Quickfire Challenge: None, because of the Elimination Challenge.
Elimination Challenge: Restaurant Wars! The cheftestants are super excited even though someone always screws up royally. I can remember like two restaurants in nine seasons that were universally praised and the clear winner. Anyway, Padma announce that, for the first time, it's men versus women. Edward is sure the dudes will win because, I mean, come on. Women can't cook. Each team has a night to take over a restaurant called The Palm Door (get it?) and cook a three course menu with two choices per course for a hundred people. Someone needs to run front of house. Each team member needs to cook a dish. And they have to decorate themselves, which they've gotten away from the past few years.
During planning and shopping, the guys seem to be getting along really well and the women are all ganging up on poor Bev, the professional victim, with Sarah leading the way. She is really awful in the way that she talks to people. So condescending and short with people. I would tell her to eff off.
The men have to serve first, and their concept is Canteen, because it's like a mess hall with communal dining, I guess? I don't feel like their food matches their concept for maybe they can sell it. As they start seating guests, it becomes clear that their expediting system isn't working (or doesn't exist) so eventually they send Ty out to manage the tickets, which the judges don't like. And then a little later, Paul goes out and takes over. Yikes. Here are their dishes:
First course: Thai-style crab and shrimp salad, caramel fish sauce, and peanuts (Ty) OR ham and pork pate with mushrooms, braised mustard seeds, and duck fat crostini (Paul). The judges think Ty's dish is bland but well-cooked, and Paul's dish is an interesting concept but his crostini is greasy.
Second course: poached salmon in warm tomato water, clams, salmon skin, and tomatillo jam (Paul and Ty), OR crispy pork skin belly with green apple and sweet potato puree (Paul). The judges like aspects of both dishes but don't fully love either one.
Third course: Almond Joy cake with malted chocolate mousse and banana coconut puree (Ed) OR homemade cracker jack, cherries and peanut butter ice cream (Chris). Anyone else feel like Paul did more than his share? The judges like Ed's dish except that he didn't put coconut in it, and they're divided on Chris's dish.
The women's restaurant is called Half Bushel. Lindsay is working front of house. Back in the kitchen, Sarah is hectoring Beverly as usual. When the judges arrive, Lindsay is in back and misses their arrival. In fact, she's often in back yelling at Beverly instead of seating people out front. The judges are kept waiting for their food for a long time and Lindsay shows no hustle whatsoever. Here are the dishes:
First course: Peach salad with pickled shallots, bacon vinaigrette, and candied pistachios (Grayson) OR mozzarella-filled arancino, sweet and sour eggplant, and celery salad. The judges like both dishes.
Second course: braised short rib with thai basil potato puree, apple slaw, and kimchi (Beverly) OR grilled halibut with Spanish chorizo, fennel, and sherry salad (Lindsay). The judges think the fish is dry, but they love Beverly's dish.
Third course: Schaum torte with vanilla meringue and champagne berries (Grayson) OR hazelnut cream Italian doughnuts with banana sugar glaze (Sarah). The judges are split on Grayson's dish and don't like Sarah's doughnuts, because they're heavy.
The judges agree that the guys' service was better but the ladies' food was better. Lindsay is pissed because no one is eating her fish and she blames Beverly, who was executing the dish for her. But then the women win so they don't have to worry about whom to blame for which dish. And then the judges choose Beverly as the winner because her dish was so awesome. I hope Lindsay apologizes to her.
The judges find problems with everything on the mens' side, pretty much, but they can't overlook that Ty had a hand in two dishes and both were terribly underseasoned. So Ty's going home. I liked him! Damn.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Hey, we're still in Texas! Austin, to be exact. Is anyone else bored with this season already? I feel like you either need outstanding chefs, or really horrible villains, or really funny likable heroes. All three would be great. I feel like this season has none of those things. The women are blah, and as this episode will reveal, kind of awful. The men are blah. I still don't have a sense for what kind of food each chef cooks, except that Beverly makes a lot of Asian and Ed kind of does too. And Chris Moto thinks he's Mr. Science. Someone surprise me already.
The cheftestants walk into a restaurant called Palm Door, except that it's completely empty, no tables or chairs. Padma (joined by Hugh Acheson) announces that it's time for Restaurant Wars. I get why the cheftestants like this challenge; it's the most like what they actually do in their everyday lives, so they feel like they can do it well. Except things always go horribly, horribly wrong for at least one team. Anyway, rather than draw knives or whatever, this season the teams are divided by gender, men versus women. Hey, here's a statement that's going to shock you: Ed thinks the male chefs have more talent. And while I actually kind of agree with him on this particular season, more talent doesn't mean they're going to win, because it's not a talent competition, sadly. Well, I guess it depends on how you define talent. Is talent the ability to roll with the punches and come up with crazy ideas that please the judges? Because that's the kind of competition it is. Sarah is happy with her team except that she thinks Beverly is the weak link.
Padma gives out the deal with the challenge: each team will take over the restaurant on consecutive nights, so they will also get a chance to eat at the other team's restaurant. AND, they have brought back the wrinkle where the teams have to decorate the restaurant themselves, which I've always enjoyed, although it doesn't always lead to drama. Padma flips a coin and determines that the boys will serve on the first night, and Hugh explains that they have to serve three courses, each with two choices, to a hundred people. They don't specify that the third course needs to be dessert, or anything about the food really. One team member needs to handle front of house, and they will have five hours to cook and decorate the space.
Padma gives them forty-five minutes to menu plan, and they separate into teams and get to discussing their menus. Ed immediately agrees to do front of house for the men, and interviews that none of them want to do it, but he feels like he's qualified to do so because he owns his own restaurant. I'm going to guess that all of them have worked in service at some point, but whatever. Let Ed do it. Paul has a name: Canteen. He explains that it's a communal place to eat, and they're all fine with it. It's fine. It's not that exciting, but it doesn't need to be.
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