They get changed and get to work preparing their dishes. Danny starts on his Caribbean jerk lobster tail. "Who the hell would think to jerk a lobster tail but me?"
Oh yeah, baby!
He thinks it shows his style and flair. "I have a really crisp identity to my style, but Paula's a strong competitor in that she's done great on challenges." Paula thinks she is a much more well-seasoned and well-rounded chef than Danny. "My culinary background is a little bit more experienced than his." And time!
Executive Chef Michael Shulson will be judging their first dishes. Paula's reaction? "Holy Shit. When you're cooking for chefs, it's different. They know great food; they know what everything should be on the plate." It definitely made her a little bit more nervous.
Paula's dish is the warm wild mushroom salad with hearts of palm, arugula, and a sherry mustard vinaigrette. Looks tasty. He likes the flavor, but he thought it was a little too dressed. Danny has his Caribbean jerk lobster tail with a chile lime tomatillo salsa and some fried wontons. Shulson likes the idea of the dish and it's got a nice balance of flavor, but he doesn't taste lobster in it at all. Paula wins the first point.
For the next round, Executive Chef Geoffrey Zakarian is judging. Paula's up first again. She has prepared a chile cilantro broth with mussels, clams, and a little bit of shrimp. Geoff thinks the fish is cooked well, and he thinks the chile is interesting in there. Danny's made a baby arugula salad with a crispy skin duck breast, a little bit of sliced fresh fennel, and a ginger vinaigrette. Geoff's reaction is, "That's yummy."
So, of course, Danny wins this round, and it all comes down to the entrees. Who would have thought? COO Larry Mullin is back to cast the winning vote. Paula has prepared a roasted black sea bass with parsnip puree, kale, pearl onions, and a minted pea sauce. He thinks it's good. Danny has prepared a pan seared filet of beef with a twice baked potato, and a tempura fried spring onion with a little goat cheese and proscuitto. Larry thinks the meat's done very well. Ramsay tells him it's time to decide. "Is it going to be Paula's fish, or Danny's beef?" When did this show start getting so dirty?
And the winner is.......Danny! Danny tells us it feels good to finally get a win. What? Dude. You won the challenge a couple of weeks ago. Don't try to pretend like you never win anything. Poor Paula, I think the parsnips may have been your downfall. They are yuck. This really could end up working out in her favor. With the exception of Michael in the first season, the chef that wins the taste challenge does NOT win the grand prize.
Don't be sad, Paula. History's on your side!
Danny will find out what his reward is later. We all know he'll get to pick first when they have to choose from the loser lottery. But right now it's time to head back to Hell's Kitchen to see what's been done on their restaurants. Bye!
They return with nineteen hours left before open. Paula thinks her side looks great. She's just happy there's no pinks, purples or pastel colors. John asks her what she thinks of the fake candles, hoping to stir up some drama no doubt. She seems fine with it. "My focus should remain in the kitchen, not in the dining room. I just want to make sure I put out good food, and that's going to determine the winner." She's absolutely right.
LOL, cattyfan! You were right!
Danny really likes the fish, which have now been painted red and yellow. Tres classy! John talks to him about the booth, saying he knows Danny would rather go along the wall, and Danny puts his foot down about it. Against the wall! There's also an issue with the pillars. They've run out of the stained oak, so they are going to have to paint them. Danny's very nervous to see what the dining room is going to look like in the morning. Let it go, dude. You have more important things to worry about.
Danny and Paula hug their families, say their good-byes (until the winner announcement), and head off to bed. There is no drinking of champagne tonight, just lights out.
The next morning, they head downstairs to meet with Chef Ramsay. As they enter the dining room, Ramsay, Scott and Gloria are all standing behind a table displaying six silver domed plates. Hmmmmm. I wonder whatever could be hiding under them.
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Comments (8)
I don't think Carol will fuck things up for Danny. She never worked with him, it's the women she had a problem with and since she's not on the same team as any of them (especially Andrea or Lacey) I think she'll be okay.
1 of 8 | Posted by georgiababe | Posted on May 10, 2009 9:48 PM
Georgiababe: I don't think Carol will intentionally screw up, but I do think she will screw things up for Danny simply because she's not that good.
Still, I'd much rather have Danny's team than Paula's. Andrea screwed up on a lot of services and should have been sent home way earlier and I don't need to say anything about Lacey on that score. Only LA is a truly consistent line cook.
I think Danny has less to worry about than Paula. Ben and Carol are better than Andrea and Lacey. LA and Giovanni are the two I would really want on my team, as they are both really good line cooks who rarely screw up. Consistency is the name of the game at this point.
2 of 8 | Posted by Alafoss | Posted on May 11, 2009 2:34 PM
I woulda picked LA first off -- she's been solid.
3 of 8 | Posted by Donna Martin Graduates! | Posted on May 11, 2009 7:33 PM
p.s. Isn't it interesting that the two cheftestants who seem to be genuinely nice people are in the final?
Frankly, I don't care who gets the win (tho I don't actually see either of them as Head Chef material).
4 of 8 | Posted by Donna Martin Graduates! | Posted on May 11, 2009 7:35 PM
Darling Pottymouth,
I hate to admit this but the suspense is totally killing me!! I know, pathetic. Sigh!
Love the recap.
Hugs
Yenta
5 of 8 | Posted by yentapatrol | Posted on May 12, 2009 2:19 PM
Hey Potty Mouth -
Great job as always on the recap. I actually fell asleep during the last 15 minutes (What an exciting life I lead, can't even stay awake till 10) but KNEW I could count on you to fill me in.
Of the 2, I think Danny has the better team, but either side can choke. Paula seems a bit more focused overall, but that could also be editing. Can't wait until tomorrow!
(But does the finale have to run against the RHONY Reunion? And me with no Tivo? UGH).
THANKS PM! xoxoxoxoxo
6 of 8 | Posted by njgasmifan | Posted on May 13, 2009 6:27 AM
georgiababe: That's true. I just saw how bitter she seemed and thought that didn't seem good for anyone.
Alafoss: It will be interesting to see which of them screw up and how badly. I'd love to see Danny or Paula kick someone out of the kitchen for screwing up.
Donna Martn Graduates!: I agree about LA - she always seemed strong on the line. I love that the final two are actually likeable, but I'll be surprised too if the "prize" ever materializes.
Yenta: Not pathetic at all - I can't wait either!
njgasmifan: I did the same thing the other night! Luckily I also tape all my shows to safeguard against such issues. I can't believe they're running the second part of the reunion at the same time! But it reairs at midnight and then several times after, so I'm sticking to watching HK, and watching the reunion later. If you get the Fox Reality channel, they're reshowing HK on Saturday at 9pm.
Can't wait for tonight! Thanks for hanging in there all season with me, and sharing your thoughts each week.
SWAK, PottyMouth
7 of 8 | Posted by PottyMouth | Posted on May 14, 2009 3:37 AM
A weekly recap is nearly understandable (not 12 minutes, not even 2!), but what is the deal with so many shows that spend a minute before a commercial telling viewers what is coming up after the commercial, and then may even waste more time after the break to tell what happened earlier in the show? Some may keep telling the same future details over and over at every break, and the most repeated detail is for the final segment.
Bad enough in a documentary or reality (CMT's Trick My Truck is HORRIBLE), but also on a drama or scifi show????
8 of 8 | Posted by jeepsteve92xj | Posted on August 23, 2009 9:38 PM