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Before we know it, the guests arrive and the chefs start serving. The judges head over to Bryan's table first and he has for them a goat cheese ravioli with squash puree, as well as a fig-glazed short rib with a puree of beans with a side of wild arugula. Gail loves the flavor of the short-rib, Michael Chiarello loves the texture, but Padma thinks that it lacks salt.

Next we have Michael, who is very happy with the way his "perfect egg" dish has come out. He serves the judges a vegetable pistou with a heirloom tomato coulis with fennel, as well as a turnip soup with foie gras terrine, a poached pear and a glazed turnip. He has cleverly made the turnip look like a poached pear and the pear to look like a turnip. Tom says that the flavors are nice and the combo is nice but the egg overwhelms the vegetables. Padma wishes her egg was more cooked. With the pear/turnip combo, Tom says that the whole enhances the individual parts.

Kevin is next and serves a vegetarian dish of roasted beets and carrots with a carrot top puree and San Andreas cheese. He also has a grass-fed brisket with pumpkin polenta and marinated root veggies. Gail compliments his "strikingly beautiful" colors. Padma calls his seasoning "complex." Michael says that it's a brilliant use of local ingredients. Tom doesn't like his beef, saying that it has a "tin" flavor to it.

Finally, there's Jennifer. She's tried her confit duck and she's happy with it. She serves a cheuvre mousse with honey mushrooms, braised radishes and basil. She also has her braised duck legs with a confit of duck breast, squash puree and foie gras. She has also paired each dish with a wine (poor Padma!). The judges comment that her veggie dish is a little too salty. Tom likes the composition, Michael didn't think the mushrooms would work but then tried a bite and said it made total sense. Tom also really appreciates the fact that Jen used the whole duck to make her protein dish.

At this point, I'm hyper attuned to everything being said about Jennifer's foods and I'm very worried. She definitely inspired the most tepid compliments of all four chefs from the judges. I knew coming in that Jen would be the underdog to make it to the next round of the finale, but I'm thinking that her time on Top Chef may be coming to an end.

Padma calls all four chefs before the judges. Tom compliments all four on a wonderful season, saying that their professionalism consistently made the judges proud and that it continued today. Michael Chiarello said that they all showed respect and restraint in representing the Napa Valley.

Tom says that Kevin's vegetarian dish was stunning – that it may have looked simple but it was very well done. Gail asks if Kevin felt that the beef was tender enough and Kevin responds that if the beef were any more tender, it would have been a "mushy" plate paired with the soft polenta.

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