11/13/14

Episode 5- It's War!

Quickfire with Judge Jamie Bissonette! The challenge is to choose a fellow chef to take on in a head-to-head battle. The chef that is picked gets to choose the cooking method and dish! Its a sponsored challenge so the chef with best dish wins $10K- High Stakes challenge people!!!

And the battle begins-

Katsuji vs. Aaron- Smoked Salmon: Both looked ok- I didn't love either
Doug vs. Adam- Steamed Muscles: Both sounded good, but looked the same haha!
Keriann vs. Stacy- Trout En Papillote- Both looked decent
Melissa vs. Katie- Smoked BBQ: Katie's did sound as good to me, loved Melissa's though
Mei vs. Greg- Steamed Dumplings: Both looked great!

 Overall they all did really well! But there has to be a top and bottom!
On Top we had:
Katsuji
Doug
Keriann
Katie
Greg

 And the winner is Greg... again. He made Steamed Shrimp Dumpling With Ginger and Herbs.

 I like him, but am sick of him winning

Elimination Challenge- QF Winners vs. Losers! Head to head against a chef on the other team. The team with 3 wins is safe! Teams will have $1000 to feed 100 guests (Jamie said that's $2 a head right? WTF? Math man)

Head-to-head battles are:
Doug (Beef Tartare With Ginger Aioli, Radish, Chili Oil and Cilantro) vs. Adam (Salt and Pepper Grits With Cheddar Cheese, Poached Egg, Bacon and Onion Jam)
Katsuji (Tostada With Charred Cauliflower, Olive, Date, and Goat Cheese) vs. Melissa (White Gazpacho With Cucumber, Green Grapes, Marcona Almonds, and Mint)
Greg (Shitake Mushrooms and Coconut Milk Broth, Tumeric, Green Curry and Dill) vs. Mei (Kimchi Vegetables, New York Strip Loin and Scallion Salad)
Keriann (Herb Meatball With Red Onion Jam, Ginger Mustard, and Port Reduction) vs. Stacy (Marinated Beets, Pecan-Sage Yogurt, Horseradish Brittle, and Fresh Horseradish)
Katie (Imperial Stout Chocolate Cake With Smoked Sour Cream and Pomegranate-Molasses Strawberries) vs. Aaron (Pork Meatball and Scallop Noodles)

 It was nice to see them work as teams even though they were competing in head-to-head battles. Aaron lost his entire pot, hopefully that causes him to go home... fingers crossed!!!

I love Doug- Go 'Merica!!! Both chefs made some good dishes but the winner was ultimately Adam. Doug needed a bit more seasoning and Adam's was just more interesting to the judges. 


Katsuji faking a panic attack? WTF? His dish was very rich and heavy, but had good flavor. Melissa's was a bit too thin which cost her- Katsuji took the win- wow what a shock!
Greg's dish was cooked really well and seasoned perfectly. Mei cooked her beef perfectly and nailed it. Judges called it a "clash of the titans" and the winner is Greg... AGAIN.

 


Stacy cooked her beets really well, but the rest was a bit off. Keriann had an ok meatball but the jam was too sweet. And this could decide the war... but Stacy saved them with the win!
Last Battle and this decides who is on the bottom and who is on the top! Aaron's noodle fell apart and he blamed his bad, 2nd round dashi for bad dish. Katie's cake was classic and moist, but not exciting. This really was a battle at the table and the winner is Katie by a landslide! 
 

Blue Team is on top: Katsuji, Doug, Keriann, Katie and Greg


Up for elimination are Mei, Adam, Stacy Aaron and Melissa but Mei and Adam are taken out of the running for having good dishes! Come on- get rid of Aaron!!! Love that Greg called out Aaron! 

 And the Chef going home is AARON!!!! Finally!!!

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2 comments:

  1. Michal GreenbergFri Nov 14, 11:42:00 AM

    I'm so happy that Aaron is gone! Enough with the drama already, now the show will hopefully focus more on cooking.

    I absolutely adore Greg. He makes the competition part of the show boring, sure, but his heart is 100% in the right place. From his wolf bolo & the eager way he leans forward during his talking head interview to the way that he was looking out for his team even though this wasn't really a team challenge there's nothing I don't love about him.

    This may be the biggest landslide in Top Chef history. At this point I think it would take a MAJOR mess-up from him (and probably 2-3 mess-ups really) for Greg to go home. Every week he is blowing the judge's minds, and these are people so steeped in haute cuisine that I didn't think they were capable of having their minds blown anymore.

    Poor Mei! She's so incredibly talented too, but Greg is just at a higher level. She'd be the favorite on any normal Top Chef season I think. Hopefully she doesn't get discouraged by continually coming in 2nd to The Beast.

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  2. DougMon Nov 17, 12:14:00 PM

    Yay, no more listening to Aaron. Seeya sucker!

    Mei definitely ran into a humble freight train. If it were up to Mei, I think she would just keep challenging Greg over and over. I give it up to her for taking on the best, but I have a feeling she would lose a vast majority of those challenges. She'll still shine a few more times before this thing is done.

    I was impressed by the Blue's team strategy in picking their order for the elimination challenge. They really thought about it. The challenge was very close, but this foresight saw them through.

    Congrats to all pool teams for having the first week where all teams ended up in the positive category for their week total. Them Victory!, Deconstructed hasn't had a negative week yet, so we don't know what it's like to go backwards after an episode, but maybe the rest of you are starting to figure this thing out. ;)

    le'Chefre, the gap narrows between you and Pickley. And I happen to be getting a little thirsty. Coincidence?

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