Let me start this recap by saying that I was on the edge of my seat for my friend Carla throughout the whole episode! Plus all that drama between Hosea and Leah – uh yeah..that’s why romance in the workplace is such a bad idea.

One more item of note.  The word is RESTAURATEUR not Restauranteurs. There is no “N” in that word.

Now onto the recap.

Well here we are at one of the most anticipated episodes that Top Chef produces. It’s Restaurant Wars. We are down to 8 contestants. The gang is still reeling in from the last challenge where Ariane was sent home. Hosea and Leah both knew they threw Ariane under the bus and they got to stay.

The chefs left the apartment and headed towards the Top Chef Kitchen. As the eight of them walked into the kitchen, Padma and restauratuer Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurants in New York and Philadelphia. He owns such restaurants as Buddakan, Morimoto and El Vez.

Today’s Quickfire Challenge is to come up with a Signature dish for a restaurant concept as if Stephen was a prospective investor. There will be two winners. The winners will not have immunity in the next challenge, however, the two winners will lead the two teams in this season’s restaurant wars. So here is the twist…they only have 30 minutes to create their dish. They are running around the kitchen with their heads in the weeds!

Hosea – Seafood with a Mediterranean Influence - Shrimp with Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce, Garlic Potato Purée & Poached Asparagus

Leah – Asian Inspired – Tempura Poussin with Dashi, Soy and Rice Wine Vinegar

Carla – Homey, Rustic Foods of the Season – Cod seared in Tomato Oil with Italian Salsa & Mache Green Salad

Stefan – Euro-American Cuisine – Fried White Asparagus with Trout, Asparagus Salad and White Asparagus Soup

Fabio – Mediterranean – Tuna & Swordfish Carpaccio, Roasted Vegetable Salad, Filet Mignon Sandwich

Radhika – Globally Influences – Pan-Seared Cod, Butter Braised Corn, Spinach & Chorizo with Cream Sauce

Jeff – Simple American – Grilled Salmon with Sunchoke & Artichoke Purée, Grilled Corn & Asparagus Salad

Jamie – Season Cooking – Chilean Sea Bass with Creamed Corn, Bacon, Peas & Garlic Scape

So who were Stephen’s least favorites? He didn’t not care for Jeff’s Salmon or for Fabio’s concept for Lunch in the Mediterranean. Stephen did, however, pic some surprises for me. He chose Radhika’s Global Cuisine concept and Leah’s Asian inspired concepts. Leah and Radhika will choose their teams and form their restaurants in the elimination challenge.

Team One (Sahana): Radhika, Jamie, Carla, Jeff

Team Two (Sunset Lounge): Leah, Hosea, Fabio, Stefan

Today they shop for linens, furniture, smallwares and tomorrow they shop for food at Restaurant Depot and Whole Foods. The teams negotiate recipes and roles in the restaurants. On Team Sahana, Radhika opts for Front of House, while on Team Sunset Lounge, Fabio will work the Front of House. Both teams head out to Pier 1 Imports to shop for the decor of the restaurant.

Meanwhile as they retire back to the apartment, things start to heat up between Leah and Hosea. The two have been flirting all season long. Let’s just say things get a little too close between the two of them. Cut to black and the next thing you know we hear Hosea and Leah talking about regret and they shouldn’t have done that, etc. They didn’t “cheat” on their girlfriend/boyfriends, they just got very cozy apparently. This will bite them in the ass later. Back to the cooking.

The next morning, the chefs head out shopping at Restaurant Depot and Whole Foods. They all arrive at the Bridgewater Restaurant on the roof. They have six hours to do food prep and get the decor all done. Meanwhile, here are the menus:

Sunset Lounge: Egg Roll, Sashimi Two Ways, Short Ribs, Coconut Curry Bisque, Seared Cod, Chocolate Parfait and Panna Cotta

Sahana: Curried Carrot Soup, Grilled Scallop with Chickpea Cake, Braised Lamb Shank, Seared Snapper, Baklava, Chocolate Cake, Frozen Yogurts

So my two cents on the decor of the two restaurants. Sahana went with a Red theme, while Sunset Lounge went gold.  Sahana had some bistro height tables setup for guests to have a drink at while waiting for their table, while Sunset Lounge had a wicker seating area. Sahana looked more rich and inviting, but Sunset Lounge felt less inviting, but they have Fabio at the front and his charm certainly wins the guests over.

So initial observations? Radhika spends ALOT of time in the kitchen. She looks like she is in pain and doesn’t look happy. Fabio on the other hand is being the charming person we all know he could be.

SAHANA

The judges eat at Sahana first.  Their appetizer is a Naan bread that looked more like pancakes – but Padma and Stephen liked it. Next is the Curried Carrot Soup that surprises Tom while Stephen agrees. With the soup is a Chickpea Cake with a Seared Scallop in a Masala Tomato Sauce and Arugula Salad. I want to try the Chickpea Cake. They all loved it. Personally I’m not a fan of Chickpeas. Oddly, I love Hummus. The Seared Snapper is up next with White Lentils swimming in some Tomato Water along with the Lamb Shank with Israeli Couscous. The Lamb was well done, but they all were disapproving of the Tomato Water. The Snapper was good. So Carla has been struggling with the desserts all night long. The freezer wasn’t working and the “brittle” wasn’t so brittle. The judges didn’t care much for desserts. The yogurt has melted and they were served forks. Toby asked for a spoon to eat the “soup”. The judges make mention of Radhika’s constant disappearing act. They leave Sahana without as much as a goodbye from their host, Radhika.

SUNSET LOUNGE

After dinner at Sahana, the judges head to the Sunset Lounge. Fabio greets them and the judges appreciate that. They are greeted with an amuse bouche of a vegetable egg roll with a sweet chili sauce. Tom said he had frozen egg rolls that were better. One woman said it amused her bouche. Next us are the appetizers of Tuna & Salmon Sashimi with a Radish Salad with a Yuzu Vinaigrette and a Curry Coconut Bisque. Next up is Leah’s Seared Black Cod with Fresh Vegetables and Chinese Cabbage along with a Braised Short Ribs with Ginger, Vegetables and Beef Demi-Glace. Everyone loved the short ribs. On a personal note, this is the fourth mentioning of short ribs this week for me, perhaps the culinary muses are telling me something. Meanwhile, the cod is undercooked and the sauce is very strong. Padma sends hers back to the kitchen. So here comes the dessert which were Stefan’s. Chocolate Rice Parfait with Pineapple and a Lemongrass-Ginger Panna Cotta. The judges felt Sunset Lounge had way better desserts. This saved them. As a final palate cleanser, a Frozen Mango, Bitter Chocolate and Mint lollipop.

The judges talked more at the table and how they liked the food better at Sahana over all while hands-down, the desserts were better at the Sunset Lounge. They then talked about not just the food, but the whole experience overall. They talked about Radhika disappearing all the time versus Fabio’s attention to the guests. The chefs finish up the evening while the guests fill out their comment cards. We all head over to Judge’s Table.

Padma comes in and asks for the Sunset Lounge team to face the judges first. The team lines up and they are told they are the winners but not by much, in fact they go on to say they enjoyed Sahana’s food better, but that it was the whole experience that won them the prize of the night. Were it not for Fabio, all might have been lost. So who was the winner overall this evening? Stephen Starr said that Stefan’s desserts make him the winner. They mention that Leah’s Cod was the worse thing they had all evening.

The winning team heads back and sends Sahana to the Judge’s table. They start to get on Carla’s desserts and she starts to defend herself, but I think she is super nervous and may have been a bit over zealous. She kinda mouthed back at Tom at one point. Carla, I am very worried. I’m sorry but sending out “love” with the desserts that she didn’t care for herself just didn’t cut it. Next they start to harp on Radhika. Radhika was really unengaged and looked like she didn’t care. They make mention that she didn’t lead tonite and that isn’t a mark of a chef- owner. The judges were really critical of the team tonite. They basically left Jeff and Jamie alone tonite. It was brutal listening to them.

I sit here, unfortunately, hoping they send Radhika home. I don’t want Carla to go, but not sure she has safety. Carla, I’m crossing my fingers for you.

Team Sahana returns to the table and the heat is turned up. Stephan said leave the love in the kitchen, send out good desserts. Padma asks Radhika to pack her knives and go.

OH MY GOD!

I was so happy that Carla gets to stay another week, but very sad for Radhika. I have always looked at Radhika as one of the underdogs of the group – but reality sets in. Radhika owns a restaurant, she knows better. Good luck Radhika, we hope to hear good things of you in the future.