In the realm of art where creative intelligence is exhibited through more hands-on expression than intellectual endeavor, is there a point where basic intellectualism become more burden than benefit? It would seem that may be the case for Gregory on tonight’s episode of Top Chef where the thrust of the elimination challenge centers around interpreting the literary works of famous New England authors.
But before jumping to the true meat of the episode, let us first examine the meathead. Before the final six chefs arrived at the Top Chef kitchen, we hear a bit about Katsuji’s wife, daughter, and impending daughter which, as always, is either a great or a terrible sign for his success in the episode. Upon their arrival, the chefs are greeted by Padma, as per usual, and special guest judge RON GRONKOWSKI, of the New England Patriots. (Readers less familiar with the wacky escapades of Gronkowski would do well to familiarize themselves here.) Things are immediately off to a terribly awkward start when Padma appears to be somewhat of a smitten kitten in the radiant presence of Gronk, informing him that he can call her “honey” before the two exchange some sausage-based dick jokes. For the uninitiated, Gronkowski is Polish and demands the chefs make him some big sausages.
The chefs, to their credit, oblige. Sort of. George and Melissa both struggle with the sausage casings, with George ultimately deciding that sausage patties will have to suffice on his breakfast plate and Melissa opting to use her teeny tiny sausages. George’s decision lands him in the top two, along with the ever buoyant Dougie and even scores him the win. Immunity is a big deal for a guy who only rejoined the competition last episode and it’s exciting to see George have a measure of success upon his return. Exit Gronk, stage left.
Which brings us to the aforementioned elimination challenge. The contestants are tasked with selecting one of six different New England authors and crafting a dish based on some aspect of their work. The authors are diverse and none would necessarily make for easy interpretation. Gregory has first choice and chooses Poe, probably the most straightforward of the options. The other chefs choose as such: Katsuji takes Stephen King, George, with immunity, Dr. Seuss, Mei picks Henry David Thoreau, Melissa picks Nathaniel Hawthorne, leaving poor Dougie with Emily Dickinson.
It’s fascinating to watch the chefs attempt to suss out an angle for creating their dish and it’s clearly more difficult for some than others. Gregory clearly has a deep understanding of his source material, Poe’s “The Raven” and he speaks passionately about the abiding themes of love and loss. Other contestants had more muddled interpretations of their authors with George deciding that merely focusing on the title of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish would be sufficient and Katsuji taking a very literal route in designing a plate with beet puree when drawing inspiration from King’s Carrie.
But having only a surface understanding of the material isn’t a huge hindrance to all the chefs, as evidenced by Dougie and Mei. Dougie is at first completely outmatched by being paired with the work of Emily Dickinson but finds inspiration in a single line of her poetry, “Bring me the sunset in a cup.” This alone is enough to compel him into making a tremendous grilled carrot bisque that invokes the both the simplicity and the depth of Dickinson’s poetry. Mei, too, finds the makings for a great dish with a somewhat generic interpretation of Thoreau. Calling on the knowledge of Thoreau’s vegetarianism and philosophy of simple living, Mei beautifully roasts some vegetables, painstakingly arranging them on the plate, pairing them with the high concept execution of both charred onion soil and tom kha snow, heralding the rustic landscape of winter at Walden Pond. Also landing somewhere in-between in depth understanding and completely missing the mark is Melissa’s interpretation of Hawthorne’s The Blithedale Romance, focusing on the farm setting and the changing seasons. Again, it’s not so much the interpretation that is important but the execution of the idea. Melissa’s seared halibut and spring vegetables are light and flavorful, while her mushroom broth perfectly encapsulates the ever encroaching fall.