Beat Bobby Flay (2013–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Old Dog, New Tricks - full transcript

I'm Bobby Flay.

Each week, one brave chef

will try to take me down
in my house.

This culinary battle is gonna
shake down in two rounds.

To get to me, first,

two contenders
have to go through each other,

using an ingredient
of my choice.

Are you ready?!

Two people that know me well

will decide
who's got the skills to beat me.

Don't let us down, guys!



I go head-to-head
with the winning contender.

It's their turn to surprise me
with their signature dish.

I didn't see that coming.

I didn't either.

Bottom line...
Ring his bell.

...everyone's out to beat me.

All right, you guys. Who's ready
for a battle tonight?

So, here to decide who
I'm going up against tonight...

...are Chef Anne Burrell
and Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

You guys look like
you're in a good mood.

We're in
a really good mood.

Why's that?

Any day I come
to see you get beaten,

to me, is a good day.



A lot of you guys know

that Chef Anne Burrell and I

compete on
"Worst Cooks in America."

Of course,
Alex Guarnaschelli,

that tough judge
on "Chopped."

I'm really excited
to see somebody come in here

and completely
annihilate you.

And I get to pick that person.

All right, take it easy.
Take it easy.

Bring them on.

Let me hear some noise!
Whoo!

Here to kick your butt tonight
is a master of Asian cuisine.

Brian Tsao, the executive chef
at Mira Sushi and Izakaya

here in New York City.

This guy likes the crowd.
Yeah.

Our next contender is
a scientist in the kitchen.

Adam Harvey,
executive chef of Jackie's

in Silver Spring,
Maryland.

You know, Round 1

is all about separating the men
from the boys.

All right, you guys. Glad you
took the night off from work?

Absolutely.

I think I'm here to show
an old dog some new tricks.

An old dog.

Old dog. Old dog.

All right, all right.

Old dog.

The testosterone
is just flowing in here.

All right, guys, to get to me,

first, you have to go
through each other,

and to make it more interesting,

I'm gonna give you
one single ingredient,

and that ingredient...

is cauliflower.

I'm definitely
intimidated by this cauliflower.

It's something that I just don't
really work with.

What's really important

is that you make cauliflower
the star of your dish.

You can puree it.
You can make it into soup.

You can make it into mash.

This secret ingredient
doesn't bother me.

These ladies behind me

will decide
which one of you guys move on.

All right, you have 20 minutes,
and your time starts...

...now.

So, why
did you pick cauliflower?

Because cauliflower
is one of those ingredients

that was thought of
as an old-school vegetable,

and now every chef
is using it on their menu.

So, let's see
what these guys got.

In 20 minutes,
I don't have the time

to do my molecular gastronomy
that I do on an everyday basis,

but I have to let
the cauliflower sing.

So I coat it with some olive oil
and get it roasting,

get a little caramelization
on the ends,

that little kind
of nutty bitterness to it.

Bobby and I have
something in common.

He dropped out of high school.

I dropped out of high school

'cause we just couldn't wait
to be chefs.

I won the Brillat-Savarian
Young Chef Award in 2007.

Now I'm the executive chef
at Jackie's Restaurant

in Silver Spring, Maryland.

I'm a technician in the kitchen.

I love using modern science,
molecular gastronomy

to create things
that are kind of ingenious.

I'm a younger, hipper version
of Bobby Flay.

I want to prove to the world
that I can beat him,

that I am this great chef
that I say that I am.

You can make cauliflower part
of a dish,

but how do you make cauliflower
the star of the dish?

Cauliflower doesn't have a lot
of moisture to it,

and it has a subtle flavor,
but the question is --

how do you draw it out?

Since cauliflower
doesn't really fall

into the realm
of my Asian background,

I decide to go back
to basic techniques,

and I get it boiling until
it's just slightly al dente.

And then, I use cream

combined with shallots
and garlic, chorizo.

I think that's gonna showcase
my versatility

in that I still keep
my Western training in mind.

I was born and raised
here in the States,

and my parents wanted me
to achieve the American dream

of being a doctor or a lawyer,

but after spending
some time in Asia

to reconnect with my heritage,

I just fell
head over heels in love

with the food culture
over there,

and much to my parents' dismay,

when I came back,
I decided to become a chef.

Now I'm the executive chef
of Mira Sushi and Izakaya,

where I take Asian street food
to the next level.

To beat somebody
like Bobby Flay,

my family will finally take
my career as a chef seriously.

Looking over at Brian,
I see the cream,

which is playing it
a little bit safe.

You know,
I want to be different,

so I'm using some curry powder,
ricotta cheese,

and golden raisins

to make something
that's really unexpected.

Adam, what do you got
going on here?

Got some cauliflower
caramelizing in the oven.

Curried ricotta.

And do a nice warm salad
with it.

I also have
some golden raisins

that are cooking in
a little bit of sherry vinegar

for some nice acidity
and sweetness.

And then, just toasting off
these pine nuts.

I feel like you just
are shuffling bowls around.

That's not gonna beat
Bobby Flay.

You really think
a cauliflower salad

is gonna win this for you?
I think this one will.

All right.

I don't want
to get in your way,

but that's exactly
what I'm gonna do.

What are you doing?

Well, I am going to make
creamy cauliflower.

Okay. Cool.
I see you've got some panko

and some butter
and some chorizo.
Yes.

I'm going to put in some
shallots, pickled scallions,

a little tarragon
at the very end.

Not Asian food at all?

That's a trick I hold
for a little later, Bobby.

Don't worry about me yet.

You got to worry about the guy
next to you.

5 minutes.

All right, Adam!
Show me the cauliflower.

He seems laser focused
with a head of cauliflower

and dreams of beating you.

I have to admit --

I have a little bit
of nervousness going on

'cause if Adam wins,

he'll probably do something
in molecular-gastronomy mode.

If Brian wins and he pulls out
the Asian-dish card on me,

neither one of those things
is what I do.

That tastes good.

You guys have 2 minutes to go.

My cauliflower, it's al dente.

It's perfect, but I taste the
sauce, and it's just not there.

That's where I go
for my trusty Asian ingredients.

It's kind of a risk,
but I go for rice wine

to give it a cutting edge

and some soy sauce
to replace my salt.

As the time runs out,
I'm feeling a lot of pressure.

I got to make it through. I got
to give everything that I have.

Brian,
I'm a little bit worried.

Let's not lose the cauliflower

in the sea of ingredients
you have over there.

I saw scallions,
tarragon, onions.

I saw an 18-car pileup.

I know that I have a lot
going on, but I add goat cheese.

It'll add some more creaminess.

30 seconds!

It's nerve-racking.
Your heart's racing.

I have golden raisins, toasted
pine nuts, shaved fennel.

I don't have time.

5...4....3...2...1!

Time's up.

There really isn't any
type of science in this dish,

but I'm feeling really confident
that this is me on the plate.

I see Adam,
his dish is gorgeous,

and I'm not really sure

if I made something
that's gonna stand up to that.

The task
at hand for you here

was to take cauliflower

and make it
the star of the dish,

and our job is
to pick the person

who we think did that
and can therefore,

go on to beat Bobby Flay
with their signature dish.

Brian,
tell me about your dish.

I made a creamy cauliflower.

It has some bits of chorizo,
goat cheese, pickled scallion.

I love the herby, panko-y stuff
on the top of it.

I think that was
a really nice touch,

and it's amazing
that you combined

all of these ingredients
in 20 minutes.

I see a real coming together
of really deep flavors,

flavors that I think
would really crush Bobby

in a signature cook-off.

The goat cheese,
the rice-wine vinegar,

and even the scallions,
and the arugula,

but the chorizo
is like, uh, you know,

the overweight lover
in the room.

I mean, it's like...
shazam in here.

What happened
to the cauliflower?

I'm nervous.

I think I should've added
more cauliflower,

but I'm hoping that things
will go my way.

Adam, tell us
what your dish is.

I did a roasted cauliflower
on top of a curried ricotta

with a sherry
and raisin compote.

I am a huge fan
of roasted cauliflower,

and then with the raisins,
pine nuts, fennel,

this is definitely
a very inspired plate of food.

I really love the cauliflower
and the way you cooked it.

They were really juicy,
and they had a lot of flavor,

but your dish is seasoned
very timidly,

in a way that leaves me really
looking for some salt here.

That's something
that's critical

if you're gonna go up
against a chef of his caliber.

These guys are two
very different cooks.

I don't know who's gonna win.
I don't know who's gonna lose.

I don't have any idea what their
signature dish is gonna be.

Who am I going up against?

There is only one person
who we believe

truly has a chance
of beating Bobby Flay here.

- And that's you, Brian.
- Wow.

It's disappointing

to not be able to go up
against Bobby Flay.

When they said his name
instead of mine,

I was, you know,
kind of blown away.

I guess it fell flat
in the judges' eyes.

Is he making you nervous?

I've been watching him on TV
for so long.

He's, like, right here,

and I want to be like,
"Oh, my God!"

You can be like that.
That's all right.

Oh, man,
it's so cool, man.

Brian, Anne and I both felt
you used a lot of finesse,

especially
in recruiting ingredients

like rice-wine vinegar

and the toasted panko
bread crumbs with the butter.

Those were really standout
touches that got you the win.

Thank you.

Stay true to who you are
as a cook.

Bring your heritage
to this table

because that is the only way
you're gonna beat Bobby Flay.

Thank you.

All right, Brian,
what's your signature dish?

We're gonna be cooking
meat tacos.

Oh, my God.
What?

Meat tacos?!

Meat tacos.

My cat is named Taco.

Why don't you just hand this
to Bobby Flay

on a silver platter?
Tacos?

I mean, like,
what's wrong with you?

You haven't seen tacos
like these.

Okay, so,
we're gonna stick around,

but we're not the judges
for this round.

We've got three experts
that are gonna come in

and determine the winner
through a blind taste test.

You guys will both have
45 minutes to pull off

the best tacos you've ever made,
and your time starts now!

To me, this is the fun part.

The bell goes off. I'm running,
from start to finish.

I got to take risks. I have to
make it a little bit different.

I think when we think
of a meat taco,

we think of that
classic ground beef

with lots of spices
in a tortilla,

but a taco is a food you can
take in any direction

with any flavors.

Come on, where are you,
soy sauce?

Anne and Alex are skeptical
of my decision

to go up against Bobby Flay
with meat tacos,

but I think my knowledge
in Asian cuisines,

as well as utilizing
Western techniques,

is gonna bring something
that Bobby would not see coming.

You know,
I cook Southwestern food.

I've been making my living
making tacos for a long time.

So, obviously, I'm gonna
have to teach him a lesson.

My signature dish is beef
bulgogi tacos with kimchi slaw.

It uses a recipe
that my mom taught me

when I was really young

and that I've just worked on
all these years.

I have to get all
the marinating ingredients going

and get that beef in there.

So, what
are you up to over here?

I'm making
a Korean bulgogi sauce.

What's a bulgogi sauce?

Bulgogi is a type
of marinade.

Okay, so, red wine, onions.

I see mushrooms,
pureed pear.

What's that?
A little kimchi?

I'm gonna make a kimchi slaw.

Little kimchi slaw
with that.

I like those big flavors.

Smells delicious.
Really bright.

Lot of really bold,
amazing-looking flavors.

So, Bobby,
what are you making?

I got some pork shoulder
in here

with some pomegranate
molasses

and some chilies
and some chicken stock.

Hopefully the pressure cooker's
gonna cook it enough.

I'm making a pineapple,
habanero hot sauce.

You know,
so it's gonna be pomegranate

in a pineapple pork taco,

and I'm gonna actually
make puffy tacos.

Puffy tacos?

I'm gonna make
the tortillas,

but I'm not gonna cook them
on a griddle.

I'm gonna put them on a fryer,
and they puff up.

Ooh.

I haven't made a puffy taco,
like, in seven years,

and I actually made it once
in "Throwdown," and I lost.

And, uh...I don't know.
Leave me alone. Get out of here.

All right, all right.

That was like
a "60 Minutes" interview.

This is my taco shell.

I'm actually gonna use
won ton wrappers.

A won ton wrapper.

Won ton wrappers. Okay.

What's at stake here?

Bragging rights
for the rest of your life

to say that you came here

and you beat Bobby Flay
at his own taco game.

Yeah,
and that would suck for me.

Well, let me tell you
a little story.

My father came here
with no education,

with no money
in his pocket,

and he became
an auto mechanic,

and no one at that time
was an Asian auto mechanic.

That man showed me
anything is possible,

as long as you set your mind
to it and you be brave.

20 minutes remain!

Now I'm running.

Seems like Bobby's
making a dessert.

Pineapple and pomegranate.

Seems very sweet.

Brian,
we are counting on you

to take down
B. Flay at Taco Town.

Trying to get these
freakin' taco shells done.

He's having
a really hard time.
Come on.

As I'm making
my won ton wrappers,

my hands are trembling,
I'm panicking.

Oh

This is causing me
to have stress.

Why isn't this working?

Trying to get these
freakin' taco shells done!

I feel like
he's so nervous -- Brian --

that he cannot
come down to Earth

and connect
with his own cooking.

I'm looking forward
to these tacos.

I can't believe
we picked someone

to go up against Bobby
with tacos.

I know.

As I'm making
my won ton wrappers,

they're not coming out right.

The shape just isn't there.

And I look over at Bobby,

and he's making
homemade tortillas.

I mean, how can you
beat homemade tortillas?

I got to calm down.
That's what I got to do.

Now, I've lost "Throwdown"
with a puffy taco before,

but I think the tortilla
is really gonna be key here,

and it will work
to my advantage.

The won ton shells frying
in that little taco maker

that he has
look really beautiful.

I'm relieved. The taco
shells look picture-perfect.

13 minutes
and 42 seconds left.

I got to admit --

the pressure cooker does add
a little bit of drama.

When people use it
to tenderize meat quickly,

it tastes like boiled meat.

I taste the marinade.

Oh, man.

I missed an ingredient --
the pineapple.

Brian, is that a last-minute
addition to your taco?

It's actually
something I forgot.

That's my mom's
secret ingredient.

iarts tons of flavor, and
it tenderizes the beef itself.

I hope he just doesn't go
too overboard

with all of his flavors.

Pressure-cooked meat sometimes
can just taste like it's boiled,

so I have a cast-iron pan,
and it's on very high

to get really nice crust,

caramelization
on the outside of it.

That's why
he's a rock star.

The beef bulgogi tacos

has your sweet,
it has your sour.

I came in with a game plan,
and at this point,

I can let it reduce and let
all the flavors infuse.

For this kind of competition,

I always leave the integrity

and the authenticity
of the dish intact,

but then I kind of
put a twist on it.

Bobby's making
puffy tacos.

His matzo dough
is not behaving

as well
as he would like it.

I'm starting to sweat.

The tortillas, they're ripping.

I take this risk
to make puffy tacos,

and now I'm thinking
to myself...

If Bobby's gonna have
a little stumbling block,

that is where
it's going to be.

Bobby is carefully
pressing those tacos,

as if he is birthing his first
child -- very carefully.

It's getting tense
in Taco Town.

Puffy tacos.

One down. How many to go,
though, B.F.?

Five more.

This one's not done yet, either.

These are so pretty.

I think the sourness

and the spiciness
from the kimchi slaw

is gonna push me through.

Brian is really throwing down
the gauntlet.

If he beat Bobby Flay at
his own game, at tacos...whew!

But I'm scared because
what does arugula have to do

with the flavors Brian
has chosen for his taco?

Brian, keep it simple.

You know you don't need
a lot of tricks.

You just need good taste.

Heard, Chef.

I like it.

Brian has actually re-plated,
which I think is really bold.

He took the arugula
off the plates

and seems to be sticking
to his flavors, which is great.

We have spiciness
from the chili,

some fruitiness
from the pineapple.

I think
it's got all the elements.

Brian, don't look at Bobby.
Look at your taco.

Look at me!

3 minutes, Brian.
Get it done.

This is where it comes down
to the true test

of an experienced,
competitive cook

to someone who's new.

Bobby's plates
are looking very polished,

very professional,
very finished.

You know, for all his

kind of "force of nature"
in the kitchen,

Bobby is being so delicate,
so calculating.

Mom, I'm gonna make you proud,
all right? You watch.

Bobby, are you prepared
to lose to Brian?

Hell no.

30 seconds!

As I'm building my plate,
it's pretty. It's bright.

I'm just hoping that it has
enough twists to it,

but also not too many twists.

I think Bobby drizzled
some pomegranate molasses

right on his tacos.

That's the kind
of last-minute decision

that can sometimes get you
in a lot of hot water.

I have a plan in terms
of the sweet, spicy,

sour kind of thing.

Alex, she just needs to kind of
chill out a little bit.

There's pandemonium in my brain.

That's where I go
for a much more rustic,

composed-chaos approach
to my dish.

Brian, let's do this!
Let's go! Come on!

4...3...2...1!

That's it!

Whoo!

Good job, dude.
Thank you.

So, Brian's bringing
the Korean flavors to the taco.

Let's see if the judges like it.

I'm looking at my tacos,
and I'm pretty proud of it.

I'm confident my dish
can beat Bobby Flay.

All right,
so since Anne and I

can't be entirely objective
about this process,

we have three judges
to make the final call.

We have Michael Chernow
and Daniel Holzman,

co-owners of The Meatball Shop
in New York City

and Wylie Dufresne, chef
and owner of wd-50 and Alder

in New York City, as well.

Gentlemen,
this is a blind taste test,

so we're not telling you
who made what.

We're just asking you
to dig into the plate

directly
in front of you first.

I haven't seen
a puffy taco before.

I'm really impressed
with that.

I think the texture
is really, really nice.

There's some crunch. There's
the softness of the meat.

I like the way you can
progress through it.

I also think that the meat
is cooked perfectly.

There's a little heat
at the end.

All the individual components

were well put together
and well thought out.

Did you eat these tacos?
No. Unh-unh.

It's a little sweet.

I like
the pomegranate seeds,

but there's also some
pomegranate molasses on here.

I think doubling down
on that

is where
I think it does begin

to sway a little
to the sweet side.

The word "sweet" came up way too
many times for my comfort level.

Let's move on to number 2.

Watching chefs and
restaurateurs of this caliber

eating my food
really is a dream come true.

The bulgogi is awesome.

I love bulgogi,

and it has the traditional
flavors in there

that I'm looking for.

The Asian pear, the scallions,
the kimchi --

crushing it for me.

I think
it's a delicious taco,

but the meat cookery
on the first taco, I think,

was better
than the meat cookery here.

I guess my main problem is,

as I pick it up,
all the filling falls out.

But that being said,
this is a delicious taco.

I've never seen
this taco before, and I'm like,

"That's delicious,
and who would have thought

to put Korean food
and Mexican food together?"

That's incredible.

And now I'm like,
"I don't think my breath is good

after I ate that taco."

There's like garlic
and scallions.

It wasn't good
before you ate that taco.

I'm torn.

We're gonna give you
a minute

to confer with each other.

I need to win this round
to prove to my family

what I'm able to accomplish
in this business.

I mean, bottom line,
the judges are gonna pick

whatever dish they like best.

That's the criteria.

And the winner is...

...Brian.

Brian came into Bobby's house,
and he took him down.

We told Brian to stick true
to his heart and his soul.

And I think that's why he pulled
out the win, honestly.

So, are we the winners?
What do we get?

I think we're the winners.

Okay, I lost this one,

but I have to say
I truly stand behind my taco.

It was definitely
a risky taco --

chilies, pomegranates,
puffy tortilla --

but I always say,
"No risk, no reward."

My name's Brian Tsao,
and I just beat Bobby Flay!

Whoo!

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