was the reigning champ of barbecue bra in 2024.
03:27Perfect day to be in Flavortown.
03:29So, tonight, let's look at the opportunities
03:31that you have in front of you.
03:33First, we have the Flavortown Butchering Meat Shop.
03:35It offers up cuts of meat that are tender
03:37with a capital T, and the grills,
03:39I mean, they will cook them to perfection with a capital P.
03:42Next, we have the burger food carts.
03:44Whether you like your burgers smashed, stacked,
03:47you want them jacked, juicy, ooey, gooey, buttery,
03:49this is the place for you.
03:51Then we have the Flamin' Fig,
03:53the neighborhood Middle Eastern joint
03:54where you can sail a pita full of grilled goodness
03:57across the sea of exotic spices
03:59and straight into the mouth of the Flavortown warriors.
04:03And then we have, I think, Hunter is getting
04:05a little taken away with his responsibilities
04:07of working in Flavortown.
04:09He's named his own lodge, Hunter's Lodge,
04:11an upscale wild game restaurant.
04:12So, the question is,
04:14who's going to choose the first restaurant?
04:16Okay.
04:17And that's where I come in.
04:18Okay.
04:18Take a step over to my picnic table office.
04:25Chefs, go ahead and glove up.
04:27Prove.
04:28I want to know your level of meat mastery.
04:31We are going to fill and truss a flank steak roulade,
04:35and you must truss it with at least five loops of truss.
04:39Trussing something is essentially using some butcher's twine
04:42to bring the meat together.
04:44And then once it's fully cooked, you take the rope off,
04:46it stays in that cylindrical shape
04:48or whatever tightened shape that you trust it to be.
04:50Whoever correctly finishes the task first
04:53will get the right to pick the first restaurant
04:55we work in tonight.
04:56Sweet.
04:56So, three, two, one, go.
05:00It doesn't have to be pretty.
05:02It doesn't have to be truss.
05:03The restaurant that sticks out to me the most
05:05has to be the Middle Eastern restaurant.
05:07I'm doing Middle Eastern food in Palm Springs.
05:09I know that if I get the place that I pick,
05:11I'm going to beat everybody.
05:12But trussing meat is deceptively difficult.
05:15More importantly, difficult to not make it sloppy.
05:19Oh, my gosh.
05:20Trust me, they're having a little concern.
05:22There is a technique.
05:24Loop it, tighten it, and then keep looping it again tight.
05:27I'm here to prove how versatile I am.
05:30And I'm not fazed at all standing next to these big guys.
05:34Last time it was really helpful to win the first challenge,
05:36and I really want that advantage today.
05:38Looking at the butcher shop, it's about meat day.
05:40I love a different variety of meats,
05:42but you're racing against other people.
05:44Time is of the essence here.
05:46No.
05:48Done.
05:50Okay, let's take a look here.
05:52One, two, three, four, five.
05:56Chef, congratulations.
05:57You take control.
05:59I'm happy I won this challenge.
06:00It gives my competitors a good idea
06:02of what they're working with against me,
06:04and they better show up to win,
06:06because that's what I'm doing.
06:07Well, Chef, what are you thinking?
06:10Now, I will say burger carts are a little small,
06:12so you might do great in there and make these two mooses.
06:20Let's go Flamin' Fig.
06:21Are you going Flamin' Fig?
06:23Absolutely.
06:23Along with being a pit master,
06:25I like to play with a lot of different type of food.
06:27And with Middle Eastern cooking,
06:28I love all of the spices.
06:30There we go.
06:31Chef, it couldn't have been you.
06:32Where would you have gone?
06:33Middle Eastern.
06:34I don't think that she knew,
06:36I knew Middle Eastern.
06:37I am telling you,
06:38you made a mistake picking this restaurant,
06:40and I'm going to flush you out.
06:42A lot of gamemanship going on.
06:43This is good.
06:43All right, Chefs.
06:44I'll meet you at the Flamin' Fig.
06:48And here's the manager,
06:50the one and only Hunter Fieri.
06:51Hunter?
06:52Hi.
06:53Welcome, Chefs, to the Flamin' Fig.
06:55In honor of Meat Lovers Day here in Flavortown,
06:57today's menu special is a meat lover's plate.
07:00A meat lover's plate.
07:02So a plate of meat.
07:03Featuring today's special ingredient,
07:07dates.
07:08Okay.
07:09As a bear snack, I don't like it.
07:11I hate the texture, the fudginess,
07:13but they have amazing flavors.
07:15So I actually really enjoy cooking with them.
07:18Your dishes are going to get a rating.
07:20The five-star rating, $5,000.
07:22Controls Flavortown.
07:23Four-star rating, $4,000.
07:25Doesn't control Flavortown, but stays in the game.
07:28And three stars, unfortunately, shift is over.
07:31You have 30 minutes to make your meat lover's plate.
07:34Shift starts now.
07:35Go!
07:37There's a lot of meats.
07:39I want everything that I can.
07:40To say that I'm a meat lover is pretty understated.
07:43Taking the lamb rack was a really bold move.
07:45It takes a long time to cook,
07:46but it's my favorite protein with Middle Eastern food.
07:49You got some ground lamb.
07:51I have to make a meat lover's plate.
07:53So immediately what I think of doing
07:54is making a lamb la-la-bi.
07:56But the protein on top of it,
07:58to make it a true meat lover's plate,
08:00is a different version of lamb.
08:02I love lamb with Middle Eastern flavors,
08:04but really hard protein to work with
08:06with a super limited time frame.
08:07You have to get it started immediately.
08:10Some yogurt.
08:11Although it is a meat challenge,
08:13it is a Middle Eastern restaurant.
08:16So I'm going to go with the lamb loins.
08:18That bone really enhances the flavor around it.
08:22But it's really difficult to impart a lot of flavor
08:25in a 30-minute challenge.
08:27But I'm not someone who gets intimidated easy.
08:30What do I want to go with here?
08:31Shoulder, butcher.
08:33It's meat lover's day,
08:34but 30 minutes isn't a lot of time to cook lamb.
08:37And the bigger muscles were going to take me a long time.
08:40So I grab a rack of lamb,
08:42and I know that I want to get it butchered as fast as possible.
08:44But if the piece is too little,
08:46it's never going to come across as meat lovers,
08:48and I want to make sure that we get a proper amount
08:50of meat on the plate,
08:51ready to defend the throne.
08:54The Flavortown bus has dropped off
08:56two of my favorite chefs to judge this meaty situation,
08:59Chef Monique Chauhan and Chef Michael Votaggio.
09:01Look at this.
09:01Welcome back.
09:02How are you?
09:03Don't we look so special?
09:06You two look like you're out on a date.
09:07We are.
09:08It is. We are on a date.
09:09The chefs are at the Flaming Fig on Meat Lovers Day.
09:12They have to make a meat plate,
09:13and they must employ dates.
09:16Oh, because it's date night.
09:17It's date night.
09:18It's date night.
09:19See, that's what it's all about.
09:20There you go.
09:20Why don't you pop in there?
09:21Take a look.
09:2226 minutes to go.
09:2426.
09:26Hello, Chef.
09:26What's up, Chef?
09:27Hello.
09:28Oh, my gosh.
09:29How are you guys doing?
09:30I'm a little more nervous now.
09:32See, this is what you do.
09:33You make them nervous.
09:34The judges tonight,
09:35I've held in high regard for the longest time.
09:38Mineet, who has probably one of the best palettes I've ever seen.
09:42And then we have Michael Voltaggio, who was a chef that I was reading up on constantly every single day
09:49when I was about 16 or 17 years old.
09:53Lambert, no pressure.
09:54No pressure.
09:55But you did such a good job last time I saw you.
09:57Did you give these guys any advice from the last time you were here?
09:59No, not yet.
10:01Keeping that close to the chef, Chef.
10:02They brought me right where I wanted to be.
10:04Yes, Chef.
10:04That's a kitchen that I just won a championship in.
10:07There's something about being comfortable in the physical kitchen itself.
10:10You know, you're starting to get a grasp on where everything is.
10:12And it's really going to work to my advantage.
10:15What's the strategy today, Chef?
10:16You know what?
10:17I really want to make, like, a good meat dish.
10:19And, you know, you can't go other better than, like, these lamb chops here.
10:22So I just want to get them nice and marinated.
10:24I work with meats all the time.
10:25This is, like, one of those things I've always loved.
10:27And I've always been since I was a child of, like, me and my father doing, like, whole pigs together.
10:31So this is right up my alley.
10:33I love chops.
10:33I think these would give me a great opportunity to pull out the wind in this.
10:37I see my career headed towards being a restaurant owner.
10:40That's where this whole journey started.
10:42I never had the opportunity to go to culinary school.
10:44I've got a true passion that was built from my grandmother.
10:47Like, when I went to the butcher with my grandmother or I went to the local farm and picked our
10:52own vegetables.
10:52So that's always been instilled in me.
10:54Opening up my own restaurant would really be the pinnacle of my career.
10:58I really want that money.
10:59And that's why I want to win this thing.
11:01Quinton.
11:02Yes, Chef.
11:03What's the plan?
11:04I'm going to make a lamb lab labi with a little bit of dates in there for some sweetness, some
11:08acidity, a whole bunch of spices.
11:10Some beautiful chickpeas.
11:12And some beautiful lamb chops.
11:14All right, so I'm about to add some quintessential spices for meat.
11:17So we have baharat, which is like a little bunch of little spices, almost like a seven spice.
11:22Some hot paprika, because it needs a little bit of heat in there.
11:24Amazing.
11:25My restaurant, Lola Rose, is known for Middle Eastern cuisine.
11:29I was heavily inspired from my travels to Dubai and to Istanbul.
11:33When you go to the stores, you smell what they're doing.
11:36You see the process.
11:37You're always going to come out on top if you have an understanding of that.
11:39Right now, I'm going to infuse the dates into my lab labi.
11:42Get a little bit of that sweetness in there.
11:44This is going to help, because it's going to be a very spice-heavy dish.
11:4821 minutes!
11:49Oh, dear.
11:50I realized that I need to get started on the lamb chops, which I should have done immediately.
11:54The first thing you need to do is nail the cookery on the meat.
11:58Absolutely.
11:58Is that what you're looking for?
11:59That's the focal point, yeah.
12:00The entire rack, uh, that's a risk.
12:04The grill is too hot to where it starts to flare up.
12:07And if I keep it on there, it's going to blow up on me.
12:10Oh, my God.
12:11I have to get it in the oven.
12:13Quentin is still working with the entire rack.
12:15I think Quentin made a mistake.
12:17He should have just cut them into those little chops.
12:19Got them nice and marinated.
12:20Right on the grill.
12:21I don't want to lose on this first round, especially with Middle Eastern food.
12:24Oh, my God!
12:2920 minutes!
12:30A little bit of panic sets in.
12:32So, instead of grilling the lamb, I grab some more oil.
12:35I start stirring the lamb down, and I hear that beautiful sizzle.
12:38I can control the heat.
12:40And I had so many of the things to cook, so I wanted to keep an eye on it.
12:42You have 19 minutes to cook.
12:44Okay, so what are the plans?
12:46Well, the challenge is meat and dates.
12:48So, I'm going to do some, uh, grilled lamb loins.
12:51I know the yogurt will help with the tenderness of the meat.
12:54Loin chops, right?
12:55Yes.
12:56I'm going to get them marinated.
12:58And garlic, some onions, some turmeric.
13:00You own a barbecue truck, Chef?
13:01I own a barbecue restaurant.
13:03Woo!
13:04Chef, I do some barbecue.
13:05Oh, man.
13:06Were you talking to the queen?
13:07Uh-oh.
13:08I love to be an example of what success looks like.
13:11My food truck was set on fire right in front of my building.
13:15I decided I wasn't quitting on myself, and I replaced that food truck in five months.
13:21Showed up at work as a better businesswoman, even more resilient than I was before.
13:26Proving people wrong is just part of my identity.
13:29Let's talk about Dominic's range a little bit.
13:31She's worked in every type of restaurant, and giving Dominic meat in a meat challenge,
13:36she's like a barbecue chef now.
13:38She's like, move over, guys.
13:39I'll show you.
13:40Chefs, how we looking?
13:41Looking good, Chef.
13:42Because the lamb loin obviously has a bone at the bottom of it, I'm thinking I want to
13:47braise the lamb after I hit it on the grill, just because I want to make sure it's cooked
13:52through.
13:53But with the braising technique, what you need is time.
13:56I get my lamb loins into the oven.
13:59Fingers crossed that they're doing what they're supposed to do.
14:02I'm hoping Lambert shows us what he's capable of, because he did a really good job last time
14:06I saw him.
14:07Chef Lambert, where are those dates going, bud?
14:09I think what I want to do with them is grind them down, put them in some vinegar, get some
14:13acidity out of them.
14:15Okay.
14:15Lamb and dates really go together, so I'm thinking about a date puree.
14:19I want to get that flavor incorporating very fast and on the flame.
14:24What do you got working there, bud?
14:26So I'm working some lamb here, and I am trying to get it done in this oven.
14:30I'm trying to rip the oven up to 500 degrees.
14:33How's that oven treating you?
14:35It's going somewhere.
14:36I want to get my lamb fat rendering, and I know that I don't have a ton of time, so
14:40this
14:40could be a huge mistake for me.
14:42This could send me home.
14:43Quentin, how we doing, bud?
14:44I'm a little nervous, but a good nervous.
14:47You going to be able to get that rack done?
14:48I think after all my years of learning, I would have learned my lesson that lamb needs a lot
14:53of love in time.
14:54I throw some more butter into the pan, and then I get some beautiful lime leaves, which
14:58is going to add that nice little bit of acid.
15:00However, I feel that I'm missing one more pop of flavor.
15:04That's going to go with sauce, which is almost like a sort of Middle Eastern chimichurri,
15:09almost very heavy on cilantro, garlic, some serrano for a little bit of kick.
15:12To me, Middle Eastern food is a lot about the freshness aspect.
15:17Freshness, but with meat.
15:23It's actually really good.
15:24That worked out right.
15:26Dominique, talk to me.
15:27What are you at?
15:27I'm doing a grimoulata.
15:30I got some ginger for it, some mint to complement the lamb well.
15:33Parsley, garlic.
15:34I certainly want to use some pine nuts.
15:36And where are the dates going?
15:37The dates are going in the grimoulata, and it goes well with the grilled chops.
15:41I like to win at all things, so happy to walk away with some bragging rights.
15:46The goal is to bring some cash back to the restaurant.
15:49So what I want right now is to get the five-star dish.
15:52I want to knock out the champion and then beat this other guy so I can leave with the money.
15:58Seven minutes.
15:59I'm real close on time.
16:01It's time to pull out the lamb ones.
16:03How are you looking, Chef?
16:06Um, I need some time.
16:08So I know I want to make up a nice sauce to serve the lamb with.
16:13I use my braising liquid to add to the demi-gloss, and I get some mirepoix sauteing.
16:19I hit it with some beef stock.
16:22I want to show the judges that I use the dates in a few different ways, so I also chop
16:26some up and add them to my demi-gloss.
16:28Let that reduce.
16:29I'm looking at my lamb loins, and immediately I feel like the braising technique did not pan out the way
16:35that I wanted it to.
16:37I wanted to make sure the meat was not flabby at all.
16:40Chef?
16:40I'm looking like I need some cooked loin!
16:43I'm cutting it down to the wire when I put the chops back on the grill.
16:47I wanted to make sure the meat was cooked through.
16:51Check on my lambs.
16:53How are you looking on it?
16:55This needs a lot more time.
16:57Ooh!
16:58That's a little scary from the reigning champ.
17:01I'm gonna have to finish on the placa.
17:02I want to get on the placa, just get a nice sear so I can get it to temp.
17:05Everyone's so caught up in the conceptual idea of the dish, and they forget about the technical aspect of the
17:14cooking.
17:14Yeah.
17:15But I can feel the minutes disappearing.
17:18Three minutes!
17:19Don't let me down here.
17:23Less than two minutes to go.
17:25Come on.
17:27I sliced the lamb.
17:28Don't let me down.
17:35It looks nowhere close to being done.
17:38We'll sear.
17:39So I sear them off quickly.
17:41I'm feeling pretty nervous.
17:42I don't want to go home in the first round.
17:44Ninety seconds.
17:44Ah!
17:46The Love Lobby with the ground lamb has an epic amount of flavor.
17:50I was sweating a little bit on the lamb, but once I felt it, I trusted my instinct, and it's
17:55fully cooked.
17:56I couldn't be happier.
17:57The Shug, basically Middle Eastern chimichurri, that's wonderful with red meat.
18:01I'm getting really excited about this.
18:03I don't know how I did this.
18:04I don't know how I did it.
18:05All right, let's get those plates in the window.
18:06We got 60 seconds.
18:08Woo!
18:08I know my demi-gloss with some dates is good.
18:11I didn't cut into the lamb loins at all to present a cleaner plate.
18:15I hope that the lamb loin has the cook on them that I'm looking for.
18:19And then I finish it with a little spoon of the grimoulata.
18:23I know my grimoulata is delicious.
18:26There's less than a minute left.
18:27I put my date puree down.
18:29I put my two lamb down.
18:31It comes out perfect.
18:32And I throw on some herb salad on top.
18:35Ten seconds.
18:36Come on.
18:36Let's go.
18:38Slide them right underneath there, Chef.
18:40Slide them right under.
18:40There you go.
18:41You're up.
18:42That's it.
18:43And two, one.
18:43We're done.
18:44There we go.
18:45Great job, you guys.
18:46That was a lot of hustle.
18:47A lot of hustle.
18:48Good job, guys.
18:50Well done, Chef.
18:54All right, Chef Quinn, you're up first.
18:58Hello, Chef.
18:59Hi.
18:59Hello.
19:00So what I prepared for you here was a dish that I learned during my time researching
19:04and developing in Istanbul.
19:05So it's lab labi, which is almost essentially a sort of like peasant style stew.
19:09But it's very warm and hearty based with tomatoes and stewed chickpeas, some onions,
19:14warm spices.
19:15On top, it's a lamb loin finished off with a saug, which is almost like a Middle Eastern
19:21chimichurri.
19:21And the dates?
19:22The dates are in the lab labi with some ground lamb also as well to make it a little bit
19:26more of a meat lover's dish.
19:28Love the fact that you really dove into your experience in Istanbul and got us a flavor
19:33of that.
19:34The stew, beautiful.
19:36The lamb chops, it's rare, medium rare, works great.
19:39Yeah, I mean, had we not watched how you cooked the lamb, we probably wouldn't have known
19:44because this is one of the best recoveries I think I've seen in a situation like that.
19:48Doubling down on the meat when you get something that says meat lover's plate, I think by bringing
19:54this ragu or this stew to the bottom and elevating it, making it more hearty, says that you're
19:59listening to the challenges and you're cooking to the challenges, which is amazing.
20:02The shouk, I think that was the crowning glory on your dish.
20:06But the stew does need a little bit more seasoning.
20:10When you look at it, it seems like this deep spice stew, I'm craving for more spice in it,
20:15right?
20:16Okay.
20:16Thank you, chef.
20:18That was for sure.
20:20Very good.
20:20All right, Chef Lambert, you're up.
20:24Hi, how are you?
20:25How are you?
20:25How are you?
20:26Good.
20:26So what I have here for you guys is a lamb rack with a date puree, and then I put
20:32a
20:32microgreen salad on top.
20:33So what I did was I marinated my lamb and some olive oil, and then also did some coriander,
20:39brought a bunch of like spices together.
20:41Are you mad at me, chef?
20:42No, no, no.
20:43Are you sure?
20:43Yeah.
20:44Because look at her beautiful plate of lamb.
20:46I got the little thin guys.
20:48Michael, it's very tough not to like me.
20:50What to say?
20:51That being said, Manit's lamb is cooked beautifully, so I know you can do it.
20:57Yes.
20:57Obviously you can look at mine and see that my lamb chops are probably a little overcooked
21:01compared to Manit's.
21:03Yep.
21:03You should have given each of us one of those.
21:05Yeah, absolutely.
21:06Those ones you could have given to Guy.
21:09I heard that comment, give it to Guy.
21:11The lamb is cooked beautifully.
21:14The fat has rendered, you let it rest, it's juicy.
21:18The date chutney, spectacular.
21:21Thank you, Jess.
21:22I get it.
21:23The inconsistency, it really, that's a huge, I mean, given that it's a meat challenge.
21:29Yeah.
21:30All right, Dominique.
21:30If I'm worried about anything, it's the protein itself.
21:34I'm hoping my lamb is cooked to perfection, but we won't know until they cut into it.
21:41Hello, chefs.
21:42Hello.
21:42How are you?
21:43Good.
21:44I went steakhouse style.
21:46I did a lamb loin.
21:47I grilled it, and then I gave it a braise in the oven.
21:51Underneath, I have a demi-gloss with some chopped dates inside of it.
21:54On top, I did a gremolata.
22:00Oh, yeah, yeah.
22:05The flavors, Dominique, that you've created over here are absolutely amazing.
22:09Thank you, chef.
22:10And I really appreciate the fact that you took the dates, and you presented it in two different forms.
22:15And it actually is very, very successful.
22:17Thank you, chef.
22:18It's everything that you want with a grilled piece of meat.
22:20You've got something fresh and vibrant, and the dates with the garlic just kind of play well with each other.
22:25Your choice of meat was fantastic, but I think you could have done away with one of the cooking techniques.
22:33Yes.
22:33You didn't need to grill it and then braise it, because, I mean, you yourself can see right now over
22:38here,
22:39it's really, really overcooked, and it makes it very chewy.
22:43Yeah.
22:44Next time, just grill it and chill it, and then serve it to us. That's it.
22:46I heard that, chef.
22:47Thank you both.
22:48Thank you so much.
22:49Thanks so much.
22:50Fortunately, they do like my flavors, but unless my competitors did not cook their lamb perfect,
22:56this might send me home.
22:59So, give me the breakdown.
23:01Let's start with Quintin.
23:02How do you do?
23:03You asked for a meat lover's plate, so he gave us two forms of meat on one plate.
23:09Very smart play.
23:10Let's talk about Chef Lambert.
23:12So it was a plate.
23:12Monique got this beautiful, thick, perfectly cooked lamb chops, and then I got, it was
23:18almost like he was mad at me.
23:20Give it to Guy is what I heard.
23:21Well, his date sauce was really, really good.
23:24I heard the date sauce was flaming.
23:25Yeah.
23:25Amazing.
23:26All right, let's talk about Dominique.
23:28Dominique's flavors were absolutely incredible.
23:31The sad part was the meat was overcooked.
23:33Well, judges, what I need from you is who's going to take control of Flavortown and then
23:37figure out whose shift is over.
23:38Okay.
23:43Cash is out here to give you an applause and say thank you.
23:46He loved all the bones.
23:48Listen, this was a very difficult battle.
23:53Let's talk about the five-star dish.
23:55Five-star dish will go to...
24:03Congratulations, Chef Quintin.
24:05Five stars.
24:06Well done, Chef.
24:07Oh, man.
24:07Thanks, Chef.
24:08Five thousand bucks going towards your paycheck, and you take control of Flavortown.
24:12It was sort of like dropping the gauntlet.
24:14It felt really good.
24:15A very powerful moment.
24:17Champ.
24:18Dominique.
24:19There was a lot of back and forth, but unfortunately, only one chef moves on in competition.
24:25The chef whose shift is over, the three-star dish, will go to...
24:33Chef Dominique.
24:34Chef, I got to tell you this.
24:36It kills me to see a dish that had so much fantastic flavor that the chop was overcooked, and that's
24:43going to end your shift.
24:43But it was awesome to watch you cook.
24:45I love to hear you talk, and I hope this is not the last time we see you in Flavortown.
24:49I hope so, too.
24:50All right, Chef.
24:50Thank you very much.
24:51Great to have you here.
24:52Thanks so much.
24:54Unfortunately, I did overcook the lamb.
24:55If I was thinking clearer, I would have just finished them on the grill.
24:59Thank you very much.
25:00Thanks for coming.
25:00Thanks for coming.
25:02All right.
25:03Oh, you're going to walk her out, Cash?
25:04Cash!
25:05You don't get to go with her.
25:07This is not the outcome I wanted, but never think you know too much to learn a lesson.
25:14Chefs, you're the best of the best.
25:16Now that you're in control of Flavortown, where do you want to cook?
25:20Hunter's Lodge, the Butcher and Meats, or the Burger Cards?
25:24I've never in my career worked at a food cart.
25:27I'm not going to be comfortable in that environment.
25:29After seeing Lambert cook in the last round, I know that this guy's a problem.
25:34And Lambert knows fine dining, so my choice, it's very tough.
25:41So, where do you want to cook?
25:45Hunter's Lodge.
25:47No question.
25:49No question.
25:49Going fine dining, going to Hunter's Lodge.
25:51Wild game is your game.
25:52That's exactly where I want to be.
25:54I have a big fine dining background.
25:56And it's wild game, which I love and which is very hard to get down.
26:01Feel good about that?
26:02Feel good.
26:03All right, Chefs.
26:04Hunter's Lodge it is.
26:05Follow me.
26:09Here comes the founder, the owner, the maitre d' and the head busboy.
26:13Hunter, if I need to tell you about tonight's menu.
26:15Not a lot of job titles there, Father.
26:16Look at you.
26:17All dressed up.
26:19Right?
26:19Is that like a deer tie?
26:20It's a camo tie.
26:21Can't really see it right now.
26:23Camo tie.
26:23Yes.
26:24Tell us what's on the menu, Chef.
26:25Chefs, welcome to Hunter's Lodge.
26:27In honor of the Meat Lovers Day here in Flavortown.
26:30Today's menu special is a Hunter's Dinner.
26:33You're really playing in your name a little too much.
26:35Okay.
26:36Hunter's Dinner at Hunter's Lodge.
26:38All right, Hunter Fieri.
26:39I got it.
26:39A full dinner with game meat.
26:40You know how it is.
26:41Now, Father, let me tell them about our wild game selections for tonight.
26:44Ooh.
26:45We have wild boar.
26:46Ooh.
26:47Venison.
26:47Okay.
26:48Elk.
26:50Bison.
26:50And because they are dark meat, we also have quail, squab, and duck.
26:57A little fist pump for the duck?
26:58Yeah, a little fist pump for the duck.
26:59You're a duck fan.
27:00I love duck.
27:01It's a nice, beautiful red meat.
27:02Now, I know that you'll bring the game.
27:03I know that you have game.
27:04We saw that in the first round.
27:06But the Flavortown diners, they're going to expect a little extra.
27:09So, to earn bonus money, we're going to give you some upsell menu items for your dish.
27:13Hunter, what do we have for them?
27:15Well, Chefs, our three upsell items for you tonight.
27:17First, red wine for an extra $2,000.
27:20The key to working with red wine, you really want to get it cooked down.
27:24And you don't want it to have, like, that wine flavor.
27:26And I really need to make sure that I have time for that.
27:30Next, we have dark chocolate for $3,000.
27:34I love duck with a little bit of bitterness.
27:36But I want to make sure that that sweetness is blending in with all the savoriness.
27:40And canned asparagus for $5,000.
27:44Yum.
27:44Not so much.
27:45Really concerned about the canned asparagus.
27:48Got a weird texture to it.
27:49Can't really get lost into the dish.
27:51You can get up to $10,000 in bonus money.
27:53But remember, you only take the money home if you win.
27:55Yes, Chef.
27:56All right, Chefs.
27:56I'm going to give you 40 minutes.
27:58That's very generous.
27:5840 minutes in Hunter's Lodge to make the dish that everybody in Flavortown is talking about.
28:04And 40 minutes starts now.
28:06Good luck.
28:08When I hear meat lovers, I immediately think of throwing everything that you can onto something, right?
28:14But when it comes to a composed dish, you can't do that.
28:17You can't just take five or six different meats, throw it on there, saute it up, and hope that something
28:22works.
28:22So I'm going to spend a lot of time on my duck.
28:25And I'm going to make a beautiful sauce out of it with wine and chocolate.
28:29It could get me $5,000, potentially.
28:32But 40 minutes in no way is enough for fine dining.
28:36The key to cooking duck is essentially low and slow.
28:39So you can't fake it in a fine dining restaurant.
28:42I have a small amount of experience with Wild Game.
28:44I've dealt with bison.
28:45I've dealt with venison.
28:46I already know that Quentin's using the duck breast.
28:49Oh, boy.
28:50I think I'm going to use the elk wine.
28:53I've never cooked with elk before, but I know it's going to be a really lean piece of meat, really
28:57gamey flavor.
28:58It can't be that much different from other game.
29:00I'm going to butcher this.
29:02I started thinking about how I want to incorporate red wine and the dark chocolate into my dish.
29:08Cherry wine dark chocolate agrodulge.
29:11So I'm thinking about making a cherry agrodulge.
29:15Cherries.
29:16I really want that cherry flavor incorporated into the sauce.
29:20Parsnips.
29:21And then the parsnips were right there speaking to me.
29:23This moment kind of came over me to making a parsnip puree.
29:27Lovely.
29:28I'm feeling the pressure.
29:29I know that I don't have a ton of time.
29:31I really need to start working on this elk.
29:33It's going to cost me some time.
29:35I can feel the tension in the room.
29:37It's already quiet like a fine dining restaurant.
29:40I love this is Hunter's Lodge.
29:42Currently at a place called Hunter's.
29:44So this is fitting for me.
29:45They got a restaurant called Hunter's?
29:47Oh, yeah.
29:47Well, then this was a poor choice.
29:50This is giving me a little energy here.
29:52Take that back.
29:52I don't want to hear that.
29:53I don't want to hear that now.
29:54I already know that Quentin is really tough,
29:56and I know that he's going to be a force to be reckoned with.
29:59After seeing Lambert cook in the last round,
30:02I know that man is a beast.
30:03I want to win knowing that two chefs went together head to head,
30:07put their best out, and the chef that won was the better chef.
30:1136 minutes to cook.
30:12Right now I'm doing a little bit of a dry rub on the scored duck breast.
30:16I'm going to do a little bit of turmeric, some paprika,
30:18a little bit of white pepper on there,
30:19and we're going to slowly render it.
30:22I want to be able to use a range so I can control the heat,
30:24but the challenge here is that the range is on the other side of me,
30:28and so I have to go around to his side,
30:30and if you're putting something on the other person's side,
30:32you don't have direct eyes on it,
30:34and that's a risk I'm not willing to take.
30:36So I put it on the grill so that it starts to slowly render out.
30:40The skin's going to get crispy probably.
30:41I hope so.
30:44Chef Quentin, what do you got going on back there?
30:46Building the base of the sauce flavors now,
30:48so that has a nice good time to let the wine reduce,
30:51let the flavors get all in there.
30:53Got it.
30:54Winning and being able to come back as a champ would mean a lot to me.
30:58I want to be able to show some of my cooks that this is how you win.
31:02If I win, I want to be able to use the money and buy all my cooks a special knife
31:08because I remember my very first special knife came from my executive chef.
31:13A proper knife, it's your soul.
31:16I want to be able to gift it to them.
31:17I have to start rendering out the pancetta so that when I put some garlic in there,
31:21some aromatics, I'm building onto it,
31:23and they're getting not just fried in regular oil,
31:26but they're getting fried in animal fat.
31:28With the pancetta, he's getting different meat components.
31:32That's very true.
31:33Today is about the meats.
31:34It's about the meats.
31:35What else are you using?
31:36I'm going to tackle the chocolate because that makes sense for this cooking.
31:39Chocolate is actually a super great addition to duck, which matches perfectly.
31:43I want some sweetness in the jus.
31:46That's sweeter than I thought it would be.
31:47But it's more sugar than I initially thought, so I cut back on it because it's going to overpower the
31:51sauce.
31:52Let that melt down for a little bit.
31:53Let the wine sing with the aromatics and get some of that alcohol cooked off.
31:58It just needs a little bit more luck.
31:59Because I have two upsells in the sauce, it could get me $5,000 potentially.
32:05But if I do it wrong, which could come from the chocolate and break the entire sauce, all that's going
32:10out the window.
32:10If I rush this process, which could take the entire 40 minutes, then what I'm going to have is a
32:15jus that tastes like alcohol.
32:17Any canned asparagus being used?
32:18That asparagus price is very, very enticing, but I have no idea how I would incorporate that, so I'm going
32:25to stay away.
32:26It's a $5,000 wager I am not willing to take.
32:30The parsnips, I knew that I needed to get those boiling, but I think that I really just want to
32:35elevate the flavor of the parsnip.
32:38I add a little bit of heavy cream, I add some butter.
32:40Chef Lambert, what's on the menu?
32:42So I'm working on a parsnip puree, and I'm going to take this elk, make some steaks out of it.
32:47I like this.
32:48Looking at this back saddle, it's really lean, it's a very gimme meat.
32:52I get a saute pan, really hot, and start searing it off.
32:56The choice of elk by Lambert is an interesting choice, because elk is such a lean meat.
33:02The elk, I am really worried about.
33:04I know that I'm going to have to sear it hard, and get some fat onto it, like some butter.
33:09And I get some crushed garlic, some rosemary.
33:12Just kind of help out that game flavor.
33:14And I really want to get it to the right temperature.
33:16So I get my steaks into the oven.
33:1817 minutes.
33:19So right now, I'm working on a cherry wine dark chocolate I go dolce.
33:23So I get the red wine on the stove top, I start pitting some cherries.
33:27See, they're going to hurt me, or just going to help me.
33:30Get this blended to help me out a little bit.
33:33All right, so you got the chocolate and the red wine going into this.
33:36Nice play.
33:37Yeah, I just wanted to shade the chocolate here into the cherry aqua dolce.
33:41One thing I'm kind of worried about is incorporating that dark chocolate in with the red wine too early.
33:46Because what can happen is the dark chocolate can make everything go really bitter.
33:50I'm just really hoping this works to get me the win, and the money that's at stake.
33:54I think I'm missing that asparagus.
33:57I'm thinking about this canned asparagus, and I know they could have like that weird texture or overcooked asparagus.
34:01I think I'm going to skip out on it.
34:03Just not going to work for me today.
34:0513 and counting.
34:06Grab a little bit of kale and some eggplant.
34:08The next thing I want to make is this eggplant.
34:11Right behind you, chef.
34:12So I take it, and I put it over the fire.
34:14And this is a trick that I learned in Dubai while I was cooking.
34:17When you put it over those flames, it gets nice and smoky.
34:19I let it rest in a bit of the duck fat, and then I take it out, and I peel
34:24it.
34:24Ow, ow.
34:25And the eggplant is perfect.
34:27It's tender, but it still has a bit of a bite.
34:29We're going to put it in some brown butter.
34:30Build some more flavor.
34:31And that's going to be one of the highlights of the dish.
34:34Ten minutes!
34:35Ten minutes, ten minutes.
34:36I'm checking on the duck because I'm thinking that I shouldn't have started it on the grill.
34:40The way that the duck is rendering at this point, it's not going to be fast enough.
34:44So I'm getting it in the oven.
34:46Customs learned that Flavortown are aggressive.
34:48Most chefs have cooked a duck rest.
34:51Yeah.
34:51And when you think about competition, everyone knows the criteria.
34:54Rendered, crispy skin.
34:55This is fine dining.
34:56I'm expecting the presentations to be precise.
34:59Nine minutes, nine to go.
35:01I feel like it's going to be down to the wire again.
35:03Ooh.
35:08Six minutes!
35:09I get my duck from the oven.
35:11How's that duck, chef?
35:13I slice into the duck and it's perfect.
35:17The duck, resting, done, crispy.
35:23I hope it stays that way.
35:24Chefs, you have five minutes left.
35:26I get those ducks out, all steaks out, and I put them on the stovetop.
35:30But I'm looking at them and I know that they needed a little bit more sear.
35:33Chef, I'm just going to come over and touch these on there.
35:35Go ahead, go ahead, come on.
35:37All right, you get away from me.
35:38I think I'm sweating a little bit.
35:40I can't tell if that's the grill or if it's the cooking technique.
35:42A lot is on the line here.
35:44I'm either going to go home, the champion of Flavortown, or send me home packing.
35:49I want to stay.
35:50You want to stay.
35:51I'm trying to.
35:52And I want to win.
35:53Two minutes, two to go.
35:55When you're in fine dining, every component that you put on that plate has to be a star on its
36:01own.
36:01So I want to put the duck down, I take the eggplant, and the eggplant is perfect.
36:06I'm really getting excited about this.
36:08Almost done.
36:09My parsnip puree comes out perfect.
36:11I slice my steaks and they look absolutely gorgeous.
36:15Oh, wow.
36:17So good.
36:18Perfect temperature, medium rare.
36:20I start going over with my cherry agrodolce, and it's like spot on, everything that I needed it to be.
36:2630 seconds, chefs.
36:28And then I finish it with some of the sauce.
36:30My sauce is going to kill it.
36:32I'm really excited.
36:33I know that this is where I want to be.
36:35Five, four, three, two, one, and done.
36:41Wow.
36:42At the second, bro.
36:43One second.
36:44All right, baby.
36:47Chefs, I got to tell you something.
36:48It's really been a pleasure to watch you work.
36:50Chef Lambert, there's a lot riding on this.
36:53Okay?
36:53You are the champ for a reason.
36:55Go get him.
36:59How are we doing?
37:01What's up, Chef?
37:02Fantastic.
37:03Chefs, what I have for you today is a parsnip puree with a oak loin.
37:09And then I followed it up with using a red wine cherry agrodolce with the dark chocolate,
37:15and then finished it off with a little rosemary sprig.
37:19Parsnip puree is great.
37:20Beautiful.
37:21I think the parsnip puree is delicious.
37:24It's luscious.
37:26It's got an identity of its own, and you can feel it.
37:29But to me, the sauce, the agrodolce, is amazing.
37:33Like, it was a very smart use of the upsell ingredient of the red wine and the chocolate.
37:38And to add cherries in it, which are not fully cooked, it still has that pop of freshness to it,
37:43which works very well.
37:45How's your elk?
37:46Everything's seasoned well, but it's missing that sear.
37:49Got it.
37:50So it's one of those ingredients where to get rid of that gaminess of elk or anything that sort of
37:54runs in the forest like that, you've got to add that nice sear to it.
37:58I agree.
37:58You nailed the temperature of it, but we missed that charred, seary, delicious crust that you would put on any
38:04piece of meat.
38:05Great.
38:05I mean, if you would have roasted that meat and gotten that crust on there, we would probably be saying
38:11this is a borderline perfect dish.
38:13Great.
38:14Chef.
38:15Get him.
38:21Hello.
38:22So, duck, rendered it out very slowly, finished it in the oven.
38:26We put in some butter, and we took the fire-roasted eggplant, peeled it, and let that sear and capture
38:30some of that duck fat.
38:31And the jus from some veal, some Hunt Ride red wine cabernet, a little bit of pancetta, and some dark
38:37chocolate in there to help bind it together.
38:39Nice.
38:41The duck, it's delicious, has beautiful flavors.
38:44The sauce that you made with the wine and the chocolate and the pancetta, great.
38:50We thought that that smokiness from the eggplant worked so well in this entire dish.
38:57It was a very unexpected move.
38:59When you took a bite of that charred eggplant, you sort of brought that char with you on your palate
39:04to the duck.
39:05So, it gave that duck, like, almost like a grilled effect that it needed because I don't think we got
39:10the caramelization that we were looking for necessarily.
39:12The skin needed to be rendered a little bit more so that we could get that crispy skin that we
39:19want from a duck.
39:20Great balanced dish, I think, super thought out.
39:23Great cooking.
39:26If I left my pan on the fire a little bit longer, the duck would have been fine.
39:31I didn't need to put it in the oven.
39:32I really don't know where it's gonna go.
39:35It was so interesting.
39:36Both of them made the exact same mistake, which was, you know, Lambert did not sear the elk enough, which
39:44I think deterred from the overall dish.
39:47But I also think when you cook a duck breast in a pan, because it's got that depth of fat
39:53that's rendered out, that's what's gonna continue to, like, cook that skin.
39:57Yeah.
39:57So I think they both made mistakes with their proteins.
40:00Now it comes down to, like, how did they treat the other stuff that was on the plate.
40:04Got it.
40:07Well, chefs, the judges, I gotta tell you, have been giving you high grill marks all competition long.
40:13But unfortunately, there could only be one winner.
40:16There could only be one champ.
40:19Chef Quentin.
40:20If you were to win, you would win $15,000.
40:23Chef Lambert, you would win $31,000 throughout the competition.
40:26The winner tonight is, congratulations, the new champ, Chef Quentin.
40:35Yes!
40:38Good job.
40:42Chef Lambert, let me tell you something.
40:45We've seen so many champs come in that go out in the first round when they come back to defend
40:48their title.
40:49And to see this come so close, I mean, I really think the only difference of this,
40:55every component you put on your plate was great, except for the sear.
40:59You're a great champ for us.
41:01We love having you in Flavortown.
41:02All right.
41:03Chef Lambert.
41:07I didn't get enough sear on my steaks.
41:11I really wanted to continue my run in Flavortown.
41:13But I'm proud I left it all out there on the field.
41:18Chef Quentin, congratulations.
41:20$15,000.
41:24That's awesome.
41:25To be a champion on Flavortown was nothing but an honor.
41:30Being in a class of chefs like this that are all so strong, I wouldn't have wanted to win anywhere
41:35else.
41:36What do you do with $15,000?
41:38I buy all my cooks' knives.
41:39All the cooks are getting knives?
41:40I buy all my cooks' knives.
41:41How many cooks do you have?
41:42I have about 28 of them.
41:44And that's what a true leader does.
41:45We do it to build others and help them grow and climb up the ladder of success.
41:49And you're a true testament of that.
41:51To come back next week as a champ, I feel so empowered.
41:55Like I'm going to be dangerous.
41:56We got you.
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