Top Chef: Seattle Recap
By David Mumpower
February 27, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
What happens next is the greatest mystery this season. As I mentioned in last week’s recap, Last Chance Kitchen featured the reigning champion, Kristen, plus a pair of potential fan favorites in CJ and Lizzie. Josh also appeared and had a chance to return to Top Chef in time for the finale. Alas, he was quickly eliminated, although he at least lasted longer than CJ, who wasn’t even afforded the opportunity to cook. As near as I can tell, CJ was flown in long enough to be told that he had not won the Save a Chef Twitter challenge. Then, he was escorted out of Last Chance Kitchen.
Kristen and Lizzie were left to battle for the final spot. We the viewers were (inexplicably) given a cliffhanger about the challenge rather than a resolution. Still, as I mentioned last week, some enterprising Top Chef fan performed a frame by frame examination of the preview for this episode. They noticed the presence of Kristen’s tattoo, meaning that Kristen should be the third and final contender although there is a chance some of the losers are invited back to aid with the meals.
Tonight’s episode begins in Juneau, Alaska. Brooke and Sheldon are celebrating their shared accomplishment. They are the only two players yet to be eliminated this season. They know that they are technically not the final three as Tom Colicchio notified the players of Last Chance Kitchen early in the season. Still, this is a moment of triumph for two exceptional chefs who also happen to be quite likable. Other than the Josie fiasco, Top Chef won the casting war this season. They relish the experience by singing, dancing and playing ukulele. Judging by his chords, Sheldon is lucky he can cook.
After the music has stopped, we cut to Hawaii two weeks before the finale. Sheldon is shown working in his own kitchen as well as interacting with customers outside. Enough time has passed since the Alaska portion of the season that people are treating Sheldon like the new celebrity he is. The always affable Polynesian also has a beach cookout for family and friends. His wife, Janice, and their three adorable daughters have a wonderful time eating and splashing in the water. Even if Sheldon loses, his daily life still looks paradisiacal.
While Sheldon appears focused and ready, Brooke’s experience in Los Angeles is a bit different. She laments that during her downtime prior to the finale, she has spent a lot of time running the business side of her restaurants. The money management has prevented her from preparing for the finale the way she would have liked. Brooke is enjoying being reunited with her son, though. The little fellow has a beautiful smile but I enjoy him the most when he admonishes Mommy for being too fussy about his hairstyle. “It doesn’t have to be like that!” Yeah, mom!
Brooke and her husband share an unusual relationship in that they met when he worked for her. As romance blossomed, they wound running a pair of restaurants together. I imagine that the division between their personal and work lives is non-existent. The two of them relish an opportunity to have a romantic dinner to honor Brooke’s achievement on Top Chef. She does state that she expects Kristen to be her opponent at the end, which is an interesting insight as to who she views as the best contender other than herself this season. Kristen and Brooke need to go into business together.
During this meal, they are met by Roy Choi, who had judged Brooke’s dish in the most recent episode. Several months have passed for them, though. Brooke states her concern about the lack of preparation but Choi and her mentor, Sang Yoon, are used to this sort of poor-mouthing from their friend. They reinforce what she already knows, that Brooke is the favorite of the remaining players.
Another abrupt edit shows Brooke and Sheldon reintroducing themselves as they drive to Craft in Los Angeles. Brooke will have the home field advantage in the finale as a resident of the city. I particularly like that Top Chef: Seattle will, despite the title, finish the season where it started. In the first episode, Tom Colicchio tested applicants such as John Tesar at Craft. Tonight, a similar request will be made of the three remaining players. And yes, now is the time when the third player is revealed.
As expected, Kristen walks through the door as the champion of Last Chance Kitchen. Well done, anal-retentive Top Chef fan who painstakingly examined every frame of footage to discover her identity! Sheldon and Brooke demonstrate no surprise as Kristen re-enters. Everyone knows that she was at worst co-favorite at the time of her unfair elimination.
Sheldon is now dropped to third in the power rankings. All of the accolades from Food & Wine Magazine and James Beard mean nothing relative to his placement among the women, both of whom outperformed him all season. The question becomes whether Sheldon can achieve an upset. If not, we will in fact have the second female winner of Top Chef. That is the expected result in my estimation.
There is no Quickfire challenge in this episode. Instead, Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi reveal the details of the Elimination challenge. When Craft opens in three hours, the chefs will be preparing the meals. The trio of finalists is required to prepare an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. Wait, did I say finalists? That’s not right. This is not the final meal of the season. Instead, someone will be eliminated and the final two players will compete next week in the finale. I really need to pay more attention to the TV listings. This stupid Save a Chef/Last Chance Kitchen stuff has had me confused all season long. We are not at the end, after all. I apologize for the mistake in last week’s Power Rankings.
The three players demonstrate different levels of awareness in planning their meals. Brooke never seems to know what she will cook until she actually plates the first dish. Sheldon, confident over his practice over the past few months, intends to be daring. Rather than cooking the same heritage-inspired meals he has prepared all season, Sheldon wants to go outside his comfort zone to impress the judges. This is a risky decision with a lot of upside/downside. Kristen falls somewhere in the middle of her opponents. She seems hesitant and unsure of herself during the planning phase but she does have a strong idea of the three courses she will build.
The aggravation during the evening largely stems from Tom Colicchio. I am unsure of the cause for his behavior, but he is particularly aggressive toward the remaining Top Chef candidates. It is possible that Colicchio wants to protect the Craft brand he has worked so hard to establish. It is equally likely that he simply wants to keep the pressure on the players throughout the night to see whether the participants can weather the storm. I think it is probably a bit of both. Tom’s emotions may be every bit as erratic as those of the contestants. Whatever the reason, he comes across as a nasty boss, which is surprising since he is ordinarily such a kind and thoughtful man on the show.
The judges this evening include Emeril Lagasse and Hugh Acheson. Also participating in semi-finals criticism are Martin Yan and John Besh, the respective owners of M.Y. China and Besh Restaurant Group. No Wolfgang Puck? Boo!
The judges have nine plates of food to evaluate. The first is Sheldon’s sashimi spot prawns, court bouillon, radish & Asian herbs. There is universal praise for the dish. Next up is Kristen’s chestnut velouté, duck rillette & Brussels sprouts. Hugh Acheson quickly points out that the dish is too plain on its own, desperately needing a hit of acid. Brooke finally settles upon a crispy veal sweetbread salad with kumquat, beets & mustard. Everyone loves the flavor but the beet’s presence is considered questionable.
As the main courses begin, Kristen presents seared Ahi tuna with veal mustard jus & Meyer lemon purée. Padma is nonplussed by her lemon curd while John Besh finds the dish a touch salty. Brooke delivers what I consider to be the best looking dish of the night, braised short ribs, parmesan sauces, nettle purée & squash dumplings. The judges and the guests rave about this dish. Sheldon finishes the course with roasted quail, pine nut purée, garam masala & tangerine. The following statements are made regarding the dish. “This is not Sheldon.” “He’s been brainwashed.” “I want the old Sheldon.” I had thought after the first course that he was going to earn a spot in the finals. I am now 70% sure he’s going to be the odd man out, and not just because he’s the only man remaining.
The dessert course makes me very hungry. Brooke creates this majestic brown butter cake, whipped goat cheese & blackberry sauce. It is decadence on a plate. The judges adore it. Brooke is going to the finale, as she should. Kristen also serves a tasty looking dish, curry chocolate with cashews. Padma loves it but Hugh firmly states that chocolate and curry are a mismatched pairing. In addition, “It’s a really basic dessert.”
Sheldon delivers a dessert that is way too bare for my taste. I want a stack of calories to look like a stack of calories. Sheldon’s dish looks like three apple slices served with miniature scale trees. It is a white chocolate mousse with apple & fennel. I would be hard pressed to point out where the white chocolate is on the plate. Apparently, the raw fennel overpowers the dish completely. Unless I am reading the tea leaves poorly, the difference between Brooke and the other contenders tonight is fairly dramatic, which is amusing since she has been on the verge of tears all night over her performance.
Judges Table involves much celebration of Brooke’s talents and even more criticism of the other two players. Everyone goes out of their way to point out that the old Sheldon was much better than the new and improved Sheldon. They question his decision not to roast his nuts, his usage of fennel and many of his other choices. Overall, Sheldon cooked good food but he did not provide the dazzling flavors that the judges had grown to expect from him. I am reminded of Kevin Gillespie’s struggles during the finale of Top Chef: Las Vegas.
The defining moment of Kristen’s Judges Table experience occurs when Padma mentions that she wanted to dip Kristen’s tuna in Brooke’s sauce. Ouch! Brooke smiles at this while Kristen looks as if she has been slapped in the face. Kristen also knows that her dessert is a train wreck. When Emeril defends the flavor of the dish, Tom makes a face and mumbles under his breath about the madness of such a statement. Kristen may be in trouble after all.
As the judges prepare to announce the eliminated player, Tom recoils at the idea of losing one of these three cheftestants. Only Top Chef: Las Vegas featured as strong a trio at the end, and that group was not as likable (nothing personal, Voltaggios…I still have your granola bag stuck on my refrigerator) as these three extraordinarily pleasant people. Padma fights back tears as she announces that Sheldon will not be competing in the finals. Kristen vs. Brooke, the match-up everyone wanted, is a reality. Still, I feel horrible for Sheldon, one of my favorite contestants ever.