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| (From L-R; Joe Bastianich, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot) |
Stacy from Apple Valley: The 29 year old from the desert cooked an Espresso Crusted New York Strip Steak. As Gordon stated, there was a lot going on with the plate, unfortunately highlighted by the vegetables rather than the steak. Only Graham Elliot approved, as she was sent packing. After she left the room, Graham urged the other judges to re-taste the dish, resulting in a reversal of opinion by Joe Bastianich - a Masterchef first!
Rami from Dallas: The self-proclaimed best [used car] salesman from Dallas served up Scallops Florentine over Roasted Red Pepper. Elliot thought the scallops might have been a little overboard, but still gave his approval. Gordon Ramsay thought the dish (which he sells in Dallas for $25) was overpriced, but still presented Rami with an apron.
After a montage of four contestants, only one came close to finding his way into the Masterchef kitchen with a succulent veal chop, but while teasing him with an apron Joe Bastianich gave a second "no" and sent the chef on his way. An all too familiar blockheaded move from Bastianich.
That does it for the Audition round of the season and we're straight into the first challenge:
With 36 chefs fighting for his or her spot in the kitchen, the initial test would take at least half of the aprons back. The chefs enter a room with rows and rows of workstations, slabs of beef hanging from the ceiling. As they wonder what they'd be cooking a big machine enters from behind them and it's presented that the challenge is to cook ground beef. With only their imagination (and time - 60 minutes) limiting their dishes, the pressure was on to create an amazing dish.
The first move is to the bountiful pantry to select the ingredients for their dish.
An note of interest: Christine (the blind chef) has an assistant to "act as her eyes." Christine cuts and cooks everything but uses the help to locate items around her workstation.
After the sixty minutes, the judges separate the chefs into three groups. One group will go straight into the competition without presenting their dishes, while one will go home.
Included in the group that heads directly into the competition were: Michael Chen, Josh from Mississippi and Ryan from New York.
The only chef bounced immediately that was profiled in the audition round: Joel the Jamaican-American soldier.
The third group presented its dishes to the panel, four chefs at a time:
Group One:
Husband a.k.a. A.J Rossi: Orecchiette Pasta with Meatballs; "A nice idea but kind of bland" says Bastianich; OUT
David Mack: Recontructed Italian Beef Taco; good flavor, good idea; IN
Wife a.k.a. Ana Rossi: Taragon Beef Stuffed Onion; great taste, questionable presentation; IN
Tanya: Persian Kebab; perhaps did not step out of comfort zone; IN
Group Two:
Christine: Thai Basil Beef; very complex flavors but beef is dry; IN
Bubba: Ranch Stew with Corn Bread Topping; flavorful but simple, cornbread overshadows beef; OUT
Monti Carlo: Beef Roll with Greens and Almonds; "Beef is delicious" according to Graham Elliot; Ramsay loved the technique; IN
Mandini: Beef & Spinach Curry; everything cooked properly but almost one-dimensional; OUT
Group Three:
Courtney: Spaghetti Bolognese; "Bold move to attempt a bolognese," says Ramsay; Elliot says sauce may be a little too sweet; OUT
David: Faux Bone Marrow; savory and nice idea; veggies over cooked but overall tasty; IN
Cherie: Roasted Eggplant stuffed with Garlic Mash and Beef; eggplant was raw and potato added nothing to the dish; OUT
Rami: Grape Leaf Patty; beef gray and off color; bold and confident but conceptually stretched; OUT
And just like that, our field is cut in half to the Top 18, but not for long as the competition continues Tuesday Night on Fox.
Who is your favorite in the Top 18? Did anyone improve in your eyes? Who won't make the next round of cuts? Share your thoughts below.
Was there really any doubt that Rami was a used car salesman in Dallas? I was not impressed and I have my doubts that he's the man here in town. I was pleased to see that he did not progress.
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