Top Chef: Mattin Packs his Knives
This season’s “Top Chef” has been weird for me. The obvious favorites have been obvious from the start while the bottom dwellers are pretty consistent. But, for tonight’s quick fire challenge (to cook cactus no less!), things were shaken up a bit. The bottom three was Ash, Michael, and Ron, while the top three were Laurine, Mike, and Mattin. I was thinking maybe Mattin was coming into his own. Or maybe I just expect too much from a French chef. Mike, who seemed excited to be cooking with cactus, was the winner. While he didn’t get immunity, he is taking home 15,000 big ones.
The Elimination Challenge was to cook outdoors for two dozen cowboys on the Sandy Valley Ranch. The outdoor accommodations were teepees and the cooking set up wasn’t much better. There were open fire pits, cast iron pans, and small work stations. The chefs had already planned their menu before going, but they were warned it would be rustic.
Some of the chefs actually excelled in this environment. Laurine found herself on the top again, with guest judge Tim Love saying he loved her use of the grill. Also finding herself on top (for the first time I think) was Ashley. Tom said it was her best dish to date. Michael recovered to find himself in the top four as was Bryan. Yes, it was a battle of the brothers yet again, with Bryan winning.
I knew things were going to be good when Tom spit out Mattin’s raw cod. The judges seemed to question cooking ceviche for cowboys anyhow. Tim took the first bite of Mattin’s ceviche and said he was still ill from it. The judges liked Ron’s ceviche, but hated, hated, hated his cocktail. I believe Padma called it “disgusting.” Tim said Robin’s shrimp tasted like chlorine – what could she have done to it? But, she realized even before judge’s table that she forgot to taste her shrimp and it was bad.
Mattin was told to pack his knives and go. At least he was in the top 3 for the quick fire.
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