Episode Report Card Daniel: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Michael, If This Is a Lecture on How We're All Supposed to Whatever and Blah-blah-blah…
By Daniel | Season 11 | Episode 11 | Aired on 05.14.2013
At quarter to 10, the teams head to the kitchens to prepare their menus. Zach is yelling at us again, and at his team. "Zach is trying to help, but he's really just cocky, overconfident, egotistical. I can understand what he's trying to do, but he's not doing it well," Anthony tells us. He's also getting on Jon's nerves.
Speaking of getting on people's nerves, Red appears to feel everyone but Nedra is doing a lot of prep work, while she's just focused on her goddamn gumbo. She doesn't appear to be too chatty, either, when Cyndi asks how long the soup is going to need. "You can teach a monkey to tie a shoe, but you can't teach a monkey to make a shoe. You know what I'm saying?" Nedra asks us. I honestly have no clue what she's saying.
The teams hustle to get their dishes plated, with Susan declaring that Nedra's gumbo better be the best gumbo he's ever tasted. Arguably, Susan, that would be a good standard to hold all your dishes to.
Ramsay asks Blue what message they're sending to customers coming in through the door. "Vegas," says Jon, who must be some kind of genius. To be fair, the idea that they were supposed to have some kind of theme at all appears to be news to them, but they bluff their way through, pretending it's a theme they all came up with. Ramsay says their dishes are visually very appealing, and he gets down to tasting.
Calamari with chipotle cream sauce from Jon. Ramsay says it's a great, simple dish. He also declares Anthony and Michael's fire and ice dish to be absolutely delicious, and likes Zach's salmon (which catches Zach by surprise) and also the filet with butter sauce. Ramsay calls it a great start, and his only question now is if they can execute that.
Over to Red's appetizers, and they're off on the wrong foot already, with Ramsay asking them what's wrong with the picture. One of them can't wait to throw Nedra under the bus and ventures, "The gumbo?" but Ramsay's talking about the fact that of the four appetizers, two of them are salads, both with cheese. He likes the gumbo, but shits on Ja'Nel's salad with grilled peaches. Susan didn't cook her duck right. Everything's the same color. "Your dishes are supposed to knock the crap out of the Blue team," Ramsay informs them, and obviously being compared unfavorably to Blue is the unkindest cut of all.
It's only twenty minutes to service, so Red scrambles to rework the dishes, and then Ramsay gives them the OK, much less enthusiastically than he did for the men. He then reminds both teams that as tonight is a showcase for them, there's no excuse for them not to deliver, and Jean-Philippe opens the restaurant.