Tonight’s Top Chef recap will discuss the best episode of every season, Restaurant Wars! Let’s get right to it! We are down to eight chefs (with Sasha still defending Last Chance Kitchen). Byron gets the phone call from home. He’s very emotional. Everyone is excited for Restaurant Wars, but also really stressed by all the pressure. This season they are going to do a Chef Table service with seven courses.
KoKoSon
Shota, Jaime, Byron and Maria are the fun team and are planning a Japanese inspired Kaiseki traditional meal with a bit of an Mexican influence. Maria gets to harvest fresh vegetables from a super nice garden at a farm. This team has specific plans for who does what. Each restaurant had $2,500 to spend at Whole Foods.
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First Course (Shota & Maria) Japanese Eggplant With Sesame Mole
Second Course ( Byran & Jamie) Sockeye Salmon Crudo with Rocoto Curry Sauce
Third Course (Maria) Lengua Sando with Pickled Mustard and Green Onions
Fourth Course (Shota) Lotus Root Tempura with Chiterpin
Fifth Course (Jaime) Short Rib with Puffed Rice and Morita Salsa
Sixth Course (All Chefs) Hot Pot Zosui
Seventh Course (Maria and Byron) Tres Leche Cake with Pineapple Compote
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This team seems to be working well together. But, then Maria needs help with her dish and everyone else is kind of busy. The judges arrive at Kokoson first. They are impressed by the decor and and table settings. They loved the first course. There is some issue getting the second course out quickly. But the judges ADORE the second course. However, some think the curry is overpowering. The tongue sandwich gets mixed opinions. The judges just keep RAVING about everything. There is no hope for Penny to win. It was literally perfection. I have never heard them speak this highly during restaurant wars EVER.
Penny
Over at the Penny restaurant, Chris, Dawn, Gabe and Sara want to do all seafood. The chefs get to shop at Whole Foods in person. Dawn struggles to work as a group. She likes to think about her dishes on her own. This group seems to want to fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to service. Their plan is no plan.
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First Course (Dawn) Something with crab and caviar. Dawn still has no idea what she is making!
Second Course (Sara) Halibut and Tomatoes.
Third Course (Dawn) Scallop with Tasso Ham.
Fourth Course (Sara) Pak Choy and Salmon Skin.
Fifth Course (Chris) Shrimp filled pasta with tomato broth.
Sixth Course ( Gabe) Charred and grilled octopus with at mole verde.
Seventh Course (Chris) Kelp Ice Cream with cocoa nibs and meringue.
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For some reason, Penny is giving the chefs some sort of tortilla to snack on before the meal? I don’t like anything on this team’s menu. Dawn is continuing to slow everyone down. The judges arrive and they love the menu. I do not. They serve the random tortilla. It’s not even on the menu and they don’t like it. They are failing before their first course. Dawn’s course goes well. But the chefs are not interacting with the guests and service is a mess. They hate Sara’s course. Dawn’s second course was very highly praised.
The kitchen is a clusterfuck. Both of Sara’s courses were a fail. They LOVE Chris’s ice cream. One of the judges demands seconds.
Judges Table
Obviously, Kokoson won by a mile. The judges rave and I have no idea how they are going to choose just one. Maria won! It’s her first win and she cries. I’m kind of emotional too for some reason. They really come for the oddball giant tortilla. They didn’t like the octopus either. Then they really compliment Dawn. Sara is in big trouble. Chris’s ice cream is going to save him. This team lost due to their NO PLAN, PLAN! Sara goes to Last Chance Kitchen. I’ll update LCK in comments.
This was the best Restaurant War ever! It was so obvious Kokoson was the winner. That team just blew it away! Maria finally was able to shine. I got a little emotional too!
I always do feel bad for the losing team, though. They work so hard
Sarah managed to slay the dragon that has been Sasha! They had to make a three course progressive dinner with each course served in a small spoon that holds one bite.
I loved the Chef’s table concept for restaurant wars. This was my favorite restaurant wars ever! I just love sitting at a chef’s table!
This has been by far my favorite season of Top Chef ever! There was only one person (Gabe) I didn’t really care for and out of those left, I would be happy if any of them won. But my favorites are Dawn and Shota. His laugh makes me so happy!
They are great. I also like Sarah and hope she makes it back. Maria was in her element with the diners/judges and the whole team was really in sync. The other team was so very tense, it came through at the tasting (or whatever it is called.) I cook not at all, but love watching Top Chef!!
I’m also not a great cook. The other day someone pronounced a word incorrectly and didn’t know what it meant. I corrected them and told them what it was. Everyone looked at me since they know I am not a great cook. I just said.. Top Chef !
I liked the way Maria’s team would say, “Let’s walk.” They were great!
Once I saw the octopus I knew they were screwed. It’s so hard to get right, plus that tortilla starter, lame. Who’s idea was that. Should have just ended with the hot towel and served the food, and so odd courses that seemed to have mo real direction. I enjoyed Maria ear hustling the judged conversation. Their food looked great, thoughtful, like they wanted to win. Nice to see them concentrate on a chef’s table versus the restaurant people usually lingering too long. Yay for Sara keeping it going in LCK!
This really is a fantastic season. All the chefs are great. There is so much love between all of them. Gabriel was the only disrupter and we didn’t see much of that. Gabriel is a great chef and in general all the best ones get HUGE egos. It usually causes friction on this show but this season everyone is just doing the best they can and being supportive. While this show is a fun escape for us, it is GRUELING for the chefs. The filming time is very short. They are away from their families during COVID. The stakes are HUGE. Chefs get famous from this show.
I’m enjoying the season a lot. It’s way more difficult to recap because I really don’t know all the fancy high end chef terms. But I learn a lot in my plodding recaps over the years.
I love restaurant wars too. I love watching these chefs come up with a concept and executing it from start to finish. My soft spot is for Maria being self-taught and making it to Top Chef, but all 8 are pretty humble and likable. I don’t know if I would have eaten many of those things on either menu. I don’t do organs, as an adult, or octopus. I am allergic to curry. The OGs in my family that came from the Caribbean islands never eat anything that can eat mankind. I like simple food done well. I’ll never forget the first time we took my kids to a Michelin and five-starred restaurant, my son wanted to go to McDonald’s after. He was still hungry. Those little, delicious, artfully plated dishes did not fill up a 6’ 4’ 13 year old, especially after this mama made him skip lunch and snacks so he wouldn’t fill-up before dinner. I was getting my money’s worth. They did enjoy the ninja waiter experience though and no evil eye for ordering the most expensive dish on the menu because there were no prices listed. I wonder how the judges can eat all those courses, drink wine and cocktails and not immediately need a nap after!
I totally wonder how they eat all that and then go to the second seven course meal. I imagine they spit it out.
I read an interview with Padma where she said she gains weight during the season but that it was worth it. She works on losing the weight after the season is over.
Thanks for the recap. I fell asleep before it was over. I want Sara and Maria as the final two.
The chef’s table was a great concept for restaurant wars. I’ve always thought the previous way was waaaaay too difficult. This was just right. And Team #1 was the obvious winner. So smooth. And Maria headed it up so props to her for the win. Sad to see Sarah go but I think she will emerge from LCK as the winner. Personally I think Chris needs to go. He’s failed more than he’s won. I mean, if you can’t even make pasta….I like this group as well. The diversity is wonderful and after Gabriel was out, the rest are warm & capable.
My favorite is Dawn and I am afraid that all the spontaneity and last-minute decision-making to her cooking that they focused on in this episode is going to come back to bite her in next week’s recipe challenge.
I like Sarah and am sad she was eliminated. I like Dawn but I think she contributed to them losing. Sarah wanted a plan and they turned her down. How can you do a cohesive menu when you don’t know what the first course is going to be ? She didn’t really help the team.
Dawn definitely contributed to the loss. She only thought about her dishes and not the team. No one else knew what she was making because she wasn’t ready until the last minute. She didn’t inform the others that her first course would be warm, which threw the progression of the meal off right at the beginning.
Yes, both of Dawn’s dishes were praised but the team might have had a better plan if Dawn had communicated more.
Didn’t Dawn miss a quick draw early on bc she didn’t finish in time? I think she’s just a slow chef. But it did seem as if it hurt the team.
Dawn literally made the ONLY two dishes the judges liked.
That’s true and I knew it would be brought up. She also helped no one and totally concentrated only on her dishes. Maybe some team work would helped them all. Tough to do a progression when the first course is a mystery. I thought it was selfish of her. They also liked the ice cream.
They literally ALL decided to just wing it. Sarah even said, “so the plan is no plan?” Also “seafood” was not a plan for a progressive service. It’s NOT Dawn’s fault. She was literally the only one who was safe. Chris got a pass on his horrific premeal tortilla nonsense because he made ice cream. ICE CREAM! Everyone else sucked. It wasn’t justs because of the lack of progression. None of their dishes were any good. None of them.
Actually, at the beginning Sara did try to bring up doing a plan. They shot her down and then she said so our plan is no plan. I didn’t say it was Dawns fault. I did say I think she contributed to the loss by her lack of teamwork.
It’s true that Sara did try to get the team to have a plan. I am shocked that because Restaurant Wars is all a goal they have to get to, that this team of very talented chefs were all so lacksicasical. Should we have a plan? Nah why bothered…. it was so dumb it makes me wonder if it were scripted. As hard as they are working to win, it really was shocking their lack of teamwork. They didn’t seem to get that with a “chef’s table” experience they are ALL ALSO FRONT OF THE HOUSE. And Servers. and chefs. All of them should have interacted with the other judges, explained their courses, and kissed some ass to make them feel a part of the experience. Not just, “here eat this next.”
I dont understand how they could not have a plan, and “seafood” is not a theme. I dont like the idea of eating salmon skin, ew. or tongue for that matter, but no one can go by my tastebuds. Dawn seems to be coming out a sleeper hit.
I like the chef’s table idea, but miss the chaos of a true restaurant, hopefully next season.
There was not even an actual fish on the menu at the “seafood” restaurant! It was an epic fail by all.