Thai German? Really?

Recapped by Kim · Aired 01-09-2013 · S10E10

Quickfire Challenge: Create a dish highlighting real ginger, and they only have fifteen minutes. Wolfgang Puck is the judge, and his least favorites are Sheldon's pedestrian stir-fry, and Josh's underwhelming dessert. His favorites are Brooke's caramel ginger squid, Stefan's tuna tartare, and Lizzie's watermelon ginger soup with fresh mint. Lizzie is thrilled to be in the top three after nearly leaving last week, but ultimately the winner is Brooke.

Elimination Challenge: This is the first part of Restaurant Wars. They have to create a dish that would represent their restaurant's concept for presentation at a Seattle festival. The two winners get to build their restaurants as executive chefs in part two. Here are the dishes:

Josh: His concept is a neighborhood bistro and his dish is seared eye of rib eye with cauliflower puree and mushroom red wine sauce. The judges like both the look and the taste, but think the steak is underseasoned. Tom calls it "comfortable and earthy."

Lizzie: Her concept is Northern Italian farmhouse kitchen, and her dish is mustard green canederli with fonduta and crispy speck. Are those all real words or did she make some up? Tom thinks it tastes good but it's a little heavy, and Gail compares the sauce to American cheese.

Sheldon: His concept is modern Filipino and his dish is sour tamarind soup with pork belly, shrimp, and snapper. The judges like the flavors as well as the presentation. Padma calls it authentic and elegant.

Stefan: His concept is German Thai and his dish is Thai lobster bisque with shrimp dumplings, potatoes, and radishes, and then a Bavarian cream mango lollipop. Gail likes the flavors but it needs herbs. Tom likes the concept but doesn't think the dish shows it off, and various people think the lollipop doesn't match with the soup.

Micah: His concept is raw food and his dish is salmon, snapper, himachi squid, scallop and mackerel with raw vegetables. The judges think it looks like a mess and Gail thinks there's not enough dressing. One judge points out that you can have raw fish when you have sushi, so what's the point?

Kristen: Her concept is classic French with a spin, and her dish is onsen egg with camembert mustard sauce and buttered radishes. The judges like the radishes and think the egg is cooked perfectly.

Brooke: Her concept is modern Jewish food and her dish is matzo ball soup with duck confit and toasted black rye bread. Her suggested restaurant name is Unkosher and one of the dishes she threw out to Tom was ham on challah. I don't know if she's Jewish or not, but I feel like that's a bit offensive? Gail likes the soup but not the matzo ball and everyone likes the bread. Tom thinks she should have used the rye bread for the matzo ball.

Josie: Her concept is Miami (I guess?) and her dish is pureco asado, black bean chorizo croquette, pickles and mojo sauce. As with the berry challenge, Josie struggles to get her food cooked and out to the diners. The judges think the pork is dry and flavorless, and that's a big problem.

The top three are Josh, Kristen, and Sheldon, and they announce that the two winners are Kristen and Sheldon, so we will be seeing their concepts fleshed out week.

Sheldon and Kristen have to choose their teams without knowing who's going home. Kristen chooses Brooke, Lizzie, and Josie. Sheldon chooses Josh, Stefan, and Micah. They realize they chose women versus men.

The bottom three are Micah, Josie, and Lizzie. They felt Micah's dish was just a mess of stuff, and he should have carved to order. Lizzie's dish was too heavy and gummy. Josie's dish consisted of dry pork and a soggy bean cake. Ultimately, Micah is sent home because the judges didn't like his concept or the execution.

The morning after John's elimination, Josh mentions that he's pretty happy that John's gone. Stefan sits out on the balcony smoking and jokes that his morning friend is gone. I get the vibe that it was tough to live with John in the loft. If this were the type of competition where people didn't have to live together, maybe everyone would have tolerated John more. Or not. He was a huge blowhard and dipshit. As they all stand around, Josie yells, "Asians represent!" and laughs her stoner laugh as she points at herself, Sheldon, Micah and Kristen. Everyone just rolls their eyes. I wonder if the cheftestants could choose, would they have eliminated John or Josie? Who's more annoying?

The cheftestants arrive for the Quickfire Challenge and find Wolfgang Puck standing there with Padma. Brooke reveals that for her seventeenth birthday, she ate at Puck's Spago. Food nerd alert! Padma explains the challenge: use ginger to make something. Anything. It's a sponsored challenge, which explains the lameness. Oh, and they also only have fifteen minutes.

Time starts and everyone scrambles. Kristen has a really interesting technique: she puts ginger and other ingredients in a pressurized canister (like what's used to make whipped cream?) and the pressure infuses the ginger into the other ingredients. Sheldon is basically making a stir-fry, which seems a little lame. I mean, that's what I would make, although I'm sure Sheldon's is better, but it doesn't seem very refined. Things get frantic with one minute left but everyone manages to get a dish on the plate.

Wolfgang and Padma head to Josh first. He made white chocolate and ginger soup with fresh peaches and tarragon. Josie made seared scallop with ginger-honey yogurt and miso-ginger sauce. Again, I'm sure it tastes good but that's pretty basic and obvious. Wolfgang says that the scallop is nicely cooked. Brooke made ginger-caramel squid with fresh lime and chili powder. See, now that's unique. We haven't seen a ton of squid on this show where it seems like every other dish is a scallop. Lizzie made a watermelon-ginger soup with fresh mint. It looks like gazpacho. Micah made a ginger shrimp salad with radish, plum, ponzu vinaigrette and fried crispy ginger. Padma likes the addition of plum.

Moving on to Kristen, she made a shaved fennel-ginger salad with brie and tomatoes. She explains her technique with the pressurized canister and Wolfgang is impressed. Sheldon made wok fried ginger skirt steak with ginger and oranges. It's basically a dish from P.F. Chang's. Stefan made ahi tuna with lemongrass and ginger vinaigrette. Stefan speaks German to Wolfgang to suck up a little bit.

By Kim

Wolfgang was impressed with the dishes he got in the short prep time. His bottom dishes were Sheldon, who made pedestrian Chinese food (Sheldon knows he deserved that), and Josh, whose dessert lacked flavor and was underwhelming. His top dishes were Brooke's creative and inventive squid dish, Stefan's simple California-style dish and Lizzie's beautiful, simple and well-balanced dish. Lizzie is thrilled that she's not in the bottom after nearly being eliminated. Wolfgang announces that the winner is Brooke. Between her and Kristen, I hope we have a female winner this season. Anyway, Brooke has immunity.

Padma and Wolfang prepare to announce the Elimination Challenge, but first they are joined by Danny Meyer, who owns a hospitality group that runs many famous and successful restaurants, and he gave Tom Collichio his first restaurant. The cheftestants are visibly impressed, since this dude could make their culinary careers. His appearance could only mean one thing: it's time for Restaurant Wars. But, Padma explains, they're doing things a little differently this season. Before the actual Restaurant Wars challenge, each cheftestant will create a dish to represent their restaurant concept, and present it at Bite of Seattle. Two winners will be chosen, and those two will get to "open" their restaurant concept (with a team of their fellow cheftestants) in the challenge, and they will get $10,000 each. Wow. Padma explains that they will have to prepare two hundred servings, so there will be four sous chefs to help out.

So let's go shopping! Josie interviews that she didn't make it to Restaurant Wars in her original season so she wants to do this up right. I can't believe she's still in the competition, honestly. She's just been lucky to screw up on weeks where others screwed up worse, I guess. Sheldon's restaurant concept is elevated Filipino food, so he plans to take a dish his grandfather used to cook and refine it. Micah recently turned into a raw food convert (oh no) so he wants to showcase what raw food can do for you. I really don't get fine dining that serves raw food. I mean, you would have to do SOMETHING to convince people they can't just eat it at home, right? Like have a unique combination of flavors, I guess? Unfortunately, the meat that they have can't be served raw, so he has to go with fish. So he's making sushi? Kristen grabs a bunch of radishes. She interviews that the past year-and-a-half has been really life-changing for her. She ended a relationship and basically had to start her life over.

By Kim

The cheftestants return to the kitchen and find their sous chefs -- Kumiko, Chrissy, Carla, and Eliza. Josh interviews that he's basing his restaurant concept around his late father's favorites. Josh earns some sympathy when he says that his father passed away unexpectedly three years ago, since my mom died suddenly almost eight years ago and I still miss her every goddamned day. Anyway, Josh's dad liked simple meat and potatoes food, so that's what Josh is going to cook.

Josie explains her restaurant concept to Kumiko; it's called Home 305 which I guess is the area code for Miami? Anyway, Josie's cooking homestyle Cuban food. Lizzie's concept is based on a recent trip to Northern Italy, which isn't what most people think of when they think of Italian food; it's more influenced by German and Austrian food. Micah gets Kumiko to cut his fish, because he's no dummy. Josh interviews the same thing I said earlier -- that raw food doesn't seem to highlight your talents as a chef.

Tom shows up and talks to Stefan about his concept, which is Thai German. That's a fusion I've never seen before and never thought I'd see. We'll see if Stefan can make it work. Tom clearly gets a kick out of Stefan. , he visits Brooke, who explains that she's making an elevated matzoh ball soup with rye bread, because her concept is Jewish food gone awry, like challah ham sandwiches, and she plans to call it Unkosher. That's creative but also seems a little... offensive? Like people who keep kosher aren't like people who eat raw food. It's not just a lifestyle choice, it's a religious belief. Maybe I'm being overly sensitive. If I knew for sure if Brooke were Jewish, that might make a difference. It's like that Jewish magazine Heeb. If it were written and produced by a bunch of Christians, it would be offensive. Since it's written and produced by Jews, it's less so, although I do remember the title engendering controversy when it debuted. [Note: There's actually a restaurant near the Hasidic section of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, more cleverly called Traif (which means unkosher) that was definitely the source of controversy.-- Rachel]

Kristen tells Tom that though she's already won money, she wants to continue winning. Her concept is French contemporary. Tom wishes everyone luck and peaces out. Everyone wraps all their food on the racks and thanks the sous chefs.

By Kim

It's Sheldon's birthday! He's 30! He calls home and talks to his family, which is usually the kiss of death, along with the birthday curse. Now I'm really worried for Sheldon.

Everyone shows up at Bite of Seattle and starts setting up with the help of the sous chefs. Josh interviews that if he wins the money, he's going to take his wife on a trip to New Orleans. Kumiko comments that Micah is lucky because it's not too hot out; his raw fish dish probably wouldn't do well in the heat, for sure. Josie isn't done as time runs out so she's going to be scrambling yet again.

The cheftestants start serving as the judges (Tom, Padma, Gail and Danny Meyer) show up at the event. Danny tells Tom that he remembers when they first met at a similar event and Tom laughs that he still had hair then. They flash a picture on the screen and wow does Tom look better bald. Maybe it's just a bad picture. Anyway, Danny still remembers the sea urchin dish that Tom made and Tom says he still serves that dish in one of his restaurants. But it goes to show that one superior dish can open doors.

The judges visit Josh's booth first. His concept is a neighborhood bistro and his dish is seared eye of rib eye with cauliflower puree and mushroom red wine sauce. Lizzie is up and her concept is Northern Italian farmhouse kitchen, and her dish is mustard green canederli with fonduta and crispy speck. Are those all real words or did she make some up?

The judges sit down to taste. Padma thinks Josh's dish looks nice and Gail says that it tastes nice too. Danny likes the seasoning on the mushrooms but finds the steak underseasoned. Tom thinks the dish conveys comfort, which was his concept. They move on to Lizzie's dish, and Danny knows a lot about Northern Italian food. Tom tastes it and says that the flavor is great but it's a little heavy. Gail notes that it looks like a slice of American cheese has been melted over the top; contrary to what I would think, that's not a compliment.

The judges head to Sheldon's booth . His concept is modern Filipino and his dish is sour tamarind soup with pork belly, shrimp and snapper. Stefan's concept is German Thai and his dish is Thai lobster bisque with shrimp dumplings, potatoes and radishes, and then a Bavarian cream mango lollipop. Gail is confused that he made two dishes, and Stefan explains that the main dish is spicy but his dessert is to cool it down. Padma notes that it's the same dish that he made in the Season Five finale.

By Kim

Gail likes Stefan's broth but wishes there were some herbs. Danny doesn't get the lollipop, and hates that the last bite of Stefan's food was so lame because it made him forget that he liked the bisque. Tom understands Stefan's concept but doesn't think this dish illustrated it well. Padma and Gail like Sheldon's presentation, and Danny says that the flavors are interesting and attention-getting. That's a compliment. Padma is impressed that Sheldon made such an authentic dish look so good.

Micah's concept is raw food and his dish is salmon, snapper, himachi squid, scallop and mackerel with raw vegetables. Gail asks Micah if he's thought a lot about this concept, and Micah says he has, because chefs in Beverly Hills have to think about the ladies who like to watch their figures. Gross, Micah. I mean, those women absolutely exist, but can't you just say that people in California tend to be more interested in healthy food or something? Kristen's concept is classic French with a spin, and her dish is onsen egg with camembert mustard sauce and buttered radishes.

The judges eat Kristen's dish first. Danny loves the poached radish, and Gail says that her egg is perfect. Tom agrees. Gail thinks that everyone wants to do rustic and homestyle, but Kristen has brought a level of formality back that's refreshing. Tom really, really hates Micah's dish. He doesn't like the presentation, he doesn't like the fact that the fish is pre-sliced, and he wanted Micah to take some risks. Gail thinks the vinaigrette is nice, but there's not enough of it. Danny points out that they already have sushi, so why do they need this dish?

Josie is doing the Josie show yet again because her food isn't ready so she's trying to be charming but she's not charming. Brooke interviews that she's cringing while watching people wait and wait and wait for Josie's food, just like at the Berry Festival. Anyway, Brooke's concept is modern Jewish food and her dish is matzo ball soup with duck confit and toasted black rye bread. The judges walk up to Josie's booth as she explains that her concept is Miami (I guess?) and her dish is pureco asado, black bean chorizo croquette, pickles and mojo sauce. She adds that, "You can't get closer to my heart right now," and Tom snarks, "Hopefully, you can get it closer to my plate." Whoo, Tom. Two snaps up in a circle, girl.

The judges try Brooke's dish first. Gail loves the broth with the duck confit, but says that the matzo ball is "offensive to my people." Gail adds that the bread is great. Tom wonders if Brooke could have pushed the concept further and made the matzo ball out of the dark rye bread and Danny agrees. Moving on to Josie's pork, Gail says that the pork is completely dried out and flavorless. Yikes. Tom thinks the croquette is soggy, but the biggest problem is the pork.

Padma wants to talk about the chefs overall, and Gail thinks (surprise!) that there were winners and losers. Thanks, Chef Obvious. On the losing side, Stefan's dish didn't exemplify his concept well, especially the German part. Padma didn't like Micah's dish, and Danny adds that it had bad flavor and didn't seem like it came from his heart. On the other side, Josie's concept had a lot of heart but her pork was really dry and flavorless.

Weird interstitial. Padma asks Tom and Danny how they nailed down the dishes when they opened Gramercy. Danny says he stayed out of Tom's way, and that if people freak out, you might be onto something, and also if people copy you.

In the Stew Room, Stefan tells everyone how he managed to get a blender that was overpowered and spewed lobster bisque all over one of the guest's shirts. Padma wanders in aimlessly as usual and asks to see Sheldon, Kristen and Josh. Once those three are in front of the judges, Padma tells them that they're the top three. Tom thinks they all had interesting concepts and their dishes illustrated them well. Gail loves Josh's concept and could imagine a neighborhood restaurant from that dish. Padma loved Kristen's dish, and Kristen says that she loves to make indulgent food. Danny loved all of the different flavors and layers in Sheldon's soup, and Tom says that every element had a place and a purpose.

Danny announces the winners, and they are Kristen and Sheldon. Aw. I feel bad for old Josh even though he's kind of my enemy. It must be hard to be the one non-winner in the group. Tom reminds Kristen and Sheldon that they will face off against one another as executive chefs, and Padma adds that they'll get empty spaces and build their restaurants from scratch. She explains that they will go back to the Stew Room and choose their staffs, but one of the cheftestants will still be eliminated, so one team will lose a member before they even start.

Kristen and Sheldon return to the Stew Room and choose teams, playground-style. Kristen takes Brooke first, and Sheldon takes Josh. Kristen takes Lizzie and Sheldon takes Stefan. Kristen curses, but if she wanted Stefan, she should have taken him. Maybe she thinks he's going home. Then Kristen takes Josie and Sheldon takes Micah, and it ends up women (Kristen, Brooke, Lizzie, Josie) versus men (Sheldon, Josh, Stefan and Micah).

Padma walks back in and calls out Micah, Josie and Lizzie. Kristen is like, "SHIT" since two out of three are her team members. Padma asks Micah if he was happy with how his dish turned out, and Micah says it's close to his heart. Gail didn't like how the fish was served, and Micah says that he sliced it the night before and assembled the dish on site. Micah adds that her wanted to do beef tenderloin but the store didn't have it. Tom says he'd rather have one type of fish perfectly sliced in front of them than many different types thrown together.

By Kim

Lizzie explains that her dish was Northeastern Italian and she worries that she didn't explain it to them well enough when serving. Well, that's condescending. Did she just assume that the judges don't know enough about cuisine to understand her dish? Tom says that her dumpling was undercooked and Danny adds that the sauce was too heavy and gummy.

Josie says that she got a lot of good feedback, and some of her pork was well done but some was fattier. Danny says that his pork fought back, and Gail says that her pork was bland and tasted like grease. Tom thinks Josie is more concerned with the Josie show than executing her dish well, like how she made a crispy bean cake but drowned it in vinegar and made it soggy.

Tom says that some of them had a good concept but the cooking wasn't on par (Josie and Lizzie) and some of them didn't have a good concept, and chose from their head instead of their heart (Micah). Padma announces that Micah's going home. Hey, remember all those cheftestants who talked about how great they are? Micah, CJ, John? They're all gone. It's just Josh and Stefan left on the cockiness front. In Micah's exit interview, he says that he's not sure if any of the cheftestants left are better than him. Oh, Lord.

So here's what happened on Last Chance Kitchen. Stop reading now if you don't want to know!

Micah and CJ had to prepare a raw dish using beef, lamb, duck, or bison. CJ invented pickled duck fat, which Tom actually liked after doubting it when he heard of the concept. Micah made a good dish but used raw shallots, which were overpowering. In the end, Tom thought CJ's dish was the best one he's made so far, and Big Ceej continues his reign.