Hotfoodie

The money guy is very successful in opening very trendy eateries in NYC- Jeff Chodorow-

The beauty of the whole thing is that it was done at no cost to NBC. The cost will burden only Rocco DiSpirito- having eaten at Union Pacific and enjoyed it, he has lended his name to an utter outrage. What a ham, always playing to the cameras. Certainly no serious chef, he has achieved what I believe he set out to do- he has created tons of buzz. The show had 7 million viewers last week, and the restaurant is going strong. Will it make it past it's first year once the buzz dies down? Doubtful. Watching him swear and curse and freak out- Priceless.

As a guest at the "paying" opening night, let me just say this...almost the whole thing was staged... As we were getting mic'ed, the producer said "the drinks are free, so drink up. And if you have to get sick at the table- go right ahead..." Meatball guy was a friend of the family and I believe has a small part in the Sopranos...The "American Express" wine purchase was also staged. The producers were going around trying to stir up trouble among the guests, getting them to complain about anything and everything so there would be more "drama" on the "reality" show. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the kitchen fire was staged as well.

I was in just last week and have been to Blue Smoke on six separate occasions. As we sat at the bar waiting for our table, the staff was bustling around, all very happy and full of energy. Steely Dan and Dave Matthews were on the sound system, and the spectacular smell of my years in Charleston was wafting through the restaurant. The lengths that Mr. Meyer goes to to ensure a transporting experience in every visit is obvious and and deliberate, ensuring an amazing dining adventure time and time again. Thanks Danny- I am a huge fan of Tabla and Eleven Madison Park as well...