tkserino

So why was it buried in this time slot? Perhaps because the network programmers thought it had limited appeal? It was fine for what it was, but that's not saying much except that it did well in the young adult demographic. A second season is hardly a mark of quality anyway. This was just another silly little show that I doubt will have much, if any lasting impact. Think there will be a "Restaurant 5?" I don't, even if it does slay the Sunday 10 pm crowd. As someone whose life was once consumed with television research, I'd like to offer my opinion. Sunday evenings are the best time slots on television. Sunday prime-time has more viewers than any other of the week. People are much more likely to be home and (because they work the next day) unlikely to do anything strenuous (anything but television). Additionally, summer is filled with reruns of scripted tv shows (actors and writers take a break, work on other projects, recoup, rehab, etc). Reality TV has rounded out summer schedules by providing huge rating potential (i.e. Joe Millionaire) while costing far less than scripted television. Remember, The Restaurant has cost NBC nothing; Amex, Coors, and Mitsubishi are paying all the production bills in exchange for product placements and 60 seconds of advertisement time a week.

For more dirt on Jeffrey Chodorow, follow the link to a short article written by a disgruntled employee: http://www.corporatemofo.com/stories/03081...7resturaunt.htm

According to the latest post on Uzay Tumer's site, Ripert has been back to Rocco's, this time with Alain Ducasse! Could it be that the food is more acceptable than we are led to believe. I can't imagine these two guys need the publicity or waste their time eating garbage food. Let's not leave out morbid curiousity. This restaurant has probably enjoyed more publicity and sheer buzz than any other restaurant in American history. Some people will come to try the food but more will come to be disappointed by it.

Its rather hard for cooks to get blacklisted by a chef. Restaurants are come and go by their nature, and there are so many of them. However, now that their faces are known accross the country they may find getting a job in a 2-star restaurant (one of their complaints) more difficult

Actually the NYtimes and New York already reviewed it. New York's was extremely vicious. Even for a bad review the tone seemed overly vindictive. The New York Times' review was prosaic to the point of parody. I suspect their food critic was pressured into writing the review while the show was still on the air rather than a few months after opening as is the practice with many restaurant critics. The review talked of the food's style and restaurant decor and (purposefully, I believe) avoided much discussion of the food's taste.