Top Chef’s eighth episode of its 22nd season was none other than the infamous “Restaurant Wars” episode. The Top 8 were divided into two teams of four and given 24 hours to open a restaurant.
Team 1 was Cesar Murillo, Bailey Sullivan, Paula Endara and Shuai Wang for restaurant Nonna Pipon, with Shuai doing front of house and Paula being the executive chef.
Team 2 was Massimo Piedimonte, Tristen Epps, Vinny Loseto and Lana Lagomarsini for restaurant Phlora & Phauna, with Massimo doing front of house and Tristen being the executive chef.
Unfortunately, during the episode, Tristen received word that his father had passed away, but he chose to stay and keep competing, saying that his mom told him not to leave.
“When someone believes in you that much, you don’t want to let them down, and so I do not want to disrespect my family by giving up. I was told to stay and I listen to my parents,” said Tristen.
Fortunately, Tristen had immunity this week due to his win the week prior, but his team was still feeling the pressure. So, who went home? Beware of spoilers ahead.
Who went home on Restaurant Wars of Top Chef: Destination Canada tonight?
Paula Endara
Hometown: Quito, Ecuador
Current residence: Lexington, Kentucky
Advancing contestants tonight on Top Chef: Destination Canada Episode 8
Tristen Epps
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Current residence: Houston, Texas
Lana Lagomarsini
Hometown: The Bronx, New York
Current residence: Harlem, New York
Vinny Loseto
Hometown: Massapequa, New York
Current residence: Napa, California
Cesar Murillo
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Current residence: Chicago, Illinois
Massimo Piedimonte
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec
Current residence: Montreal, Quebec
Bailey Sullivan
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Current residence: Chicago, Illinois
Shuai Wang
Hometown: Queens, New York
Current residence: North Charleston, South Carolina
How did Restaurant Wars go, and who lost it for their team?
The teams were tasked with making a three-course meal with two choices per course for six dishes in total.
The Nonna team had for the first course a choice of Bailey’s chipotle chorizo arancini with tonnato aioli or Shuai’s frutti di mare (seafood pasta) with aguachile.
For their second course, it’s a choice between Cesar’s ancho braised short rib with polenta or Bailey’s cannelloni al forno (“in the oven”) with toasted pepitas and almond romesco.
Their third course is a choice between Cesar’s churros with pistachio crème anglaise or Paula’s torta di noci (walnut cake) with tres leches.
The Phlora team’s first course is a choice between Tristen’s grilled mushroom escovitch and Canadian bay scallops with ajo blanco, celery and dawadawa broth, and Lana’s cured and smoked trout with potlikker consommé.
Their second course is a choice between Vinny’s butternut squash confit with grilled pork and XO sauce, and Lana’s truffle, potato and celery root pithivier (meat pie) with lamb jus.
Their third course is a choice between Massimo’s corn cremeux with corn ice cream, grilled blueberries and a blueberry crisp, or Tristen’s milk chocolate custard with “dirt” chocolate and caramelized parsnips.
The judges preferred Team Phlora and then out of the four chefs on Team Nonna, they said that Bailey and Cesar’s food was strong enough to keep them there, so it came down to Shuai’s spotty front of house and under-seasoned food versus Paula’s soggy dessert and weak time management skills as the executive chef.
Ultimately, Paula was sent to Last Chance Kitchen, where she can try to come back into the competition.
As she left, Paula said, “I’m proud of what I have done. The journey has been amazing. We came as strangers, but I’m coming out with a whole community. [Host Kristen Kish] got eliminated on Restaurant Wars, and she came back and won the whole thing, so maybe it’s a good omen. You never know.”
Top Chef airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
