Episode Report Card Daniel: B- | 3 USERS: B- YOU GRADE IT 20 Chefs Compete
By Daniel | Season 11 | Episode 1/2 | Aired on 03.12.2013
Next up: Susan from Orange County and lead cook Jeremy from L.A. He made a stuffed steak with smoked gouda, and things get off to a bad start when he doesn't even seem to know if the steak he just made is a ribeye or not. "So you're a lead cook and you haven't got a fucking clue what you're cooking," says Ramsay. He holds up five fingers to Susan to make sure she isn't in fact blind, since he can see from here that her lamb is raw. "Are you seriously trying to kill me?" he asks. Oooh! Is there a Ramsay-assassination subplot this season?
After the commercial break, we come back to find out if Susan is actually trying to kill Ramsay. It turns out the answer is no, and he also spits out her couscous with currants and toasted pine nuts, because it's overcooked. "Is this funny for you?" he asks. I suppose it's Susan's fault that she's on a show to find a great chef and SHE'S NOT ACTUALLY A CHEF, yet but whatever. No points awarded.
Executive chefs Ja'nel from Houston and Ray from Boston are up next. She made Thai grilled prawns with a spicy Asian pesto. He whines that there are just two prawns, wondering if they're on a budget or a diet. She -- at his prompting -- passes it off as an appetizer. At any rate, he says she nailed it. As for Ray -- the oldest chef in Hell's Kitchen, we learn -- his orange mess on a plate is a stuffed veal cutlet with prosciutto and gruyere cheese, topped with a homemade piece of something I don't know what he said. Ramsay says it's cooked to perfection, and the competition has just gone up a level. Both teams get a point.
Line cook Gina from the Bronx takes on head cook Dan from Westchester, N.Y. She made penne with meatballs and stuffed braciole with Italian sausage. He asks if she picked it up at a buffet, because it's bland and the penne's undercooked. Meanwhile, Dan's plate looks like someone threw up on it, according to Ramsay. It's supposed to be eggs benedict with a champagne hollandaise sauce, sourdough bread, heirloom potatoes and sautéed spinach. Ramsay says it's fitting it was made in Vegas, because whoever eats it is sure to get the craps.
Time to speed things up a bit. Executive chef Amanda from Orange County and chef de cuisine Jon from York, Pa., both get points. Head chef Cyndi from Queens takes on executive chef Michael from Plains, Pa. Both dishes are good, but Michael gets the edge. The score is tied at three.
Chef tournant Jessica from NYC squares off against line chef Anthony from New Orleans. She made a pan-seared wahoo with vegetable succotash and a lemon-thyme vinaigrette. Ramsay wants to know why she cooked a wahoo for him if she works at a steakhouse, but he still says the dish is lovely. Anthony has made a New Orleans barbecue scallop po'boy -- Ramsay makes fun of his plating (he's got the side in a separate dish), and then he calls the dish disgusting, with raw scallops. "You just embarrassed New Orleans cuisine." Point to the women.