“Top Chef: Wisconsin” headed to Madison Wednesday night, taking the cheftestants on a journey down the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, with stops at the Burnham Block houses, Monona Terrace and of course, his Taliesin estate in Spring Green. The judges ditched the Quickfire Challenge this week and went straight into the Elimination Challenge. The intrepid chefs were split into pairs and tasked with cooking two dishes that illustrate a “duality,” like good and evil or tall and short, which Wright often did in his much-celebrated architecture. The catch – both members of the losing team were eliminated in the end.
Our dining editor Ann Christenson and managing editor Archer Parquette sat down for a discussion of the episode’s highs and lows.
Be warned, spoilers lie ahead.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Ann: This is a really fun episode – and more cut-throat since they eliminated two contestants instead of one.
Archer: It was nice to see them start out the trip down the Frank Lloyd Wright trail at Burnham Block on the South Side. Those houses are so interesting.
Ann: I agree! Very cool. The duality theme really challenged the chefs this time: light and dark, water and land, poverty and wealth.
Archer: When I saw the preview last week, I really had trouble imagining what a Wright-inspired dish would look like. Duality was a sophisticated way to approach it, and it was interesting to see the chefs struggle (or succeed) telling the stories behind their dishes.
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Ann: It was not another “croquette-off,” as Alisha put it! I was not surprised that most of the chefs struggled with this more abstract concept. Charley and Michelle were paired up and did a “chicken and egg” theme. The judges seemed to like Michelle’s dish more than Charley’s, which the chefs said was more about the rice than the egg itself. Kevin said Rasika and Danny were going to be a “dangerous” combo.” A bit of foreshadowing there.
Archer: Rasika is absolutely one of the chefs to beat this season.
Ann: As she has done in previous challenges, she pulled from her Indian heritage. She made a daal quenelle with pickled beets, carrot purée and rasam, a South Indian soup/sauce. Colicchio loved the rasam.
Archer: That rasam was Rasika’s grandma’s recipe – that was a sweet touch. I also thought it was moving when she pointed out that a lot of people don’t “get” her cooking, and how meaningful it was when the judges did.
Ann: Dan Jacobs and Amanda explored the ideas conjured in the Burnham Block buildings – the contrast between poverty and wealth. Colicchio liked the idea of Dan’s dish – a leek cannoli with potato mousse, pickle and kombu salad, potato tuile – but didn’t seem as impressed with its execution. Amanda did a pasta with seafood and caviar, which was a little better received by the judges. But hey, they hung in there! Most of the contestants were lumped in the middle. Two obvious losers and two obvious winners.
Archer: I’m always happy to see Dan survive another week! He’s doing Milwaukee proud.
Ann: He and Amanda have good synergy.
Archer: Damanda!
Ann: I loved Damanda! A few of the pairings weren’t as smooth – Alisha and Kaleena had a lot of tension. I think this was as much of an exercise about working as a team as it was following the Wright theme.
Archer: Yes, it was clear from the beginning that they were going to have a rough time. (“I hate Geminis.” “I’m a Gemini.”) Their elimination was probably the most emotional of the season so far. Kristen Kish was choking up telling them to pack their knives.
Ann: A random thought. Tom Colicchio said at one point, “It eats well,” while he was judging a dish. Have you ever heard that?
Archer: I have not. I’m not sure what I think about that phrase? It kind of feels like the food is alive and that its ability to be eaten is a skill, which is … weird.
Ann: It sounded silly. But I was really happy to see guest judge Dominique Crenn. She is a badass! The only woman chef in the U.S. to earn three Michelin stars – for Atelier Crenn, her restaurant in San Francisco.
Archer: This was the first episode to not feature any Wisconsin judges though, which made me kind of sad. My investment in this show is totally Wisconsin-based. I will say that I enjoyed the time spent at the Monona Terrace a lot. That lake view is unbeatable.
Ann: I liked Kristen’s pep talk to the remaining contestants after Alisha and Kaleena were eliminated. They’re down to 10! She was really direct. Only Rasika and Danny were able to successfully translate duality to food. Buddha Lo told them: “This is an opportunity to be pushed to a different level and come out even better.” Kristen was encouraging them to tell more about themselves through their cooking.”That is the seed of inspiration.” Amanda was like, “Thanks, this was the inspiration we need!” DAMANDA!
Archer: Right now, I think the two to beat are still Michelle and Rasika (even though Michelle had an unremarkable week). But Dan’s holding his own, and I’m hopeful he can push through.
Ann: I think Rasika for sure. She is seemingly unstoppable. Danny is hanging on to her chef coattails. I love Michelle and hope she keeps impressing the judges. Dan said, “We get to play one more week. That’s all this is.” Reality check.
Archer: He also said, “You guys want some potato chips?” after he was done with his challenge. Which was very Midwestern Dad – love it.
Archer: Next week, we’re still in Madison. Looks like we’ll be hanging out at the farmers market. At the premiere event, Tom Colicchio said that the Madison farmers market is one of the best he’s ever seen in the world. High praise from Big Tom himself.
Ann: It looks like they’re stopping at a supper club – “One of Wisconsin’s best traditions.” They have to shop before they know what the challenge is, too!
Archer: That’s going to lead to some weird dishes for sure. The luck of it all might be a chance for a new chef to shine.
