Alex.vs.America.S04E04
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FunTranscript
00:00I want to win in ways I don't expect anyone to understand.
00:05And this is my house.
00:08Good luck beating me.
00:10Chefs from across America
00:12still want their shot at defeating the best.
00:15Thanks for giving me so much room in your head.
00:17Oh, you bet in my head.
00:18Wow.
00:19But Alex...
00:20Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
00:22...just keeps getting better.
00:23Whoo!
00:24So now she's taking on chefs with even more culinary cred.
00:28Ooh, this is gonna be fun.
00:30Who can defeat the most elite chef in the food world?
00:34I really do want to win.
00:35Oh!
00:36Come on!
00:38It's the ultimate test.
00:40This is Alex vs. America.
00:51Get your bibs on,
00:52because this battle is going to be delicious.
00:54Behind me are three celebrated East Coast chefs.
00:57These chefs are masters
00:58of one of the most coveted seafood items in the world,
01:01lobster,
01:02and they can't wait to get their claws in the Iron Chef
01:04for this lobster showdown.
01:06For the chefs that come here, this is a big moment.
01:09I mean, I'm going to beat all of you,
01:11but welcome.
01:13All right, chefs, we've hand-selected the three of you
01:15because you're known for your skill with seafood,
01:17but you'll also be going up against an East Coast culinary icon.
01:21Start your engines.
01:22Chefs, please welcome one of the most winningest chefs
01:24competing today, Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.
01:35You got Connecticut, New York, and Maine.
01:38Nothing.
01:40I mean, oysters, shellfish, clams.
01:44Oh!
01:45These chefs are all culinary masters
01:47of the king of crustaceans, the lobster.
01:51Oh, there's lobster pots.
01:54I love lobster.
01:56I worked in a restaurant where I started every day
01:58shelling 50 lobsters, you know?
02:00Wow, wow.
02:01Let me go ahead and introduce you to the chefs, Alex.
02:03First, we have Chef Jordan Rubin.
02:05He's the executive chef and co-owner
02:07of three restaurants that feature seafood
02:09across the state of Maine.
02:10Oh, my God, Maine, I mean.
02:12He goes through over 150 pounds of lobster
02:15a week in the summer.
02:17He's received a Star Chef Rising Star Award
02:19this year for restaurateur in coastal New England.
02:21Chef Jordan, welcome.
02:23Say hello to Chef Selah Kendall.
02:25She's been chef de cuisine at a kitchen
02:27in the seaside town of Sag Harbor
02:29that Page Six has listed as one of the summer's
02:31hottest restaurants.
02:32At age 24, she was featured in Vogue,
02:34Bloomberg, and Eater.
02:36She breaks down about 50 lobsters a day,
02:38six days a week.
02:39That is over 15,000 lobsters a year.
02:42Wow.
02:43She has cooked for the likes of you, Alex.
02:45You've cooked for me?
02:46Mm-hmm.
02:47Did I like my meal?
02:48You had a great time.
02:49What restaurant?
02:50Barbudo in New York.
02:51Oh, Barbudo.
02:52Yeah.
02:53I love Barbudo.
02:54And finally, we have Chef Adam Greenberg.
02:56He was the executive chef and owner
02:58of a D.C. seafood restaurant
03:00before opening a new restaurant in Connecticut.
03:02Growing up, his family owned four lobster traps,
03:04and he spent long hours at the local dock
03:06catching crustaceans.
03:08He has won four Food Network competitions
03:10and is a chopped grand champion.
03:12Formidable.
03:13Very.
03:14All right, chefs, you will be competing
03:15against Chef Alex in a two-round lobster showdown.
03:17First up, chefs, the survival round.
03:19The four of you will prepare your best lobster dish.
03:21Then our expert judges will do a blind tasting
03:23and rank the results.
03:24The three chefs that prepare the top three lobster dishes
03:27will move on to the money round.
03:28But the chef that comes in fourth will be thrown back.
03:34So since Alex has more competition experience
03:37than all of you three combined,
03:38I'm gonna allow the three of you to dictate the dish
03:41that you and Alex would make in this round.
03:43All right, chefs, we ready?
03:45Let's get it crackin'.
03:46Let's do it.
03:49First up, chefs, is the cooking method.
03:54Are we steaming lobsters?
03:56Are we frying lobsters?
03:57Or are we grilling lobsters?
03:59I'm griller steam.
04:00What are you thinking?
04:01I'm going griller steam.
04:03All right.
04:04I say grilled.
04:05I think let's start it.
04:06Let's get hot.
04:07Let's get going.
04:08I'm in for grilled.
04:09Grilled sounds good.
04:10Unanimous?
04:11Grilled.
04:12Unanimous.
04:13Grilled it is.
04:14Chef Alex, when's the last time you grilled a lobster?
04:16Never.
04:17Really?
04:18Never?
04:19Not a fan.
04:20All right, let's see what's in the next box, though.
04:22What novelty lobster ingredient would you use?
04:27So we're looking at lobster tail pastry.
04:29We're looking at lobster chips.
04:31We're looking at lobster candy.
04:33You guys can taste anything you want.
04:35I'll try a chip.
04:36So cute.
04:37No one's going for the lobster pastry today.
04:39What do you think about the chips?
04:40It's like seafood seasoning.
04:42I think lobster chips, I so eat lobster with potato chips.
04:46Lobster roll, potato chips, lobster salad, potato chips.
04:49Do we know anyone who wants Bavarian cream with their lobster?
04:51The chips are like so processed.
04:53The lobster tail candy is a real clunker.
04:55I like the lobster tails.
04:57They're fun, that crunchy crust.
04:59They're not going to pick that.
05:00I'm going with the chips.
05:01Yeah.
05:02Chips is the most logical to me.
05:03Yeah.
05:04All right, lobster chips it is.
05:05Really important here.
05:07How are you eating this dish?
05:10No utensils, with a fork, or with a spoon?
05:14Yeah, I'm thinking no utensils.
05:16I would say spoon, no, because then that's pretty limiting.
05:19Yeah.
05:20I would say fork or no utensils.
05:22I was going to switch to spoon, though.
05:24You're switching to spoon?
05:25Tell me why spoon.
05:26Because you guys don't want it.
05:27I feel like that's what I got.
05:29OK, let's go fork.
05:30We're doing fork.
05:31Sorry.
05:32All right, fork it is.
05:34All right, fork.
05:35Yep.
05:36These awful lobster chips and this awful grill.
05:38All right.
05:40One more detail, chefs.
05:42I feel like you should hold this.
05:43The time.
05:44You have between one minute and 40 minutes.
05:46I think 40.
05:47Alex has done this so many times.
05:49Right.
05:50I think any decision we make to try to beat Alex is amateur,
05:53almost.
05:54Right.
05:55You should buy yourself a little extra time.
05:56I'll take the time.
05:57Take the time.
05:58Wow, 40 minutes it is.
05:59It'll all be worth it when she's knocked out in the first round,
06:01though, right?
06:02Oh, by the way, that's never happened.
06:05I know it's never happened.
06:06I know.
06:07Chefs, the winner of this round will
06:09have exclusive pick for all the details in the next round,
06:12the money round.
06:13Understood?
06:14Understood.
06:15All right, chefs.
06:16The time starts now.
06:23Lobster, lobster, lobster, lobster, lobster, lobster.
06:25Grilled lobster, one of my favorite ways
06:27to actually eat lobster, the lobster chips.
06:29You can crush them, add them into a breading,
06:31any sort of entree item I feel like would
06:33be appropriate for the fork.
06:35Lobster generally cooks under 10 minutes or so,
06:37depending on how big the lobster is.
06:3940 minutes is a good amount of time
06:40to get a really flavorful dish out.
06:42Mind-boggling.
06:44This was a bad idea to pick lobster, because I love it.
06:48I eat it.
06:49I cook it.
06:50It's something that I think about when I'm in the shower.
06:53These chefs, I'm sure they're great, you know,
06:55and they seem like really nice people.
06:57But a lobster cook-off, bad idea.
06:59Should have picked something else.
07:01I know I have to grill the lobsters,
07:03but first I boil them.
07:04I just don't like grilled lobster.
07:06I think it's taking a very delicate protein,
07:09so it overcooks and it gets chewy like a rubber band.
07:13What are you thinking about doing?
07:14A stuffed lobster head with, like, a lobster chip crust.
07:19Nice.
07:20And some grilled lobster with fennel butter
07:23and maybe some potato chip sauce.
07:25I like the direction immediately.
07:26You do?
07:27I do, yes.
07:28I want to make, like, a fennel butter sauce
07:30for the grilled tail.
07:32So I do some fennel, and then separately I
07:34dice and cook fennel and shallots with vermouth,
07:38and I add butter to that.
07:39I'm going to char a bunch of scallions
07:41and put that right over the meat
07:43to give it a more grilled taste.
07:48For the tails, I'm going to harvest the meat raw.
07:51How are you, man?
07:52What are you thinking about everything so far?
07:53I'm going to marinate these lobster tails
07:55in a little bit of yuzu ponzu soy sauce.
08:00I'm going to grill them.
08:01I'm going to make a sauce out of the poblanos.
08:03Yep.
08:04I'm also going to make an oil from the bodies of the lobster.
08:07Oui.
08:08All right, chef.
08:09And I'm going to also make a corn, shishito pepper,
08:12and lobster claw succotash.
08:14My plan is to grill everything.
08:16Maine's the lobster capital of the world.
08:19I used to trap lobsters with my boat,
08:21and I'm so familiar with working with lobster,
08:24I can break down a lobster with my eyes closed.
08:28Sorry, buddy.
08:29I think people are really intimidated by lobster,
08:32but once you get comfortable with them,
08:34they're really rewarding.
08:35Come in with me.
08:37Chef Stella, what are you up to?
08:39So I am half Jamaican.
08:41I have fantastic memories of eating lobster on the beach.
08:45So I am going to make grilled lobster
08:47basted in green seasoning butter.
08:50I like that.
08:51And a coconut curry sauce.
08:52Some fritter of some sort to get those potato chips.
08:56So you break down 15,000 pounds of these guys a year.
09:00Yeah.
09:01Today, lobster for breakfast, six days of the week.
09:03Wow.
09:04No mercy for these guys in my kitchen.
09:06Clearly.
09:08The first thing I'm going to get started on
09:10is getting the lobster claws cooking.
09:12So I can use them in my sauce, so I can
09:14get that nice charred flavor.
09:16Now I'm developing the flavor of the curry sauce.
09:19So I start by sauteing some aromatics,
09:22and then toasting the curry.
09:24Add the coconut milk, lobster stock, habanero peppers,
09:28getting those lobster shells in as soon
09:30as I clean the meat out.
09:31That's my plan.
09:32Time's moving fast.
09:34I think I'm the underdog in this competition,
09:36but I think I'm on the same pedestal as my competitors
09:39because I'm just as talented.
09:40And I want to send Alex home.
09:45This is game time.
09:46I got my headband on.
09:47I'm ready to go.
09:48Tell me what you're thinking.
09:50So I'm going to do a lobster fideos.
09:52Fideos is a Spanish toasted pasta dish.
09:54Nice.
09:55Using some lobster mushrooms as well as some lion's mane.
09:57Nice.
09:58Kind of have that lobster texture.
09:59I'm going to do grilled lobster on top.
10:00And this is all done in 40 minutes.
10:02It's either done in 40 minutes or I'm going home.
10:04It's true.
10:05All right.
10:06I spent 10 years at a Spanish tapas concept.
10:08I went to Spain three times.
10:09I love the food and culture.
10:11The inspiration just comes from that.
10:12Traditionally, fideos is a toasted pasta dish.
10:15If you're using a nice pasta, you don't want to burn it.
10:17You're really just trying to toast it a little bit.
10:19I got some lobster stock in a pot.
10:21Add some lobster base.
10:23So I'm adding my garlic and my mushrooms.
10:25Trying to extract some of those flavors of the mushrooms.
10:27Take that pasta that's been toasted, make it into a one-inch stick.
10:30And then I'm going to add that lobster stock.
10:32And basically, you're cooking it just like you would a paella.
10:34Let it come to a simmer.
10:35Let those flavors build.
10:37So you've competed a bunch on Food Network.
10:40What do you think about your chances of going up against a nine chef?
10:42You got to beat the best to be the best.
10:44That's sort of my motto.
10:45I know I'm going to beat Alex today because I just have experience.
10:47Lobster is my wheelhouse.
10:49She's standing in my way right now.
10:51Chef Alex was a first for everything.
10:53Today may be the day.
10:55It may be, my friend.
10:58Wow.
11:00When the smoke cleared from last season,
11:02I just felt like it wasn't a winning enough streak for me.
11:05And I'm just intent and focused on correcting that.
11:08I never stop earning the right to be here.
11:10And that's why I'm so fired up.
11:1324-7, 365.
11:261-6, 16 minutes on the clock, chefs.
11:28Keep cooking.
11:29I'm going to go ahead and tell the judges what you selected.
11:31I'll be right back.
11:34Tonight's judges are two celebrated chefs
11:36known for their amazing seafood in their own right.
11:38We have them sequestered in the trailers right now,
11:40so they don't know who's cooking or what they're making.
11:42Our first judge, Chef Antonia LoFasso,
11:44the Michelin-recommended Southern Californian restaurateur.
11:47And joining her is Chef Esther Choi,
11:49an award-winning restaurateur
11:51who Zagat called a New York City culinary rock star.
11:54Lobster in a competition setting.
11:55It's not like we're cooking in a restaurant or at home.
11:57I usually don't pick it as a protein
11:59because it's not forgiving.
12:01And it takes a lot of time.
12:02I think you have to be really thoughtful
12:04about the way you cook lobster
12:05because you can either overcook it or undercook it,
12:08and then it will be horrible.
12:09Yeah.
12:10Lobster gets so tough and chewy on the grill.
12:13Why?
12:15So I shell all the claws and tails.
12:17I don't want to cook these lobster tails a lot on the grill.
12:20I don't want them to get really overcooked,
12:22I want them to have a little char.
12:24I chop up the claws and I mix them
12:26with the rest of the cooked fennel, shallots, mayonnaise,
12:29and I stuff the heads with that.
12:31And I put those into the oven to bake a little bit.
12:34I want to put the potato chips crushed up
12:36on the grilled lobster head
12:38to get that potato chip really integrated,
12:40but I'm also making this potato chip sauce.
12:42Tell me about that.
12:43I'm going to boil these in water.
12:45That's that gameplay.
12:46I learned it from Battle Potato Chip on Iron Chef.
12:48You just boil the potato chips in water
12:51and then you puree them
12:52and it becomes like this potato puree.
12:58I got eggs.
12:59I discovered I have a couple female lobsters.
13:01With the egg sacs, or the coral as we call it,
13:04I'm going to boil the coral in a little bit of water
13:07and it's going to change from green to red
13:09and that's how I know the eggs are cooked.
13:10I'm going to puree that in the blender
13:12and mix it into the potato sauce
13:14because it's a nice way to integrate the lobster chips
13:17and another use of the lobster in the dish.
13:20Delicious.
13:21Alex looks like she's unfazed,
13:23so it's a little nerve-wracking seeing how calm she is.
13:27Now I'm going to work on the succotash.
13:29I get the corn and the shishitos in a pan,
13:32a little bit of the miso butter,
13:34lobster stock.
13:36So I blanch the lobster claws,
13:39cook them about 80% of the way through
13:41so that when I finish them in the succotash,
13:43they're not overcooked.
13:44Next I'm going to make the poblano sauce
13:47and use the necessary potato chips.
13:49I get the charred poblanos in a blender,
13:52add the potato chips, garlic.
13:56If any lobster happens to fall down on the floor,
13:58you know, your host is always hungry.
14:01Succotails are done marinating, so now I'm going to grill.
14:04And I'm also going to grill the claws.
14:06The trick to grilling lobster is super high heat,
14:09short period of time.
14:13I think grilled lobster, the shell, helps amplify the flavor.
14:16I'm going to split the lobsters lengthwise.
14:18I get those on the grill.
14:20Lobster can definitely get tough on the grill,
14:22so I'm watching the time.
14:24Next I go into the compound butters.
14:26In Jamaican cuisine, green seasoning you'll find
14:29at the base of stews.
14:31This will be basted on top of my lobster.
14:34Ten minutes left, chefs. Finish up strong.
14:37Artificial seafood flavoring.
14:39This is a new one for me.
14:41A fritter is, to me, the best way
14:44to transform the potato chips.
14:46So I add some sweet corn,
14:48which I think will help play off the sweetness of the lobster.
14:58No!
15:02To see them just hit the floor, perfectly cooked,
15:04my heart sank.
15:06I have four and a half minutes left,
15:08and I know that's not enough time to fully cook the lobster.
15:11No lobster is not an option.
15:13Fortunately, I have a few halved lobsters left,
15:15so get it done.
15:17Ooh.
15:19Come on, baby. Go, go, go.
15:21I've got my lobster claws. Pre-poached them a little bit.
15:23For the claws, they're just going to go in the fideos.
15:25So I'm getting the claws and the tails out of the grill.
15:28And one thing about the edges of the claws
15:30is that they became really hard,
15:32like hard almost like lobster jerky.
15:34The edges of the claws are getting a little dried out.
15:37We're going to cut those off.
15:39Nobody wants to eat lobster jerky.
15:41So with the lobster chips, I'm going to make a lobster butter.
15:44This is the lobster roe that I poached.
15:46I want to use that lobster roe.
15:48It's going to add a ton of seafood and lobster flavor.
15:50It's lobster on lobster.
15:52You're not going to beat Alex with just any old dish.
15:54You're going to win.
15:55Ah, so good. So good.
15:59So I take the shelled lobster tails off the grill,
16:02and I add fennel butter sauce,
16:04and I put all those charred scallions
16:06to give it a more grilled flavor.
16:08I put them in twos.
16:10I put the potato chip sauce kind of all around it,
16:12and then I go to the oven, and I take the heads out.
16:14I add some crushed up potato chips,
16:16and I just literally put them at the top of the plate
16:18to imitate, like, head, tail, like a lobster.
16:22Two and three minutes. Gee.
16:25I'm plating a little swoosh of my poblano sauce.
16:28Top that with succotash.
16:31I add some grilled sourdough.
16:34Put some of the grilled lobster tail next to it.
16:37I'm a little worried
16:39that I'm going to waste the potato chips,
16:41so I crumble a little at the end.
16:43So I got my bowl set up, so I get some nice big scoops,
16:46making sure that I'm getting some mushrooms in there
16:48with the dish.
16:49Microplane some lobster mushrooms on there.
16:51Finish it with the grilled lobster on top.
16:53I'm going to put that lobster butter right in the middle.
16:55One minute left in the cook, chefs.
16:57One minute left.
16:58One minute.
16:59So first I'm adding the curry sauce on the bottom.
17:04Oh, my gosh, guys.
17:06Slippery kitchen.
17:0830 seconds left, chefs.
17:09Oh, she needs to go.
17:11Second, I add the fritter,
17:13and then on top, the lobster on display.
17:17Ten, nine, eight.
17:20I'm confident about the sauce,
17:22but I am pretty worried that one of the lobsters
17:25is going to be undercooked.
17:27Two, one.
17:29That is about it.
17:31Well done, chefs. Good job.
17:33All right.
17:35In front of your stations is a menu card.
17:37Write down the full description of your dish.
17:39Chefs, I cannot bring the judges in
17:41until you all leave the kitchen.
17:43Bring you back in when they're done. Good job.
17:46All right. Reset.
17:49I love lobster on a grill.
17:51So bright, so colorful.
17:53Nice.
17:54Spanish?
17:55Yes, very much so.
17:58Wow.
17:59I like the use of the lobster stock.
18:01Mm-hmm.
18:02It's beautiful.
18:04Smart, the grilled bread.
18:05I agree.
18:06The succotash, lobster succotash.
18:08It's smart, right?
18:09Chef, I'll see you in a bit.
18:10Goodbye.
18:11Take care.
18:12I hate grilled lobster.
18:13I don't understand it.
18:14And maybe that worked to my advantage
18:16because I had to undo a lot of knots in my own head.
18:19We'll see.
18:25Let's bring the judges in, please.
18:27Hi, ladies.
18:28Hi.
18:29What's up?
18:30Let me go ahead and remind you
18:31of what the chefs decided to choose.
18:32Okay.
18:33So we're working with grilled lobster,
18:35lobster chips.
18:37This has to be eaten with a fork and in 40 minutes.
18:40What you have in front of you,
18:41we have a grilled lobster fidejos.
18:43There's toasted bucatini,
18:44lobster and lion's mane mushrooms.
18:46There's a lobster roe butter with grilled lobster and herbs.
18:49So Adam made fidejos.
18:50It's kind of starchy and stewed in this beautiful way
18:53with the lobster on top.
18:54I think that's a great foil for the grilled lobster.
18:57I love the concept of, like, a fidejo.
19:00I think it's super playful,
19:01the lobster mushroom.
19:02The mushroom is sort of its, like, vegetable counterpart.
19:05Sure, yeah.
19:06You know, something, like, luscious and rich.
19:07I think the use of the chips are delicious.
19:09They're crunchy. They're salty.
19:11They taste like seafood.
19:12It definitely feels lobster.
19:14I'm almost just wishing it was more unctuous.
19:16I do taste the grilled lobster.
19:18You can see nice grill marks.
19:19I get the flavor of the grill.
19:21The tail is a little bit overcooked.
19:24I do really like the use of the lobster roe.
19:28The potato chip's really smart,
19:29using that as kind of like a binder.
19:31Yeah, let's go ahead and move on to the next dish, please.
19:34Yeah, it was, like, a little dry.
19:35A little dry and, like, kind of disconnected.
19:40I love this immediately.
19:41It's like, you know it's a lobster.
19:43I do love when someone presents with the shell, right?
19:46Yeah.
19:47Our second dish, we have a grilled lobster meat
19:49with lobster chip crust,
19:50lobster roe and lobster chip sauce.
19:52There's a fennel butter,
19:53grilled lobster tail, and grilled scallions.
19:56Please enjoy.
19:57I like my dish.
19:58I put a lot of those lobster chips on.
20:00I wonder if I didn't put too much.
20:03I'm getting grilled all day long.
20:04I'm getting grilled on the lobster.
20:06Now you have these very aggressively grilled scallions.
20:09Yeah.
20:10Really, like, alludes to the fact
20:11that this is a grilled challenge.
20:13And then there's no question
20:14whether or not there's some chips here.
20:16Yep.
20:17I almost feel like this stuffed lobster right now
20:19is, like, the best of the world of a lobster roll
20:22without the bun.
20:23Yeah.
20:24And obviously, you eat this with a fork.
20:26It has this incredible texture to it.
20:27Yeah.
20:28So smart.
20:29Also, if you don't use the roe,
20:30it's a big miss for a lobster.
20:31Yeah, exactly.
20:32It's one of the best parts of a lobster.
20:33The only thing I'm really just not into
20:35is I think there's just a little too much
20:37of that either cream or mayonnaise with the chips.
20:39I'm kind of losing lobster
20:40and feeling more of that cream.
20:42Let's go ahead and move on to the third dish, please.
20:44I want to eat it all.
20:45Can we keep this?
20:46Can we keep all the lobsters?
20:48Wait, and then there's more lobster?
20:49There's more lobster.
20:50Look at how beautiful this is.
20:51I know.
20:52Like, this is the way I want to see,
20:53like, a grilled lobster presented.
20:56Judges, what we have in front of you
20:57for the third dish is a grilled lobster
20:59with a garlic cilantro compound butter.
21:02We have a Jamaican curry
21:03with a lobster potato chip corn fritter.
21:06There's something about Sal's dish
21:07I just think is beautiful.
21:08Like, the way it kind of swirls.
21:10Am I getting a huge grill vibe?
21:12No.
21:13I'm a little worried about the lobster
21:15because right away, I did see that it's very raw.
21:18For 40 minutes, you know,
21:19they had time to cook the lobster.
21:22And indeed, my lobster is very undercooked.
21:26When you think of a lobster dish, right,
21:28this is what I want to come to the table.
21:30You feel like I'm really splurging,
21:32like, this is gonna be amazing.
21:33The curry is phenomenal.
21:35The use of the potato chip,
21:36yes, they used it in the fritter itself,
21:38but, like, it kind of gets lost, you know?
21:40Let's move on to the last dish, please.
21:42Thank you, ladies.
21:43That's all? We have one more dish?
21:44I know. I was going by so fast.
21:46For the last dish,
21:47so we have a grilled and marinated lobster tail
21:50with grilled corn shishito
21:51and miso-buttered lobster claw succotash.
21:54There is a grilled poblano and lobster chip puree
21:57and grilled bread.
21:58So, Jordan made a succotash.
22:00Corn and those flavors with a grilled lobster
22:03are a great way to highlight the grill notes
22:06from the meat itself.
22:09I feel like I have to eat the bread.
22:10I know.
22:11This today is definitely the nicest grilled lobster
22:14that I think we've had so far.
22:15The bread isn't kneaded.
22:16It's cut way too thick.
22:17Shishitos almost feel like an afterthought.
22:18I feel like there were better choices in this pantry.
22:21I do think the puree is very bland.
22:24You know, it almost felt like these were
22:25a lot of leftovers inside the refrigerator
22:27that someone put together
22:28with, like, really good lobster.
22:29Right. Yeah.
22:30This could have been a little bit more successful
22:32had the plating been different.
22:34If they had more time?
22:35No, they had 40 minutes.
22:37All right.
22:38Like, these were four beautiful dishes.
22:40It was very delicious.
22:41Really delicious dishes.
22:42All right, judges,
22:43do we have a clear and final decision?
22:44Absolutely. Yes.
22:45All right.
22:46Just trying to use all the parts of the lobster.
22:48Yeah.
22:49Hopefully she didn't do that as much,
22:50and our dishes will take her down.
22:54Let's go ahead and bring the chefs back in, please.
22:58Welcome back, chefs.
22:59So, let me just remind you again,
23:01the judges judged all your dishes blindly.
23:03There were two chefs that the judges thought
23:05were possible contenders to go home.
23:09Those two chefs are Chef Jordan
23:12and Chef Selah.
23:14So, the chef that is leaving us
23:15is the one from the state of...
23:19New York.
23:20Chef Selah. I'm sorry.
23:21The judges thought your lobster was a bit undercooked.
23:24Thank you, guys.
23:25It's an honor to compete with you all.
23:27The honor was mine. Thank you.
23:33So, congratulations, Chef Jordan.
23:35You have now made it to the money round.
23:37And this either means Chef Adam or Chef Alex has won.
23:41So, the chef who has won the survival round
23:43and will determine all the details for the final dish is...
23:49Chef Alex. It's hard to beat her.
23:50Well done.
23:51Chef Adam, your tail was a little bit overcooked
23:53and slightly chewy.
23:55Congratulations, Chef.
23:57Congrats.
23:59All right, chefs, welcome to the money round.
24:01This is your shot at a big payday.
24:03It's very simple.
24:04If you come in first or second,
24:06you will win $10,000 or $5,000, respectively.
24:09But if Chef Alex beats both of you,
24:11you're going home empty-handed.
24:12All right, Chef Alex, ready?
24:15Yeah.
24:16In the last round, the chefs picked stuff I didn't like,
24:19particularly the grilled, and I won.
24:21So, I'm going to let them pick
24:23because I think that's my strategy right now.
24:25So, I'm going to let you guys pick.
24:27Hold up.
24:28Except for one thing.
24:30I'm going to choose the time.
24:32All right.
24:33I think a disadvantage worked to my advantage,
24:35so I want actually the disadvantage
24:37because heavy is the head that wears the crown.
24:40We're now clearly the crown.
24:43I'm already sorry.
24:46First up,
24:49what part of the lobster will you be preparing?
24:52Are you going with the claw or are you going with the tail?
24:56I like the tail over the claw.
24:58I think I could do a little more with it
25:00than just having just the claw.
25:01The ends of the claw just tend to be more bitter.
25:03The tail is usually the most sought after,
25:06so I would probably vote tail as well.
25:08This is playing out just the way the last round did so far.
25:11Yes, it is, actually.
25:12But I'm curious, if we chose claw,
25:14would she have said tail?
25:15You're thinking only about me.
25:16So, I feel like now Chef Alex is in everyone's head.
25:18Oh, yeah.
25:19Like...
25:20Rent free.
25:21Totally.
25:22She's there.
25:23We stick with the tail.
25:24All right.
25:25We'll go with tail.
25:26All right.
25:27Chef Alex, you would have chosen the claw, right?
25:29I really would have.
25:30Let's pick something else I don't want.
25:32On to decision number two.
25:33So, right now, you have your surf, right?
25:36And normally, that's paired with...
25:39turf.
25:40Nice.
25:41You either choose filet mignon,
25:43rack of lamb,
25:44or bacon.
25:46Wow.
25:47Chef Alex, I'm coming to you first.
25:48Tell me in my ear, actually,
25:49what would you choose?
25:50I would choose this lamb bacon.
25:52Okay.
25:53You tell me what you want.
25:55I would choose the filet.
25:57Lamb and lobsters,
25:58that's not something I would usually pair together.
26:00Yeah, filet sounds...
26:01I would go filet or bacon.
26:02Bacon's maybe too easy.
26:04You're trying to win money, right?
26:05I'm trying to win money, but...
26:06What are you talking about?
26:07I'm also thinking about them, too.
26:09Traditionally speaking,
26:10surf and turf is usually a nice steak.
26:12I think filet is a good choice.
26:13I'm saying filet.
26:14Yeah, I'm gonna go with filet.
26:16Chef Alex would have gone with the slab bacon.
26:18Yeah, she did.
26:20So, we're going with filet.
26:22Up next, where are you eating this dish?
26:25So, are we at a seaside resort
26:29or a seaside shack?
26:33Come to shack.
26:35I'm going with shack.
26:36I think shack's good.
26:37I got food trucks,
26:38so I can cook that type of food.
26:40Here you go.
26:41Chef Alex actually said shack as well,
26:43so that's unanimous.
26:45Going with shack unanimously.
26:46And then the final decision,
26:48the one that Chef Alex has kept for herself.
26:50You have 1 and 40 minutes.
26:5225 minutes.
26:5325?
26:54That's enough.
26:55She's a beast. I love this.
26:56Non-negotiable.
26:57All right, your time starts now.
27:00I feel like the clock is already done.
27:04We have lobster tails,
27:05probably the most coveted part of the lobster.
27:07This is filet mignon, the steak.
27:09You don't want to cook it for too long.
27:10That fat content is not really strong,
27:12so it can dry out really fast.
27:13Seaside shack, this is probably going to be
27:15something handheld.
27:1625 minutes is not a lot of time.
27:18The fact that Chef Alex is going ahead with that
27:20and really putting these chefs on the defense,
27:23I think this is really a strong strategy.
27:25We'll see how it plays out.
27:27These chefs are really good at lobster.
27:29That's what they came to do.
27:30They're experts.
27:31I need to pick the fish bowl up and shake it
27:34to throw them off their game.
27:36So I'm going to make a surf-and-turf sandwich
27:39with malt vinegar chips.
27:40So we have the filet mignon and the lobster.
27:42To my mind, 18 minutes of the 25-minute round
27:45should be spent on these two ingredients,
27:47and that's what I'm going to do.
27:48I cut the filet mignon into small pieces,
27:50and I crust them with a little crushed black pepper,
27:53like a steak au poivre in a French bistro.
27:55And then I sear them for a few minutes on each side.
27:58Then I'm going to let them rest.
28:01I literally throw the lobster tails into boiling water,
28:04and then I get started on my tartar sauce,
28:06which is pretty salty.
28:08So I chop up pickle chips, capers,
28:11grainy mustard, mayonnaise, and some fresh tarragon.
28:14Making a tartar sauce with lots of pickles.
28:17I love how you didn't even wait for me to ask.
28:19Yeah, by the time you come over here
28:21to find out what's going on,
28:22it's going to be on the plate, right?
28:24Well, you chose 25, Chef.
28:26Yeah, come on, let's have a little fun.
28:2921, 21.
28:30We got to move. There's no time to waste.
28:33Chef Jordan. Yes.
28:34What are you thinking about doing?
28:36The lobster, like, katsu sandwich.
28:38And you're going to do this in 25?
28:40I'm going to try.
28:41Well, you're going to have to.
28:42I'm going to use the filet on the sandwich.
28:44So I thinly slice the tenderloin
28:46and get that marinating right away, too,
28:48so I can get some of the flavor into that meat.
28:51So I'm going to marinate the beef in the katsu marinade.
28:54Ketchup?
28:55Ketchup, right there.
28:57Worcestershire.
28:58Tonkatsu sauce is not usually used as a marinade.
29:01It's a sauce that, it's kind of like a Japanese barbecue sauce.
29:05It's very heavy in Worcestershire.
29:07My plan is to marinate this beef in this tonkatsu sauce.
29:11Adam, how you doing over there?
29:13I'm doing all right, man.
29:14Sweating, how are you?
29:15About the same.
29:16Got what we wanted, right?
29:19I'm doing a lobster roll, surf and turf style,
29:21with a little bit of steak, butter poached lobster.
29:24And I'm going to sear the steak real quick.
29:26Not a lot of time.
29:27I'm going to do a take on a steak and cheese
29:29with lobster on top.
29:30I'm taking the filet, and I'm going to cut it up really thin,
29:33just like we would make a steak and cheese,
29:35so it'll cook faster.
29:36And we've got 25 minutes.
29:38These are really full of meat.
29:39These are good.
29:40I'm cutting these lobster tails and taking the meat out.
29:42I'm going to just poach it in butter.
29:44Butter and lobster are just a marriage made in heaven.
29:46We're going to make this lobster moist, delicious,
29:48and hopefully not overcooked.
29:49So next, I'm going to prep up some onions, peppers,
29:51and jalapeno.
29:52Nothing better than a steak and cheese
29:53with some really good onions and peppers.
29:56So you believe she chose 25?
29:5825?
29:59Six minutes has gone by.
30:00I'm almost done.
30:03Alex used these variables to play some little mind tricks
30:06with us.
30:0725 minutes, but I'm dug in.
30:08My adrenaline's flowing, and I'm ready to take Alex down.
30:12Alex, how you doing over there?
30:13All right?
30:14All right.
30:15And you?
30:16I can't complain.
30:17Been a couple shacks before in my life.
30:19All right.
30:20I'm sure you have, too.
30:22Jordan is like the poster boy for lobster.
30:24He has three restaurants in Maine.
30:26But Adam is a competition aficionado.
30:29And he keeps saying to me, maybe today's
30:31going to be the day, Chef Alex.
30:34I don't think so, Adam.
30:37I don't think so.
30:45It is tense in here.
30:47You can tell.
30:48These two lobster chefs really want to take Alex out.
30:51I'm just showing some lobster tail.
30:53You seared some steak.
30:55You made a tartar sauce.
30:56Lobster.
30:57As if you had, like, 50 minutes.
30:59Trying.
31:00I don't think I've ever seen you cook this fast.
31:03There is no margin for error in 25 minutes.
31:06You make what you make, and you're kind of stuck with it.
31:09Here's my time.
31:10How much time?
31:1110 minutes left, chefs.
31:12Finish up strong.
31:13One thing about being from New England
31:14when you're making a lobster roll,
31:15the key thing that most people miss
31:17is you've got to toast the bun.
31:19And you've got to toast them in a lot of butter.
31:22If I were going to a shack and I ordered a lobster roll,
31:24they're going to give me either fries or chips and coleslaw.
31:26So I'm going to try to make chips.
31:28So I've got my chips in the fryer.
31:29I heat an iron skillet with a little bit of butter.
31:31Start cooking that filet.
31:32Add the onions and everything to that
31:34so it sort of soaks up and blends together.
31:39Just knowing, kind of being a competition chef myself,
31:41he's behind severely.
31:43Chef, you've got to get cooking.
31:45Frying, searing, whatever you need to do.
31:47Six minutes left, chef.
31:49Cook, cook, cook.
31:50Cook, cook, cook.
31:51Katsu sandwich is a crunchy, fried, breaded cutlet.
31:56I'm breading my lobster, flour, egg wash, panko
32:01right into the fryer.
32:06Are you feeling the pressure?
32:07Yeah, definitely.
32:09If you would have chosen time, how much would you have given yourself?
32:1240 minutes.
32:16So all the sandwich components are done.
32:17I want to make potato chips.
32:19I just slice some fingerling potatoes the long way
32:22and then I season them with malt vinegar powder and salt.
32:25I chop the lobster up and I mix it with the tartar sauce.
32:28I'm slicing the steak thin just because I don't like to bite into a really thick piece
32:32and now all I have to do is assemble my sandwich.
32:35Butter poaching the lobster looks like. Very nice.
32:38I pull the lobster tail meat out of the butter.
32:40It's not overcooked. It's still juicy, moist.
32:42It's taking on the flavor of the butter.
32:46So the steak's cooking.
32:47I realize I forgot to put the soy sauce in the marinade.
32:51Make sure you are plating very, very soon, if not now.
32:54We have three minutes left, chefs.
32:55I'm a little bit concerned that things aren't going to be seasoned the way I want them.
33:02So my components are cooked.
33:04I just have to plate now.
33:05I layer the meat with the mustard on the bottom
33:08and then I literally just top it with the lobster and the tartar sauce.
33:11I add some chopped celery a little bit and some tarragon, like for a little lobster roll vibes.
33:16And then I just top it with the bun and I put it in there and I put the chips around it.
33:20Beachside Shack, order up.
33:23Two minutes left.
33:26I'm making a lobster roll and my idea is to build the layers here.
33:29I want to get the steak down with the onions, with the peppers
33:32and then I evenly distribute this beautiful lobster right on top.
33:35That's the first thing I want the judges to see is that this is a lobster sandwich with steak,
33:39not a steak sandwich with lobster.
33:45So the time is really getting to me now, so I just start plating everything.
33:50I grill the bread just lightly.
33:52I put that on the plate.
33:54Chefs, we are closing in.
33:56Put the katsu on top.
33:58Some more mayo on the other piece of bread.
34:00Cover that with the marinated beef tenderloin.
34:0310, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
34:14Chefs, wow.
34:1625.
34:17Holy smokes.
34:18We did it.
34:19That's crazy.
34:20No regrets.
34:21Maybe.
34:22Write down the full description of your dish.
34:25All right, chefs, it's time for you to exit.
34:27We'll call you back when the judges have determined a winner.
34:29Again, that was awesome.
34:30Good job, chefs.
34:31Real good job.
34:32Staying in the house.
34:35It was fun.
34:36We'll see how it goes.
34:37Let's do it.
34:41Chips, lobster, poached lobster.
34:44I like it.
34:45Me too.
34:46Very shaggy.
34:47Very shaggy.
34:48A lobster katsu, if you will.
34:51Oh, I can't tell.
34:52I just worry that he spent so much time on the lobster that the fillet got neglected.
34:57That's what 25 minutes does to you.
34:59Good job on that.
35:00See you soon.
35:02There's not a lot of bandwidth with 25 minutes.
35:05We'll see which one comes out best.
35:06All right, that's a full recess.
35:07Cut, cut.
35:08Full recess.
35:14I'm going to need you ladies to come down a little bit faster before I grab these plates.
35:17Sorry.
35:18Before I grab these plates.
35:22What's going on, y'all?
35:24Let me remind you what the winning chef decided to choose.
35:27Lobster tail, filet mignon, seaside shack, 25 minutes.
35:33What we have in front of you, chefs, is a lobster tail and filet au poivre.
35:36This is a surf and turf sandwich with tartar sauce and a malt vinegar chip.
35:40I like my dish.
35:41It's good.
35:42I knew that the time constraint would force us all into a similar place, and that's what worries me most.
35:47Then it's just a comparison of one thing between three people.
35:50I do like the idea of the surf and turf sandwich.
35:53It's kind of like eating a burger with lobster salad on it.
35:57Right.
35:58I think the cook on the lobster tail is lovely.
36:00Super succulent, not dry at all or overcooked.
36:04I'm not so sure about that tartar sauce.
36:06I think the tarragon is really aggressive.
36:08That's the first thing that I taste.
36:12I like that you said au poivre immediately, so you see all of these large pieces of peppercorn in there, which is phenomenal.
36:19I really love the whole grain mustard in there.
36:21It almost mimics the peppercorn, but it's bright and acidic.
36:24I wanted a little more salt on my steak.
36:26All right, ladies, let's move on to the next dish.
36:29It looks like a bigger sandwich.
36:31Oh, sandwiches?
36:32Oh, wow.
36:35We have a lobster katsu sandwich.
36:38We have fried lobster tail, shredded cabbage, marinated tenderloin.
36:42I love Jordan's lobster katsu, and I can see myself at the beach with just that.
36:46I worry that all that bread, some of it unevenly grilled, is actually going to dilute his sandwich.
36:53That look was either really, really good or really, really bad.
36:56This is ambitious, especially in 25 minutes.
37:00It just needed a little bit more salt, a little bit more acid, a little bit more sauce or something.
37:04I want to bite into it.
37:05I bit into it, and then it just kind of starts to fall apart, and then I start to use my fork and knife, which then doesn't lead to a seaside shack.
37:11That being said, the steak is my favorite part of it.
37:13I actually just wish it was a steak sandwich.
37:15Obviously, using the ribeye this way, slicing it thin, marinating it, ambitious but really smart.
37:21Because if you only have 25 minutes, you don't really have time to marinate.
37:24The cook on the lobster, I think, is over, and it's not seasoned.
37:27I think, all in all, a nice attempt.
37:29All right, let's go ahead and move on to the last dish.
37:3225 minutes.
37:34To plate a sandwich, it actually takes a long time.
37:37It does, yeah.
37:38Is it lobster roll?
37:39It is.
37:40The last of the evening.
37:42We have a steak and lobster surf and turf roll,
37:45butter poached lobster, steak, onions, and peppers,
37:48and seafood seasoning chips.
37:50If a Philly cheesesteak and a lobster roll had a baby.
37:52This is why we get Chef Antonio to come in here.
37:56I think Adam's dish really looks shakier than mine even.
37:59My parents live in Philly, so I know a good Philly cheesesteak.
38:02The filet and the onions and pepper are so good.
38:04It really reminds me of a Philly cheesesteak.
38:06I actually like the soggy bun.
38:09Me too.
38:10Love a soggy butter bun.
38:11Yeah.
38:12And it tastes so much like the steak.
38:13Yes.
38:14It's delicious.
38:15But the lobster really gets lost because all you're getting
38:17is the steak and the onions and peppers and the bun.
38:20Right.
38:21Seaside shaki.
38:22Oh, for sure, seaside shaki.
38:24I think so.
38:25And I think really smart to do the play on the lobster roll.
38:28Your hair is wet.
38:29You're in a bathing suit.
38:31This concept I'm obsessed with and I want to take with me.
38:34My lobster's overcooked and needed a little bit more dressing on it
38:37to really have made it perfect.
38:39So good, though.
38:40Really tasty food today.
38:41Tasty.
38:42Tasty food.
38:43So it sounds like we might have a winner.
38:45Yeah.
38:46Now, I'm not going to ask you to leave anymore.
38:49I'm actually going to bring the chefs in,
38:50and you two will be the ones to let them know how you feel about their food.
38:53Sounds good.
38:54Okay.
38:55Let's go ahead and bring the chefs in.
38:57We have a chef from Connecticut, we have a chef from Maine,
38:59and with the bright lights and the name right above everything,
39:03Chef Alex from New York City.
39:04Chefs, welcome back.
39:05Hello.
39:06From Connecticut, we have Chef Adam Greenberg.
39:09From the state of Maine, we have Chef Jordan Rubin.
39:13Hello, Chef.
39:14And, of course, from New York, we have Chef Alex.
39:16And I'm sure, chefs, many of you know our judges,
39:18but I'm going to introduce them anyway.
39:20We have acclaimed Southern California restaurateur,
39:22Chef Antonia LaFasa.
39:24And from the East Coast, renowned New York restaurateur,
39:26Chef Esther Choi.
39:28Hey, chefs.
39:29Hey, chef.
39:30I know Chef Alex knows Antonia quite well.
39:32And Esther.
39:33And Chef Esther, sorry.
39:34Me too.
39:35But I hate when chefs who are friends of mine come
39:38and don't tell me that they're here.
39:40Our lips are sealed.
39:42All right, chefs, who cooked what?
39:44First, let's talk about the lobster katsu.
39:47Judges, the chef who made the lobster katsu sandwich
39:50is Chef Jordan.
39:51Very nice, chef.
39:52That's me.
39:53Very nice, chef.
39:54The lobster katsu sandwich was texturally very delicious,
39:57but very under-seasoned.
40:00I love the idea of the sandwich.
40:02Texturally incredible.
40:04The lobster was like, you know, that beautiful crunch
40:06to the outside of the breading.
40:08But yes, very, very under-seasoned.
40:10More salt.
40:11Up next, the surf-and-surf sandwich with tarragon.
40:14Judges, that dish was made by Chef Alex.
40:18I felt like the construction of the sandwich,
40:20the bread to the steak to the lobster was just perfect.
40:23I did think that the steak was a little under-seasoned.
40:26Tarragon was a little heavy for me.
40:29So obviously that means the surf-and-surf roll
40:31was made by Chef Adam.
40:34I thought the surf-and-surf roll was really clever.
40:36I loved the way the sandwich ate.
40:37It was like the bread was just so delicious.
40:40But the lobster was a little bit of an afterthought.
40:44I was obsessed with the mixture of lobster and steak.
40:47I almost wanted there to be like a table-side can of cheese
40:49that kind of came by.
40:51But yeah, it felt more like a steak sandwich
40:52than a lobster and steak sandwich.
40:55The judges ranked your dishes without knowing who made what.
40:58So the chef they have finishing third in this round is...
41:05Sorry, Chef Jordan.
41:09Thank you so much, Chef. Appreciate it. Good job.
41:12All right, buddy.
41:13Thank you, Chef.
41:14Thank you, Chef.
41:15Pleasure.
41:21All right, cutting dry.
41:22Chef Adam, if you win, you're going home with $10,000.
41:25But if Chef Alex wins, you're walking away with nothing.
41:29So the winner of our lobster showdown is...
41:35The queen, Chef Alex.
41:37Oh, my God.
41:38Thank you. It's a pleasure.
41:41Appreciate you guys.
41:42Awesome job, Chef.
41:44A lot of fun, brother.
41:45Thank you, Chef.
41:46The sandwich was really well executed.
41:47Super fun to eat.
41:48I love lobster.
41:49This is not one I wanted to go home on.
41:51Chef Alex, you've just taken down three
41:53of the best lobster chefs in the country.
41:55Congratulations. Well done.
41:57You're on a roll. You're on a roll.
41:59You were right about the salt on the steak.
42:01Good job.
42:02Yeah, I think a little bit more.
42:03I think a little bit more.