Finally getting to this Top Chef Recap! I am so excited to watch this episode. I’ve had a lot of site work to do lately and on top of that I am rarely awake during any day light hours anymore. It’s easier to deal with the nightmares if I wake up in the daytime for some reason. Let’s see how restaurant wars goes! I’m excited that there is an extra fifteen minutes! Gregory versus Kevin should be an epic battle.
Right off the bat, Gregory is making poor decisions. Who chooses Malarkey as their first pick instead of Melissa. Padma even asked him WTF he was thinking. I could not understand what he said. I rewound three times. Anyone catch that? He has a terrible team and Kevin has all the top chefs. Everyone except for Kevin has already won restaurant wars on his team. Only Stephanie has won on Gregory’s team. This should be a very lopsided victory for Kevin. I could be on Kevin’s team, Captain’s Curried Chicken was one of my mother’s signature dishes and I used to make it myself. I’d have to review the recipe because it has been a while. But it’s not hard, or expensive. I think Kevin asking $49 for an inexpensive southern meal is ridiculous.
Or Maybe Gregory Is A Genius
Editing is setting this up for an “underdog win” and as Malarky says, if they pull it off, a major player will go home from Kevin’s team. If Kevin’s team loses, Karen needs to go home. Already, Kevin seems to be wanting to make too many options. Sigh. Kevin is going to lose. How is this even possible? Kevin gets mad when Malarkey “steals” his plate ware to use in his restaurant. Is it really a big deal if they use the same plates? Also, Kevin’s curry powder was unavailable and he had to pick a different brand of curry. The good news is that Karen is front of the house and that is who usually goes home. She’s already getting the edit to go.
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I’m starting to think that Gregory was smart to pick Malarkey. Maybe what he said was “front of the house” because he is killing it. I am kind of loving him on this episode. On the other hand, Karen is struggling and the decor at Country Captain is very blah. VERY. And the waitstaff has no idea what the dishes are. Karen spilled a glass of wine on a customer. Kevin’s team is tanking. At Kann, Leanne is expediting and keeps going off on the servers so Stephanie wants to switch out with her.
It’s Showtime!
The judges start at Kann. They are all disappointed that Gregory opted not to have the ox tail on the menu because they all loved it and were looking forward to it. I think Gregory wants to get as many of his Haitian dishes in their mouths as he can. Whatever he makes will be excellent. Also, his teammates deserve a lot of credit for cooking Haitian dishes and listening to his feedback. The judges love the decor, it’s very tropical.
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The first course is barely on the table at Kann when the judges ask for more of the pickled dish. I don’t think I ever seen them ask for more so quickly. Either it is that good, or the portion was too small for the number of people. They seem to love everything except the pork was a little dry. And the entrées are very late getting out. Gregory’s chicken dish may be better than Kevin’s. That could be a problem. And I love me a whole fish dish. The judges didn’t care about the ox tail once they tasted everything else. They love it. Also Dr. WILL SIGHTING (For my fellow Big Brother fans. My summer will not be the same without it. ) I don’t see why they can’t do it anyway, it’s total quarantine! Test everyone and put them in the damn house!
I’m Starving!
When Gregory mentioned sos pwa, I immediately had to google recipes. I love beans, fresh beans, canned beans, frozen beans it doesn’t matter. My pantry is full of beans and blacked peas. I’m getting so hungry. I got some fresh produce yesterday and I am thawing out a few shrimp for a salad. I have let so many veggies go bad during this quarantine. Sometimes anxiety keeps me from cooking or eating. Tonight, I am hungry which is a good thing. I ate my two oranges for “breakfast” which happened around 7 pm. I have lettuce, onions (my favorite), tomatoes, sweet peppers, and I think I have some pickled radishes. Yum.
Country Captain
It’s chaos over at Country Captain. The dream team is falling apart. Especially Karen in the front of house. She’s totally going home. There is line out the door because the first group of seating is lingering. And they also had trouble getting food out. The judges are seated and they are already questioning the decor and the menu. They liked Melissa’s appetizer. But I agree with Tom, and I rarely agree with Tom, there was nothing Southern about those three canapés. Also, they are not busing the table fast enough. Dirty tables are sitting way too long.
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I just don’t get the chicken breast on the chicken platter. The recipe is for thighs. The thighs are there. You don’t need to add random chicken breasts that likely were not cooked in the “stew” for lack of a better term with the thighs. Don’t mess with perfection. Also, none of Melissa’s dishes fit the menu. I am sure they are probably delicious, but they do not go with the southern menu. Brian’s dishes look amazing and are appropriate to the menu, all three of them. Also, we don’t eat mushrooms in the old south. Karen. But your red pepper relish sounds delicious.
The JUDGEMENT
The judges mostly agree with me. They don’t care for the mushrooms (bye, Karen). One of the guest judges doesn’t get that Brian’s shrimp and corn dish is in fact a side dish. And is probably amazing. Perhaps he should have gone with maque choux. I’ve been craving that and now that I have milk (I never have milk) I can make some tomorrow. They hate pretty much everything. Kevin doesn’t even go to the table. Oh, Kevin. You got STOMPED by Gregory. I know you are my homeboy, but I’m just not feeling you this season. And I always root for the ATL chefs.
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Obviously, Kann won. By a landslide. Kevin is stewing as his team is told to step aside while the other team gets over the top and well deserved praise. This war was not even close. I am so happy for Gregory. He just set himself up to win this whole damn thing. And every member of his team honored him and respected him and listened to him and trusted him. It was beautiful. Then Kevin basically throws himself under the bus. WAIT WHAT! KEVIN IS GOING HOME!? I thought for sure Karen would got. That’s a brutal cut right there. But Kevin basically said the bullet should go to him. Now that is a good southern man right there. Still. With Karen, and Leann and Stephanie still in the game? It seems wrong. The captain went down with the ship.
That was a great episode, and the midseason previews look amazing. I am so grateful for this show. Especially while the word is suffering. It’s such a great stress reliever. Now I’m off to toss some shrimp in cajun spices and cook them with some truffle butter and slice up some veggies for a shrimp salad. And a glass of much needed merlot. PLEASE SEND WINE! LOL. I already realize I didn’t order enough.
I love a Voltaggio!
I miss Bravo! Streaming is good but I still miss my cable.
Check out the preview for next week, you will crack!
Crap. I’ll have to find it online.
Okay, so I made kind of a quarantine mistake a week or so ago. I let Lawn Kid in the back door to clean my kitchen and wash some dishes (I don’t have a dishwasher, or a washer dryer or a lot of things, mostly by choice or the wiring of the house.) So this 19 year old who has probably never washed dishes or mopped a floor did the best he could. And by the end of it, I gave him too much money.
BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT OF THE STORY. lol. Get to the point, Tamara.
So now I want to cook a half a dozen shrimp for a salad and my two baby cast iron skillets are gone. I should point out that he also put things away. OH WAIT! I found them. As I was typing this I though about the one cabinet I do not use. Because, Rats. And there they were. So carry on.
Except for the fact there were some white parts on the shrimp. Freezer burn? They have been in there a long time. I wish I would have asked for a bag of large Publix tail on shrimp when my friend from here went shopping for me. I still have shrimp and salmon but … it’s kind of weird shrimp and salmon. But I will definitely eat it eventually. Anyway. I found the cast iron skillets. When I think of moving overseas to retire, if that is even an option, I need all of my cast iron skillets. 🙂 And I don’t know if I am a good cook or not. Because I have probably only cooked for someone else a handful of time. Even less than the number of times I have woken up next to someone… #OldMaid
The Fiancée is an electrician. Just sayin’.
But my Fiacée is living with you! 🙁
Also there were two things I could not get at Target that they normally have. Lemons and Mangos. WHY DID I NOT ASK FOR LEMON JUICE. My brain is so bad I don’t even know how to remember a grocery list. Also, um I may have use a gift card that IJC sent for lawn kid. I PROMISE YOU I GAVE HIM WAY TOO MUCH CASH! He can’t get to Target anymore. And she sent an obscene amount of gift cards. I almost had to pause my order because I could not read the numbers you have to put in. Do I really need readers at 200 now? FUCK. I feel bad for all the times my smartass told my mother, HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THIS when she asked me to read something to her. I deserve to go blind. Shrimp is done and cooling. This is the first thing I have made in weeks.
I ordered a bunch of snacks from Target because I have trouble eating and randomly, I have a hard time swallowing soft foods. I know. It is a weird quarantine thing. So I ordered Chex Mix and Chicka Boom Boom Organic popcorn and shit in individual serving sizes. I’m not sure what day it is but my box of then packs of Chex Mix 220 calories a pop is almost gone and I got ten of them either yesterday or the day before.
Also, while I have you here, I am not sure why James Taylor is on EVERYTHING But he is. And I am here for it.
I’m obsessed with soft pretzels and beer cheese. I think this is all Brittanny and Jax’s fault with that Memaws Beercheese storyline.
Now I have to go make beer cheese.
Can you please post your recipe?
Yes, Gregory said “Malarkey for front of house.” And that made perfect sense. I think Melissa will understand. Gregory turned out to have the dream team. The judges even lauded Stephanie’s patties. Gregory’s menu set the tone for the dining experience. The tropical theme went perfectly, nothing cutsie. A nice punch style appertif May have been nice.
It saddened me to see Kevin go, and I believe if his Country Captain Dish had been good, they would have sent Karen home. The decor and MENU were no bueno. The number of dishes was WAY too ambitious and lacked cohesion. With that much food, the diners sit longer too. When you know people are going to have to wait, it’s always a good idea to have something for them to munch on (cheese straws?) A complementary appertif would have been good. Dubonet and peach brandy ice tea with a long splash of soda and fresh mint?
Just HOW FAR was the kitchen from the dining area? It looked like they carried those plates for miles! I guess no one uses the convention for table numbering nowadays. It made perfect sense — every row started fresh — Row 1/Table 1 was 11; if there were 4 tables in row 1, numbers jumped from Table 14 to table 21, etc. — none of that snaking. Too confusing for servers. No one seems to know proper service anymore — not for stuffiness for diners’comfort. Of COURSE red wine got spilled.
All the chefs were in an offsite kitchen because they could not build kitchens into the open spaces. So yeah they were a long way from the fake restaurants. Kevin’s decor was bad. It was all bad. Again he is my homeboy and I know he is a great chef but as his homeboy I saw several mistakes in his menu. OBVIOUSLY too many things.
The head chef always goes home, it was only front of the house once when they basically quit. Head chef during restaurant wars is a 50/50 death setence, not shocking Kevin went home
And I would like to say again. MUSHROOMS?
Slimy mushrooms!
Barf.
Also, I don’t have nearly enough wine here. PLEASE SEND MERLOT. I like the cheap ones from Chile. TOTALLY underrated. I miss my Black Box Merlot. I can’t figure out how to get it delivered.
Also, briefly awake and we are getting a FROST WARING in Fucking May. Banjo continues to sleep in the tornado shelter and “Are you dead?” is the only phrase he responds to. Good news! Still not dead.
No. Not Kevin I am gutted.
Thursday night’s flower moon was glorious.
I stayed up all night sowing seeds in pots, I need Basil before the mozzies arrive, at 7:20am I watched the sunrise over Duquessa Port as I drank whisky.
I heard the goat bells in the distance and I slowly wandered home, the campo is a carpet of wild flowers, many shades of blue through to purples and pinks. Blue Pimernels, Sally-my –handsome, bright yellow Bermuda buttercups, Morning Glories.
Red and white poppies, glorious golden goldilocks they smell of curry when you rub them between your fingers,
I found some wild garlic and asparagus, no wild mushrooms, a few fallen pine cones, the pine trees smell lemony and the bark smells like vanilla,
My hour was nearly up as I walked around the corner OMG, The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom as far as your eyes can see it is a purple haze.
30 minutes and our 2 weekly State of Alarm update will be posted….please let me into my garden.
tuatha12 thank you for taking us with you on your walk home. It was fragrant and relaxing.
Gregory has been the dark horse this season and I was glad to see his team win. He was a great leader, supportive, encouraging, yet overseeing all the food. Malarkey would get on my nerves big time, but his hyper energy worked for front of the house.
Kevin was my favorite on his season, quiet, get the job done. It got to his head this season and it showed, too much food, not enough attention. The appetizers were wrong…why not oysters or crawfish or even pimento cheese. I’ve wanted to make country captain, so this may motivate me.
Would love to know the Voltaggio family backstory. How did so many talented chefs come from one family?
There are two hot, tattooed, delicious Voltaggio Brothers; Michael and Bryan.
One won Top Chef one season and I think one already won Top Chef Masters or something.
Yes and a sister who’s a pastry chef and was Brian’s assistant on the family episode. I am curious about how 3 kids from the same family all became acclaimed chefs.
I love Kevin, but Gregory was incredible during this episode. I am so happy for him. His food makes me want to try Haitian cuisine. The story he wrote was beautiful. I thought it was very smart he picked Malarkey, since. Malarkey has started and sold a ton of restaurants. Although I think Malarkey is a bit strange! I loved how the chefs really embraced Gregory’s vision and were not offended when he kept trying everything to make sure it was perfect.. I can’t help but think about how all these chefs are being affected with what is going on.
Haitian food is really good. I had a friend who was from Haiti and she could cook her butt off. It’s similar to Jamaican food but better (imo).
I WANT TO EAT AT GREGORY’S RESTAURANT!!!!!!!! I miss my grandmother’s cooking. Most of all her flying fish and pasteles. Kevin screwed the pooch. The decor could have worked if it was presented as your southern grandma’s Sunday dinner table. So many southern dishes he could have elevated. There was just no soul in that food and soul is the key ingredient in southern cooking. I married a man whose family were subsistence farmers in central Virginia. They grew their own wheat to take to the mill, churned their own butter, made their own cheese. My MIL helped her mama make those flour sack dresses. Granddaddy’s hams were deep red and melted like butter in your mouth. Grandma’s preserves, especially her pear, were like candy in your mouth on those cloud like biscuits. How the hell do you eff up a made from scratch banana pudding? He should have made some pie. So disappointed in him and I love what he cooks.
It sounds like YOUR menu would be a star in a Southern Comfort restaurant!
I think by Kevin giving the others chefs room to showcase their recipes, he lost focus. Gregory did the opposite and no one chafed because they knew it was his vision and dream they were making come true. They all SHINED on his dishes made by them.
Nanette, those restaurants are all over the south. They are called Meat and Threes.
You pick a protein, and pick three sides.
God I miss food in the south!
You need to get your ass our of FLORIDA and come back to the south,
That sounds WONDERFUL. The closest thing out here, are the black barbecue places, likely with southern roots. The choices of three are not too healthful, but sometimes that’s what hits the spot. Too bad my favorites have closed. I bet the ones in the south have more choices too. I need to go south when this is done.
I was afraid soft spoken Gregory would get trounced in restaurant wars. He was a Warrior! So happy for him. He had his concept and he had the team execute it. He put the big ego in the front of the house and that was the right place for Malarkey. He would have been an obstacle had he been cooking. Good for Stephanie to diffuse the gridlock by calmly suggesting that she replace LeeAnne. Restaurant Wars is such a stressful time and Gregory having the control and the direction of the team from the start was key. Kevin, I knew you were in trouble where you were in the car and you were telling your team that they must made copious amounts of side dishes. and that they could put their spin on them. Really? In Restaurant Wars? When the meal should be cohesive? More opportunities for a dish not to work out? Kevin!! Karen did not do a good job in the front of the house. But it was the quantity of food that spelled doom for the team. The tables didn’t turn because there was too much food coming out and it was too slow. Gail said that the bananas were not soft enough. How could they not be soft when Kevin blackened them? Were they not ripe? I don’t get it. It does make me want to have some banana pudding though. Yes, Kevin should have gone home. I admire him for everything he said up until the point where he said something like It is admirable when the captain goes down with the ship. NOT if there is a life jacket available Kevin. Nothing admirable about making ridiculous decisions.
I agree with your entire recap, including the part about Big Brother. I missed the Dr. Will sighting. I may have to rewatch it on OnDemand if I get a chance.
I loved Kevin and am sad he went home and while I appreciate that he took all of the blame, I still wanted Karen to go home. Gregory and his team killed this restaurant wars!
I would love to see Gregory, Melissa and Brian V. In the finals. I hope Brian starts to cook more with his heart than his chef brain. I think with Brian this is especially symbolic to him since he was second best to his brother Michael on a previous season.
Now that Eric and Kevin are gone — unless one wins Last Chance Kitchen — those are my three choices too. And I agree about Voltaggio. He is cooking good food — the judges say — but he is too much in his head. The key is to go with his heart, which is when he shines.
I love Leann but she is just not on her game this season. Making big mistakes. Hope she can pull it together. I don’t like Marlarky. He just rubs me the wrong way. But he was great as head of house. He was born for that type of stuff.
So glad that Gregory won (love him). Now if Eric can get back into the game.
I thought Kevin’s restaurant decor would’ve had more of a nautical theme. When I saw those big bloomy flowers on the wall I was surprised! I’m glad they showed Tom commenting about the menu font, since the chefs spend so much time/energy on aprons, dishes, decor & table set up I wondered if those little details matter that much.
Gregory really stood out & shined bc of all his choices and overall execution of his restaurant! I like that he was involved in each dish and was open to Stephanie and Leann switching.
I do like that the show offers a way back in with Last Chance Kitchen.
I found an excellent article on the origin of Country Captain by Robert Moss on Serious Eats. Both recipes from the Bobby Flay Throwdown — Bobby’s and the Lee Brothers’ are on the Food Network site. Both call for bacon and chicken thighs. Rachel Ray (not my fave recipes) adds chicken breasts. I usually COOK all chicken stews with the whole chicken, EXCEPT the breasts because they dry out. I roast or low-heat poach the breasts, then ADD to the stew and let the flavors marry. If the stewed pieces are “worn out,” the dogs love it. Kevin didn’t let the breasts absorb the flavor. Maybe he should have toasted and ground his own spices instead of using prepared curry; it’s not difficult (even for me) and doesn’t take much time — especially for REAL CHEF Kevin.
Kevin’s team did not lose because of bad mushrooms or slow service. They lost because he did not effectively control his menu, the wheels came off the track. There literally was too much on his plate. Unlike Gregory who was slow in service because he wanted to verify that all dishes were precise, Kevin just kept pushing dishes that did not make sense and didn’t taste right without rhyme or reason. If the food was good, and the service sucked, then yes Karen would have been sent home, but they just had too much to do.
When it came time to pick their team, Gregory had a clear plan already in place. He knew that he was team captain, he knew his menu and was not going to change it, he knew that they are all great cooks, was not going to make them add their touches – just cook his good well. He just need a great front of the house, who better than Malarkey for that? He was there when needed in the kitchen to cook, helped with the fish, then he set up the restaurant by himself, trained the staff, you could tell he knew what he was doing, did not show the strain.
exactly! When Padma ask Gregory why did he pick Malarkey first, he said “front of the house”! The chefs on Kevin’s team never were on board with the amount of dishes.
Karen and Gregory received James Beard nominations a few days ago. Hers for Best New Restaurant; his for Best Chef, Northwest & Pacific.