In this episode of “Top Chef,” we pay a visit to the Island Creek oyster farm. Look, it’s Skip Bennett and Jeremy Sewall. Why don’t they have their own reality show yet? I’d watch that.
There’s no Quickfire challenge this week. And there are other surprises: Family members are coming, and the remaining contestants — Mei, Melissa, Gregory, and George — must work with a sibling or parent, instructing him or her on how to make an appetizer while turning out the main course. Everyone seems pleased but Mei, who did not get along with her bratty little brother while they were growing up. Also, no one is getting eliminated, but the winner will go straight to the final round.
Everyone goes out on the water to harvest oysters. There is plenty of seafood porn. The family members are sweet, and we get a little more of each contestant’s back story through their relatives. Gloucester looks gorgeous, and the contestants wind up cooking at the Lobster Pool in Rockport. Remember summer?
Mei teaches brother Harley to shuck oysters, and he does a great job, serving them with soy-yuzu vinaigrette and radish. He wins her respect, despite being a slowpoke. Mei creates a dish of surf clam and lobster with tomato-coconut broth that knocks out the judges. The broth is perfectly balanced, and the raw surf clam is a revelation.
Gregory is not confident. He paid so much attention to helping his sister, Jessica, succeed with her tomato-watermelon soup with pickled cucumbers and shrimp that he overcooked his halibut, which he serves with oysters, mussels, and dashi. The judges say nay: It’s not clean and bright like his usual food.
George’s dad, Mr. Tony, is a crusty guy used to being the boss at the diner he used to run. But he takes direction from his son and makes grilled oysters with razor clam and cucumber. (It needs salt.) George makes butter-poached lobster with vadouvan and sunchokes. It’s great, although he doesn’t need those fussy microgreens.
Melissa and her mom have the sweetest relationship, which is good because her dad has never visited any of her restaurants. Maybe it’s time. Also, her mom is an aerospace engineer and does not need subtitles, but why am I even bothering to grouse about this at this point.
When Melissa was little and couldn’t sleep, her mom would make her a custardy hot milk concoction, so Melissa has her make a chawan mushi-esque custard with shiitakes, lobster, and clam. She writes out a rather lengthy list of steps and never questions whether her mother can pull it off, which of course she can: It’s silky and delicate, infused with smoky flavor from bonito flakes.
Melissa, like George, makes butter-poached lobster. Hers is served with onion soubise, pea puree, onion, and hazelnuts. “I’m going to showcase my technique,” she says, for the umpteenth time. This time, at least, it’s a great call. Apparently this is the most perfectly cooked lobster ever, and the vegetables are even better.
Still, Mei’s dish practically made them weep. She’s going to win, right? Right?
No: shocker. Melissa does. Her dish was perfect, and she did the best job getting her family member to cook a delicious appetizer. It’s the first elimination she has won all season, as she points out, and it’s a big one. She will be in the final round.
Doug, we miss you. George, next week will be your last. I still think it will come down to Mei vs. Gregory, but if this week shows us anything, it’s that anything can happen. Oh, and that New England seafood is a beautiful thing. But we knew that.
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