If you have not seen Top Chef Season 6 Episode 12, read no further. This post contains spoilers!
Image credit: eonline.com
How’d you guys like the recent episode of Top Chef Las Vegas? Here are my random thoughts as I watched the show. Would love to hear yours!
- Bryan has a 22-month old son who’s such a cutie! Why are we opening with Bryan? IS HE GOING TO GET ELIMINATED? Please Top Chef gods, noooo.
- Padma calls. Reminds me of Charlie speaking to his Angels. The Quickfire Challenge? Breakfast in Bed. That’s it? No twist? Zzz. Maybe the twist is Nigella Lawson. They should’ve asked the chefs to prepare their own take on English Breakfast, just to add a little bit more of a challenge.
- Robin’s scrambling all over the place again. She’s like Hung without focus. Michael Volt looks like he’s serving breakfast with a side dish of cussing.
- The Quickfire Breakfast in Bed dishes:
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- Robin: Blintz with Goat Cheese Caramelized Pineapple and Blueberries. It looks messy but yummy.
- Eli the non-breakfast eating chef: Fried Egg Reuben Benedict with Thousand Island Hollandaise sauce. Looks good too.
- Mike Volt, looking more harassed than I’ve seen in past eps: Huevos Cubano with Banana Puree, Rice, Bacon and Arugula salad. Is this like an upscale version of Arroz ala Cubana?
- Kevin: Steak and Eggs with Creme Fraiche, Aged Cheddar and Green Onion. Looks so good and filling!
- Jen: “S.O.S” Creamed Chipped Beef with Toast, Potatoes and Tomatoes. It’s interesting that something sh*t-related is a top-of-mind dish that Jen chooses to prepare. What does that say about her mindset in this competition?
- Bryan: 4 Minute Egg with Vanlla Beurre Fondue, Crab, Asparagus Spears and Corn Polenta.
- Cut to a gondola at the Venetian… IT’S MATTIN! Heehee.
- Quickfire Bottoms: Bryan over-vanilla’d. Robin had no contrast, one-note. Quickfire Tops: Kevin understood the challenge. Eli’s dish had wit, according to Nigella. What a great compliment. And so Mr. Witty Robust I Don’t Eat Breakfast wins the challenge!
- Eli’s winning dish goes into Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook. THERES A QUICKFIRE COOKBOOK?! I want that!!!
- On to the Elimination Challenge: Visit your knife-assigned casino on the Las Vegas Strip and get inspiration from the theme and design for your dish. And so…
- Mike: New York New York + Inspiration (Chicken Wing, Firefighters) = Boneless Chicken Wing Confit with Curry and Blue Cheese Disc. Give me two servings of this please! The judges like it and say there are good contrasts in his dish — the cold blue cheese with hot sauce, the crisp chicken. From my Top Chef learnings, it’s difficult to serve something crispy during a catering event. So go Mike!
- Jen: Excalibur + Inspiration (The Sword and The Stone) = NY Strip with Red Wine Reduction, Beets, Truffles and Herbs. This reminds me of her Flintstones challenge all over again. Nothing really “medievally” about it now except for the visual tribute to the sword stuck in a stone. The judges don’t look too pleased, and Nigella says she found the stone in Jennifer’s tough beef.
- Bryan: Mandalay Bay + Inspiration (sustainability and fishing) = Escabeche of Halibut with Bouillabaisse Consoome, Parsley Coulis and Garlic Chips. Nigella likes its fantastic balance. I think “parsley fluid gel” sounds like it looks like snot. The dish looks great anyway!
- Robin: Bellagio + Inspiration (Chihuly’s glass art) = Panna Cotta. Her sugar art, THE link to the challenge, didn’t make it to the plate. The panna cotta is also too firm. The judges are not happy.
- Kevin: Mirage + Inspiration (“Complex flavors through a subtle hand”) = Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Napa Cabbage and Cucumber. IT LOOKS SO GOOD. Nigella goes mmm!
- Eli: Circus Circus + Inspiration (3 ring circus) = Caramel Apple Peanut Soup with Popcorn and Raspberry Froth. It looks like fun! But the judges hate it. Nigella says something like if it weren’t for her upbringing she would’ve spit it out. Classy, that woman!
- The Top Trio: Kevin (flavorful everything). Bryan (Nigella says his dish was “quiet and elegant”). Mike (Toby calls his cooking “delicate and effeminate,” which Mike replies with how his personality can be seen on his plate. So he’s effeminate?). Chef Effeminate wins! A huge bottle of Terlato wine and a 3 days 2 nights trip to the Terlato Winery at Napa Valley. I wonder if he’ll bring Bryan along. Bryan would probably turn him down and say “No, it’s your prize, keep it.”
- Bottom Three: Jen’s lack of medieval knowledge and hostile stone beef lands her there. She says back in the Stew Room that she’s ready to go. C’MON LADY! You’re tougher than you think! Toby calls her dish “more Spamalot than Camelot.” Funneh. Robin says “I’m such a jerk!” and her panna cotta’s flavor was non-existent, the inspiration wasn’t there, it was not jiggly enough. Nigella says panna cotta should have a “quiver of the inside of a 17th century courtesan’s thigh.” Interesting. Eli failed texturally, as Tom said over and over. Padma says she wouldn’t want to eat it again.
- Who’s leaving Las Vegas? ROBIN. Lesson: Don’t try to impress people with things you don’t know how to do yet. She admitted to wanting to keep up with the flashier techniques of her co-cheftestants. And then she regrets she didn’t get to show off what she’s about — comfort food. That made me sad. Maybe that’s why she did well in two challenges with her desserts– the apple pie crumble and the pear dessert, remember?
My Top 5: Bryan. Mike V. Jen. Kevin. Ashley.
The dish I would love to have tasted: Eli’s Caramel Apple Peanut Soup with Popcorn and Raspberry Froth. The judges may have hated it, but it sure raised my curiosity!! ELI! PLEASE TURN THIS INTO AN ICE CREAM FLAVOR.
Why do I feel like Top Chef is running out of interesting Quickfire challenges? And there wasn’t enough Nigella here! Up next: Thomas Keller, and the cheftestants don’t look too happy with what they’re doing.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.