Next Level Chef Season 3 episode 7: Quick grab street food

As the competition heats up, Next Level Chef Season 3 episode 7 has a twist that no one saw coming. Can Team Blais finally rise to the top kitchen, or will that basement call once again?

To kick off this Next Level Chef episode, the chefs are challenged to earn their “street cred.” For this international street food challenge, the chefs need to bring flavor, portability, and authenticity.

In the spirit of quick grabs, this challenge had a unique twist in the kitchen. For the first time, the platform would not stop. Watching the chefs try to see and grab ingredients was complete chaos. It was less about being particular with a grab and more about just getting ingredients. Even if the platform went up and down three times, it was more difficult than any mid-round mayhem twist.

With street food, the concept seemed to be in many chefs’ wheelhouse. Chris sells tacos from his food truck. Zach has a great point of view. Von has won twice.

The top dishes from this challenge were ones that blended authenticity with elevated flavors. For example, even though Mada might have had an Egyptian dish that brought the flavor, the visual did not impress the judges. It was good, but it needed more.

Overall, there were few flops in this episode. Lauren might have been the only exception. Her savory churros did not receive much enthusiasm from Richard Blais during the cook, and they received less enthusiasm during the judging. Going big can reap rewards, but it can also backfire. This idea was too clever and not executed properly.

The top dishes were the ones who elevated the flavors in the street food. Izahya earned high praise for his noodle dish. The broth had depth, which was difficult to create in a short period of time.

Even though the noodles were superb, it could not beat Zach’s black truffle empanadas. As Gordon Ramsay said, it was the dish that took humble ingredients and elevated it. Beyond the copious amounts of truffles, it was the texture of the dough with an amazing filling that earned the win. For the first time, Team Blais wins and moves to the top kitchen.

Unfortunately, Team Arrington and Team Ramsay would battle in the elimination round. On both teams, the dishes were all good. The errors that earned chefs a place in the elimination round were small items.

For Team Arrington, Alexandra was picked. While her steak was well cooked for her tacos, the dish needed some spice or creaminess to create more flavor balance.

Team Ramsay put Jordan up for elimination. Unlike the last episode, there was no immunity pin to save him from potentially going home.

In the elimination round, the chefs had to cook chicken wings, a version that would be served at a pub. Given that the description is broad, both chefs took the idea in different directions.

Alexandra decided to go with the classic route with a Buffalo style wing. While classic, traditional flavors are good, she decided to go simple. A garnish of vegetables and ranch could have been more. Next Level Chef is about pushing the dish beyond the expected.

Jordan went out of the box with flavor. His garlic parmesan wings, tossed in the creamy sauce was different. The chicken wings looked well fried, and the flavors were bold.

The difference was a great, classic chicken wing versus a bold flavored option. Jordan’s dish lacked garnish, but Alexandra’s garnish was simplistic. The biggest difference was the crispy texture. The garlic parmesan wings were crispier. The buffalo wings were well-cooked and unctuous but it needed more texture.

Unfortunately, Alexandra from Team Arrington was eliminated. In Next Level Chef Season 3 episode 7, the chef sent home did not have a bad dish. It was just not as good as the other dish.

As the chefs are learning in this season, they need to be a cut above the rest. In the upcoming episode, the chefs who can break down the secret to success can be the big winner.

Be sure to tune into the next episode of Next Level Chef Season 3 on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT or stream episodes the next day on Hulu.