- The chef'testants attempt to create culinary delights that can be speared with a toothpick and served at a Congressional party for the quickfire challenge. For elimination, they must prepare a power lunch at the city's elite Palm restaurant.—Bravo Publicity
- Kenny thinks he was on the bottom last week because he's a threat. Angelo's upset to have lost his "close ties" with Tamesha.
Quickfire Challenge They're greeted by Padma and Rep. Aaron Schock from Illinois, the youngest congressman. He tells them the first day in the House is spent on ethics, including food. Padma explains that to meet new rules on buying food for congressmen and women, any food they're served has to fit on a toothpick (this is totally true).
They'll be designing an appetizer. It's a high stakes quickfire worth immunity and $20,000. They have 30 minutes. Everyone bum rushes the fridges.
Stephen is fired up, thinking he can win with surf and turf on a stick. Alex thinks Stephen is doing too much. Amanda doesn't immediately have an idea and goes with a lamb kabob. She thinks hors d'ouevres are "boring."
Angelo tries to roll shrimp in pineapple but it falls apart. Ed has a hard time conceptualizing his dish on a stick. Time's up.
Kevin made a grilled pork kebab with onion and bacon. Andrea made buttermilk fried chicken on pecan cheddar waffles with pepper and maple gravy. Ed made tuna confit and grilled tuna with avocado and watermelon. He doesn't feel confident as he presents it. Tiffany made crispy pork roulade with prosciutto, dates and red pepper coulis. Amanda has lamb kebab with heirloom tomatoes and salsa verde. (The congressman says lamb is his favorite.) Kenny made tandoori spiced sockeye salmon with shrimp and mango mojito relish. Angelo made a cucumber cup with spiced shrimp and cucumber. (He says he's embarrassed by the cucumber.) Stephen made scallop and beef with crispy potato covered in bernaise. Stephen likes that the congressman responds with an "hmm, meaty." Alex made scallops with bacon, strawberries and basil. Padma makes a face. Kelly made a scallop with salted watermelon.
The congressman says the worst were: Alex, Ed and Kelly. His faves were: Kevin, Angelo and Stephen.
The winner is: Angelo. Everyone glares. Kevin thinks Angelo keeps doing the same thing over and over again.
Elimination challenge They're making a power lunch, taking over the Palm. Kelly has eaten there a bunch with her family.
They're serving 24 diners each and using ingredients from the Palm kitchen. Tiffany, who works in a seafood restaurant, pulls swordfish and is psyched to trot out a recipe she has.
They shop with a budget of $300.
Kevin and Kenny both have lamb. Stephen and Alex both have salmon.
Andrea doesn't like swordfish but has to work with it.
In the kitchen, Ed doesn't know what to do about the 4 pound lobsters. Alex cuts his giant salmon portions down. Amanda has never cooked a porterhouse before and so she cuts it apart, getting a NY strip and filet. Kelly, who also has porterhouse, thinks this is a bad idea since they were asked to cook with the Palm's proteins.
Ed and Angelo tackle the lobsters. Ed spends all his time breaking them down.
Prep time's up.
Back at the house that night, Alex says he has too many ideas. Alex doesn't know what to do with his peas. Kenny mentions Ed got the same and pureed them. Ed tells Tiffany what he's planning. She reassures him and tells him not to doubt himself.
"Ed and Tiffany kind of are tight and I'm pretty certain if Tiffany's fiance caught wind of anything that was going on, Ed would be in big trouble," Andrea says.
Tiffany says Ed is not flirting with her and notes, "I got a man."
The next day, they arrive at the Palm. Bruce Bozzi Jr, the executive VP, greets them and mentions his great-grandfather co-founded the Palm in 1926 and this is the first time they've turned over the kitchen. He tells them they have a totally booked lunch. He tells them the winning chef gets their dish on the menu and their face on the walls with all the celebs and politicos.
They start cooking. Kelly is ready for Amanda to go home. She won't share her salt with Amanda. Alex tells us he's making a pea puree.
Tom joins them. Tiffany has found an isolated space in the back. Angelo slices his finger. Ed looks around for his pea puree that was in a cooler. Alex says he hasn't seen it. Tiffany tries to get him to focus.
The diners arrive. Kevin sous vide'd his lamb and has to reheat it.
Padma introduces them to Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski from "Morning Joe," John Podesta, president for the Center for American Progress; Kelly O'Donnell, NBC's Capitol hill Correspondent; Luke Russert and Savannah Guthrie of NBC News and Art Smith, a former "Top Chef: Master" competitor (who has lost a ton of weight).
Kelly presents her porterhouse with crispy potato-arugula salad and roasted shallot demi-glace. Amanda calls her porterhouse in pieces a "duo" of NY strip and filet with red wine and pommes Parisienne.
Gail thinks Amanda's sear is delicious. Kelly's is too salty for some, but Joe likes it.
Tiffany presents her swordfish with olive and raisin tapenade, broccolini and bacon. Andrea pan seared hers with risotto-style cous cous and vanilla beam, mustard beurre blanc.
Tiffany knows she overcooked the fish and expects to be on the bottom.
Stephen made pan seared salmon with warm vegetable salad and worcestershire vinaigrette. Alex made applewood smoked salmon with black forbidden rice and English pea puree.
Art likes Alex's peas. (Tom eats in back.) Art thinks Stephen's is messy.
Ed scrambles to finish. Angelo made butter poached lobster with a salad of jicama, and Asian pear. Ed made butter poached lobster ballotine with eggplant caviar and English pea-asparagus fricassee.
Angelo's lobster is too chewy. Joe doesn't like the foam. Bruce likes Ed's presentation and they like his dish. Gail says the peas weren't necessary.
Kenny made peppered lamb two ways with fig pistachio bread pudding and vanilla-morel demi-glace. Kevin made lamb chops with olive and goat cheese rissole, mache and tomato concasse.
Gail says Kevin's lamb is overcooked.
Tom reports back from the kitchen. Ed is still mad about his missing pea puree.
Back in the stew room, Stephen cracks everybody up by leading a seminar on how to cope with being on the bottom, focusing on these words: "F---!"
They can't stop whispering about the missing pea puree. Alex says it's a coincidence that it went missing and he didn't know Ed was making it, at which point the editors show us the scene from last night in which Kenny told Alex that Ed was making it.
Padma comes for Alex, Tiffany and Ed. They had the best dishes. They're all hugely relieved. Tiffany wipes away tears. She tells them she thought her fish was overcooked. They tell her her flavors kept it moist. Alex admits he's surprised to be there. Art says he enjoyed the "wonderful pea puree" that he could have eaten a whole bowl of. Tiffany and Ed remain silent.
Art announces the winner: Alex. "You've got to cook from your own heart and your own soul, it's got to be your own food on the plate," Alex says.
Tiffany tells the room that they loved Alex's pea puree. Kenny says it's b.s. because Alex didn't have time to do the puree properly.
They want to see Kelly, Andrea and Kevin.
Gail tells Kevin his tomato was too spicy. Tom says the lamb was overcooked. Art says the bones weren't properly cleaned.
Andrea says she doesn't like swordfish. Art calls her cous cous "gloopy." Tom says the vanilla killed the dish.
Kelly figures out her steak was too salty. Gail calls it a "fatal flaw."
They're sent away. Amanda laughs when she hears about Kelly's over-salting, saying "I guess that's what happens when you don't share."
Gail says nothing held Kevin's dish together. Art questions Kelly's palette. In the back, Kelly is in tears and thinks she tried to play to the judges rather than trusting herself.
On the chopping block. Tom recaps their sins.
The knife-packer is: Andrea.
"I'm disappointed because I don't feel I got to really, truly show myself," Andrea says. She notes that she respects the judges and their developed palates but says she doesn't need four people behind a table to tell her she can cook because she already knows she can.
"It's a game so I guess I didn't play the game well today. I didn't want to go home this early, but at the end of the day I can't change it at this point, so I move on."
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