Top Chef Washington DC: Tiffany Gets “Mussel-ed” Out
Rankings and Commentary by Donna Emery
September 3, 2010
This week on Top Chef, the cheftestants had to create dishes to pair with wine and then had to make food that could be freeze-dried and sent into space.
And though the judges were hard-pressed to find any major faults with anyone’s food, they did have a few comments/critiques for each.
No matter who they chose this week, they knew they’d be sending home a talented chef. But Tiffany’s ouster this week – just two weeks away from her doubleheader win – seemed unexpected.
The episode began with Angelo and Kelly talking about how they missed their loved ones. Kelly was missing her husband; she was used to doing everything with him and it was tough for her to do this alone. Angelo missed his fiancee and son, which is understandable, but I was surprised to hear him say he’d just gotten divorced last year. (His wife’s family allegedly would have preferred he be a doctor or lawyer; instead of a chef, according to him) And he has a foreign fiancee already? Something tells me there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Kevin admits he’s “dodged some big bullets” (and not only in the kitchen; with his temper) but is ready to do his best to win it all. So is everyone else, Kevin – and your “A” game hasn’t exactly always been on top of the heap.
When they enter the Quickfire kitchen, they see Padma and food and wine critic Dana Cowin – and a bunch of wine bottles and glasses. Ooooh, goody; party time! But instead, they are to choose a wine and cook something to precisely pair it with. And the winner of the challenge will get a trip to London. Sounds good to me.
Kevin decides he wants to braise some pork, even though that’s hard to do in an hour. Angelo says understanding wine helps him be a better chef. Ed is still excited from his doubleheading win, last week.
Toward the end, Kevin finally gave up on his pork – and quickly found and grilled some quail.
When Dana and Padma come in, they sample everyone’s dishes. Tiffany paired a Two Hands Shiraz with a beef tenderloin and risotto.
Kevin paired his Tangy Oaks Merlot with quail and an apple salad. Dana picks up the incongruity of quail with red wine and Kevin knows he’s sunk.
Angelo’s wine was Evolution White, with which he made fois gras and fennel salad.
Kelly chose a Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel and made a boar tenderloin (that sounds like an oxymoron to me) with blackberries and blue cheese.
Next they went to Ed, who chose Poggione Rosso and matched it with rib eye, risotto and mushroom ragout.
Dana told them she hadn’t liked Kevin’s effort (no one was surprised; least of all Kevin) or Kelly’s. Kelly’s dish was “thrown off the chart” with her blue cheese sauce.
However, they had liked Tiffany and Angelo’s offerings. The winner was… Angelo. We haven’t heard that in a while, so he was pumped. Besides; he won the trip to London. Kudos!
Before the elimination challenge, the chefs learn they’ll be going to Singapore for the finals. Well… four of them will. Someone has to go home. Sigh.
For the elimination challenge, they’ll be cooking for NASA (including Buzz Aldrin!). Kelly’s excited about this, because she once went to space camp. Hmmmm… I thought her childhood dream was to be a spy. If they go to the Washington Monument, will she say she once wanted to grow cherry trees?
At NASA, the chefs learn about space food. They are told they’ll be creating food that can go into space. They learn rules about creating food for space travel. The winner of the challenge will have their food produced for space travel. How cool!
Everyone’s pumped to know they’ll be.....
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