Top Chef Season 21, Episode 6: Bad news for San Francisco fans

The sixth episode of season 21 of Best boss saw 50 percent of the Bay Area's remaining firepower put away their knives. Rasika Venkatesa, known for her stint as head chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant Mourad in downtown San Francisco, was the judges' least favorite for the episode and was sent home Wednesday night. This release comes as a surprise after Venkatesa had already won several challenges, establishing herself as one of the group's favorites. Laura Ozyilmaz, chef-owner of Presidios Dalidais now the last hope for a Northern Californian to win it all.

Things started out innocuously enough for Bay Area cooks. Milk Bars Christina Tosi joined as a judge for the Quickfire challenge, asking cooks to prepare a dairy-based dessert. Venkatesa played on saffron ice cream, resulting in a koofi-centric shrikhand; Ozyilmaz opted for a muhallebi with espresso whipped cream, relying on dark chocolate and butter sauce drizzled on the judges' table. These chocolates are only relevant because she had another semi-spicy altercation with Dan Jacobs who was looking for them before finally seeing them at his station. I fucking asked for it, he muttered before launching into a rendition of You are my best friend by the Queen. Laura is a competitor, he later remarked on camera.

A second major celebrity, Matty Matheson, led the elimination challenge. THE Bear producer and actor gave an inspiring speech about cooking chaos, breaking molds and going crazy. Ozyilmaz then opted for a seafood tadig, a California-inspired dish on Dalida's menu. Hearing the idea for the first time, Venkatesa turned to eggplant, then crab. While she was preparing her dish, Colicchio and Mattheson walked past her station and took up her idea, saying that the steamed crème fraîche fell flat. While Venkatesa pivoted after the prep phase, deciding not to sear the eggplants and vacuum-pack them, Ozyilmaz stuck to his tadig. During the presentation, the owner of Dalida added a quail egg, salmon roe and seaweed salad. Miso chef apartment Sophie Roe wanted more flavor from Ozyilmaz's dish, and another guest chef added that the Persian flavors were side by side rather than harmonious. Mattheson noted that it was a more contemporary veneer than chaotic. Yet Ozyilmaz has mostly flown under the radar.

David Moir/Bravo via Getty Image

On the other hand, Venkatesas presentation of crab and eggplant with preserved mushrooms, dukkah and garlic tahini was poorly received during the jump. Unlike Jacobs' okonomiyaki funnel cake, which garnered huge enthusiasm, Kish was the first to point out the lack of flavor in Venkatesas' dish. Steaming the eggplant was a mistake, Simmons added, which resulted in a slug-like texture. It's not here, said Colicchio. The eggplant was as bland as it was bland.

It was so poorly received that Venkatesa ended up in the bottom two, alongside Michelle Wallace and her Vietnamese-inspired pork areya. Colicchio wondered why Venkatesa didn't stick to the original plan to sear the dish, and Venkatesa explained that she was worried the topping would leak. All the judges agreed that it was too flat, too monotonous. It was a risky decision, Venkatesa said of his work. Backstage, she told her co-workers that she wasn't as picky about the spices as I usually am.

It's a sad ending for the chef, but Venkatesa was one of the main characters of this season and should have no trouble beating his opponents in the series' companion series. Last chance kitchen. If she does well there, bringing some of that spark that has made her a big winner on the show so far, she could find herself back on the main series; contestant Kaleena Bliss reappeared during this episode alongside newcomer Soo Ahn. As the credits rolled, Venkatesa said she learned that she takes bigger risks than she should sometimes, and that the ups and downs of the show are that the contestants live and die by every challenge. Sorry bosses, she said with a confident smile. You haven't finished seeing Rasika.