by Michael J. Lamp

 

Last night's episode of Top Chef: DC began with Kevin harboring some mega-resentment for Alex. He's bummed because his bromance with Kenny was cut short, and - in his eyes - it was at Alex's hand.

 

Wylie Dufresne, lover of cooking with molecular gastronomy, is the guest judge for this episode. If you're not familiar, think steak and potatoes in the form of foam.

 

This week's Quickfire Challenge is to cook with a mystery box of ingredients. The chefs are instructed that more boxes will arrive as the challenge continues, which means they can't do much pre-planning at all. They get some crazy ingredients thrown at them, including black garlic, ramps and Jicama. Am I the only one that was totally out of the loop on the whole ramps thing? I expected some wheelchair access to be added in the Top Chef kitchen, but no, a ramp is just a scallion-like vegetable.

 

Wylie's least favorites are Alex and Amanda, making this the most anticlimactic Quickfire Challenge to date. Alex's ingredients didn't make sense and Amanda's dish was mucho oily.

 

Tiffany and Kevin, however, fared much better with Wylie. He loved the way Tiffany balanced all the differing flavors noted that Kevin's dish was one of the more balanced of the bunch.

 

In the end, Tiffany is crowned the victor, taking home her second $10,000 in the competition.

 

In this "Covert Cuisine" Elimination Challenge, the chefs are ‘recruited' by the CIA and asked to take a classic dish and turn it into something new and fresh, but with the original flavors in tact.

 

These ‘classic' recipes range from French Onion Soup to Kung Pow Shrimp to Cobb Salad.

 

The chefs find out that Leon Panetta (aka - the head of the CIA) will be tasting their food. Oh, and the winner of the challenge will win a trip to Paris. There's that, too.

 

Angelo is buying pre-made puff pastry (much to Ed's chagrin) and Tiffany is reminiscing about her love for La Femme Nakita. Whoa. Across the kitchen, Amanda expresses her respect and admiration for Alex, thereby confirming their positions as Mr. and Mrs. Top Chef Black Sheep.

 

The chefs make their way to the CIA building and Ed is looking for hidden cameras. Within minutes, Angelo is unusually and visually nervous, like hella nervous, and Kelly is in the midst of a rice cooker crisis. Tiffany comes to Kelly's rescue, which leads me to this question: Is Tiffany the new frontrunner? I hope so. She's rad and not full of poo, like so many of her competitors.

 

After Tiffany's dish is presented, Leon Panetta gets an urgent message - at least that's what we are led to believe. Judging by the awkward looks on the other diner's faces, it could've been real. Still not sure it was, though.

 

Back at the house, Angelo calls Alex an alien and the other chefs laugh at Alex's expense. It's like watching wee ones fight over the merry-go-round on the playground.

 

The judges' favorites this week are Kelly's Kung Pow Shrimp turned soup, Tiffany's deconstructed Gyro and Ed's inverted Chicken Cordon Bleu. Tiffany wins the challenge and the trip to Paris. She says it will be her honeymoon with her new hubs. Sweet.

 

Alex, Amanda and Angelo (gasp!) make up the bottom three. Amanda's French Onion Soup remained a soup. Where's the disguise? Angelo's Beef Wellington, featuring the store-bought puff pastry, was ‘sad,' per Eric Ripert and Alex's Veal Parmesan was well disguised, but horrifically executed. Alex tells the judges he was trying out new techniques. That sounds like a smart move. (Not really.)

 

Alex heads home and no one seems the least bit sad to see him go. Now, that's sad.

 

He leaves with a good attitude. Slightly delusional, yes, but good.

 

 

Top Chef: DC airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

 

Follow Michael at twitter.com/mjlamp

 

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