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Before the challenge, the Top Chef quartet is rewarded in one of the coolest ways ever. They are treated to dinner at Emeril’s New Orleans. Emeril has set up a one-time only chef’s table in the kitchen. They are personally served by Emeril himself. As much as I love the caustic nature of Anthony Bourdain, Emeril has become my favorite guest judge on Top Chef. He also may be my favorite celebrity in the world. He seems like the nicest man on planet Earth.

The chefs are at the point in the competition where they have started fantasizing about winning Top Chef. After a few of them ponder the ramifications for their careers (spoilers: their careers will be better), we circle back to the theme of the episode. Nick is once again overthinking a dish. Shirley hilariously describes him as the best at this before correcting herself to say “the WORST." Nick is his own worst enemy. Then again, he is not the only one deciding upon unsettling fare. Carlos informs judges Tom and Emeril that he is crafting a tamale, which has as much to do with New Orleans as a California Spring Roll.

When the players present their dishes, Nina makes her second real mistake of the season, the first coming during the Louisiana State University challenge. Nina forgets to plate her malfatti. Forgetting a major component is a fatal error in most instances. The dish she presents is speckled trout with baby vegetables & barbecue sauce. Because Nina had spoken with Tom earlier about her dish, he instantly recognizes the issue and queries her about it.

Nina is a lucky woman. Tom samples her dish and notes to the other judges that the malfatti had included ricotta. Tom firmly believes that such a flavor would have overwhelmed the dish. The plate she presents that lacks the malfatti is extremely well received. While she will not win the challenge, she appears totally safe. There is a smile in Tom’s eyes as he critiques her dish.

The star of the episode, Nick, is next to present. The editing notes that he is harsh to the wait staff prior to meeting with the judges. Stating the obvious, Nick does not handle pressure well. His plate of food is gorgeous, though. It is charred cobia, roasted bass & tuna confit with crispy rice & shrimp consommé. The judges are largely positive about the flavors although one of them notes that it is a bit under-seasoned. As Nick mentions at one point during the episode, his two issues all season have been over-thinking his food and under-seasoning his dishes. At least he’s consistent.

Carlos plates next. He is quick to note that all of the ingredients in his dish are staples of New Orleans. He has built a steamed seafood tamale with saffron cream sauce & pickled okra. My mind recoils in horror at the ingredients of the dish, none of which I enjoy. Tom is annoyed that Carlos did not serve his dish on the banana leaf used during the preparations. He wanted to open his gift, so to speak. The other judges are quite complimentary with Emeril smiling as he states, “It works!”

The hottest chef is the last one to plate. Shirley has prepared black drum with Zhenjiang vinegar butter sauce, braised celery & mushrooms. The presentation is magazine cover quality. Since nobody else has screwed up thus far (Nina apparently sneaking her way past a mistake), I worry about Shirley’s safety. It would be an abomination if she did not make the finale. To my relief, the judges relish her dish. They are particularly impressed that she has included the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery. I think that idea combined with the quality of the flavors has secured Shirley yet another victory.

Judges Table involves several hearty slaps on the back. The judges are unmistakably impressed with all four remaining players this season. Tom immediately absolves Nina of her concern, noting that since her forgotten component was not a New Orleans flavor, she would be judged only for what was on her plate. Hmm, Nina might win if that is the case. Tim lights up whenever he discusses her flavors.

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