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Keriann, on the other hand, has finished training her wait staff, but she might as well have been shucking and cleaning clam shells, too. Her staff is still confused and has no idea what they’re supposed to do or how service is going to run. Katie freaks out and starts training them.

Finally, dinner starts and two familiar Top Chef faces have showed up at Katie’s restaurant, now dubbed Magellan (as, I’m assuming, a way to justify their eclectic, international menu). We see Kristin Kish’s (winner of Top Chef 10) gorgeous face, and behind her, a barely recognizable Stephanie from last season (I’m not loving the new hairdo, Stephanie).

Meanwhile, the judges head over to 4 Pigs. They love the décor. The appetizers come out first and we have salt-baked clams with ramps and bacon from Adam, and a chicken-liver toast with plum puree. The puree is added as little purple globs on the toast, which uncomfortably remind me of chicken pox blisters.

Gail likes the clams, and so does Tom, who finds the food a bit heavy, but acknowledges that it has great flavor. Gail finds Mei’s toast “really tasty.” Barbara says that it’s a bit like eating peanut butter and jelly - Padma agrees but really digs it.

Meanwhile, at Magellan, there’s total confusion. Tables are being brought duplicate dishes, waiters have no idea which plates are supposed to be taken where, Katie’s incomprehensible system of recording which tables have received which courses is in total conflict with reports being brought back from waiters, etc. There are serious problems with Keriann’s handling of the front of the house, which prompts Katie to bypass Keriann and establish some direct lines of communication with the wait staff. It’s a total mess.

Cut back to 4 Pigs. Tom notes that service is proceeding at a good clip. The diners are happy and the servers are happy.

The judges are presented with their entrees for the night. Doug has a braised pork shoulder with baked beans, Melissa has a seared scallop with a radish salad, and finally Mei has some fried brussels sprouts with anchovy vinaigrette.

Gail loves the acid in Mei’s brussels sprouts, but finds that it’s a bit overpowering as you eat more of them. Everyone adores Doug’s pork. Tom likes Melissa’s scallop but notes that it’s a bit salty. Apparently Padma got a really seasoned scallop because she exclaims, “oh my god, it’s so salty.”

On the other side of the warehouse, Megellan is still dealing with service bedlam. There’s still confusion as to which tables need which courses. Duplicate dishes are dumped in the trash, and new dishes are fired. Katsuji is grateful that he prepared more food than he’d initially thought he’d need.

Back at 4 Pigs, the judges have their dessert: a buttermilk biscuit cobbler with apples and mixed berries and cardamom - a joint effort from Melissa and Mei. It looks absolutely delicious. Padma absolutely loves the cardamom cream and Tom finds it appropriately rustic, keeping in the style of the restaurant. He pushes back in his chair, commenting that the team made some mistakes but was conceptually consistent from start to finish.

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