Recap Roundup - Top Chef Seattle Episode 13

Minxeatson ill-advised: "Brooke doesn't like boats. She doesn't explain exactly why. She says she has to get over it though because she fears passing her phobia on to her kid. But isn't that what parents are for? To make their kids neurotic? She indulges in a series of umbrella drinks with her compadres and keeps a box of Dramamine handy, just in case drinking on a boat is a bad idea. Ahem."

Eater on the non-foodie member of the lettuce family: "Sheldon is bummed because iceberg is so boring but I would counter that maybe Sheldon is boring and he should shut up. Iceberg lettuce is great. It's what gives Taco Bell soft tacos crunch and stops them from being entirely smooth, frictionless diarrhea igniters."

HitFix on Qsine: "The theme of the evening is wacky, it seems. They eat sushi lollipops and food in drawers. The drawer thing is not working for Stefan, as he has OCD and wants to move everything around. I'm just wondering if the food is any good, honestly. Putting sushi on a stick does not in any way make it better."

Grub Street on Curtis: "Okay, anyway, they walk into the ship’s kitchen (called 'the galley') where they see ... CURTIS STONE! Curtis Stone is one of my favorite people to look at and think about in the context of cooking shows. Needless to say, he looks like an Adonis, although I’m not crazy about his new short haircut — I miss the wind-swept chaos that used to define his personal grooming. Maybe the producers asked him to cut it because of its resemblance to deadly crashing waves? (Lizzie has no complaints and gushes over Curtis’s appearance.)"

Allie is Wired on Quickfire eats: "Padma and Curtis are enjoying some booze on deck. Stefan serves up his offering first. It goes over well. Sheldon gets a 'very nice' from Padma before Lizzie enters with her bacon infused creation. Josh also shows up with a bacon heavy bite. Curtis notes that Josh 'walks like a chef.' Not sure what that means. Brooke offers up a mouthful of scallop nibbly thing."

Entertainment Weekly on proteins: "Because Sheldon won the Quickfire, he'd get first pick at his proteins, and none of the other chefs could choose them. The other chefs joked that Sheldon should choose canned tuna and Spam and other undesirables. But instead of reaching for the emu meat and live sea cucumber, he went for the most standard proteins available: beef tenderloin and lobster."

A Just Recompense on surf and surf? "Brooke takes frog legs and mussels. This raises an interesting question: are amphibians surf, or turf? They’re usually treated like chicken. They breathe air. I call them turf. But she’s not sure. It’s different, at least. She’s stressed because her dish takes seven steps to plate. But she gets the Mussels and Frog Legs with Celery Root and Fennel Puree, Papadums, and Shallot Chutney done. Curtis is impressed with the inventiveness. Tom likes the flavors; frogs aren’t usually that earthy, but she made them earthy. The only problem is the greasy papadums."

Posted on AllTopChef.com