TrishCT

Zilla thanks for the heads up! -Trish

So that's where the term "bum's rush" comes from.

I caught part of a recent Conan O'Brien interview with actress Mary Sedaris (sp?) of Strangers with Candy She has many interesting hobbies, and one of them involves waitressing at Mary's Fish Camp restaurant. She told Conan that if a customer really annoys her she goes to the bar and puts a few drops of (bleeeeped) into his drink to give him diarrhea. Conan repeated it and was also bleeped. She said to see if it worked she tried it out on herself and indeed it gave her the runs. Does anyone know what she is talking about???

Beach, yes! I was thinking of Kathy Hoshijo. She is an interesting cook, and now I am going to order some of her books. For presence on tv though she didn't click. She appeared awkward and monotone. But she definitely has some good styles and techniques. Thank you!

Chef Fowke, That is amazing work!

Faves: 1. Julia Child, educated the masses while enjoying a nice cabernet. 2. Justin Wilson, like watching Grandpa on HeeHaw making some good eats. 3. Mr. A. Bourdain, boldly goes where I can only imagine. 4. Jacques Torres, Monsieur O'Chocolat....mmmm.... Least Fave: 1. Graham Kerr, a/k/a The Galloping Gourmet....gave me the trots. 2. Kathy.. What's her name... Had a PBS show set in Hawaii... zzzzzzzzzz...

Thanks for the link Rachel... "Yo where the booze at" was that you Tommy...?

Am I the only one who can't get this link to do its thang..?

To E-G and Professor Leite: What excellent timing for this class! I am a reporter for a small newspaper but want to do more. The advice you gave is invaluable, so I am now working on getting a Web site up and running to start showcasing my work. I also agree with what you say about writing habits. I write every day. It reinforces my dedication to the craft. Thank you! Trish

Sounds great!

No... now we talk about how bad the show was instead of how bad it is. yeah, i have a few tivo'd and i haven't seen them yet. i guess it's not over for everyone. We have to at least get to post 1500...

I haven't posted on this before but find this project incredibly interesting. Looking forward to the juicy results!

No she's not on tv now... Kathy had long dark hair... and she was ultra mellow

I haven't read this whole thread...but does anyone remember a chef named Kathy...? She was based in Hawaii and she did vegetarian stuff.... I thought her cooking was interesting but she was uneasy with camera....

To play devil's advocate, maybe it was just a little too real! I know I've seen all of those things happen at one time or another in my history in the restaurant world. ( And, even, unfortunately the bathroom trysts.) Maybe most of us are irate at that exposure, 'cause we know better. Every restaurant suffers growing pains. Of course, with Rocco's supposed stellar background and experience he should already have "been there, done that". Think everyone expected or would have liked a more highly evolved representation. But, that's entertainment (according to TV, anyway). I think Zenial said it best - going for the lowest common denominator! Several of the "real" things appeared scripted or manipulated, not real.

I would agree with Mr. Ripert's point of view about the first couple episodes. The show definitely seemed to realistically portray the pitfalls and disasters of rush opening a new restaurant. But then things changed... What happened on screen wasn't funny or real looking anymore.... to see incompetence, cold food, people falling on slick floors, overt favoritism, good people so frustrated they were compelled to quit, Mama get sick, or employees unpaid for services rendered, while being dished AmEx, Coors & Mitsubishi ad(s) nauseum (puns intended). "Nicely made?" I've had a whisky sour with gatorade that was better made.

the obvious answer seems to be the amount of editing/manipulation for dramatic effect, and the intention of the show to begin with. It might be the "obvious" answer, my dear Tomster, but is it correct...?

I wonder what the actual differences are among "documentary," "reality show" and "unscripted drama." I had a nice discussion with Tad Carducci and at one point I said 'But hey isn't this (The Restaurant) a reality show?' And he said, 'No it's an unscripted drama, something completely different.' Can anyone 'splain....?

It sure did seem by the lame finale that the producers just plum ran out of ideas... Irwin if you are around will you pm me, babe....

Pogophiles, Thank you sooooo much for your spur of the moment recs!! My husband and I were in Nashville for 5 days for a convention. We stayed at The Opryland Hotel. This is an extraordinary place to visit, but I wouldn't want to stay there again. Very expensive for rooms on a caliber of the Holiday Inn. The draw to the place is its unbelievable lobby full of inside gardens (9 acres) and a river (you can take a boat ride on it for $5). People compare it to Disneyworld and rightly so, but like Disney it also has a downside. Our room was not convenient to the convention center and was a brisk 10 minute walk away. All the hotel amenities were overpriced, $3.29 for a one liter bottle of Disani water, (hey I see the Dis there as in DISNEY...), $18.95 for a DISposable camera, and $6.85 for a slice of DevIl'S food cake to go. We decided to purchase none of these. Like the luxury prison that it is, keeping our rental car there cost us $7 each night even though we rented the car from the hotel's front desk. Sadly, shopping malls and the downtown are all going vacant and dwindling down. I assume its from the Opryland corporate behemoth but I wouldn't know. Clearly the hotel wants to keep you there to patronize their facitilites. We were one of the very few in our group that had a vehicle and ventured past the gates. Once out those gates, there was a lot of fun in Nashville! We loved the Parthenon (WHOA NOW THAT'S AN ATHENA!!!), and The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's Home. The Monell's at the Hermitage serves iced tea sweetened with pineapple and orange juice. It was most REFRESHING in the 90 plus heat! Also enjoyed a performance at the Grand Ole Opry (I didn't know Porter Waggoner was still alive). On the chow side: Rotier's had excellent burgers, and a great chocolate shake. Liked it a lot because it did not seem touristy and was a nice spot for a cheap, unpretentious, delicious lunch. Fat Mo's...oh we had a little trouble here... We went to the Fat Mo's in a converted KFC building (on Lebanon Pike on way to Hermitage). The place is somewhat of a wreck and I'm not sure how it got a CO.... anyway CH (convention hubby) wanted to leave, but I said No, this place is recommended, it MUST be good... so we got 1/2 pound burgers which I thought were pretty darn good and well deserving of the title heart attack on a plate... CH thought they tasted like Wendy's and then he started mocking me calling the restaurant Mo Fat. 'Nuff said... The Bound'ry was my favorite meal. Had a romantic (low lights) and delicious dinner here. The bread basket is shaped like a large ice cream cone and comes filled with delicious lavasch and rolls, served with a tomato garlic butter. We shared lamb chops which were perfectly done and juicy to the max, a bison steak which was flavorful and fork tender, scrumptious pommes frites which matched perfectly, and a couple glasses of house red wine to wash everything down nicely. Bananas Foster for 2 for dessert was nicely butterscotchy Our server was very sweet and helpful. The next night we hit Zola, which is touted as Nashville's best restaurant. We did have a very nice meal here, but it wasn't my favorite dining experience. One thing that was unpleasant was the smell of the dining room upon entering, it smelled strongly like someone with bad breath who just ate salmon. I looked around and didn't see anyone eating salmon, so not sure where the odor came from but it was not appetizing. The bread basket was not on the table, instead a server came by in between the salad and dinner courses and offered us a small slice of bread from a basket. One was raisin date, which was good, and the other offering was a cheese stromboli which had clearly been reheated because it was hard as a rock and had no sign of cheese in it. The pineapple kiwi soup starter was refreshing and exciting with a nice cayenne zip. We enjoyed filet mignon, it was nicely seasoned, and smoky tomato chicken with eggplant. I'm sorry I can't remember more details, I think I drank too much white sangria. The salads were really good and well dressed with yummy homemade croutons. The dessert menu was sparce with items like brownies and cheesecake--we passed. The draw to Zola is Chef Paquette's strong use of every veggie under the sun. I think I counted about 25 different ones in my salad before I stopped counting. Overall it was a good meal. Hog Heaven... We drove by it at first, never would have suspected there was a restaurant here, had the chicken sandwich with white bbq sauce YUMMMMMMMM!!! Good Eats!! Jack's (up by Opryland)... Ribs so smoky my fingers smelled like smoke even after a shower... But the meat was melt in your mouth tender, and the pulled pork and brisket were good eating too. The collard greens, red potatoes, and corn bread were terrrific as well. Of the sauces we liked 2 out of 3...only one didn't care as much for was the Nashville one with it's vinegar tang...It was a good last dinner in Nashville. For our last breakfast we drove down to the famous Loveless Cafe and had the ham, biscuits and pancakes. The ham is salty and the biscuits are flaky. Why don't more places cook stuff like this? At some point we went to F. Scott's for a drink and listened to some jazz. Noticed that this Sunday they are having a special tasting meal featuring Vietnamese cuisine paired with Joseph Phelps wines, sounds like it might be a fun event, wish we were there for it. Thank you again for the recs!! I don't think I gained any weight either because of all the walking done in the hotel. Would definitely visit the area again!

Greetings from Nashville!!! I am so glad to see this thread!!! HELLLLP ME I AM TRAPPED IN THE OPRYLAND HOTEL AND I CAN"T GET OUT!!! (Just kidding! But those of you who know this place know EXACTLY what I mean...) Based on some great suggestions we have dined at Rotier's (good burgers and down home atmosphere which I enjoyed.) The Bound'ry and Zola...Will write reports when I get back, no time now cuz they charge 40 cents a minute to use the in house computers here... Would like to know what the rec's are for BBQ--I am thinking Whitt's??? Please advise...We would like pork sandwiches and ribs... The hot chicken sounds good...gonna try it for lunch today... I have a rental car...It was well worth the investment to escape... Going to Loveless Cafe Thursday morning for Breakfast... any other food rec's appreciated... also spots to drink...) THANK Y'ALL!!! -Trish

Hi all, Speaking of things that blow, I am writing this very quickly from the Opryland Hotel in Nashville... its the hotel that blows, the city of Nashville is actually fun. But that will be for another post, on the Southeast board, when I return home... Interesting comments from ya'll (see the southern thing is rubbing off on me) about Rocco's, I have dubbed Episode 5: "Rocco's 5th course, Non-Amuse Bouche." I still don't see Rocco coming through as some sort of hero, despite NBC's manipulations... I think the show jumped the shark after episode 3... departure of a major character- (Topher)... The joint just ain't fun... and it shows... Best regards from the heat wave, Trish

Frozen veggies/fruit: Eat them now, do not refreeze them. Soy margarine: Ok to eat now and probably ok to stay refrigerated if it was good to begin with and not ancient. Frozen turkey, sausage, bacon: Honestly, I would toss it all just to be safe. Eggs: Should be fine but use them soon. Refrigeration keeps eggs fresh longer than at room temp. Once eggs are at room temp they age faster. Fruit juices: Probably ok, but if they were old to begin with they won't improve. Soy Milk: I'd toss it Brined products: Pickles are probably ok... Tomatoes-depends how they are stored and how old/close to spoiling they are to begin with. Bread: If it's not moldy it should be fine. Keep this in mind: If there's any doubt...throw it out.... Better to be safe than sorry. Glad you have your power back! Trish

Thanks Rachel... How I would love to sip champagne with Julia today!