Episode Guide

Bittman calls star D.C. chef Jose Andres "the hyperkinetic Catalonian," and indeed this show has about as much energy as anyone can handle. After producing a traditional paella for thirty (Bittman's dish, shrimp with rice, was less impressive in its presentation but equally legit) and gorgeous stuffed crab (Bittman responds with a nice little crab soup), and after causing Bittman to cry on screen (relax: it's only onions), Andres leads The Star to his new "MiniBar."

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Jose Andres

Bittman and the Boston grillmaster have been friends for close to thirty years, which meant Schlesinger had no compunctions about throwing Bittman into the (fortunately warm) water off the Massachusetts coast at the close of the show.

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Chris Schlesinger

Goin is a Los Angeles native, educated at Brown, who trained in France and Providence, Rhode Island, and is one of the most sophisticated chefs ever to cook in southern California. At first, Bittman was worried that her blend of chic and rustic would prove too easy for him to compete against, but Goin assembled a stuffed chicken leg that clearly had him worried.

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Suzanne Goin

Boulud, a man who almost single-handedly has redefined the notion of "the French chef," broke the mold of the show by taking practically an entire lamb and preparing it four different ways: a stuffed saddle, grilled chops, braised shoulder, and roasted leg. The overwhelmingly complex dishes featured so many exotic ingredients, including a never-before-seen citrus fruit (never-before-seen by Bittman, anyway) and peeled grapes, that Bittman appeared temporarily stunned.

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Daniel Boulud

When, cooking in the stunning kitchen of his eponymous restaurant on Central Park West, Jean-Georges produces squab with Jordan almonds, Bittman asks, "What is this, the most bizarre dish ever created?" but responds with Cornish hen with Red Hots.

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Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Bittman always has troubles with chefs he actually admires, and Danko - a great teacher who runs San Francisco's most highly acclaimed restaurant and one of the chefs who continues to drive the development of "California cuisine" - is clearly in that category.

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Gary Danko

Gabrielle Hamilton runs one of Manhattan's hottest bistros, a shoebox-sized restaurant in the East Village called Prune, where she serves food that is robust, lusty, and direct. And her command of simple dishes made her one of Bittman's toughest adversaries.

More About Episode 7
Gabrielle Hamilton

Bittman is awed when Michel assembles a lobster burger, which he happily admits is "the greatest hamburger in the world." He can only respond by going in the opposite direction, and produces the lobster roll of his youth - which Richard grabs from him and immediately devours.

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Michel Richard

Suvir Saran is a young, self-taught chef with a restaurant that Bittman says serves the best Indian food in the States. Suvir kicked the competition off with his Manchurian-style Cauliflower (Bittman loved that he made with a ton of ketchup), followed an amazing fried okra salad with tandoori prawns, and finished with a lamb paratha. Bittman counter attacked.

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Suvir Saran

In San Francisco, Charles Phan's upscale Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door is a runaway success - and probably the most successful Asian restaurant in the country. Bittman has been there many times, but it's clear he's on uncertain footing when he squares off against Phan's traditional summer rolls.

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Charles Phan

To impress Bittman, James pulls out all the stops and makes skate with dates, a tamarind gastrique, and sautéed porcini - a combination of flavors that Bittman initially chides, then falls in love with before responding with a classic skate in brown butter, with an addition of honey to mimic the sweetness in James's gastrique.

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James Boyce

The Manhattanite Bittman appears lost in Brooklyn, where Al di La chef Klinger runs her charming trattoria. Anna assembles the loveliest beet ravioli imaginable, doused in butter and finished with poppy seeds. Bittman acquits himself nicely with a simple, seasonal, and traditional pasta with cabbage and anchovies.

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Anna Klinger

Like Bittman, the chef at the Simon Kitchen & Bar at Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas is a student of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, so the two tend to think alike. (They don't look alike, though; Simon appears to be a nicely-aging rock star.) Kerry's Steak Tartare with Asian Flavors is brutally delicious, and Bittman appears as if he can do nothing more than eat it.

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Kerry Simon