the chefs headed west to tackle the last few challenges of this season’s top chef.  a couple of new hair do’s on jen and kevin, but otherwise the same four strongest chefs of the season arrived in napa to battle it out.  lucky for them, they are in one of the most bountiful areas in the country for local products which they got to highlight throughout the episode.

i will quickly note that padma does make a striking mother to be… loving the bangs too.

the chefs hop on a train and have a table full of grapes, some local and some not so much, to work with.  grapes can be a little tricky… though wine is used in cooking every day, grapes are not as popular of an ingredient.  mike of course stole the challenge by incorporating the grape leaves and stem along with the grapes to really showcase the product.  jen was holding strong with a chicken liver dish that looked quite tasty, but just was not enough to beat out the creativity in mike’s dish.

on to the last elimination.  the chefs are taken to a local farm where they can choose any ingredients they would like, with the catch being that everything comes from within fifty miles, in order to create two small plates for 150 people. this is the epitome of the local, sustainable food movement. supporting local and sustainable foods is the way to go for most chefs these days but is even more true in napa.  chefs like michael chiarello and thomas keller have there own small farms where they grow foods to serve at their restaurants—don’t think this would work very well in the middle of chicago, but even here chefs try to support local product as much as possible.  it is better for the environment, the local economy and for your health.

back to napa.  not only is it a great growing region, but the episode was filmed at such a great time of year when fall is just arriving with baby root vegetables, gorgeous mushrooms and more.  i think they all did a great job of highlighting the region and the time of year.

mike of course brought in a little science with the ‘63 degree egg’ which has become a very popular way to poach eggs using the immersion circulator to cook it just the right moment when the white begins to set.  it is a very cool thing to see, but for me the egg just does not taste the way i like it.  i have tried them a few times, including at a restaurant in ny on a recent visit, and i just do not love the texture.  as mike said, food is subjective, so to each his own.  i respect the fact that he showcased the local egg but perhaps the texture of the dish was a bit off.

as for his other dish, i wish i could have tried a bite.  a well done foie terrine is to die for and the hint of sweetness from the pear and the bitterness from the turnip sounded fantastic.

bryan went with some more comforting, yet still beautiful dishes.  pretty ballsy to do ravioli for 150 people, and his looked perfect.  the combination of squash, goat cheese and mushroom just screams fall.

as for his other dish, i was not terribly excited about the beans, but the meat sounded perfectly tender and though the figs did not shine through, i am sure the bit of sweetness was great.

i loved seeing kevin wow the judges with his simplicity on his vegetarian dish.  the salsa verde made from carrot tops was a great use of the ingredient.  the greens of so many vegetables are often disposed of when they contain such great flavor and so many nutrients.

as for his beef, that just made me laugh.  i am sure the flavors were right on and i love making pumpkin polenta, but he knew his beef was not quite tender. pretending that he did this on purpose was pretty classic, though you know tom was not buying it.

as for jen, her food did not seem quite as tight as it has in the past.  the goat cheese dish looked refreshing and simple, though it sounds like it was a bit on the salty side.  found it strange that the use of basil seemed so shocking to the guest judge as i am sure basil and goat cheese have hung out before, but all in all, had it been properly seasoned,  it would have matched kevin’s vegetarian dish.

for the duck dish, i thought it was wrong for her decision to bail on the grill was held against her.  she fixed the issue and found another way to cook the duck.  had she grilled it, i doubt the skin would have stayed nice and crisp during service anyhow.  just sayin’—it looked tasty.  the plate could have been a bit prettier but the components sounded delicious.

i actually found myself getting a little emotional during judges table.  i just know first hand what all of these chefs went through to make it this far and heading home just before the finals would be heartbreaking.  i think all four of them had a chance at the title, but jen will not get to cook with the boys in the final challenge.

wish them all luck next week…even though i am behind kevin all the way, i hope they all put forth great meals.