QUICKFIRE: Get thee to a butchery! That’s the bid the remaining five chefs heeded as they scurried off to Allens, a butcher shop known for its dry aged beef. The chefs were handed haute butcher wear and a rack o’ beef that they had to trim into individual, frenched chops. Spike took to the challenge like a zombie takes to a chainsaw massacre, neatly and beautifully carving away the fat to expose perfect chops. Stephanie could barely get her knife through the dry aged exterior. Then the chefs packed up their beef and returned to the kitchen where Padma and renowned Chicago chef, Richard Tramonto, asked them to cook the steaks to a perfect medium-rare. His restaurant calls these cuts tomahawk steaks, and they were hatchet-honkin’ huge!
It was interesting to see the varying approaches to preparing the steaks. Richard roasted, grilled then charred his. Lisa gave it the traditional pan-seared treatment. Stephanie cooked it on the stove in a mixture of oil and butter. Spike used an open flame with olive oil and rosemary added for flava. Antonia basted hers with loads of butter and garlic as it cooked, then let it rest five minutes.
Stephanie’s lack of butchery skills was her downfall. Both she and Richard were admonished for undercooking the steaks. Spike and Antonia received the highest praise, with his “amazing” butchery and her “beautifully crusted steak, cooked perfectly.” Spike the butcher (is it something about his name?) nailed this challenge.
ELIMINATION: Next the chefs were taken to Chef Tramonto’s steakhouse where they were to cook an appetizer and entree to serve to real customers plus three VIPs: the current three Top Chefs — Harold Dieterle, Ilan Hall and Hung Huynh.
Because he won the first challenge, Spike had the advantage of selecting proteins and ingredients first. He grabbed frozen scallops (to the overt eyebrow raising of the others) and the tomahawk steaks. Lisa selected shrimp and New York strip steaks. Antonia went for the rib eyes, eggs and veggies. Stephanie took tenderloin and sweetbreads. Richard planned a hamachi with sweetbreads appetizer and beef tenderloin.
Chef Tom Colicchio announces he will expedite the meals. It is his duty to call out the orders to chefs and make sure they arrive in a timely fashion. Oh, and by the way chefs, we need six tasting portions for the VIPS, Padma, Gail and Richard.
Lisa won praise for the lemon sauce on her shrimp but the fact that they were cold turned off the judges. Her strip steak was served with a spicy apple caramel sauce with a side of peanut butter mashed potatoes (that they wanted to hate, but loved). Unfortunately her dishes were not balanced enough for the judges. Chef Tramonto said he would put Richard’s appetizer on his menu today, he loved it so much, but again his meat was undercooked. Antonia’s perfectly poached egg on her mushroom and artichoke salad was appreciated, but her rib eyes with a shallot/potato gratin was praised for its fattiness (maybe a bit rich for some). Stephanie displayed a culinary side not known to the judges with her crisp sweet & sour veal sweetbreads with fennel, pine nuts and haricot vert. Harold called it “impressive,” Hung praised its tartness and crunchiness. The judges loved her tenderloin with wild mushrooms saying everything in it was compatible. Spike, whose scallops turned into a nightmare, was admonished for choosing a bad ingredient to start with, then he sniped if they were so bad why were they in Richard’s freezer? Meeeeeooow! {Ding! That takes the season’s prize for top snarkiness to the judges!} He added sweet potato puree, Brussels sprouts and cipolle to his tomahawk steak dish. The judges called it too sweet, and would have preferred the meat alone.
Stephanie earned her place in the Final Four for having the most well-rounded menu. Richard got in for his appetizer; Antonia got in for her fattylicious entree. And the knife fell on Spike, who’d been in the bottom group seven times. Lisa, thanks to some bum scallops and a cocky chef, you’re one lucky gal! On to the finals in Puerto Rico!
