Scratch THAT One Off My Lunch List
Thursday, April 03, 2008 | posted by Mike
In addition to the good memories and photographs that I brought back with me from London, another result of the trip has been a severely overloaded DVR. To say I'm "behind" is an understatement. In all likelihood, I'll be able to watch the whole run of John Adams in one fell swoop since it will have aired in full by the time I get to it.And so, with this in mind, you'll understand why I didn't catch the debut of Hell's Kitchen. Philly ex-pat The Hungover Gourmet also has a great recap of the first episode...be sure to check it out. Anyway, it turns out that there is a local Philadelphia connection. It also turns out that things didn't start off so hot for the Philly boy. According to an entry on the Daily News' gossip blog, his "innovative" dish actually induced vomiting from Gordon Ramsay.
It may be a good thing that Matt Sigel cooks only breads and pastries at the Radisson Warwick and Tavern 17. His fine cuisine skills turned the stomach of Chef Gordon Ramsay on Tuesday night's season premiere of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen." Ramsay puked after sampling the signature dish of Sigel, a Pine Hill, NJ resident, a plate consisting of venison, diver scallops, shaved white chocolate, capers, and quail eggs.First off, the guys if from Pine Hill, which is about ten minutes from TVFF's boyhood home. Dude, that's no way to represent South Jersey!
Secondly, I walk past the restaurant where Sigel works (Tavern 17) EVERY MORNING on the way to the day job. Frankly, it's always bugged me a little. Here's why.
One of the popular trends over the past few years has been the rise of the "slider" -- mini-sized versions of full-sized sandwiches. It started with burgers but quickly went upscale. Let me be perfectly honest with you and let you know that I think the trend is ridiculous.
For one thing, there is one and only one slider. For another, if you have something delicious, why do you make it smaller and serve me three of them? This is especially true of burgers, where making them smaller makes them more likely to dry out.
Then there is the name. It's just not appetizing. And so, when I see a chalkboard outside Tavern 17 while my stomach is still adjusting to the waking world and it advertises the "Slider of the Day" -- and it's crab and brie -- ugh.
To be fair, I've never ventured inside and it may very well be the best restaurant in the city. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it past that slider.
And if I ever see a venison, scallop and white chocolate slider on that chalkboard, I'm going to have to change my route.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares: Compelling Television...If Your Cable Goes that High
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 | posted by Mike
Although you risk a nosebleed by venturing to the upper reaches of your digital cable, tracking down BBC America in order to watch Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is well worth the risk. The show may be the most compelling food program on television right now. I know what you're saying. "He's a boor on Hell's Kitchen." "The U.S. version of Kitchen Nightmares reeks of Fox Reality Programming." Yes, I'll give you that. But, as we've come to expect from all things British, this is a much classier level of boorish behavior.
Yes, Ramsay's still the opinionated, ill-tempered person we see on American television. But the main difference is that the impatience and yelling melts away much more often. You can see that he's a rude guy, but it is done for the purpose of making the restaurants into something better. Plus, these are professionals in the kitchen, so that feeling of squeamishness you feel when he's beating up on some hapless HK contestant isn't there.
It's also an interesting show for Americans because it does give you a look at life in everyday-UK. The thing that I was most surprised at when I started watching the program -- the first British reality show I've watched -- is that, despite our familiarity with the British culture, much of what we consume through movies and television is an idealized Britain. Whether it's a Victorian costume drama or a Bond movie, we get the remnants of Britain's storied past. Or sometimes we get a glossy comedy (all those Bridget Jones look-alikes) or cheeky romp.
The thing is, we rarely get a true glimpse into British life. I'm thinking of the film version of Quadrophenia or maybe a Ken Loach film. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares focuses on the real people of the UK, not the kind that might be played by Colin Firth.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
What's that Beeping?
Monday, January 14, 2008 | posted by Mike
This shouldn't come as a shock to any of you, but every once in a while, it's good to take a step back and think about the million little ways life has changed over the past few years. After all, a site like TV Food Fan wouldn't have even existed ten years ago. And that was after the initial maturation of the web into a communications/entertainment/information vehicle.But the one change that may be most pervasive and may have had the biggest impact on each of us is the proliferation of electronic devices that we now own around the house and which we keep on our person. Think about it...cell phones, PDAs, iPods, laptops -- and those are just the ones you carry with you. Add to that all of the devices like desktop computers, DVRs, digital thermostats and wireless routers and you can see that you can't walk more than five feet without encountering one of them.
And, so, it wasn't terribly surprising to me thatI was sitting upstairs at the desktop computer in TVFF HQ when I heard a faint but distinct and regularly-spaced beeping. As we all know, that kind of beeping is usually emitted by one of those electronic devices when it has received a message, run low on batteries or something of that nature. Usually, I'll hear it and dig around to find out that my cell needs to be plugged in or that the furnace filter needs to be replaced (which it does...something else to do this weekend). But this beeping was one that wasn't familiar to me, so I assumed it was one of Mrs. TVFF's devices and ignored it.
After about ten minutes of the sound, Mrs. TVFF came walking up the stairs and I turned around to ask her about it.
"What is that beeping? Is something running out of power?"It's not a surprise that Gordon Ramsay curses. It's also not a surprise that he curses a lot. What shocked me is that he curses so regularly and consistently that I actually thought it was the clockwork-like beeping of a cell phone.
"No, not that I know of."
"Listen...can you hear it?" [Beep]
"Oh, that. I'm watching Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America. That's them bleeping whenever he curses."
That takes talent.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Working for the Weekend
Friday, November 09, 2007 | posted by Mike
I'm beat. Working a full-time job, commuting a considerable distance, writing for this site and drywalling a basement (not my own, mind you) in the evenings can take it out of you. So a restful weekend would be nice right now. Unfortunately, there is more drywall to be done on Saturday, so I'll have to settle for a restful Sunday. On the other hand, I get to look forward to the finale of Next Iron Chef, which has been an extremely pleasant surprise. I'm not sure how often they can trot out another one of these competitions, but I hope to see more of this sort of thing in the future.
Well, we struck out on our solicitation of stories and pictures from the recent personal appearances by Rachael Ray and Anthony Bourdain (ooooh, what I would have given for those appearance to have been together!). But all is not lost. Madeline over at Everything Rachael Ray has a recap of Rachael's appearance at a mall in Moorestown, NJ. She's got a link to the video, too.
I've been to that mall a million times. It was great...back in the 80's, they actually had a narrow "pool" that ran down the center of the main corridor that had ducks swimming around in it. Strange, I know. But this is New Jersey, where there are more malls than people, so I guess they had to do something to differentiate themselves.
Tony, meanwhile, was down in DC, and Washingtonian.com has a recap of the event. I wonder if he ever gets tired of dreaming up new and creative ways to describe the celebrity chefs that he despises.
On Sandra Lee: “Charles Manson and Betty Crocker’s love child. She gets that glassy Squeaky Fromme look when she’s talking about her tablescapes. I want to call security.”
Guess not.
He does talk a little bit about the DC food scene, which I'm quietly filing away for reference in the near future. More on that next week...
Also next week, we'll have a post about a close encounter between a member of the crack TVFoodFan Reporting Team and a certain TV food personality. It will be fun, I promise.
Labels: Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay, Sandra Lee
Gordon Ramsay Gets Serious Tonight on Larry King
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 | posted by Mike
For all of the yelling, ranting, raving and raging that you can usually expect out of Gordo, tonight's appearance on Larry King Live promises a significantly more subdued and serious Ramsay.
Judging by a commentary on the CNN.com website, Ramsay will be on the show to promote his work work speaking out against and raising money for awareness of abuse. The appearance will be at 9 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
Now, I know that some of you are probably scratching your heads and asking how someone who regularly heaps abuse on contestants can be an advocate for awareness of domestic abuse. Take a look at the commentary to hear about growing up with an abusive father. I guess that may explain some of the temper issues...
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
"Kitchen Nightmares," "Hell's Kitchen" Provide Valuable Lesson on Meatheads
Monday, September 24, 2007 | posted by Mike
Specifically, that meatheads from Long Island are more obnoxious than meatheads from New Jersey. Score one for the Garden State!
I don't have a lot to say in the way of a review for Kitchen Nightmares. For the most part, it's not quite as ridiculously over the top as I had feared. Ramsay is even more confrontational as he is in Hell's Kitchen, but the fact that he's out there on the restaurant owner's turf means that they're actually able to fight back a little bit. And fight back was exactly what Peter, the meathead/part-owner of the restaurant in the first episodes, tried to do.
Of course, I bring up the whole meathead thing because I pronounced that Vinnie, one of the contestants on this season's Hell's Kitchen and resident of New Jersey, was in fact a meathead. Well, Peter puts him to shame. You can check out the videos on the show page if you would like some evidence.
I hate to ruin it for you, but everything turns out well in the end, of course, with the owner realizing the folly of their ways and submitting to the tutlage of the master. I'm guessing the real draw on a week-to-week basis will be to see whose grease trap is the most clogged.
Yum.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay Apparently Gets Mad When You Sue Him
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 | posted by Mike
Does Gordo actually need a good reason to get his blood boiling? I'm guessing not, but if you think he gets irate if someone overcooks the Wellington, wait till you see him go ballistic when someone sues him.
Thanks to our good friend Dan over at The Hungover Gourmet, we get word that Gordo gave an interview after the recent dismissal of the lawsuit that was filed against Ramsay surrounding one of the episodes of his upcoming Kitchen Nightmares on Fox. And how did he take it?
“The idea of bringing moldy food in and planting actors is a f***** [ed note: more asterisks added to keep the site PG] joke,” Mr. Ramsay said. “There’s a man who got very scared and very embarrassed about his lack of professionalism. For a man to waste lawyers’ time and taxpayers’ money to get upset about something you’re the cause of...”
This, of course, begs a simple question: Since you've been chosen for and agreed to appear on a show that identifies and rehabilitates awful restaurants, don't you think you're probably on shaky legal ground if you want to sue the producers because you look bad on the show?
Now I don't have a law degree like my buddy and Philly blog colleague PhilaFoodie, but I'm guessing the people behind the show probably have a pretty well thought-out document that you have to sign if you want to play ball with them, and in the document there is likely a loooooong list of situations for which you waive your right to sue. Plus, you're appearing on a Fox reality show, so you should probably just check your dignity at the door and hope for good enough publicity from the show to make up for your poor, shattered self-esteem.
Ohhhh -- wait a second -- publicity. Now that wouldn't be why someone would sue Gordon Ramsay, would it?
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Suspicion Confirmed: Gordon Ramsay Isn't Always Completely Insufferable
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 | posted by Mike
First off, for those of you who have been following Hell's Kitchen closely, the individual who received an inordinate number of online wagers is still in the running. Should be interesting...
As you know, we at TVFF like Gordo. Although we suspected that we might be deluding ourselves, we always believed that the whole "abusive personality" thing was just an act and that -- deep down inside -- there was a heart of gold. The only thing that kept us going was tales of a show called Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Much like the Loch Ness Monster (supposedly from Gordon's homeland of Scotland) and the Jackalope, we had heard about this elusive show but never actually witnessed it. This was because, for a while, we lived in a location that didn't receive BBC America. Then, after we moved, I was just too lazy to find BBC America among the 1,084 cable channels we now receive.
But I can now assure you, dear reader, that Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares does exist, and that our faith was well-founded.
Actually, we've had quite a number of commenters weigh in on this and the consensus is correct...RKN shows a side of Gordon Ramsay that bears only a passing resemblance to the character that we see every week during Hell's Kitchen and which we will undoubtedly see on the version of Kitchen Nightmares coming to US television (they've begun running promos for it on HK and it looks like more of the same).
Let me be clear that this is not a warm and cuddly version of Ramsay. There's still the cursing, the frustration and the quick temper. But the tone is just so different. You do honestly get the feel that he cares about the restaurant owner that he's trying to help. It's a good show, and the voice-over provided by Ramsay gives insights into his character that you'll never get from his 30-second dissertation on why the latest contestant was shown the door on HK.
Enough of this...why listen to me recap the show when you can just check it out for yourself? I wish you better luck in tracking it down than I initially had. They feature RKN on Thursday nights on BBC America.
The one question I do still have is this: Why the different personalities? Is there some sort of transformation that takes place when you cross a line of longitude somewhere over the Atlantic?
At the risk of letting Ramsay off the hook (I'm sure he deserves some criticism for allowing producers to play up his worst traits), I think it might be a safe bet to point the finger at the FOX Network -- the folks who brought you Temptation Island and Joe Millionaire. I'm no snob, and I completely enjoy some lower-brow television programming every now and again, but I wouldn't count on any FOX reality shows taking home a Peabody any time soon.
This has always been the puzzling thing about FOX for me. The same network that stayed with perhaps the smartest comedy on television (Arrested Development) for three seasons despite sub-par ratings regularly serves up some of the most intellectually deficient programming ever.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Gordo's "Kitchen Nightmares" Gets Off on the Wrong Foot
Friday, June 22, 2007 | posted by Mike
Or maybe not. I guess it all depends on whether you subscribe to the belief that there's no such thing as bad publicity.
It hasn't even premiered yet, but Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is already the subject of a lawsuit, thanks to a general manager who feels that his restaurant is being misrepresented in the show and who was forced, "to quit his job to avoid further abuse." Just wondering...is there really a workplace that doesn't involve some sort of abuse?
The point of the show is that Ramsay drops in, improves a restaurant that isn't doing well and everyone lives happily ever after. Well, Martin Hyde didn't get the fairytale ending.
Hyde's lawsuit said Ramsay falsely claimed meat was spoiled, used a defective chair to imply that Dillons' furniture was shoddy and even hired actors to pose as customers to make the restaurant look busy at the end of the week.
We'll see how this turns out. My guess is that FOX has a couple of pretty good lawyers who know how to write a waiver, so Mr. Hyde shouldn't plan on spending his golden years living off this windfall.
The funny thing about this is that Mrs. TVFF managed to catch the original British version of Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America last night. BBC America resides in the netherworld of the high 200s on my digital cable, so I never manage to see it. (I think Mrs. TVFF was searching around for We: Women's Entertainment.) She said that Ramsay was surprisingly encouraging to the restaurateurs and that he only popped off a couple of times, displaying his trademark temper. Somehow, I doubt we're going to be getting the serene Gordo in the American version.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay, Kitchen Nightmares
"Hell's Kitchen" Contestants Announced, TVFF Gets Hometown (Kinda) Rooting Interest
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 | posted by Mike
Who are we kidding? Nobody actually roots for a particular contestant on Hell's Kitchen. The only thing we root for is a psychotic break followed by a cleaver attack.
But, since I'm sure they'd just edit out any of the really good violence, I suppose we'll have to be content with the actual competition. And Reality TV World has the latest news on the upcoming season of the Gordon Ramsay starrer, presenting a full run-down of the twelve competitors who will face off with each other (and the feisty redhead) in the third iteration of the Fox reality/competition program.
The twelve contestants who will be competing on Hell's Kitchen 3 are:
- Aaron, a 48-year-old retirement home chef from Palos Verdes, CA
- Brad, a 25-year-old sous chef from Scottsdale, AZ
- Eddie, a 28-year-old grill cook from Atlanta, GA
- Josh, a 26-year-old junior sous chef from Miami Beach, FL
- Rock, a 30-year-old executive chef from Spotsylvania, VA
- Vinnie, a 29-year-old night club chef from Milltown, NJ
- Bonnie, a 26-year-old nanny/personal chef from Los Angeles, CA
- Jen, a 26-year-old pastry chef from Hazelton, PA
- Joanna, a 22-year-old chef's assistant from Detroit, MI
- Julia, a 28-year-old short-order cook from Atlanta, GA
- Melissa, a 29-year-old line cook from New York, NY
- Tiffany, a 27-year-old kitchen manager from Scottsdale, AZ
So, it looks like we have the requisite "old guy" (Aaron), but I'm not seeing the "non-food service professional" this year. It was always fun to watch Ramsay berate someone who has now clue how to operate in a professional kitchen, but it was also a nice bone to throw to all of us armchair cooks who secretly harbor dreams of making it happen some day. He/she will be sorely missed.
But I do have to go with Vinnie, the 29 year old "night club chef" from Milltown, NJ, which is just a hop, skip and jump from TVFF's branch office. I'm still not sure what a "night club chef" is (perhaps he's able to cook despite deafening techno music?), and with a name like Vinnie, there is some meat-head potential, so I do reserve the right to jump off the Vinnie bandwagon. But I do have to give a fellow Garden Stater the benefit of the doubt.
Just a reminder: The new season starts on June 4th.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay Fans Can Look Forward to Thursday Nights
Tuesday, April 03, 2007 | posted by Mike
Sorry, still trying to work through some things with the design of the site...
Gordon Ramsay is one of those "love him or hate him" kind of guys. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that he's one of those "love to hate him" kind of guys. Either way, he certainly attracts strong ratings, as evidenced by the upcoming third iteration of Hell's Kitchen on Fox. If you're lucky enough to have BBC America and can't quite get enough of The Angry Chef, you'll be happy to hear this:
BBC America just announced their new schedule and Thursday night is shaping up as a virtual nirvana for Gordo fans:
Big Thursday – chef Gordon Ramsay and his two shows: Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Gordon Ramsay's F Word in addition to the Irish yenta celebrity gossip, The Graham Norton Show.
Now that the hoopla has died down around his New York restaurant and the middling reviews that it received, it will be interesting to see if that episode has any lasting impact on the popularity of Ramsay as a personality. The bloom is off the rose as far as his American reputation is concerned. He had been a largely unknown quantity, at least as far as his food. Will he continue to draw strong ratings with the belief out there that his food isn't all it's cracked up to be?
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
New "Hell's Kitchen" Coming on June 25th
Thursday, February 22, 2007 | posted by Mike
Sorry for the mental holiday today. Plenty of posts over the past few days + other stuff going on in the TVFF.com household = no energy for posting. But I managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat with a late-night post. And it's good news for all of your Gordon Ramsay fans.
We knew that another season of Hell's Kitchen was a sure thing, but now we know when we can expect the new episodes. An article on Reality TV World has word that the cooking/mental abuse competition series will be coming back to Fox on June 25th.
The post also has some information about an American version of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, which features considerably less yelling.
Stranger things have happened, but I would be surprised to have two food-themed reality shows on Fox at the same time, let alone two food-themed reality shows starring Gordon Ramsay. I know that television executives aren't necessarily known for their restraint when it comes to formulas that work, but we could rapidly develop a case of Gord-overload with two hours a week of Chef Ramsay.The show continued its success last summer, prompting Fox to order an American adaptation of Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay's other British series, in January. While Kitchen Nightmare was scheduled to production this month, Fox has yet to announce when or even if the series will join Hell's Kitchen as part of the network's summer lineup.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Did The London NYC Hotel Scrub Gordon Ramsay's NYT Review?
Friday, February 02, 2007 | posted by Mike
On of the joys of traveling for work is waking up in the morning and having the USAToday delivered right outside my door. I like it because I get my news exclusively from cartoonish graphs and full-page, colorful weather maps.
But the guests at The London NYC hotel, the home of Gordon Ramsay's New York restaurant, were in for a rude awakening the other day when they reached for their complimentary copy of The New York Times.
Word comes to us from a scoop at Eater.com via a subsequent post at Boing Boing. According to someone who knew a guest at the hotel on the day that the review was in the Times, the Dining section was suspiciously missing from the morning's edition.
I'm not exactly sure what they were hoping to accomplish by doing this. Likely, anyone who had reservations wasn't about to cancel them due to Frank Bruni's disappointing review. And weren't they aware that someone was going to say something about this and that they'd come off looking petty and foolish? This is a case where someone at the hotel who handles their publicity should have stepped in and told them to leave it in the paper. The restaurant and the hotel are not going to live or die by the review being read by the couple of hundred guests in the rooms. They will, however, take a hit for looking like a goofball."As it happens, my husband had a business lunch there today. The meal was precisely as described. The only unexpected thing: all of the Dining sections had been taken out of all of the newspapers in the hotel. Gone, done, vanished."
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
The Great and Powerful "Times" Has Spoken
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 | posted by Mike
In what may officially be the final nail in the coffin of Gordon Ramsay's New York adventure, The New York Times, in the person of Frank Bruni, has weighed in today with a two star (out of four) review of Gordon Ramsay at the London. Now, I don't read the Times every day, but the hole-in-the-wall Mediterranean joint down the street from TVFF.com Headquarters got three stars, so I'm guessing this is bad news.
As we've heard in many places before, Bruni just finds it...dull.
The chef Gordon Ramsay has a British television show called “The F Word,” an American television show called “Hell’s Kitchen” and, by all accounts and appearances, the kind of foul mouth and foul temper those titles suggest.
You might expect his debut New York restaurant to be brash and any of its shortcomings to be attributable to audacity, not timidity.
You’d be wrong.
The meta-reviewing (i.e. reviews of Bruni's review) is also in full swing, with Bloomberg, New York Magazine and Gothamist chiming in and pointing out that Bruni is echoing what has been said by just about anyone else who has offered an opinion on the restaurant.
And so, it looks like Gordon Ramsay's British invasion of America was more "Dave Clark Five" than "Beatles."
While we're on the topic of Frank Bruni...he also reviewed Top Chef, which runs its finale tonight. (Thanks for the tip on the TC review, Stacey!)
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay Review Round-Up: Brit Press Pile-On!
Monday, January 08, 2007 | posted by Mike
I think it's safe to say that the British press has a...complicated relationship with celebrities. And, frankly, the bigger the star, the more they like to point out their shortcomings, foibles and failures. So, it was only a matter of time before they got wind of a couple of less-than-stellar reviews of Gordon Ramsay at the London. Not surprisingly, they had a field day with it.
First, you should check out the reviews. One is from the Bloomberg news service and the other is from the New York Sun.
Ferocious Chef Ramsay Opens Pussycat NYC Eatery
Ramsay's Kitchen, Without Cameras
Gordo won't be tacking either of them up on his bulletin board any time soon. Neither review savages the new restaurant, but they both point out that the dishes should be much more interesting. This sentiment is perhaps best captured in the last paragraph of the Sun review:
Mr. Ramsay's new restaurant manages to be extremely satisfactory, even luxurious, while completely omitting any aura of specialness that would make it stand out among restaurants in its price range.
Not the kind of thing that you want to hear about a splashy new debut restaurant.
But it seems that this is exactly the sort of thing that the British press was hoping to hear, as evidenced by the fact that they're running pieces like:
From Scotsman.com: Ramsay finds kitchen's hell in Manhattan as New York's critics descend like vultures
IF THE devil is in the detail, then Gordon Ramsay will regard the first reviews of his New York restaurant as hellish. Manhattan critics have driven a pitchfork through the heart of his new venture, Gordon Ramsay at the London, which they mocked for serving "leathery lobster" and "cruise ship catering".
And from the Telegraph: Gordon Ramsay's kitchen nightmare
Gordon Ramsay, the chef, is having his own kitchen nightmare after New York food critics queued up to pan his new £3 million restaurant.
They're obviously not cutting him any slack, as you can see by the copious use of the word "panned." Again, I would contend that I have seen much worse reviews than the ones above, but there's nothing like unmet expectations to send the press into a tizzy.
Here's the thing. I completely understand that, especially in New York City, you have to differentiate yourself from an amazing selection of fine dining options in order to be successful. But, if you look at Gordon Ramsay on television, at least, what strikes you about his skills is not that he is some great innovator, but rather that he is a perfectionist who wants to provide uniformly and consistently excellent dishes. Just compare Hell's Kitchen to the other big cooking competition show, Top Chef.
On TC, the contestants are judged at the end of each show on the originality, creativity and (of course) taste of the dishes that they create, usually from scratch and using ingredients or techniques dictated by the show. But on HK, each week's elimination is usually based upon how well the contestants can recreate Ramsay's dishes to his exacting standards when placed in adverse conditions.
He rewards precision, not innovation.
So why does it surprise us when the dishes in his restaurant arrive and they're not groundbreaking new inventions?
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
More Confirmation of American "Kitchen Nightmares"
Wednesday, January 03, 2007 | posted by Mike
We mentioned a few days ago about some preliminary word on an American version of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, a restaurant fix-up show that is currently only showing on BBC America. After our piece, the folks over at CHOW.com's Grinder picked up the report (and plugged us...thanks!!), but there was still some question. Well, if it's being reported by the "real media," even in one of their blogs, then it has to be true, right?
The TV blog of the Orlando Sentinal has word of the second show for Ramsay on Fox, with a note that production will begin in February.
"There's no time for polite small talk as Ramsay embarks on his mission to turn things around," Fox says in a release. Yep, we wouldn't expect polite small talk from Gordo.
And that, folks, is the difference between the Orlando Sentinal and TVFoodFan.com...Fox actually sends them press releases. Sigh.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
"Kitchen Nightmares" Coming to Our Side of the Pond?
Thursday, December 28, 2006 | posted by Mike
From time to time, I've lamented the lack of BBC America in the TVFF.com household. The main reason for this is the fact that I've always heard good things about Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, a show that features the internationally known chef dropping in on a small restaurant owner in an attempt to give the poor shlub's place the makeover it needs to be successful. The clips I've seen have left me wanting more...and I continue to wantbecause of Cablevision's decision not to include BBC America among the 749 channels I get. I also don't get NFL Network, but that's a post for a different blog.
Although I have heard of no plans to add BBC America to my cable roster, we did get a tidbit of info about Kitchen Nightmares coming to US television. According to the site TV with MeeVee, there is a casting call out for restaurant owners who are interested in a makeover courtesy of Fox Television and Gordon Ramsay:
Fox TV and Chef Gordon Ramsay are now casting a new reality show, Kitchen Nightmares. The award-winning chef, culinary expert, and television personality is searching for restaurants in need of resuscitation. Chef Ramsay is offering his world-famous techniques and management secrets to help turn your business into a profitable and lasting success!
The piece is a bit vague, but I'm assuming it is an American version since it refers to it as a "new reality show." Also, it's a bit weird because they include a link an an e-mail address of the "producers," but the address is actually owned by a company that helps people get cast on reality shows and their site has no mention of KN (although they do have a call for Hell's Kitchen 3 applicants).
Sorry to be so vague about the whole thing, but we'll know more once we hear somthing official from either Fox or Ramsay.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
Good Deeds for Christmas
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 | posted by Mike
I hope that each and every one of you had a wonderful holiday! We at TVFF.com HQ are still easing back into the swing of things.
Did Santa (or whichever gift-bringing supernatural being you recognize) deliver any good food-related gifts? We picked up two new cookbooks, a whole mess of wine and a creme brulee set (complete with ramekins and blowtorch), so we'll be cooking well in the new year.
Of course, the holiday season is not about what you get, but what you're able to give. And two food celebrities, Gordon Ramsay and Alton Brown, got in the holiday spirit and gave to those who could really use it.
Taking a break from cooking for the guests at his New York restaurant, Gordon Ramsay flew to Afghanistan in order to prepare meals for the British troops. Although you would imagine that anything is an improvement over the usual food, the Hell's Kitchen star got rave reviews for his cooking.
Commenting on the chef's Christmas grub, Royal Marine Lee Oliver from 42 Commando said "the food was absolutely delicious."
Alton Brown also decided to do some good this year. Normally, whenever I hear about someone making a donation to a charity in lieu of giving gifts, I have visions of George Costanza and The Human Fund. However, Alton chose an interesting and worthy charity.
Through his production company, Be Square, Inc., Alton has been making donations to a charity called Heifer International, which provides livestock to farmers around the world in an effort to create sustainable solutions to combat hunger. The Associated Press spoke with Brown, who described why he is taking this approach:
''If I can get a couple of cows in Russia, bees to people in Kentucky, or a couple of flocks of geese to folks in China, that actually matters and I feel really good about it.''
...
Be Square Productions donates a Gift Ark every year -- a $5,000 donation that includes two each of Heifer's animals including cows, sheep, camels, oxen, water buffalo and rabbits, among many others. The animals go wherever they are needed most.
Brown donates money himself and in the names of his clients. Many times, he said, the people whose name the donation was given in are honored when they receive the gift card explaining that others will benefit from the money.
So, if you've ever wanted to give the gift of a camel but just haven't been able to find the right recipient, here's your chance.
Labels: Alton Brown, Gordon Ramsay
The Neighbors Are Getting Restless
Thursday, December 07, 2006 | posted by Mike
Looks like there is some bad press on the way for Gordon Ramsay and his eponymous restaurant.We got a tip a little while back via e-mail (thanks, anonymous tipper!) that the restaurant's neighbors are angry about the smells and noises coming from the establishment. Well, it's an uncorroborated rumor no longer.
According to a report on a British website called CatererSearch, the neighbors are angry and they're getting organized.
Residents of 150 West 55th Street, which is adjacent to the London Hotel and Gordon Ramsay at the London, have held a meeting with NYC councillor Daniel Garodnick complaining about "endless aggravation" caused by the establishment.
Violations cited include the blocking of pavements, noise disturbances by air conditioning and exhaust fans, unhealthy air quality, damage to pavement tree boxes, and blockage of public walkway space.
Management at the restaurant has downplayed the anger saying that "[s]uch challenges are not uncommon during a major construction project such as undertaken at the hotel and restaurant and when brought to the attention of Gordon Ramsay Holdings by the hotel, the complaint was immediately addressed."
It is no surprise that the restaurant is facing challenges. Ramsay and the New York fooderati both predicted that it would be a rough go and that the the chef's trademark temper may become an issue. Fortunately, Ramsay decided to let his spokesman handle the press statements instead of throwing cooking oil on the fire with one of his usual quotes.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
A Blogger Weighs in on Gordon Ramsay at the London
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 | posted by Mike
The comment boards have been on fire lately (relatively speaking, at least) and we’ve actually heard from a fellow blogger who has dined at Gordon Ramsay at the London. The folks over at Augieland have a full review as well as pictures of all of the courses. And, yes, we are very, very jealous.The review hits a lot of the main points about the new restaurant, with everything covered from the cuisine to the chairs. From the sound of the review, it’s not all about the amazing new directions that Ramsay takes his food, but rather the virtuosity with which he prepares some relatively traditional dishes.
Go because you want fine food, not because you want to be awed.Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise because the food that Ramsay has his contestants prepare on Hell’s Kitchen fall into that same category. Remember the Wellington? It really is all about being “spot on” when you’re a chef-in-training, a concept that is also echoed in much of Anthony Bourdain’s writings about the staffs at his restaurants.
The comment that pointed me towards Augieland said that the meal was not nearly as expensive as the price that I quoted in the Bloomberg article, so you might be able to get a meal for something less than a stratospheric bill. Also, note that the photos were taken clandestinely, hence the lack of a flash.
A big congratulations goes out to “Augie” for “landing” the first blogger review!
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
