by Gina Scarpa

 

Tonight, on Top Chef: Las Vegas, the chefs head to the kitchen to meet up with Padma and find out what their quickfire challenge will entail.  The challenge will be a tag team cookoff and everyone is asked to draw knives to find out who they’ll be working with.  Everyone’s knives are blank with the exception of Jennifer, who draws first choice, and Michael, who draws second choice.  The teams are: Jennifer, Kevin, Mike, and Laurine and Michael, Bryan, Eli, and Robin. 

 

I’ll have to agree with Kevin, who says that tonight’s challenge is a bit ridiculous.  One chef at a time, on each team, will cook for 10 minutes while the other chefs wait with blindfolds.  No one is allowed to talk to each other.  At the end of each 10 minute period, the next chef will step in and have to continue the dish, until 40 minutes have passed.  The team that creates the most cohesive dish will win $10,000 to be split between everyone.

 

The challenge will be judged by Rick Moonen, who appeared on Top Chef: Masters.  He chooses Michael’s blue team as the winners, which pleases Laurine since she feels that she’s been hanging around the middle of the pack.  Well… just barely the middle.

 

Tonight’s elimination challenge will be the infamous Restaurant Wars!  YAY!   Rick Moonen will be lending his restaurant, RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, to the contestants and asks that they stay true to his seafood theme.  The blue team is given a very interesting proposition.  They can keep their $10K to split or they can risk it and, if they win Restaurant Wars, they’ll each get $10K.  They do what anyone else would do.  Risk it!  Hey, the money wasn’t theirs in the first place anyway.

 

During the planning stages, Laurine and Eli decide to take on the front of house… which can be a deadly position to be in if you end up on the losing team.  The read team comes up with the name mission for the restaurant.  BORING.  I love the name that Michael came up with for the blue team, ReVolt (Robin, Eli, Voltaggios).  BRILLIANT.

 

Here are the dishes served tonight:
Michael V.: Chicken and Calamari 'Pasta'; Cod with Mussel Billi-Bi
Bryan: Duo of Beef, Braised Short Ribs; Chocolate Ganache with Spearmint Ice Cream and Chocolate Tuiles
Eli: Smoked Arctic Char with Beet Sauce and Horseradish Cream
Robin: Pear Pithivier

 

Jennifer: Trout with Hazelnut Butter; Bouillabaisse
Kevin: Pork Three Ways
Laurine: Lamb with Carrot Jam
Mike I.: Asparagus and Six-Minute Egg; Arctic Char Tartar

 

Google Moment: A pithivier is a round, enclosed pie, usually made of puff pastry.  You’re welcome.

 

The judges start out in ReVolt.  Despite strong dishes, some were cold after taking too long to get to the customers.  They are particularly in love with Bryan’s ganache and seemed satisfied with the job Eli did in the front of house.  Over at Mission, the judges are immediately disappointed that there is not a dessert on the menu.  Their dishes lack flavor and Laurine disappears for lengthy periods of time.

 

At judges’ table, the blue team (ReVolt) wins and Tom tells them that they did the best job in Restaurant Wars in six seasons.  That’s a huge compliment.  The Voltaggios cannot seem to do any wrong and the judges are just in love with them.  However, Robin pulled off a strong dish and hopefully, showed her competitors that she does still deserve to be in the competition.  Rick announces the winner: Michael.  Of course.  He also wins the $10K that the red team gave up and decides to split it among his team. 

 

The red team (Mission) faces the music and find out who were their weakest members.  Mike I. should’ve been in the front of house.  That’s a fact.  Laurine's lamb was way undercooked but Jennifer's dishes were a complete disaster.  In the end, it is Laurine who goes home.

 

Top Chef: Las Vegas airs Wednesday nights at 10pm ET on Bravo.

 

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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