Top Chef - S9E12 Last Chance Kitchen

And these LCK challenges started off so well.

I'm not a fan of challenges that involve mystery boxes with multiple ingredients and no apparent unity. Restrictions breed creativity. But there's restricting and there's stifling. Still, I suppose it could have been worse. That they both pulled out edible dishes speaks to their skill, I suppose.

For our international compatriots, Chris and Beverly were given a mystery box containing lamb, buttermilk, cinnamon, parsnips, marshmallows and pine nuts. Then, twice through the challenge, another box arrived with another mystery ingredient. First was radicchio, and then was white anchovies. So yes, both made dishes with all of the above, and Tom felt that Beverly's more skillfully married all of the flavors into a cohesive dish, if I may be so bold as to paraphrase Tom Colicchio.

If there were any question, it's been confirmed. Tom told Beverly quite clearly that she has one more chef to beat to reenter the competition, which means the next *two* episodes -- barring a double elimination -- will have five chefs. I'm curious to see how this is going to work. Hopefully an extra episode rather than a five chef finals. Though actually, I suppose a double elimination to kick off the finals wouldn't be so bad, if nerve wracking.

I know it's been a hot topic of discussion, and I'm not sure it really matters, but I don't doubt some of these are shot in rapid succession. But I don't get the sense that Chris standing around the chefs' house kitchen for ten minutes, having misunderstood which kitchen he was supposed to report to, was staged. It was also fabulous and so very Chris.

I'll be sad to see LCK go! Here's hoping the last one is a good one.

Discuss!

Comments

[Cindy]

I'll keep it short and sweet,
Replete with girlish glee,
Aww, Nyesha!

[Bart]

As has been said often throughout the season, LCK is a winning concept. I hope they keep it.

Go Bev. She's picking up Nyesha-like steam. Can she be stopped from reentering the competition? She has an awfully good chance of doing so.

[Pepperjack]

so. do they eliminate one of the 'mean girls' just so she had to face Bev in the LCK? I would laugh if they did...

[Anon Man]

The mystery box didn't really bug me. I wasn't a fan of the surprise boxes, but the thing that struck me was they both had similar ideas but according to Tom they were totally different, and used next to no other pantry items. It would be nice to taste them.

And, aside from the marshmallow, there isn't anything really insane here, and I thought Chris was on the right track to toast it to get that yummy toasted flavor, and then mix it with the parsnips as a puree. Lamb with some cinnamon and a few other spices would be Greek/Lebanese in flavor and radicchio grilled would be a nice bitter side dish for balance.

[tigerpiper]

I didn't like the mystery box at all. Chris had no way to make a nitrogen-sphere out of the lamb because he didn't know what was coming in the boxes- it stifled creativity and resulted in two dishes that looked identical. Similarly, Bev could not make lamb curry because she didn't know if the box would have an asian ingredient or not. I guess she made curry anyway.

[Bob]

I'm okay with the mystery basket conceit - despite the clear rip-off from "Chopped." On Ted Allen's show, it's unusual for the chefs' dishes to be anything like each other's, so interesting to see how similar Chris and Bev's were - even down to the plating.

The two added mystery ingredients were a miss - I suspect the producers wanted them to "re-think" their dishes, maybe morph into something completely different on the fly, but it didn't work, both just added it to their already-determined concept. Perhaps if they had held the marshmallows back.

Like most baskets on "Chopped" there is usually one main ingredient - in this case, the lamb, and given time constraints, limited cooking options (grilled, sauteed, maybe fried). Might have been better to have a mystery basket of five ingredients with no main protein, and then offer the chefs a choice of, say, shrimp, chicken, lamb, vegetables to use.

Like others, I watch the show to see creativity, especially intriguing when there are constraints, such as what they can produce from items found in a vending machine. But, counter to Dom's comments at the top, I was actually thinking as I watched this LCK that it might be interesting to provide the same ingredients to each chef and - gasp - a recipe - and see how they do on an "apples to apples" (so to speak) basis. I was thinking back to Nyesha vs. Heather and, assuming both had nailed their dishes, how do you compare a tiger prawn dish to a stuffed donut?

[Libster]

Chris made me laugh when he thought the Kitchen was the house kitchen. It is very Chris! Even the part of him talking to the Honey bear.

He's just standing there going, hmmm where is Tom? I'm going to miss his quirkiness.

[Cousin Sam]

according to the cheftestant scorecard on the Bravo site there are four episodes left (albeit they're oddly numbered). so assuming the last one is the final, looks like there will be three chefs going into it.

[Cousin Sam]

and by oddly numbered, I meant numbered oddly. ;)

[tigerpiper]

Man, that Folger's is some nasty coffee. Great commercial though.

[gdis2002]

Top Chef has done the mystery basket before (last season or 2 seasons ago I believe) for a quickfire. They did the same format where they brought out additional ingredients and all the dishes turned out very similar. I think the concept is fine but they shouldn't bring out more mystery ingredients. If they stick to a protein and then a few random ingredients with an hour of cooking time this is a great quickfire type challenge.

I was never thrilled with Chris's cooking but he was one of the more enjoyable personalities. I've never been to Moto but would love to go - I live in Chicago and need to go at some point. From what I gather it's great but get's gimmicky. However, I feel that it's important to have restaurants like this - they experiment and even if 1 out of every 30 dishes is something new and spectacular, that's a win in my opinion. It's great to always be pushing boundaries.

[Betsy]

I enjoy the LCK. However, does anyone else think that Tom should do blind taste tests? I would like to see him taste the food without knowing who cooked what. Anyone of the other chefs could describe the dish in great detail and I would not be left wondering if its a personality or a food contest.

[Quoll]

Blind tasting wouldn't matter. He's had both chefs' food enough times to know how they cook. He's also stated numerous times that its a waste of time to do blind tastings b/c the judges would eventually be able to tell who cooked what from taste alone.

[Anon Man]

No one will probably see this, but this should be her victory picture if she wins. Great screen grab.

[Skillet Doux]

Anon Man... Have no fear. Even if nobody else does, I will :-)

[private chef bristol]

I admire the top chef contestants. I can learn a lot from them.