Top Chef: Is This A Kissing Book?

Don’t get your hopes up – this week is just another step towards the finale. And by that, I mean that the end result shouldn’t surprise you. And as much as I’d like to skip right to the end…

Pre-Quickfire chatter. Bryan needs money, Kevin misses his wife, and did you know that Richard Blais is Eli’s mentor? I want to say that Eli should be a little stronger then as a chef, if only because Richard pretty much carried his season. Anyway, he hopes to win this one for Richard too, as in an Inigo Montoya kind of way. Except he calls him “Indigo” which means Eli should lose just for screwing that name up. Jennifer admits that she needs to step it up this week since she’s fallen so far from the top. Good idea, Jennifer!

Quickfire. James Beard Rising Chef Award Winner Gavin Kaysen serves as guest judge. Kaysen also represented the U.S. in the 2007 Bocuse d’Or. Here’s a link with explanation. Kevin and Padma try to explain what a big deal the Bocuse is, but I only believe that it is an awe-inspiring event because Michael Voltaggio is impressed. That is not an easy feat, so this must be the real deal. For the challenge, the chefs must recreate their own version of Gavin’s Bocuse d’Or dish, which was a protein, within a protein, within a protein.

During the Quickfire, it’s interviews time! Michael says that Jennifer’s hit a wall and can leave now, thank you very much. Kevin thinks he and Eli, now great friends, are the real risk-takers in the group because they cook down home food on Top Chef. Bryan interviews that Kevin has less finesse than he does; he concedes that simplicity’s okay if you do it correctly and sounds like less of a jerk than Michael does (wait for it).

Kaysen didn’t care for Kevin’s or Michael’s dishes. They both disagree, especially Michael (naturally). Kaysen chooses Jennifer for the win, and some of her confidence returns. No immunity, but does receive an extra thirty minutes to cook in the …

Elimination challenge. The Top Chef version the Bocuse d’Or: the chefs must create a presentation platter with one protein (lamb or salmon) and two garnishes. The diners will include the judges, Kaysen, the American advisory board to the selection committee for the Bocuse, and representatives of the American Advisory Board of the Bocuse d’Or, and Thomas Keller. Again, Michael is impressed, so I am impressed. They will be judged on taste, creativity, and execution.

Shopping and home to watch a DVD about the Bocuse d’Or, except for Michael, who skips the DVD for bedtime. Then discussion of menus, and Kevin asks about cooking sous vide, as it’s a technique that he’s not familiar with. Bryan explains the details, and interviews that if someone asks a question and knows that he knows the answer but he refuses to help, that makes him a prick. He’s not sure if Michael would have offered the help that he had. I’m pretty sure Michael wouldn’t. But that’s something that makes Bryan a class act. Possibly something that sets him up to lose to Kevin later, but still, a class act.

Although now I worry for Kevin, because when they try new things during competition, those chefs tend to lose. He says, however, that the technique is appropriate for the challenge. He plans to give complex flavor wrapped up in a neat, simple bundle. Michael, however, calls Kevin’s food “the food I cook on my day off.” Kevin’s consistently cooked good food, but nothing “impressive.”

Colicchio checks in. He also worries about Kevin’s decision to try a new technique. He hopes winning the Quickfire will ease some of Jennifer’s nerves, and is afraid that Eli’s losing sight of the details. He also lets everybody know that the winner will receive $30,000. Yikes! Now that’s a prize.

Service. Gail’s back! Kevin’s dish pops, but it “is a little elementary for the amount of time that he had and … the quality of chef that he is.” Michael leaves a bone in one serving, and loses major points for claiming to have a Mediterranean theme, because the diners find the flavors disparate and not Mediterranean. Bryan sends out his food, disappointed with the presentation. The diners believe that with a little more time, Bryan would have delivered an excellent dish, but he just fell short today. Eli’s lamb is undercooked, poorly cut, and carries much more fat than it should, making it generally uneatable. Jennifer’s dish tasted good, but was not well thought out. Some of her salmon was perfectly cooked, while other pieces were undercooked. However, she does receive praise for presentation.

After service, Keller announces that the winner will be awarded a spot to compete for the 2011 Bocuse d’Or, and hopefully represent the United States.

Judges’ Table. Many of the same comments from the dinner are repeated here and over deliberation. So the chefs line up to answer questions, leave, then line back up for the verdict. And the winner: Kevin! Sous vide that, bitches! Tom says that each of the remaining chefs had problems with their dishes, though they are each applauded for the amount of work they put in. And going home…Eli!

Come on, you’re not really surprised are you?

Eli gives his exit interview stoically, until the very end when he loses it. He’s okay with losing to the four who remain, and this is probably the most likeable Eli has been all season – he’s usually a little too snarky (leave that to us, Eli). Unless Jennifer knocks them dead next weekend, she’ll be going home next.

Next week: Padma has bangs, cooking on a train, and the last elimination before the finale!

For another take on this episode, check out And Then There Were Four by Nicole Cukingnan.

Season 6, Episode 12: Culinary Olympics (originally aired November 18, 2009)

For more on Top Chef, click here.

Wednesdays at 10/9C, Bravo

Photographs courtesy of  NBC Universal and Trae Patton