Beat Bobby Flay (2013–…): Season 13, Episode 9 - Episode dated 14 September 2017 - full transcript

I'm Bobby Flay.

Each week, one brave chef will
try to take me down in my house.

Bobby, you got
some competition, bro.

You're going down, son.

I'd rather go down
in flames.

This culinary battle is gonna
shake down in two rounds.

Round 1 -- To get to me,

two contenders
have to go through each other

using an ingredient
of my choice.

This is crazy!
This is crazy!

You're in
so much trouble!



Two people that know me well

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

Yeah!

Round 2 --
I go head-to-head

with the winning contender.

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

-You should be nervous, bro.
-What am I doing?

This is
getting exciting!

Bottom line --
everyone's out to beat me.

All right, guys,
tonight, I'm all-in.

I need to know
if you're with me.

I would like to introduce you
to two tough guys

that are all about
getting me beat --

"Cutthroat Kitchen's"
Simon Majumdar



and actor Steve Schirripa.
-Pow.

Hi, big boy.

Two of the toughest guys
I know.

I always think that
I'm a kind of wise guy,

but I had to bring
the real deal along with me.

-You were on "The Sopranos..."
-Yeah.

But we know underneath
that thick skin

that you are a good guy.

This is thick skin?

I like to eat, you know that.

You have own sauce
line now, right?

Uncle Steve's tomato sauce --
better than yours maybe.

-I'm sure it is.
-Maybe.

Maybe, I said.
-Wow.

Simon, you're, like,
one of the toughest judges ever.

"Ever."

-This guy is a killer.
-I like it.

'There's a lot of people who are
gonna watch you be embarrassed.

Let's get down
do business, Bobby.

Our first contender
is no stranger

to cooking competitions.

From Boston, please welcome the
executive chef Dave Bazirgan.

Like at an AC/DC concert.

Bobby, our next contender
is known as Mr. Downtown,

because he's transformed
Phoenix, Arizona,

into the trendy food city
that it is today.

Executive chef Stephen Jones.

Come on, Stephen.

Come on, baby.

I'm a little worried for you.

-Dave, Stephen, how's it going?
-Great.

So what's your goal tonight?
-To beat you.

I mean, I got to get through
my friend first, though.

Stephen and I worked for the
same company a few years ago,

and he's a great friend,
but today, I want to win.

So I'm gonna give you each
20 minutes to make an ingredient

of my choice
the star of your dish.

And that ingredient is
white anchovies.

-Ooh.
-Oh, yeah.

That's a great ingredient.

They have great flavor.

You just need to be careful
what you pair with it.

The main problem
with white anchovies,

it plays second
fiddle most times.

So, trying to make that
the star is tricky.

These guys behind me, they'll
taste your dishes and decide

which one of you
goes up against me in Round 2.

It's all about
the white anchovy.

-Go, chefs.
-Here we go.

I'm an anchovy fan.
Most people don't like them.

No, I know.

And when I met my wife,
she liked anchovy pizza,

I knew I had to marry her.

Traditional anchovies
are salt-cured,

but white anchovies
are briefly salted

before they're packed
in some oil and vinegar.

They're definitely milder
in flavor, and they're meatier.

You could go lots
of ways, though.

You could fry them.

Almost like a tempura-style
batter, really crisp.

-Hey, chef.
-How you doing?

I'm all right.
-How's it going?

I am making
a white anchovy

grilled Cesar salad
with fried croutons.

First, I'm gonna get started
on my Cesar dressing.

I put raw garlic, lemon juice,

Parmesan cheese, white
anchovy, and olive oil.

Hey, Dave, don't buckle on me.
I'm rooting for you, buddy?

Thanks, pal.

I've been working in kitchens
for 25 years now,

trying to get
those best reviews.

So competitive cooking seemed
like a natural next step.

I've won some serious
cooking competitions,

and I am ready
to kick some butt.

My goal is to keep beating all
the great chefs of the world.

I've been keeping
those knives super sharp

and ready for today, Bobby.

Better watch out.

Stephen's got eggplant
and Calabrian chilies.

I like
all those ingredients.

I hear that Dave is using the
anchovies in a Cesar dressing.

I think that it's
just kind of an easy move.

You're hiding
the star ingredient.

I want to showcase it,
so I am making white anchovy

with eggplant caponata.

I grab celery, eggplant,
piquillo peppers,

and some Calabrian chilies.

So what he's doing is
a kind of eggplant caponata,

which is like a warm salad,
a Sicilian dish.

I'm sure you know that.
Yeah, it tastes fantastic.
Yeah.

I grab some shallot,
I grab some garlic,

and that's gonna act
like a dressing.

Stephen, how are you?

Oh, I'm living the dream.
I'm living the dream.

We got to get you
out of Arizona.

You're there with all
the witness-protection people.

Come on.

Growing up, seeing my parents
cook Southern food,

it kind of shaped
my culinary path.

Today, I'm executive chef
and owner of four restaurants

in downtown Phoenix.

the call me Mr. Downtown,

and one of
our tag lines is,

"Southern food
with a hint of smoke."

We try and source
within 75 miles of Phoenix.

I'm here to prove that Phoenix
knows how to cook,

bringing Phoenix to NYC,
show them how we do it.

Chefs, 15 minutes to go.

David, there's a Cesar salad
going on here somewhere.

A variation, yes.

Am I allowed
to have a touch?

Yeah.
I haven't checked it yet, so...

Oh, that's really good.

So, you're going to
serve it

with these beautiful
Spanish prawns?
Correct.

I grilled romaine lettuce
just to give it

a little bit of
a charred flavor,

and then some
Spanish shrimp.

I toss it in
the Cesar dressing.

It'll complement the anchovies.

Let's remember that
those anchovies

have to be the star
of your dish.

Yes, sir.

So, Stephen, is it harder
to compete against a friend?

It is. One of us has to lose,
but you know what?

I'm very confident.

Well, let's see who gets
the bragging rights.

- Right.

Are you gonna get a little bit
of heat through there?
Yeah.

I cut the lemon in half, squeeze
that on top of the anchovies,

and get them marinated
in a little bit

of Calabrian chili oil
for some more spice.

Chefs, less than 10 minutes.

Dave's dish looks like
it's gonna be a delicious dish.

But is the shrimp
gonna overpower it?

To me, I think
Stephen is showing

that ingredient better
in his concept.

But if his execution
is poor,

then I think Dave
has a really good chance.

I'm gonna take a little
peek, see what's going on here.

It smells good.

I may not come back.

How you doing, Stephen?
Think you can beat Bobby?

Absolutely. In Phoenix,
we know how to cook.

Very confident.
So what do we got?

-Fried capers.
-Beautiful.

Fried capers --
that's gonna offer me texture,

gonna be a little bit
of salinity to them, as well.

All right, Dave,
you all right?

Can I come in?
-Come on in.

Now, why do you
want to beat Bobby?

I'm a very competitive person,
and any chance --

Easy.
I'm worried about my fingers.

Bobby, when he said your name,
he started banging the knife.

Easy, baby. Easy.

Next, I fry some sourdough bread
to make some rustic croutons,

just to give it a little bit
of texture in the dish.

Less than five minutes, guys.

Both dishes smell great.

Are they plating already?

Uh, yes.
They're very confident.

They're either
confident or stupid.

I place some of the romaine,

drizzle the dressing
right on top,

garnish with white anchovy,

follow that with
the fried croutons.

Hey, Dave,
what's up, bud?

You're looking good
over there.

Oh, you got
a little salad.

-Little salad.
-Nice.

I start with
the eggplant caponata,

five to six pieces of anchovy,

add a few capers
and I just say,

"Don't mess it up.
Be done."

-You guys both done?
-Yeah.

-With a minute to go.
-Oh.

I've never seen that
in all the shows I've done here.

I'm gonna ring the bell, then.

-Go for it.
-That's it.

If you're gonna be
that confident,

your dishes
had better be good.

You could've used
the other minute.

I utilized the white anchovy,
two different ways.

I feel good about what I did.

Although there's not a lot
of components in my dish,

it's balanced right.

So I feel that I won.

So, Bobby, I'd be worried
if I was you.

Look at the dishes.
You can see.

Can you see?

It's all gonna come down
to what you did

with the anchovies to make them
the star of your dish.

Stephen, tell us
what you made.

I made a white anchovy
with an eggplant caponata.

I think there's
wonderful flavors,

and I do love the textures,
using the celery.

the eggplant is cooked
perfectly,

but the heat, it's
a little too strong,

and I think it begins
to overpower the anchovies.

If I had it
in a restaurant,

I certainly wouldn't
send it back,

but what do I send back?

Overall,
I like the way it tastes.

The only problem I had
was with the anchovies.

There's something that gives me
a little aftertaste.

All right.

So, David,
what did you make?

I made a white anchovy grilled
Cesar salad with croutons.

First of all, I have to say,
it's a very, very pretty dish.

Grilling lettuce brings out
a little sweetness,

which I do like.

But it does wilt it down
a little bit too far.

And I think the shrimp, if you'd
have left them to one side,

it would be a better dish.

Dave, I liked the flavor
of the anchovies.

I really enjoyed it,
but the grilled lettuce,

it really didn't add
anything.

And also, the croutons
kind of got soggy in my dish.

So Stephen and David
both fell a little bit short

with their dishes.
It's a good lesson.

Here, you definitely
don't get extra credit

for finishing early.

The chef that is gonna move
forward to beat Bobby Flay is...

...Chef Stephen.

s never fun to lose,♪
but today wasn't my day.

At least I lost to someone
I'm friends with.

Hats off to Stephen.

Stephen, you're obviously
a fantastic chef,

but you were
overconfident.

Don't' want to be finishing
a minute early.

Otherwise, you're just
gonna get smashed.

I'm betting on you
to beat Bobby Flay.

Don't let me down.

I'm not gonna
let you down, at all.

Stephen, congratulations.
Great job.
Thank you.
I really appreciate it.

You took down your boy,
though.
I know, you know,
but, you know --

Is that gonna be okay?
We'll work it out.
I'll buy him a beer later.

How are you feeling
about Round 2?
Ready to do this.
Ready?

-Ready to get this thing going?
-Let's get it going.

All right, so, um, Mr. Downtown,
what are we cooking tonight?

My signature dish is...

hoppin' john.

-Ooh.
-Black-eyed peas and rice.

All right, I like it.
-Have you made that before?

Not for a long time.

I think you're a little nervous.
Your knees are shaking, man.

All right, give us
the rules, guys.

Unfortunately, Simon and I can't
be the judges for this round.

For fairness, we're gonna
bring in three industry experts

who are gonna do
a blind taste test.

You're each gonna have
45 minutes,

and your time starts
right now.

Make us proud, Steve.
Make us proud.

Hoppin' john, traditionally, is
just gonna be bacon or pork fat

long-grained rice,
onions, and black-eyed peas.

And that's actually
where the name comes from,

kind of corruption of the
Haitian word "pois pigeons."

Hoppin' john.

It's one of those dishes
that you find

in lots of different cultures,
originated in Africa.

Kind of like
Southern risotto.

That's exactly what I would
call it -- Southern risotto.

Hey, Steve, how many times
have you made this dish?

-Thousands of times.
-Thousands of times.

Did you hear that, Bobby?

Traditionally, hoppin' john
has some kind of meat product

in it -- pork, beef.

So, I choose to go vegetarian,
because vegetables can be sexy.

Immediately, I know I need
to get the beans

in the pressure cooker,

get some of the vegetable stock
in there and some bay leaves,

carrot, yellow onion,
chili flakes.

Get a lot of flavor impregnated
into these beans,

because often, vegetarian
dishes lack flavor.

First thing
that Stephen did,

put his beans into
the pressure cooker.
Yes.

It's gonna bring out all
the flavors of the carrots

and the celery
and the onion.

That could tip Stephen
over the fence.

But somebody's
bacon smells good.

I'm gonna go classic
with a twist.

So, I'm using classic
Carolina-style rice

and black-eyed peas,

but I'm gonna take some bacon,

render the fat to cook
my rice and beans.

And it's gonna give them
a nice, smoky flavor.

And at the end, I'm gonna
put an egg in the middle

and let the egg steam.

So he's gonna put a lot
of flavor in there.

It smells good.

Making me hungry now.

I've had this dish
four or five times.

The rice has to be cooked right.
-Absolutely.

Are you gonna use
some of that beautiful

Carolina rice,
as well?

-Oh, yes, sir.
-I can smell it already.

It's actually some of
the best rice in the world.

Carolina gold rice,
a really fragrant rice,

grown in South Carolina,
as well as Sea Island red peas,

grown in the same field.

Stephen, am I seeing
the holy trinity there?

Yes, you are.

If you go down to Louisiana,
you see the holy trinity

everywhere --
gumbo, jambalaya.

It's a combination of yellow
onion, celery, and bell pepper.

It imparts so much flavor,

and that's gonna act
as a base for the rice.

Want to go in
and have a look?

Yeah. Good luck.
Hey, guys, less than 30 minutes.

Stephen,
use every minute.

Oh, I'm going to.

For the base, I'm gonna use the
holy trinity of poblano peppers,

red peppers, onions, and garlic.

Then I transfer it to a pot

with some long-grain rice
and chicken stock.

So, Bobby, what do you think
about this as a challenge?

Stephen obviously knows
what he's doing.

He's gonna be very tough.
There's no question about it.

Gonna season that up?

Yeah. I'm gonna season it up.
I've got my own trinity in here.

-Let me guess -- green chilies.
-No.

Well, yeah, there's poblanos
there, for sure.
Yeah.

That doesn't make you
a genius, by the way.

I'm gonna go and see
what Stephen's doing,

because I'm excited with this,

because this is one
of my favorite dishes.

You sell a lot of it, don't you?
-I sell a lot of it, yeah.

Is this a dish that's really
close to your heart?

Yeah. This one hits home.
This reminds me of growing up.

This reminds me of
my grandmother, to
be honest with you.

He's played
the grandmother card.

-Yes, I heard that.
-Oh.

-He has to win.
-I got to play the granny card.

Once you drop the G-bomb,
there's no going back.

What are you using
for your protein in this?

You know what? No protein.
All vegetarian.

-Vegetarian?
-Yep.

Bobby's known as a meat guy.

This is definitely
gonna trip him up.

So, where are you gonna
get all those flavors?

Although, is that from
that holy trinity --

the aromatics?
-Yep.

All the aromatics cooked
at the right time,

added at the right time.

Very untraditional.

You know, vegetables
are sexy, too.

Some vegetables are sexy.

He's not using
any protein at all?

Nope.
Changing it up.

Making it tough on you.
-I like that.

Hey, Simon, we bet
on the right guy

to beat Bobby Flay's bacon.

Right?

24 minutes to go, chefs.

I've made hoppin' john
a thousand times.

I can do this in my sleep,
arms tied behind my back.

Stephen, you're laying
that rice out on a sheet pan.

Is that par-cooked?

Yeah, three-quarters
of the way cooked,

and I'm gonna dry it
out in the oven.

Well, that way, he's got
to make sure it's not mushy.

And also, that each grain
is separate,

so then it's coated
in the seasonings

rather than being a clump.

Yes,
but I'm a little nervous.

Stephen doesn't need
the bacon.

That frightens me a bit,
because it's not traditional.

It should have
some bacon in it.

I saute some bacon to go on top
of the hoppin' john and then

I'm gonna throw the black-eyed
peas through some bacon fat.

I want to give it
lots of flavor,

'cause, frankly,
the black-eyed peas

don't have a lot
of flavor on their own.

Bobby, I'm coming.

What's up, Steve?

What's happening here?
Can I taste this?

Yeah. Bacon.

-That's good.
-Nothing wrong with that.

There's nothing wrong
with that.

So, this is called
hoppin' john.

Yeah, it's gonna be a little
bit different than the classic,

I think.
Yeah, you're doing a twist
to this thing.

-Doing a little twist, yeah.
-Now, these are regular eggs,

quail eggs?
What are they?

They're just --
They're just eggs.

Chicken eggs?

Yeah, the eggs
are coming in later.

Next I get started
on some mustard greens.

I just wanted a little
spice in this

and a little bit
of brightness.

I saute it in a little butter
and a little bit of honey,

because honey and mustard
go hand in hand.

Never saw that before.

-Can I take this back to Simon?
-No, no, no, no, no, no.

Bring me one piece.
He wants some.
Look at him.

Let me give him a little.
I'll bring it back. Come on.

I know how many pieces
are there.

-Thank you.
-It's good.

Come on.
Why don't you have a little?

Come on.
You need energy, man.

Come on.

It won't kill ya.
Come on.

All right.

You're very generous
with my meat surplus.

Come on.

All right,
I'm gonna go see Stephen.

See you later.

What's up, man?

I got to tell you,
Simon's a little nervous

that you have no bacon
or protein in here.

Don't worry, Simon.
We're good.

He's all right, Simon.
Don't worry.

Don't want you losing
your hair or nothing.

You are confident
as confident can be.

Yes, I am.

I'm going home a winner
with some vegetables.

Whatever you do,
don't let us down.

Gotcha.

I'm bringing it home.
-All right.

He's bringing it home,
Simon.

-I hope so.
-Bringing it home.

We're gonna beat Bobby Flay.
-Ha.

This is always
the fun part.

So, I opened the pressure cooker
and I get in there

and taste them,
and the beans are perfect.

Hot damn.

What kind of texture
are you looking for

for the peas
in your hoppin' john?

Not mushy.

The good man upstairs
gave us teeth,

so we need to use them,
right?

Now it's time to get
the beans in the pan

with those flavors
of the holy trinity.

Coming up on 10 minutes.

So, another one of
the tricks the way

I modernize the dish

is that we take the rice
and we crisp it up.

I want to add a little bit of,
like, a spice kick --

Old Bay, cayenne mixture --

let it crisp up
and do its thing.

Okay. I'm gonna go in
and have a look.

Bobby, there's kind of
an odd vibe going on today,

and I'm not really sure
what Steve has planned,

but I found this
in his dressing room.

So, Bobby, tell me
what you're doing.

I got my rice done,
I got some mustard greens

I'm gonna put in here,
as well, a little...

-Mustard greens.
-...a little spiciness.

I take the rice, combine it

with the beans
and the mustard greens.

Is it meant to be
that mushy?

-Oh.
-Don't worry.

You'll be taking this
to go later.

-Oh, really?
-Coming on six minutes, guys.

So now you're frying
up the rice.

Is that, again,
is this a texture thing?

You're gonna get
some crunch, like --

Mm-hmm.
There it is.

You get the rice
really crispy on the bottom.

You know, it imparts texture
and, again, flavor.

That's smart.

Yeah, I have to say,
Bobby,

we've got some crispy goodness
going on over here.

Don't worry
about a thing, kid.

How much time?
-Less than three minutes, guys.

Basically, what this
is gonna come down to

is a classic
hoppin' john

on Stephen's side, even though
it's a vegetarian one,

and on Bobby's,
what basically appears to be

a bacon-and-egg paella.

and on Bobby's,
's not paella. appears to be

So I scoop out the hoppin'
johns into the paella pans,

then I add an egg right on top
and pop them right in the oven.

Eggs on top of this?

What do you think?
-I'd eat it.

Less than a minute.

Plate it up,
and I start garnishing,

finish with a little bit
of micro greens

for a little bit of sweetness
and bright acidity.

The egg is now cooked
exactly the way I want it to,

I add some hot sauce,
some bacon, and some scallions.

8, 7, 6, 5, 4...

3, 2, 1.

We got in, we got out,
nobody got hurt.

It was a good day.

I feel confident.

I do hope this no-meat thing
isn't my downfall.

I would hate to lose
for that particular reason.

It's hoppin' johns brunch-style.

I hope the egg works
with the dish,

and I'm gonna get dinged
a little bit for authenticity,

but, hopefully,
not too much.

Bobby, Stephen,
great competition.

It's time to meet
your judges.

The CEO and founder of Starr
Restaurants, Stephen Starr.

The co-owner of Red Hook
Lobster Pound, Susan Povich.

And the Executive Chef of Blue
Smoke, Jean-Paul Bourgeois.

Judges, today's dish
was hoppin' john.

Please start with the first dish
in front of you.

The rice was cooked perfectly.

Loved the little,
crispy texture in there.

It was a little oily for me,
I would have to say.

But, ultimately,
it was really nicely done.

I enjoyed the dish.

The crispy rice
just warmed my heart.

I thought the peas
were cooked excellently.

I do think it was a little bit
on the high side for heat,

but otherwise, I would just
shovel up the whole bowl.

So many chefs can't pull off
vegetarian dishes,

and I'm amazed at the flavor
and craveability this had.

So, it felt new and different,
and I truly, truly liked it.

All right, judges.
Let's switch those plates over.

When you mix that egg in,
it was a really nice texture

with the rice
and the peas.

I do, however, think it was
a little underseasoned,

and I was hoping for a little
bit more crispiness in the rice.

Well, the bacon and the egg
really made this dish for me.

The greens sort of played off
the richness of the egg,

and the rice itself
was well cooked.

I had just wished that there
was a little bit

more crispiness
on the bottom.

Nobody's gonna turn down
bacon and eggs.

It was delicious.
Very, very tasty.

The bacon was the star.

The rice was
sort of secondary.

You know, both these dishes
are very, very good.

We're gonna have
a tough time with this one.

Everyone loves bacon,

and everyone loves
a slow-cooked egg,

so I'm really,
really worried about that.

If I lose this, I'm gonna have
to hide from my friends,

'cause they're all gonna just,
you know, ride me on it.

The judges have voted
and we have a winner.

And that winner is...

Chef Stephen Jones.

Good job.

-We did it, right?
-We did it. Good job.

Bobby, you lost, bud.
Mr. Downtown got you.

I showed that Phoenix
knows how to cook.

First of all, congratulations.
Amazing dish.

It smelled good over there
the entire time.

But I think this is
the first time ever

that one of the co-hosts
actually threatened the judges.

Don't be a baby, Bobby.

Come on.
He beat you.

Bye, Bobby. Bobby.
-Bye, Bobby.

My guy beat you,
like I said.

I think Bobby
was intimidated

by having two tough guys
in front of him.

Two tough guys?

I'm Stephen Jones,
and I just beat Bobby Flay!