Episode 2- Boston's FInest

The opening with Aaron is interesting- he really rubs me wrong! It will be interesting to see how long he lasts- hard to know with the assholes!

Todd English as the guest judge is always fun!

Quickfire- make the ultimate surf and turf! There is no immunity but this is a High Stakes QF with $5K on the line! 

The ingredients are quite interesting- makes this challenge very fun, but I do wish the playing field was a bit more equal- it's frustrating when their ingredients are all so luck-based. There is so much skill in having to just adapt and change on a dime, I wish they did these types of challenges a bit later in the season.
 
Top: Katsuji did well with his pepper jelly and uni and James really handled the bacon well

Bottom: Joy was just off with the beef and veal, Stacy's pork chop was overcooked and seasoned poorly

The winner is James with his Sauteed Mussels with Boar Bacon Broth, Sauteed Fiddlehead Ferns, Sauerkraut, and Tosaka 

Elimination Challenge- Cooking for Boston's Finest, the Boston Police and Fire Departments! The challenge is to work together in teams and create a cohesive dish with whatever is on site that day! This is an honorable challenge and everyone seems excited for it! They pulled knives and here is the order they get their ingredients and serve-
Team 1 (Red): Katie, Katsuji, Mei
Team 2 (Blue): Greg, Rebecca, Adam
Team 3 (Grey): Doug, James
Team 4 (Yellow): Joy, Melissa, Ron
Team 5 (Green): Aaron, Keriann, Stacy

Cooking in teams with one dish is REALLY hard! Again, Aaron is an ass, but Keriann is also being a bitch- poor Stacy! They're like high school kids who are picking on each other for the hell of it. Maybe they're attracted to one-another? 

Team Red did well even with Katsuji- they made Pea Coconut Puree with Sauteed Halibut, Pickled Rhubarb, Cherry and Grilled Fennel Slaw! Team Blue had my favorite sounding dish- Filet Mignon, Parsnip Puree, Pan Seared Scallops, and Marcona Vinaigrette and again, the team did a good job! Team Grey did have an advantage with just 2 people and they're both really good chefs- they made Grilled Pork Chop with Grilled Stone Fruit Salad, Morel Mushrooms, and Walnuts. Team Yellow made Maple and Vanilla Wood-Roasted Veal Chop with Vanilla-Scented Celery Wood Puree and Citrus Kale Slaw and it was undercooked- eww, so gross. The dish did NOT sound good to me and the vanilla was so out of place. Team Green is a mess. They made Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Bourbon Onion Jam and Fresh Corn Salad with Serrano Chiles. Stacy had the only good part of the dish even though she was slow to finish her part which did not help Aaron and Keriann get along. I cannot believe Aaron threw Keriann under the bus so much too, then she attacked him back- bad form!

Red and Blue were on top, Green and Yellow on bottom, Grey in the middle!

In the end it was Team Blue that took the win! It really did look great!

For the Green Team, Aaron's Jam was terrible and he was in trouble taking shortcuts. Keriann's corn was super starchy and the raw onion didn't help- they were not cooking like chefs. 

Yellow Team's vanilla overpowered the dish and the raw meat was a big oops. They worked well together, but trusted each other a bit too much I think. 

And Team Yellow with the loss- hard to overcome not cooking meat.

Unfortunately that meant Joy and her undercooked meat had to go! SO sad, I really liked her! I can't believe she was the one to go, but I agree with the judges- sad loss for Pickley!

Next week looks awesome!!!!!!!