Tonight's episode began with a 4:30am wake-up call from Chef Tom Colicchio. The contestants were to begin their day with a trip to the American Fish and Seafood Market in LA, where they would purchase the key ingredient for this week's Quickfire Challenge: Sushi. Immediately upon learning the challenge, most of the contestants looked like they were ready to throw up. Not from the thought of sushi in general, but rather the challenge of making sushi, which many were unprepared to do.
Tonight's guest judge for the Quickfire was Chef Hiroshi Shima, Executive Chef of Kitana Restaurants (as in the one in Royal Oak?). He was very impressed with Ilan's Abalone Sashimi, deeming it "very fresh" and "alive." Elia's Mackerel Rolls with Olives and Salmon Roe were unique and enjoyable. Unfortunately for Mia, her Salmon Hand Rolls were "not appealing," and looked more like cigars than sushi. But tonight's winner of the Quickfire Challenge was Cliff, with his Hama Hama Oyster Sashimi with Ginger and Soy. Cliff received immunity for the upcoming Elimination Challenge.
The Elimination Challenge, featuring guest judge and celebrity chef, Ming Tsai, was to prepare, as a team, a tasting menu for Project by Project, a not-for-profit dedicated to combatting hunger in the Asian-American Community. The contestants drew knives and divided into two teams: Team Vietnam and Team Korea. Each team was to prepare one hot dish and one cold dish, using flavors of their respective countries, and would be judged not only on their food, but also their ability to work as a team.
Team Vietnam--Carlos, Mia, Josie, Betty, Emily, Sam, and Michael--immediately sat down to craft their menu. They would be using traditional flavors, including cilantro, lime, and mint. Josie, who had previous experience working for a Vietnamese chef, was selected team leader, and suggested the team tackle a traditional Vietnamese Pho noodle soup, with a twist.
Team Korea--Marisa, Cliff, Ilan, Marcel, Otto, Frank, and Elia--discussed their menu, but not before indulging in a little Sangria. Their menu would obviously include a Korean barbecue, and feature flavors of two "chees": kim chee and lychee.
With a designated team leader, Team Vietnam appeared to work like clockwork. They spent their budget of $500 on seasonal ingredients, including watermelon, cucumber, and basil. They ended up preparing three dishes: Summer Rolls with Pickled Watermelon and Chili Aioli, Pork Pho with Carrot “Vermicelli,” and a Cucumber-Aloe “Refresher” with Ginger-Basil Syrup.
Team Korea did not seem to mesh at all. This stemmed from a controversial judgment call by Otto, who realized immediately after leaving the market that they had neglected to pay for a case of lychees, which was sitting on the bottom of their cart. He mentioned it only in passing, and was heard only by Marisa. She called it to the attention of her teammates and, ultimately, Chef Colicchio. After questioning Otto, Chef ordered him to return the “hot” lychees immediately to the market. The team worked for nearly an hour without one of their members, but still managed to turn out a great-looking menu: Braised Pork with Kim Chee and Sticky Rice and Jasmine Tea Panna Cotta with Tapioca and Lychees.
At the Project by Project benefit, the teams competed for customers in a “walk-around” tasting. Team Vietnam’s Betty shined, engaging the guests and selling her team’s creations. Team Korea, meanwhile, continued to fluster, although their Braised Pork did garner enthusiasm.
At the judges’ table, Tom, Gail, and Ming discussed the merits of each dish. While Team Vietnam’s Cucumber Refresher received tremendous kudos, the Pork Pho was determined to be too dry, and the Summer Rolls went completely unmentioned. They LOVED the Korean-Braised Pork dish, deeming it “superior” to the Pork Pho, but HATED the Panna Cotta for its completely wrong texture. Ming Tsai referred to it as a “hockey puck.”
For its near-perfect execution as a team, Vietnam was named the winner, with Betty singled-out as the winner of the challenge. She received a limited-edition Kyocera sushi knife as her prize. Korea, with its disjointed team dynamic and inability to work together, was named the losing team. A lengthy “he-said-she-said” debate between Marisa and Otto ensued over the lychee incident. The team completely fell apart, with fingers pointing every which way. Only Ilan and Frank refused to take sides and lay blame.
Ultimately, in a show of guilty good sportsmanship, Otto offered to bow out of the competition. Without batting their collective eyes, the judges accepted his resignation, and asked Otto to pack his knives and go. It was a dramatic finish to a dramatic challenge, and highlighted the importance of integrity in the competition and the value of teamwork and responsibility.
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