Noelle Myers recaps the 9th episode of Top Chef New Orleans!

It is my favorite week on Top Chef – Restaurant Wars!  The chefs knew it was coming when Padma came to the house and told them there would be no Quickfire.  They were equally excited and intimidated by the challenge of creating a restaurant in 24 hours.  David Chang was the guest judge, and a table of Chase Sapphire VIPs hosted by Danny Mayer were also dining and their experience helped the judges in their decision.

The chefs drew knives to see who would be on which team.

The Purple Team was made up of Travis, Nicholas, Carrie, Stephanie and Brian.  They were intimidated by the other team at first, but they all worked together very well when planning their concept and menu.  Right away Travis volunteered to be Head of the House, and Nicholas decided to be the Executive Chef.  They wanted to keep their restaurant to seafood dishes.

The Green Team was made up of Shirley, Nina, Carlos, Justin and Sara.  Initially this team looked to be the strongest, based on their number of wins, but things soon went south.  Sara decided she would be Head of the House, and Justin volunteered to be Executive Chef.  That was about the last thing they agreed on.  Egos got in the way early on and there was no clear direction for their menu.

The Purple Team named their restaurant “Fin”.  The judges dined at “Fin”  first.  They were instantly impressed by Travis and his front of the house skills.

Fin’s Menu

Brian – Scallop Crudo, Corn & Squash Relish with Purple Corn Gel

Carrie – Sauteed Gulf Shrimp, Chickpea Puree, Oregano & Lemon

Stephanie – Linguini with Caviar, Oyster Cream, and Fennel

Nicholas – Roasted Black Drum with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Oxtail Ragu, Kale and Hibiscus Reduction

Travis – Olive Oil cake with Greek Yogurt, Cherries and Pistachios

Padma and the other judges were very happy with the service and the food.  It was all excellent.  The judges then moved over to The Green Team’s restaurant, “Found.”  The VIPs and Danny Mayer were there and were still waiting for their main course.  There was an unhappy vibe at the table when Tom asked when their reservations at the next restaurant were.  They were supposed to be next door in three minutes, but were still waiting for food.

As good as the service was at Fin, it was a disaster at Found.  There was a lot of confusion between the back and front of the house.  The judges were kept waiting for their food, other tables waited, got the wrong food, and there was undeniable tension and arguing in the back.

Found’s Menu

Carlos- Red Snapper Crudo, Avocado Mousse, Pickled Baby Carrots and Fried Platano

Justin – Roasted Parsnip Agnolotti, Mississippi Rabbit and Collard Broth

Shirley – Olive Oil Poached Cobia, Blanched Ong Choy and Salsa Verde

Nina – Pork Tenderloin with Sunchokes and Trumpet Royale Mushrooms

Sarah – Nectarine Brown Butter Cake with Moscato Nectarine Salsa and 5 spice Mascarpone.

Sarah’s Mascarpone broke and was unable to be served, Carlos’s Snapper was not cut well, and Justin’s Rabbit was tough.  Tom went so far as to say the Agnolotti dish was “so awful.”  The service was so poor it was actually painful to watch.

In the Stew Room, neither of the teams were confident.  The little blip they saw on the TV did nothing to bolster what little confidence they did have.  Padma called the Purple Team in first.

They were the hands down winners of this season’s Restaurant Wars.  The judges agreed that it was the Best Job on Front of the House in all the seasons of Top Chef.  The ONLY complaint for Fin for the entire evening was about the purple gel that was on Brian’s dish.  He had known there would be a problem with it when he had accidentally picked up Xanthan Gum instead of Agar Agar.  Nicholas’s dish was the best of the night and he won for the evening.

The Green Team was called in next.  They knew they did not do well.  Tom said it was a disaster.  The food was bad and the service was bad.  Shirley and Nina had good dishes, but everyone else’s food was terrible.  The other chefs commented on the problems in the back of the house.  Justin blamed Sara for most of the problems, although he did admit he didn’t do the best job as Executive Chef.  In the end, Sara’s poor attitude got her sent to Last Chance Kitchen.

We are down to 9 contestants.  Who will go home next week?