The remaining chefs walked into the Quickfire Challenge practically blind. Yes, they were given mystery ingredients. It was all very suspenseful. And as guest judge Wylie Dufresne (whether you love the guy or not, you gotta love his name--or at the very least, those mutton chops) explained, more mystery ingredients would follow but only one at a time. This meant that the chefs were faced with the challenge of cautiously seasoning and preparing their food so as not to ruin the end result. A fish of some sort and a can of fava beans (and a nice Chianti?) were two of their main ingredients. After a laborious 30 minutes filled with a plentiful amount of perspiration from all chefs, my gal Tiffany won with her fish stew. And, as Padme explained, this Quickfire was a "High Stakes" Quickfire, so Tiffany also walked away with $10,000. As expected, and hoped, Alex and Amanda ended up with the least-satisfying dishes. As we all know, the Quickfire Challenges are a bit of a hint to the Elimination Challenges, and this one stayed true to form. Going with the "mystery" theme, the chefs were given the task of taking a classic dish and disguising it while staying true to the dish's flavors. To take it a step further, they'd be cooking their meals in the kitchen of the C.I.A, and serving those meals to Leon Panetta himself, along with several other employees of the agency. I give you, the menu:
- French Onion Soup, as prepared by Amanda
- Chicken Cordon Bleu, as prepared by Ed
- Beef Wellington, as prepared by Angelo
- Kung Pao Shrimp, as prepared by Kelly
- Gyro, as prepared by Tiffany
- Cobb Salad, as prepared by Kevin
- Veal Parmesan, as prepared by Alex
Onto the weekly trip to Whole Foods. I've always wanted to be one of the people shopping in Whole Foods while the Top Chef crew comes rushing in. It would be exciting, and I'd probably spend more time looking for the chefs and observing how they buy their food, and less time taking care of my own needs. Alas, that experience has yet to take place. For now, I shall remain an eager viewer. It really is one of my favorite scenes in the show. It gives the viewers little hints and clues to what makes the chefs' meals what they are in the end. On one hand, we see Angelo resort to using FROZEN puff pastery for his disguised Beef Wellington. In Top Chef history, going with anything frozen has never worked out in anyone's favor. On the other hand, we see Kelly the go-getter. She's unfamiliar with Kung Pao Shrimp, so much so that she's never made it before. So what does she do? She goes to the Asian cooking aisle and picks up pre-made kung pao sauces, memorizes the ingredients, puts the sauce back where she found it, and goes to find the components needed to make her own sauce. THAT'S how you make lemonade out of a few lemons.
Onto the C.I.A's kitchen, and then the dining room where Leon, Padma, Wylie and the other diners await their disguised meals. I give you, the menu:
- French Onion Soup, as disguised by Amanda. Disguise: soup. Yes, she really stretched it. While it was almost too obvious that Amanda's dish was indeed French onion soup, according to the diners, it wasn't even that great of a dish. It was even compared to honey and lemon cough syrup--and later on, to dish water. I guess Amanda's career as a spy named Natasha will have to wait.
- Chicken Cordon Bleu, as disguised by Ed a.k.a Muffin Winthrop. Disguise: chicken wrapped in ham. It was like an inside-out version of the classic, and the diners responded well to it. Not only did it taste good, but it was creatively executed. I have to say, Muffin is kind of growing on me.
- Beef Wellington, as disguised by Angelo. Disguise: pizza. Yeah, um, it was a pizza with pre-made puff-pastry acting as the crust. I guess he tried to hide the classic, but he didn't try very hard. It's also not too great if your dish is thought of as "sad."
- Kung Pao Shrimp, as disguised by Kelly. Disguise: a sort of broth. And it worked. Not only was it difficult for people to figure out, but it apparently tasted delicious, so kudos to Kelly.
- Gyro, as disguised by Tiffany. Disguise: a lamb plate. To be honest, all I wrote in my notes in regards to the diners' reactions to Tiffany's dish was, "hooray." So that must mean she did well. Her dish had the best of both worlds. While it was a bit of a challenge to figure it out, the diners eventually came to the conclusion that there was a gyro hidden in there somewhere. And at the same time, all the flavors were there.
- Cobb Salad, as disguised by Kevin. Disguise: salad. Again, not much of a stretch, but at least it tasted good.
- Veal Parmesan, as disguised by Alex. Disguise: tortellini. Well, I'll just say that if frozen tortellini is thought of as better than your tortellini made from scratch, we have a bit of an issue.
Winner: Tiffany
Loser: Alex
Most Suspenseful/Most Overly Dramatic Moment: Leon Panetta looking at a note delivered to him during dinner, and mere seconds later excusing himself to attend to "business." Cue melodramatic Top Chef score.
Worst C.I.A.-Like Line (out of many): "In all your cases, your cover was blown." -Tom Colicchio on the chefs with the poorest dishes of the evening.
Until next week!
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