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Last night’s “Hell’s Kitchen” featured a Sweet 16 dinner service instead of the usual fine dining experience. The teams would have to cook for a young girl’s party and please both the girl and her demanding mom. The show started off with Ramsay and the chefs at a farmer’s market, where they had to gather ingredients and then cook one appetizer and two entrees for the girl and her mom to sample. This was the challenge of the day. The red team (women) made shrimp scampi appetizer, Caribbean halibut and flank steak; the blue team (guys) made stuffed chicken wings, shrimp and sweet potatoes, and surf and turf. In a narrow margin, the guys won. Finally. And they got to celebrate by acting like kids with Ramsay all day–racing go-carts was just one of their activities. The ladies, meanwhile, had to deal with the flaming party planner and help prepare for the event. During the dinner service, Roseann and Matt were both struggling, and both were called out by Ramsay–Roseann for undercooking the girl’s steak, and Matt for overcooking the mom’s fish. Yikes. But Matt has become a whiney, annoying, (for lack of a better term) bitch. I mean, he looks like he’s going to cry every time he’s on camera. He’s also one of those cancerous type employees that is always stirring up controversy by badmouthing everyone else. But overall, the teams did well. The kids attending the party had to submit comment cards, and the guys scored 96% and the ladies 99%. So Ramsay declared that there was no losing team. However, someone had to be eliminated. The guys nominated Matt (big surprise) and the ladies nominated Shaina. Who? Does anyone know who Shaina is??? Maybe that’s why she was nominated. Anyway, Ramsay thought Roseann should be added to the mix and asked her to step forward too. Then Matt whined his way back in, saying he would gladly go to the red team and that then the blue team would be exposed for having no talent. This competition is still way up in the air, but one thing is for sure. There are some huge egos among this group. And I mean HUGE. See you all next week! |
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Last week on “Hell’s Kitchen,” Vanessa burned her hand on some hot oil and was rushed to the hospital. She started off the show okay last night, but definitely like a fighter who had been knocked down a few times. Anyway, the challenge of the day was to create a “fine dining pizza,” one that the restaurant could serve and charge way too much money for. Everyone had to create one, with the two teams picking their team’s favorite to present to Chef Ramsay. The girls chose Jen’s “little bit Italian, little bit French” pizza while the guys went with Ben’s duck and mushroom pizza. Call me boring, but I like good ol’ cheese and pepperoni. Anyway, Ramsay did like them both but declared the guys losers because Ben had left a bit of dirt on some mushrooms. Blech. So the ladies were off to Santa Barbara in a helicopter while the guys prepped the dinner service. What’s more, Ben was given the task of delivering pizzas during the dinner service in this little golf cart. Then Vanessa was shown going into Ramsay’s office (Read the rest after the jump.) Filed under: TV and Reality TV and Kitchen Nightmares Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Last night on “Hell’s Kitchen,” it was the first-ever “family night.” That meant a dinner service featuring foods that kids like….burgers, chicken wings, onion rings, spaghetti. And since Chef Ramsay likes everything to be fresh, the aspiring chefs had to make homemade pasta, starting with the challenge of the day. The women were able to make more pasta in the time allowed, and once again the guys were slowed by their weak link, Craig. As a reward, the ladies spent the day at an amusement park while the guys prepped for that night’s dinner service. When sous chef Scott asked for a volunteer to help him with something outside, Ben stepped up, then realized that the help was with shoveling horse crap. (The horses were for the kids to ride during “family night”). Everything was fine with the dinner service until Matt undercooked a chicken wing…some poor kid was smart enough to realize his chicken was raw in the middle and stopped eating it, but Ramsay doesn’t take these things too lightly and got in Matt’s face. The guys started to move quickly then, and Ben got them huddled up and patted everyone on the back. Ramsay didn’t like this because there were still about a half-dozen orders to fill, while the ladies only had two remaining despite losing Vanessa for the night after she burned her hand with hot oil. So the ladies won again, and the men again pointed to Craig as someone who couldn’t get his orders of spaghetti out in time. Ramsay praised Jen for doing a great job, and also Bobby who was the “best of the worst.” Bobby was asked to nominate two for elimination and he chose Craig and Matt. Ramsay then had the last word as he does sometimes, asking Ben to also step forward. Here is my thought about Ben…he’s considered by the guys to be their most talented cook and I think Ramsay likes him, and therefore is pushing him harder. No way was he going to get sent home. And so, the one going home last night was Craig. Remember in the season premiere, Craig wearing that ridiculous chef’s hat that was as big as his body? Now he can wear that on the plane ride home. It’s always difficult to guage who the favorites are in the “Hell’s Kitchen” competition, but the picture should become slightly clearer in the coming weeks as more of the lesser talent is eliminated. See you all next Wednesday…. |
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Last night on “Hell’s Kitchen,” Gordon Ramsay was at his boisterous self, getting in contestants’ faces and ultimately showing that he has no tolerance for “quitters.” Last week, Corey had played with fire by nominating Christina and Jen for elimination for “personal reasons,” and Ramsay ignored that and fired Sharon instead. So this week, Christina and Jen were not too nice to Corey. The show started with chickens running around the dorms, and then Ramsay was about to chop one of their heads off, but stopped short. Whew, the folks at PETA were ready to hit “dial” and probably still did, even though Ramsay was joking with the contestants. But he did have them cut chickens up as their challenge of the day, and the ladies pretty much beat the guys’ collective ass. Craig was slow and ineffective, and the other guys didn’t appreciate it. Meanwhile, Jason kept up with his annoying sexist remarks throughout the whole show. As punishment for losing the challenge, the guys (Read the rest after the jump.) Filed under: TV and Reality TV and Kitchen Nightmares Comments: 1 Comment Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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There is pretty much never a dull moment on FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen.” Gordon Ramsay is a reality show star, because he spews profanity and makes people do what he tells them to. He is also clearly the one in charge and he proved it again in last night’s episode. First, the sous chefs got their bullhorns out and woke everyone up at 5:45 am. Brutal. Then Ramsay made them all pull last night’s trash out of the back of a garbage truck and put it into a cylinder. Blech. But they were still all in their pajamas, adding to the drama. But he wanted them to realize how much food they were wasting, and it seemed to make an impact. Then they had their first challenge, in which the two teams had to fillet a halibut and make perfect 6 ounce serving portions. The men finished in about half the time the women did, but were careless in the process, because they wound up tied with 41 perfect portions each. So the tiebreaker was that they had to pick one representative from each team to choose a fillet that they believed to be exactly 6 ounces. The guys chose Ben, who clocked one in at 5.9 oz. Corey represented the ladies and was fairly confident, but hers was only 4.8. So the guys won and got to go on a fishing yacht with Ramsay for the day, and eat a lobster lunch. Meanwhile, the ladies had to prep for the dinner service by cleaning fish and making fish stock. In those clips where the contestants are interviewed, Jason repeatedly came off as sexist..and I’m not sure if it’s an act, but it’s really getting annoying, and I’m a guy! Ramsay then asked Petrozza to recite the menu’s appetizers and he could only name one. The dude clearly has a mental block with this, and almost snapped…but then he had a miraculous recovery, aided by Bobby, who encouraged Petrozza to get back in the kitchen and get with the program. Finally he recited the menu correctly for Ramsay. Craig and Roseann were chosen as Maitre’D assistants to Jean Phillippe for the night, and both of them did a miserable job. Roseann was holding orders back so as not to bombard the kitchen all at once, which infuriated Ramsay. Craig, meanwhile, was carrying a chair and accidentally hit some female customer in the head. Yikes. In the end, the dinner service was a mess…the guys were bickering and the girls were bickering more. So here are two lessons for you……1) be careful about calling out your teammates, because now Christina and Jen will be gunning for Corey. And 2) Ramsay is not stupid, and is going to show why he is the boss every time, even if you try to play this show like the game that it is. Next week there will be more cursing and more fire and more bickering. That’s why it’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and that’s why we watch it. See you then! |
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Last night was the premier of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” one of two Gordon Ramsay shows which is now in its fourth season. As usual, Ramsay has chosen 15 contestants to effectively interview for a job as executive chef at his soon to be opened London LA restaurant in Los Angeles. And also as usual, many of these contestants were probably chosen for their goofy, dysfunctional personalities, so to give this show some flair and ratings. I’m not going to run down each contestant but I will highlight a few of them who stood out for various reasons. First of all, the contestants were all picked up in a bus and taken to Hell’s Kitchen headquarters, and in what could be described as an April Fool’s joke, Ramsey was made over with a huge fake nose and long-hair wig, and sat in the bus to observe his applicants. A couple of them spouted off, most notably Craig with the big chef’s hat, and Bobby, who glossed himself “The Black Gordon Ramsay.” Oh boy. Once the contestants arrived, and restaurant host Jean Phillippe (Read the rest after the jump.) |
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If you’re a fan of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” shows, but you would prefer to hear all the bleeps to be bleeped back out, you’ll be happy to know that “Hell’s Kitchen: Season 1–Raw & Uncensored” (Visual Entertainment) is on its way. The DVD, the first of this series, will be released in the U.S. on April 8. The 3 disc set includes all nine episodes from the show’s inaugural season plus the season finale. Extras on the set include a one hour bonus segment featuring interviews with the show’s directors, producers, a tour of the set, and a one-on-one interview with Ramsay. Filed under: TV and News and External Entertainment and External TV and Reality TV and Kitchen Nightmares Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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In the season finale of “Kitchen Nightmares,” Gordon Ramsey ventures out to Moorpark, California to revamp the failing Secret Garden restaurant. The restaurant features French food and a chef/owner named Michel who is very full of himself and his foo-foo menu. He’s also about 300K in debt and needs help because no one is eating there anymore. After finding that the front door to the restaurant does not even function and having to enter through the back, Ramsey sits down to sample the food. He orders a salad with garlic shrimp and strawberries, and some kind of steak with fried potatoes on top. He sends the salad back, saying that it’s disgusting. Then he says the steak is tough and that the potatoes are just a greasy mess on top. I’m grossed out already, are you? But then Ramsey goes into the kitchen and tells Michel his food sucks. The next day, Ramsey inspects the kitchen and finds mold growing in the refrigerator. He makes the entire staff spend the day cleaning the kitchen, after which they prepare for the dinner service that night. Ramsey is mortified that many people are ordering this strawberry “canape,” which is a tiny appetizer. He also notices that every meat entree is crusted in something and says that the menu needs to be simplified for things to run smoother. When he presents this idea to Michel, he is furious and argues with Ramsey some more. But Ramsey wins out and some of the items are presented at the dinner service, which nevertheless gets backed up due to a lack of communication among everyone. Then Ramsey has his design team come in as he always does, and gears up for a revamped dinner service with his menu in place. Michel is worried about the changes, saying they will hurt his business rather than help. But since most of Michel’s customers are senior citizens, Ramsey thinks a newer, fresher menu will attract some younger folks too. The restaurant is packed that night, and a food critic is in attendance as well. That critic sends back her fish dish, saying it’s too salty and over-seasoned. This prompts Michel to revert back to his old menu, which makes Ramsey call him a lazy pig (with many f-bombs thrown in) and storm out. But Ramsey decides he can’t give up on The Secret Garden and winds up going back. After the critic tries something from the newer menu, she raves about it. Then Michel polls some of his customers and finds out that they all love the new menu items. He admits to himself and to Ramsey that he had been wrong, and that he will go along with the new menu. It doesn’t hurt that he made a ton of money that evening. He even promotes his top server, Jane, to manager. This one winds up having a happy ending, when it appeared Ramsey might just bail out on the stubborn French chef. It’s been a fun season, and who knows if the show will be back for a second season. But it sure is interesting seeing how Gordon Ramsey can whip people into shape in a matter of days and turn things around. See you all next month for the return of “American Idol.” |
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Last night’s “Kitchen Nightmares” featured Gordon Ramsey visiting Finn McCool’s, an Irish Pub in Westhampton, Long Island. A place like this can thrive in the summertime when everyone goes to the Hamptons, but struggle in the winter when it’s just the locals. In addition, this place was not being run properly and, as with every restaurant on this show, was losing money fast. Owner Buddy had his two sons, Brian (chef) and Jason (bartender) doing the bulk of the work. Jason’s wife, Janet, was also employed there as a server. When Ramsey arrived, a middle aged waitress named Carol announced that she had the hots for him. This is another pattern with this show. In fact, as you’ll see, the whole show format is one big pattern. Ramsey sits down for lunch to sample the menu, and orders spring rolls, salmon, and shepherd’s pie. Still, Ramsey knew the food quality was a big problem. He also visits a local firehouse to see what the locals think of Finn McCool’s. They all say the food is too greasy, and Ramsey is not surprised. But he invites them back to try out his new menu. Then, Ramsey goes back and inpsects the kitchen, to find out that Brian is not keeping it very clean. Some of the food is rotting, the raw food is kept with the cooked food….ugh, it’s making me sick just thinking about it. To make matters worse, Ramsey witnesses sous chef Francis picking a chicken wing up off the floor and putting it back in the deep fryer. Yuck! Ramsey then attempts to work with Brian and show him that you don’t have to make shepherd’s pie so greasy and offers other tips. Brian wants none of it, and storms out. Buddy says he would fire Brian if he weren’t his son. So with Brian gone, Buddy attempts to be the head chef, something he’s obviously not good at. He and Ramsey realize that Brian really is up against a lot, and when Brian returns four days later they tell him that. So Ramsey’s design team makes the place look more appealing, and he also has changed the menu to reflect the same items but fresher and with no fried food at all. The re-launch is a crazy busy night, and everyone is having a hard time keeping up with the orders, especially Brian. But Ramsey keeps them going and holds it all together. Customers are waiting, some for more than an hour, and some even leave. But one that stays is food critic Sabrina Mashburn. Luckily, she announces that the food has been “worth the wait.” Everyone seems to love the new menu. Ramsey takes them all outside after the dinner service and commends them for working together as a family and as a team. They show that two months later, the restaurant is going strong and the place is finally making money, and everyone has a renewed passion. Another feel good ending. I like this show, but I’m getting just a bit tired of the patterns: older server having the hots for Gordon, at least one hot head storming out after feeling threatened by Ramsey, a disgusting kitchen, miraculous turnaround, and happy ending. But I guess that’s what this is about, and you can’t argue with the fact that Ramsey really does know what he’s doing. Anyway, as always, they claim that next week is the best episode yet, so we’ll see. And I’ll see you all then…. |
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Last night, FOX’s “Kitchen Nightmares” returned after a 3-week hiatus, with a bang. For the first time since the show started airing in the States, Gordon Ramsey visited a restaurant outside of New York. This time it was Sebastian’s Pizza in Burbank, California, near the TV studios. Not surprisingly, the staff, including owner Sebastian, are aspiring actors and actresses. The draw for this restaurant, according to Sebastian, is the unique, gargantuan menu that features not just pizza, but weird flavor and meat combinations for entrees. We also learn early on that Sebastian’s wife, Nicole, has invested $300 K of her own money to help her husband get started, and it’s currently losing money like crazy. Maybe that’s because no one is eating there. So Ramsey arrives and sits down for lunch. Sebastian boasts that he loves his large menu, complete with photos of the dishes he took himself, and that he also likes to visit with his customers and “drink wine” with them. Ramsey is already turned off. He orders calamari, pizza and New York strip, and asks Sebastian if the calamari is fresh. He says “yes,” and then Ramsey learns from the waitress that they are indeed frozen. In fact, almost everything on the menu is frozen, including the pizza dough. At the dinner service that night, Ramsey notices that nothing is fresh, and things take a bad turn when a customer finds a hair in her salad. Sebastian apologizes and comps her meal, along with $300 worth of other meals that night. Ramsey decides this place needs a revamped, fresh menu and sets that up for the following night’s dinner service. The menu is to focus on wood-fired pizza with fresh dough and ingredients. He then has his design team come in and give the interior a makeover, something Sebastian loves. But he doesn’t love the menu change, because he’s still so attached to his 20 flavor combination idea, and the fact that he thinks he’s going to franchise that idea someday. The night of the new menu also coincides with Oscar night in Burbank, so the place is hopping. But during the dinner service, Sebastian keeps changing orders….having his staff revert back to his old menu. This creates chaos, and infuriates Ramsey. Sebastian’s ego has gotten in the way, and Ramsey tells him that in his 40 years he’s never met anyone he believes in less than Sebastian. Ouch. So you get the feeling Ramsey will leave and never come back, but what happens is that Sebastian takes a walk and comes back saying that Ramsey is right. I don’t know about you, but this theme seems to happen a lot on this show…..the lead “character” is not buying into Ramsey’s changes with five minutes left in the show, then suddenly changes his tune and goes along with them…..and everyone goes home happy. Still, you know the producers love the conflict and play it up. And you know Ramsey knows what he is doing, and that these big egos need to listen to him in order to save their businesses. Next week Ramsey visits an Irish pub and another hotheaded family. I can’t wait! |
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Last night’s installment of Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmares” featured The Olde Stone Mill Restaurant in Tuckahoe, New York, a small town about 40 miles north of New York City in Westchester County. The space was a cotton mill in the 1800’s and a rubber factory for a while after that, long before current owner Dean took over and renovated it into his dream business: a restaurant. The Olde Stone Mill focused on casual yet upscale dining in a really unique location along the Bronx River. So what was wrong with it? It was losing loads of money, and Dean admitted that if they closed the doors he would owe half a million dollars in debts. Enter the great Gordon Ramsey. Ramsey rode in on his motorcycle and was immediately marveling at the location of the restaurant. He met Dean, chef Michael, general manager Tom, and Dean’s wife Barbara and then sat down to lunch. He ordered crab cakes, chopped salad, mushroom risotto and fish that’s cooked in some sort of “edible bag.” First off, Ramsey notices the waiter chewing gum and kind of ribs him about it. Then, he tastes the food and is extremely disappointed all the way around. The crab cakes have a “sour mayonnaise” taste, the salad was shaped with a funnel, and the fish is like, as Ramsey said, “shit in a bag.” He sits Dean down and tells him point blank that his food is “crap.” Then Ramsey sits down with Dean and Barbara to find out just how much money this place is losing. And that night, he witnessed a dinner service to really find out why. It didn’t take long to realize that it is in fact the food….customers are not happy, sending it back or just complaining that food is cold or doesn’t taste good. Thankfully, this episode spared us cockroaches and rats–the one thing chef Michael was doing good was keeping the kitchen clean. But he was feeding customers crappy food, and this was why no one except folks from a nearby retirement community were eating there. Ramsey also berated Dean, saying he was rushing meals out even though he knew they weren’t cooked properly. He even called Dean “a fake,” and questioned how bad he wants his restaurant to succeed. This resulted in a bit of a shouting match…or should we say, Dean was shouting a Ramsey and Ramsey was calmly calling Dean out for not wanting this bad enough. Ramsey went and spoke to a local butcher who said the area desperately needed a good steakhouse, especially with so many Italian restaurants in the area. He took back some prime ribs and gets to work cooking with Michael. Ramsey then took a blow torch to Michael’s funnels that he uses for the chopped salad, showing him that the funnels are just not necessary. He also tells Dean that he’s revamping the menu to a steakhouse menu, and Dean is extremely resistant. Tell me, why would you be resistant when your restaurant is hemhorraging money? So he goes with it. Ramsey puts a nice new sign out front, re-does the interior and changes the menu. At the dinner service, the restaurant is hopping, but Tom is having trouble keeping up and is tripping over himself. Orders are not being filled, and there is a printer problem in the kitchen, which prompts a shouting match between Dean and Michael. Finally, the printer is fixed and food gets served. The customers, including the mayor, are loving the new menu. Ramsey is shown talking to Dean, explaining that sometimes you have to fail first in order to succeed, and earns Dean’s respect when he tells him that he too first failed when he started in this business. They showed that in the following weeks, Michael regained control of his restaurant, Tom became a better manager and Michael took back his own passion for cooking again. Ah, another feel-good story. We can only hope now that the place is making money now and back on track. Chef Gordon Ramsey, you are the greatest. See you all next week, when Ramsey visits a Hollywood pizzeria. Finally, we get away from these brash, loud New Yorkers with raging tempers. |
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The Seascape Inn in Islip, New York used to be a vibrant, happening restaurant. At least it was 40 years ago when it opened. Recently, it was on the verge of shutting down because the mother and son ownership of Irene and Peter could not keep it running the way Peter’s father had run it before passing away two years prior. Enter Gordon Ramsey, who takes situations like this and does his best to turn them around. Ramsey arrived and noticed right away that the place had a stench to it. The waitress let him know that it was sewage. Ewwwwww!!! It was also apparent that head chef Doug was arrogant and not happy that Ramsey was there to “save” things. Also, sous chef Charles didn’t care either, and seemed to think everything was a big joke. What’s worse, Ramsey ordered some lunch to sample the food, and was bitterly disappointed. The crab cakes were not fresh, the lobster ravioli had a “strange taste,” and the salmon was dry. That, and everything was sprayed with dried parsley. Doug was not happy that Ramsey was criticizing him, but it was clear where the problem with this restaurant was. At the dinner service that evening, it was even more clear that there was a problem in the kitchen. Orders were going out, but the food was cold, not properly prepared or just not up to Ramsey’s or the customers’ standards. The next day Ramsey went into the kitchen and found out that it was a complete mess. Irene had told him at the start that the Board of Health gave them a 95% score and Peter said they cleaned every Tuesday. Well, he lied. The kitchen was filthy and food was getting moldy, including the pesto sauce served with Ramsey’s lunch the day before. So he did what he has done on previous episodes of this show–he shut down the kitchen for a night. Ramsey decided the menu needed an overhaul too, and decided to put a focus on freshness and flavor. Then there was the dinner service, and it was crowded and not quite what the staff here was used to. But everyone loved the food, and after Ramsey sat down with Peter and told him he needed to step up and run the restaurant like a real manager should, with hustle, Peter did just that. And finally, The Seascape was bustling and returned to its glory days. Even better, Irene was proud of her son for finally stepping up and “becoming a man.” But apparently Peter wasn’t ready to make this a lifelong ambition, because at the end of the show it was announced that five months after the re-launch of The Seascape, Peter received “an offer he couldn’t refuse,” and sold the restaurant. I’m sensing a pattern here. Every week there seems to be one bad manager or chef at the restaurant Ramsey tries to turn around, and that person either needs to get fired or whipped into shape in order for the restaurant to survive. It goes to show that it’s people who make restaurants or any business tick. It also makes me wonder how many places I’ve eaten at or will eat at with disgusting kitchens! See you all next week… |
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Last night’s episode of Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmares” featured another Long Island restaurant, this time The Mixing Bowl in Bellmore. This was a very casual eatery, like a diner style with a very large menu. Owner/chef Billy and his wife Lisa recruited Ramsey for the show to try and turn the place around, because it was losing a lot of money and on the verge of having to shut down. First, Ramsey arrived and ordered lunch, busting on manager Mike the whole time, who was his waiter. Ramsey was telling Mike he should get into shape, eat more salads, and that he shouldn’t stare at customers while they are eating. This was a sign of things to come, for sure. Anyway, Ramsey liked the food well enough, especially the crab cakes, but it didn’t blow him away. He even said some of it was bland. At the dinner service, Ramsey saw more problems. First, there were very few customers. Secondly, some of them were eating at a 50% discount, courtesy of coupons the restaurant had been distributing for “10 years,” according to Billy. Ramsey also busted on Mike for all the cheesy signs he had made to try and draw people in, and Mike admitted that none of them worked anyway. So after showing Billy and Lisa and the staff that in ten years, a whole bunch of restaurants had opened on this stretch in Bellmore, change was necessary. Another trend was that lots of gyms were opening in the area, and Ramsey suggested trending the menu toward fresh, healthy food. So with a new, fresh menu in place, Ramsey then overhauled the decor to reflect the new cuisine. But that evening at dinner, it was clear Mike was in over his head….the reservations were messed up, and he was just having trouble running a restaurant that was busy for the first time in years. But instead of taking some of the blame, all Mike did was try and point fingers, to the chagrin of everyone else working there. What’s worse, the customers saw Mike’s meltdown. Instead of firing Mike, Billy and Lisa admitted that they had a problem and gave Mike a second chance. And Mike responded, admitting that he needed to have a “rebirth” himself to help do his part to make The Mixing Bowl a success. Luckily, he did what he said he would and the place turned around. Profits soared, everyone was happy, and most of all, Billy and Lisa were enjoying a better marriage. A feel good story if there ever was one, even on a show with the word “nightmare” in it. And there were no cockroaches or rats this time. See you next week! |
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Last night’s “Kitchen Nightmares” featured a quasi-Indian restaurant in New York City called Dillon’s. It appeared to be in the theater district in New York but it was kind of hard to tell. You could already tell when Gordon Ramsey first appeared at the restaurant, that the problem was that there were literally too many cooks in the kitchen. Well, make that managers on the floor. Along with Mohammod, the owner, there was Andrew the operations manager, Martin the general manager, and Khan the floor manager. And the menu was not just Indian, but also had American food items. Ramsey ordered a few things from the menu to sample what they had, and was extremely disappointed. Not only were there flies buzzing around everywhere, but the food did not come out as he had asked….vegetarian fritters had meat in the them and lamb was served in place of beef in another. Then the salmon came out and Ramsey said it looked like a “doormat.” When Andrew emerged from the kitchen and Ramsey found out he had cooked the salmon, he asked Andrew to eat it. At the dinner service, things went horribly wrong because the kitchen was in complete chaos. Martin showed that he had no business being the GM of a restaurant like this, because he was busy on his phone, having waitresses stroke his hair and ego, and just was plain old useless. Orders were taking way too long to be filled, and customers started leaving. So Ramsey’s first order of business was to go into the kitchen and see how sanitary or unsanitary everything was. And his nightmares were realized….not only was there moldy food everywhere, but there were flies, cockroaches and rats in the kitchen. So he had steam cleaners come in and disinfect the whole restaurant. He even took the staff to his own restaurant a few blocks away to show them how a real kitchen should look. After this, Ramsey brought in Vikas, a chef consultant, who revamped the menu to be “contemporary Indian cuisine.” They also changed the name to “Purnina” and got rid of the electronic billboard outside the restaurant. Ramsey also brought in a design team to revamp the interior and exterior of the restaurant, and then asked for everyone’s complete support and approval. He got it from everyone but Martin, who seemed to think his shit didn’t stink. Not only that, but waitress Jenna came to his defense as well. Finally, Martin also relented that he would do his part to make the restaurant successful. So at the dinner service, everything started off well, but it was clear that Martin was in over his head. Food was getting cold before it made it to tables, and Martin was his usual lazy self. Ramsey put Khan in charge, and afterward had a heart to heart with Mohammod, suggesting he fire Martin and replace him with Vikas in the kitchen. Before Mohammod could do this, though, Martin had overheard Ramsey’s suggestions and got into a shouting match with him. He wasn’t fired in the end, because he decided to quit, saying bad things about Ramsey as he exited. Months later, they showed that the changes stuck, and that Purnina had become very successful, even generating a buzz in Manhattan’s restaurant community. Once again, Gordon Ramsey had swooped in and turned a restaurant around, giving life where it once was floundering. Ah, a feel good story if there ever was one. I only wonder what became of Martin….. |
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Last night was the first official U.S. based episode of Gordon Ramsey’s new show, “Kitchen Nightmares.” So the inaugural guinea pig was Peter’s Italian Restaurant in Babylon, New York, which is on Long Island’s South shore. The restaurant is family owned and operated, but the principle owner is Tina, but her brother Peter, who the restaurant is named after, acts like the boss and for all intents and purposes, IS the boss. In fact, his employees say he secretly aspires to be in a “Goodfellas” movie, and if you see Peter and watch him operate, that is no stretch by any means. He’s big, Italian, and imposing. Ramsey meets with all of the employees–chef Robert, sous chef John, Tina and Peter, their mom and dad, and waiter Angelo. His first order of business is to sample some of the food, and he quickly finds out that it’s not prepared the way it should be….the crab cakes are cold in the middle and served on browning lettuce. And the lobster in the lobster ravioli tastes like “baby food.” Not a good start. In between all this, there are two instances of bill collectors coming to the restaurant, and Peter shows everyone why he should be in a mob movie…hell, this guy could have been Tony Soprano’s right hand man. Anyway, Peter threatens both bill collectors, telling them that he’s going to beat the crap out of them right in front of the restaurant….which he doesn’t, but it’s all good television anyway….and a good train wreck along the lines of “COPS.” So Ramsey’s first order of business is new kitchen equipment, which makes Robert practically do back flips. He says he can finally cook the way he’s supposed to. Meanwhile, this change makes Tina and the rest of the staff incredibly happy and gives them an emotional boost. Next, Ramsey says they need to distinguish themselves from the other restaurants in the area, so he suggests and implements a “family style” menu, featuring less items that are served to the tables family style. The idea is great, but Peter sabotages the execution of it by eating some of the food meant for customers. It really gets interesting when Ramsey tells Peter to “go F–K yourself.” And Peter doesn’t know quite how to respond, which makes it even better. In the end, Ramsey tells Peter that he needs to ultimately take responsibility for his actions, that he’s bringing everyone else down. You’d think a guy like Peter wouldn’t listen, but he really does…he goes home, comes back the next day and is basically a changed man. And with that, the whole dynamic of the restaurant changes. Peter is nice to everyone–employees and customers alike. And the end result is that Peter’s Italian Restaurant starts to make money again. If I could take two things from this episode, it’s that no one can intimidate Gordon Ramsey–not even the most intimidating mobster wannabes….and that the man knows how to run a restaurant. Dare I say it, but I think this show is better than “Hell’s Kitchen.” I guess the ratings will tell us if I’m right. |
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If you liked Gordon Ramsey’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” you’re going to love his new show, “Kitchen Nightmares,” that airs tonight on FOX at 9 pm EST/8pm CST. I first saw this show on the BBC channel and I knew if it ever aired in the States it would do well. That day is here, and after screening the first two episodes, I can tell you, it’s even better than the British versions I’ve seen. Why? Because Americans are more lazy, hot headed (remember this one in particular) and just plain dumb when it comes to running restaurants. Okay, that’s a generalization. But you get the idea. The premise of the show is that Ramsey visits restaurants and gives them a makeover in design, menu, and overall management of restaurants that are struggling. Starting tomorrow I’ll be blogging about each episode, so come back and please read my notes after you watch the show. Yeah, that means you have to actually watch the show. But I know you’ll like it. No, really! For a teaser of the show on YouTube, click |
