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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.
[ Bell dings ]
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!
[ Bell dings ]
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.
Ring his bell.
...everyone's out to beat me.
[ Bell dings ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
All right, you guys. Who's ready for a battle tonight?
[ Cheers and applause ]
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.
Yeah.
Our next contender is a scientist in the kitchen.
Adam Harvey, executive chef of Jackie's
in Silver Spring, Maryland.
FLAY: 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.
BURRELL: 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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
BRIAN: 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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
GUARNASCHELLI: 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.
ADAM: 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?
BRIAN: 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.
ADAM: 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.
[ Laughter ]
You really think a cauliflower salad
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
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.
[ Laughter ]
5 minutes.
All right, Adam! Show me the cauliflower.
GUARNASCHELLI: He seems laser focused with a head of cauliflower
and dreams of beating you.
FLAY: 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.
GUARNASCHELLI: 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.
[ Laughter ]
BRIAN: 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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
ADAM: There really isn't any type of science in this dish,
but I'm feeling really confident that this is me on the plate.
BRIAN: I see Adam, his dish is gorgeous,
and I'm not really sure
if I made something that's gonna stand up to that.
[ Bell dings ]
GUARNASCHELLI: 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.
[ Laughter ]
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.
FLAY: Wow.
[ Cheers and applause ]
ADAM: 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.
[ Laughter ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
All right, Brian, what's your signature dish?
We're gonna be cooking meat tacos.
[ Audience groans ]
What?
Meat tacos?!
Meat tacos.
My cat is named Taco.
Why don't you just hand this to Bobby Flay
Tacos?
I mean, like, what's wrong with you?
You haven't seen tacos like these.
[ Cheers and applause ]
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!
[ Bell dings ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
FLAY: 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.
FLAY: 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.
GUARNASCHELLI: 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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
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.
[ Mocking ]
That was like a "60 Minutes" interview.
[ Laughter ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
BURRELL: 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.
BRIAN: Trying to get these freakin' taco shells done.
[ Inhales sharply ]
Come on.
As I'm making my won ton wrappers,
my hands are trembling, I'm panicking.
Oh [bleep]
This is causing me to have stress.
Why isn't this working?
[ Bell dings ]
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.
BURRELL: I know.
BRIAN: As I'm making my won ton wrappers,
they're not coming out right.
[ Whines ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
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.
BRIAN: I'm relieved. The taco shells look picture-perfect.
13 minutes and 42 seconds left.
[ Steam hisses ]
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.
It imparts tons of flavor, and it tenderizes the beef itself.
I hope he just doesn't go too overboard
with all of his flavors.
FLAY: 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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
BRIAN: 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.
FLAY: 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...
[ Sighs ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
One down. How many to go, though, B.F.?
Five more.
This one's not done yet, either.
These are so pretty.
BRIAN: 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.
FLAY: 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.
[ Laughter ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
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.
Let's go! Come on!
ALL: 4...3...2...1!
That's it!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Whoo!
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.
[ Bell dings ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
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.
No. Unh-unh.
It's a little sweet.
DUFRESNE: 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.
BURRELL: Let's move on to number 2.
BRIAN: 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.
[ Laughter ]
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.
[ Cheers and applause ]
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!
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.