Season 20: Last Chance Kitchen

[FormerMod-a1]

Discuss Last Chance Kitchen here

Edited March 8, 2023 by aquarian1

[MerBearHou]

I’m very surprised with the outcome of tonight’s LCK.  I would have much preferred to eat Samuel’s dish over Dawn’s.  The editors fooled me again because it seemed like there were more issues during Dawn’s cooking.

[hendersonrocks]

Sam's comment about needing to adjust his flavors if he opens a restaurant in the US because of how we like salt had me rolling. Yes and yes, you sweet summer child. 

Good for Dawn. She seemed exhausted and emotional and surprised to win. I thought it interesting and very self aware that she said maybe LCK would be good for her in terms of getting out of her head.

[The Solution]

Very happy to see Dawn win this week. She seemed very subdued, but her dish looked fantastic and I would much rather have tasted her dish than Samuel's. Lamb is one of my favorite proteins and the accompaniments looked amazing. I know it wasn't really up to Samuel, but why would you choose to use salmon if you have so many great choices of seafood/fish to use if you're in London or Paris?

[Fukui San]

I kind of wish that a judge from a different version of Top Chef had been the one to conduct Last Chance Kitchen this season. Nothing against Tom, but you have so many versions you can draw from. France is right next door. Bring their head judge over.

[caitmcg]

If Samuel's dish didn’t have a lot of salt, I’m not surprised he lost, especially given the more subtle flavors. Tom likes his food well-salted, and many have been axed from LCK over the years for going too low on salt for him.

[rlc]

Absolutely adore Tom but having him judge LCK puts the US chefs at an unfair advantage because they already know his palate.

[dleighg]

 

11 hours ago, The Solution said:

I know it wasn't really up to Samuel, but why would you choose to use salmon if you have so many great choices of seafood/fish to use if you're in London or Paris?

But he literally had to use salmon. Or did you mean when he did his finale in Paris?

[The Solution]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

But he literally had to use salmon. Or did you mean when he did his finale in Paris?

Yeah, I recognize that he had to use salmon this time, but why would he use it in his finale in Paris?

[Fukui San]

Is salmon not also a common European fish? I don’t see anything wrong with the choice. He also cooks with a Japanese influence and salmon is used there too. 
 

Also, I thought these two dishes they referenced in LCK were both successful dishes from their finales. I don’t think the choice of salmon was supposed to be a bad thing. 

[ProudMary]

18 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Sam's comment about needing to adjust his flavors if he opens a restaurant in the US because of how we like salt had me rolling. Yes and yes, you sweet summer child. 

Not all Americans like their food heavily salted, but Tom C. certainly does! I would think that in preparation for their stint on Top Chef: World All Stars, all the contestants from other countries should have been studying prior seasons of the mothership's episodes. I read somewhere that Buddha said he's been studying competitions from the other nations. This is just common sense preparation, yet chefs seem to be shocked by the short time limits on challenges or the fact that they have to shop for groceries. You really don't have to watch too many Top Chef episodes to discover that Tom frequently sends people home for underseasoned food. 

I love Dawn. I'm happy she's still standing. 

What was the deal with the wood-fired oven not being hot? Producer shenanigans? 

[jcbrown]

I thought it was cute when Samuel was describing his dish to Tom and Dawn leaned over and conspiratorially said to him, "Tom loves mushrooms." Very supportive.

[MerBearHou]

I can usually watch LCK right after the episode airs in my time zone, but not tonight.  Thoughts?

[argrow]

It's on Youtube

 

[Salacious Kitty]

I watch it on Bravo's website. 

Nice that they kept two. I assume next week will be a double chop. 

[MerBearHou]

25 minutes ago, argrow said:

It's on Youtube

 

Just watched it — thank you!

[Msample]

Dawn was even more checked out than last time. I wonder if she’ll even be there to watch from the sidelines next week in LCK.

[MerBearHou]

2 minutes ago, Msample said:

Dawn was even more checked out than last time. I wonder if she’ll even be there to watch from the sidelines next week in LCK.

Seriously…. Wow, Dawn.  She was beyond ready to really, truly pack her knives and go.  

[mlp]

Kimchi and cheddar may very well taste good together but it seemed like a poor choice for something that was supposed to evoke Welsh rarebit which isn't garlicky at all.  Dawn clearly didn't agree with the judges.  Glad she's gone.

[The Solution]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

I can usually watch LCK right after the episode airs in my time zone, but not tonight.  Thoughts?

I had the same issue. Thanks argrow, for posting the youtube link!

 

Dawn looked like she was going to cry throughout most of this episode. However, her dish was the one I would most have liked to taste. Her palate must align well with mine. Sad to see her go and hope good things are in store for her.

May's dish looked pretty good too. I am not a fan of Dale and thought his dish was very pretentious and far too involved - like the breadless bread course in The Menu.

[Quilt Fairy]

Tom:  Sam, are you familiar with Welsh rarebit?

Samuel: No.

Tom:  Does it interest you?

Samuel:  No. 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Quilt Fairy

[buttersister]

Happy for May. Dale can stuff it. And buh-bye, Dawn. Glad you have other things going on and wish you well. Just not on my TV.

I thought it was interesting that Gail tried to connect Dawn's kimchi to the pickles served with Welsh rarebit. Especially when, in the judging, she or Tom said the kimchi came from nowhere and didn't fit the brief. 

Samuel ftw.

[Fukui San]

I hope the chefs had a chance to try Welsh Rarebit before they started cooking. Or did they only have the description to go by? 

Anyways, it's funny that these two teammates are now both defending LCK champions.

[JTMacc99]

I actually like Dale simply because he embraces the game aspect of Top Chef. 
 

And I like May because she’s all about the food requirement of the challenges. 
 

if I had to pick one, it would be Dale because I se top chef as a game to win, and I root for the Players. 

[caitmcg]

23 hours ago, mlp said:

Kimchi and cheddar may very well taste good together

I can attest to this fact. My very favorite grilled cheese is a nutty aged cheddar or Gruyère with chopped kimchi and thinly sliced crisp apple or Asian pear on whole-grain or sourdough bread. The kimchi works brilliantly here, but it’s really key to use an aged cheese with some character.

[ALittleShelfish]

@caitmcg that sounds absolutely delicious 😍

Edited March 25, 2023 by ALittleShelfish
did not tag the right person oopsies

[Ms.Lulu]

9 hours ago, caitmcg said:

I can attest to this fact. My very favorite grilled cheese is a nutty aged cheddar or Gruyère with chopped kimchi and thinly sliced crisp apple or Asian pear on whole-grain or sourdough bread. The kimchi works brilliantly here, but it’s really key to use an aged cheese with some character.

My favorite quesadilla is a kimchi quesadilla. Loaded with cheddar and kimchi and some gochujang guacamole, it is amazing.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Ms.Lulu

[bosawks]

I love Dawn but these timed food challenges aren’t her wheelhouse.

But I would gladly stand in line to eat her flavor profiles.

[carrps]

That sample rarebit was truly sad looking.

I remember seeing Gail on a show Eric Ripert did a few years ago where he cooked people's favorite dishes with them. So, I knew it was going to be rarebit! The rarebit she did with Ripert was awesome looking. It's been a while so I can't remember the recipe exactly but it sounded really tasty. I was wondering if that was the rarebit over which she was proposed to.

[Ms.Lulu]

It is amazingly good and incredibly easy to make.

In fact, when I make mac and cheese, I usually make extra cheese sauce as my recipe has good sharp cheddar, dry mustard, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and beer. That is essentially the cheese sauce for rarebit.

 

[carrps]

Hers was different. I know it had some kind of meat included.

[BluBarbi98]

On 3/24/2023 at 12:25 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

Tom:  Sam, are you familiar with Welsh rarebit?

Samuel: No.

Tom:  Does it interest you?

Samuel:  No. 

And just like that, I'm now watching LCK for Samuel's reactions. LOL. Maybe it's because he's the only one this week but I noticed that he seemed very quiet and disinterested in the process. Tom being unable to draw him into a conversation was hilarious to me. I wish I could watch some of these other versions of Top Chef because I would like to see the contestants on their home shows. 

On 3/25/2023 at 3:01 PM, bosawks said:

I love Dawn but these timed food challenges aren’t her wheelhouse.

But I would gladly stand in line to eat her flavor profiles.

Agreed! Just because you forced yourself through something once, doesn't mean that you can a second time ESPECIALLY when it's not an area of strength.  

I keep a list of restaturants I would like to visit if I'm ever in a city, and she's definitely on it because I think she's got the talent and her food would be awesome!

Edited March 28, 2023 by BluBarbi98

[buttersister]

Bye, May. The moment she said that to her, rabbits are pets, not dinner, I knew she was toast.

[The Solution]

I was glad to see Luciana win but sad to see May be eliminated. I would be interested in seeing what she could do and think the language barrier may have hindered her. I thought her dish still looked much more appetizing than Dale's dish. He totally reminds me of the preposterous ideas presented in The Menu and the sooner he's gone the better. Blechh, the organ meats of a pet. Nasty!

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by The Solution

[HappyDancex2]

On 3/23/2023 at 11:30 PM, MerBearHou said:

Seriously…. Wow, Dawn.  She was beyond ready to really, truly pack her knives and go.  

She really looked exhausted and jet lagged the entire run.  And it seemed like she used cherry tomatoes in every dish.  Go ahead and say it….this isn’t Top Tomato!

[HappyDancex2]

Is there any reason that May didn’t take a protein that she didn’t particularly love and decide to make….THAI food with it?  Thai flavors are so fresh and addicting and it covers up a multitude of weird ingredients.  I’m befuddled.

If I don’t see another espuma in this competition it will be too soon.  I get it sounds more exotic than “foam” which was exotic in 2004 which before we started foaming things foam was just something understiffened that you wiped off the plate.  Or off your nose LOL

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering if they're going to bring two chefs back this time?    

[caitmcg]

9 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Is there any reason that May didn’t take a protein that she didn’t particularly love and decide to make….THAI food with it?  Thai flavors are so fresh and addicting and it covers up a multitude of weird ingredients.

I can easily see working tart green apples into a Thai-inspired dish, and even peas, but cheese would be a bit of a stretch.

[tvfanatic13]

Dawn continued to look totally checked out from the side lines...

[carrps]

1 hour ago, tvfanatic13 said:

Dawn continued to look totally checked out from the side lines

I think she has Resting Bored Face. But she was involved when they started cooking and made good comments.

[HappyDancex2]

12 hours ago, caitmcg said:

I can easily see working tart green apples into a Thai-inspired dish, and even peas, but cheese would be a bit of a stretch.

Agreed.  Although my go to option is to always make a parm frico and then crumble it up on top because it adds crunch and umami and salt.  Kind of like that toasted rice powder they put in larb and whatnot.  I’m just saying she could come up with something Thai couldn’t she??  Maybe it’s because I love Thai food and could eat it all day….and bowls of Vietnamese pho too.

[Fukui San]

So far on YouTube I'm seeing the first part of the two part LCK, where we've eliminated one chef. Is the second part not available yet?

[bosawks]

I think the second part is going to be part of next week’s episode.

That’s what I gathered from the previews.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think from the previews, that next week on the regular show, the two LCK contestants compete against each other to reenter the competition, but that may just be the way the preview was edited. 

Edited April 7, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[Rai]

Rooting for Begona. Poor May!

[BlackberryJam]

Absolutely Begona over Dale. And Luciana over Dale as well, but it sounded like her squab was not good. 

[Souris]

This isn’t Top Squab!

[Salacious Kitty]

Tom's "I'm getting squab" was hilarious. 

[7-Zark-7]

I like Begonia but that “I’m taking chewy, don’t worry” as she ran to the pantry was shady. Poor Luciana kept changing her dish to suit Begonia too. First she was doing the main, then she saw what “I don’t bargain” Begonia was doing and said “that looks more like a main, I’ll do a starter” and she wound up making a plate of crumbs.

[ProudMary]

I've liked Begoña throughout the competition, but the way she bulldozed Lucianna and Dale, with "I go chewy" and flew to the pantry, went against all the rules Tom had laid out. I re-watched the rules section to hear exactly what Tom said.

Tom: "We would like the three of you to work together to make a three course progressive meal. I want something crunchy, something chewy and something creamy. Each of you must make a dish that features one of those textures. You decide together who makes each texture; so part of this challenge is about negotiation." (Italics mine, for emphasis.)

There was no working together on the menu for the three course meal; no deciding together on who makes which texture; and there was certainly no negotiation. There was Begoña's way. It really made me not like her as much.

That's why Tom was surprised to discover that both Begoña and Lucianna were making squab. Had the rules been adhered to, that shouldn't have happened, yet as far as the audience was shown, Tom didn't even question it. WTH?

The rules seem awfully flexible this season. First, Gabri was seemingly allowed to spend way more money at Whole Foods than all the other competitors, now this. I can't wait to see what other rules fall by the wayside. 🙄

Edited April 8, 2023 by ProudMary
I see @7-Zark-7 and I were thinking along the same lines while I was typing!