zenial

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. Whisky sour with gatorade, sounds great.

Not that I like to admit it but it is TV's job to reduce everyone to the lowest common denominator. With the exeption of a very very small handful of programs. We are being raised as consumers.

is Caroline brazilian? i thought during the interview she was talking about her "nonna" and her making "taglierini" with the "pasta machine"??? was she pretending to be italian just so they would hire her? Caroline is brazilian

All the other affore mentioned shows had much much better time slots. The Restaurant is on at 10:00 on SUNDAY. As far as the ratings went it was the best in it's slot. With an average of 8 million per show very good on a sunday night. Also if there was no public intrest which there was NBC would not want to do a second season which they do.

Not that i'm here to defend a recipe, but if your going to judge shouldn't you follow it? I don't mean that as a slam it just makes sense

I really can't comment. I try not to post other people's feelings. Unless I know they would want them heard.

do you think that the cook who wasn't getting paid and said as much was in on it? when you say that we would have heard more about it, do you mean here on egullet, or on the show. Oh...believe me we were not getting paid. zenial, When you say not getting paid, were the waiters getting paid their tips every night, or were they on the paychecks also? I can understand the cooks getting edgy with no paychecks, but waiter paychecks are minimal if the tips are paid out in cash every night. Most places here don't do that anymore. Well yea we were getting tips, however we had not been paid for our training yet which was not two much but at least it was something, the tips were so low. Now the Cooks on the other hand had not recieved ANYTHING since they obviously don't get tipped, they got shafted a lot worse than us. Granted we all did get paid eventually but when you live in the city you really can't afford to go ling without pay (which is really the case everywhere just a little more in NYC).

do you think that the cook who wasn't getting paid and said as much was in on it? when you say that we would have heard more about it, do you mean here on egullet, or on the show. Oh...believe me we were not getting paid.

He is unflappable

DUN DUN DAAAAAAAA

care to try again? Sorry your right. But I don't think it was as small a contribution as you make it out to be. Hah. Stop fighting children! eGullet will sail on successfully with or without people who are on the "inside" of any issue we discuss. On the other hand, they can indeed help the discussion, and from what I've always seen are usually given a pretty good shake at it. In other words, eG doesn't "need" them, but can and does "appreciate" them, assuming the contribution is positive. The amount of that contribution matters not, I think, as long as it outweighs any negatives. Some great collaborations can occur this way (or not). Like all discussion sites, eGullet is inherently a bit of a jungle, but unlike some, it's in a nice spot where we've killed lots of bugs and cut away the underbrush some. It would be nice if everyone felt comfortable exploring the whole site, but its also perfectly valid for someone to be here specifically for one topic. I mean if someone has an axe to grind, or simply something to shill, and nothing else, we usually spot that too, right? It's part of the fun (and I'm NOT saying that either of those is the case with anyone here--I'm just talking about the concept of these things happening). I think. . . I'm not some site official speaking here, just an occasional flunky at most. So add an invisible "in my opinion" to every sentence above. {edit for spelking, I mean spelling. idjit.} Well said!

Wilde again: "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." Take heart, zenial. At least you're being talked about. LOL

care to try again? Sorry your right. But I don't think it was as small a contribution as you make it out to be.

also probably going to set a record for first-time-posters who offer nothing else to egullet. Yea who wants a bunch of different opinions. since you spoke up, i'll go ahead and suggest that you'd be a good example: you've contributed nothing to egullet except for your thoughts on this thread. i don't particularly think that's a bad thing, but rather i was simply pointing it out. if you followed my posts here on egullet, i think you'd see that i'm all about freedom of expression, and i welcome divergent opinions, as long as they're based largely on fact rather than emotion. and i'm sure that i speak not only for myself, but for others, when i say that i've appreciated your input thus far, as well as that of the other staff/actors from Rocco's, as it has been entertaining to say the least. To say that I have contributed nothing execpt for my thoughts on this thread is to say that I indeed have contributed something, which is in direct contrast to your original statment. I think that for us to voice our opinions about the given subject (The Restaurant) from our vantage point (Actually working at Roccos) brings something to the discussion that no other egullet member can. True, I have not posted in other threads, but to say I have not contributed to egullet at all is a little hastey and also false, you said so yourself. Likewies I have recieved invaluble input for numerous industry professionals about the show and serving in general. Now not to call you out but do you still believe that I have contributed nothing to egullet.

also probably going to set a record for first-time-posters who offer nothing else to egullet. Yea who wants a bunch of different opinions.