Tom Colicchio's new Coke Commercial

[Tsulli1]

How about Colicchio's Diet Coke commercial during the Oscar's last night?

Swipe at Alinea?

[ulterior epicure]

How about Colicchio's Diet Coke commercial during the Oscar's last night?

Swipe at Alinea?

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I thought it was interesting that they played (debuted?) it during the Oscars (as opposed to some other food-related event - not that I can think of one specifically outside of the Food Network shows).

[Holly Moore]

How about Colicchio's Diet Coke commercial during the Oscar's last night?

Swipe at Alinea?

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Shot at Alinea? Nope. Just a chance to get face time in a Coke commercial and earn some residuals.

Tom Colicchio didn't write the commercial. I'm sure the Madison Ave suits who put the ad together were not making a socio-culinary statement either and would happily expense a meal at Alinea.

[weinoo]

Tom Colicchio didn't write the commercial.  I'm sure the Madison Ave suits who put the ad together were not making a socio-culinary statement either and would happily expense a meal at Alinea.

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For someone who is "all about the ingredients," the diet coke ad is something of a sellout, dontcha think? All about the chemicals, baby.

[ulterior epicure]

Tom Colicchio didn't write the commercial.  I'm sure the Madison Ave suits who put the ad together were not making a socio-culinary statement either and would happily expense a meal at Alinea.

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For someone who is "all about the ingredients," the diet coke ad is something of a sellout, dontcha think? All about the chemicals, baby.

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It's not like Top Chef isn't one big, multi-episode product placement.

[gotsum411]

Has anyone else seen the new coke commercial with Tom Colicchio? He is in a restaurant similar to something like Alinea or Moto and they show all these dishes like bacon on a stand as well as some other stereotypical dishes (spheres) and He orders a coke. The bartender tries to put some orchid type garnish on it and he waves him off, and says when you start with good taste you dont need anything else.

check it out,

Commercial

What do you think?

I thought it was hilarious, I love that he pokes fun at all these new trendy restaurants like Alinea and moto and such

Edited February 24, 2009 by gotsum411 (log)

[Holly Moore]

Tom Colicchio didn't write the commercial.  I'm sure the Madison Ave suits who put the ad together were not making a socio-culinary statement either and would happily expense a meal at Alinea.

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For someone who is "all about the ingredients," the diet coke ad is something of a sellout, dontcha think? All about the chemicals, baby.

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It's not like Top Chef isn't one big, multi-episode product placement.

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Every time a chef lands an endorsement someone is going to say that chef sold out. I can see that if it is someone like Rocco selling a line of frozen Italian entrees - the implication being they are just as good as Rocco makes. I assume Craft doesn't whip up its own cola flavored beverage and, given Colicchio is a tad on the bulky side, he might very well be a Diet Coke consumer.

I also think Colicchio does a decent job holding himself above and away from the extensive product placements on Top Chef.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Holly Moore (log)

[ulterior epicure]

Tom Colicchio didn't write the commercial.  I'm sure the Madison Ave suits who put the ad together were not making a socio-culinary statement either and would happily expense a meal at Alinea.

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For someone who is "all about the ingredients," the diet coke ad is something of a sellout, dontcha think? All about the chemicals, baby.

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It's not like Top Chef isn't one big, multi-episode product placement.

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Every time a chef lands an endorsement someone is going to say that chef sold out. I can see that if it is someone like Rocco selling a line of frozen Italian entrees - the implication being they are just as good as Rocco makes. I assume Craft doesn't whip up its own cola flavored beverage and, given Colicchio is a tad on the bulky side, he might very well be a Diet Coke consumer.

I also think Colicchio does a decent job holding himself above and away from the extensive product placements on Top Chef.

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To clarify, I wasn't making a value judgment. I'm simply pointing out that Colicchio's close proximity to product placement is not new.

Edited February 23, 2009 by ulterior epicure (log)

[Chris Amirault]

I've seen it and find it baffling. I'm no longer prone to criticize chefs who grab the brass ring as "selling out," but the crack at Alinea seems misplaced. Most Diet Coke drinkers wouldn't know Alinea from Craft, and they certainly wouldn't recognize the shrimp nest doohickies as a reference to Alinea's tableware. Rest assured that taste is a critical element of the Alinea experience -- which doesn't include tableside flambé. What market share are they going for here -- and is it worth coming off as a snide jerk for dissing one of the best restaurants in the U.S.?

As for Alinea being a "fad restaurant" (which I'd argue it most certainly is not), methinks steak-house king Colicchio lives in a glass house. And speaking of fads, last time I checked, Colicchio, not Achatz, was the TV reality judge. Getting into a smackdown with Achatz about taste seems like a dicey proposition for him...

[maggiethecat]

I'm with Chris. I was baffled and annoyed by the ad.

(Although I'm fine with a chef cashing in on his fame, though Batali's NASCAR lettuce made me roll my eyes, I remember the pasting Rick Bayless took when he developed a chicken sandwich for Burger King. And the man had given his fee away to charity!)

[Reignking]

I think it fantastic -- even though it is for a mass-produced soft drink, the tag line is what he really thinks

"Because when you start with good taste, you don't need anything else."

That really seems to go with how he cooks -- simply and straightforward, using good product and avoiding gimmicks. Heck, it would be a great tag line for his restaurants. I think it resonates with me because my wife and I have come to the realization that too many of these "avant-gaude" restaurants that we have been to just haven't delivered. We've begun going "back to basics", as it were...

It is just too bad it is for Diet Coke, because I hate that stuff.

[ArtistSeries]

What do you think?

I thought it was hilarious, I love that he pokes fun at all these new fad restaurants like Alinea and moto and such

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I think it was well done.

I see nothing wrong with poking fun at food fads. Let's face it, many of us have been served meals that resembled architecture projects, used the technique of the day (wood planks anyone?) or have used exotic ingredients when all that was required to satisfy was good tasting food.

That said, I find the taste of Diet Coke to be insipid and watery compared to the "full sugar" version... and wonder what demographic they are targeting with that commercial....

[Chris Amirault]

I think it fantastic -- even though it is for a mass-produced soft drink, the tag line is what he really thinks

"Because when you start with good taste, you don't need anything else."

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The day that Colicchio's restaurants become BYOB and start serving food on unfolded newspaper with plastic forks, I'll believe that he really thinks that you "don't need anything else."

[Tsulli1]

I think it fantastic -- even though it is for a mass-produced soft drink, the tag line is what he really thinks

"Because when you start with good taste, you don't need anything else."

That really seems to go with how he cooks -- simply and straightforward, using good product and avoiding gimmicks.  Heck, it would be a great tag line for his restaurants.  I think it resonates with me because my wife and I have come to the realization that too many of these "avant-gaude" restaurants that we have been to just haven't delivered.  We've begun going "back to basics", as it were...

It is just too bad it is for Diet Coke, because I hate that stuff.

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I'm right there with you Reignking.

Although I've been to a Colicchio restaurant and have been underwhelmed, I've been to Alinea and equally underwhelmed.... for a lot more money.

I instantly recognized "The Squid" combined with "The Trapeze" when he said: "Shrimp Nest"

Colicchio has repeatedly commented on Top Chef about presentations that are too "precious" for his tastes.

Everyone has an opinion.

Mine is that it was a funny commercial.

Still hate Diet Coke.

[Heartsurgeon]

"I also think Colicchio does a decent job holding himself above and away from the extensive product placements on Top Chef"

whatttt?????

Colicchio is a GIANT PRODUCT PLACEMENT AD for himself and his chain of eateries...

come on, in for a penny, in for a pound...the only reason ANY of these folks is doing Top Chef is to sell themselves...

To paraphrase Winston Churchill..We have determined Collichio is a "sell out", we are merely quibbling over the price....

[oakapple]

"I also think Colicchio does a decent job holding himself above and away from the extensive product placements on Top Chef"

whatttt?????

Colicchio is a GIANT PRODUCT PLACEMENT AD for himself and his chain of eateries...

come on, in for a penny, in for a pound...the only reason ANY of these folks is doing Top Chef is to sell themselves...

To paraphrase Winston Churchill..We have determined Collichio is a "sell out", we are merely quibbling over the price....

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You are assuming that "sell out" and "earn an honest living" are synonymous. I don't think they are. Normally, the definition of "sell out" is to do something so alien to your values that "cashing in" is the only conceivable explanation. If Colicchio were hawking Swanson's Fish Sticks, that would be selling out. Appearing as a judge on Top Chef is not.

[GordonCooks]

"I also think Colicchio does a decent job holding himself above and away from the extensive product placements on Top Chef"

whatttt?????

Colicchio is a GIANT PRODUCT PLACEMENT AD for himself and his chain of eateries...

come on, in for a penny, in for a pound...the only reason ANY of these folks is doing Top Chef is to sell themselves...

To paraphrase Winston Churchill..We have determined Collichio is a "sell out", we are merely quibbling over the price....

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Then I guess you consider his restaurants on par with Macaroni grill and Olive Garden?

Tom Colicchio is the main reason Top Chef has any culinary credibility or relevance.

Edited February 23, 2009 by GordonCooks (log)

[docsconz]

While I totally disagree with his assessment, he is certainly free to poke fun at other restaurants, but if in the process, he is going to be the one with "good taste" and chooses to drink Diet Coke, he is ultimately the one worth mocking. I get fed up with people who feel that there is only one worthwhile style of preparing food. It is typically the "purists" who feel that anything else can not be good, is just a "fad" or some other intolerant approach as Colicchio shows here and as Marco Pierre White and Tony Bourdain showed at the Starchefs ICC. Interesting that in both cases, the apparent target was Grant Achatz and Alinea. Say what you will about chefs like Achatz and Adria, at least they are not closed minded and will eat good food in whatever form it comes in. It just so happens that they are amongst the absolute best, when it comes to preparing novel, interesting and fun food that is also delicious.

[gfweb]

I would make a small objection...disagreeing with something/anything is not being closed minded. It is disagreeing.

[oakapple]

...methinks steak-house king Colicchio lives in a glass house.

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This is a guy who has received three stars from The New York Times for three separate restaurants (Mondrian, Gramercy Tavern, and Craft) none of which are steakhouses. There are very few other chefs who can boast such a record. Whatever you think of this particular commercial, he's no "steakhouse king."

[Chris Amirault]

The joke was that calling Alinea a fad restaurant is like calling Colicchio a steak-house king. Jeez.

[paulraphael]

I don't think this is a dig at Alinea. It parodies that style of cooking, but face it: many of the attempts at that style are worthy targets of parody.

A lot of the food inspired by Adria / Achatz / Dufresne, etc. captures the trappings of the real thing without any of the underlying sensibility. In other words, its merely pretentious.

Besides, good parody shows affection, not just scorn. It looks to me like they had a lot of fun making this commercial, and assembling those ridiculous dishes.

Too bad it's all for diet coke!

[Reignking]

I wonder how we would all react if the restaurant were at the other end of spectrum -- fast-food or TGIFriday's, for example.

Or if the product had been Berkshire pork or Kobe beef.

[rconnelly]

"I also think Colicchio does a decent job holding himself above and away from the extensive product placements on Top Chef"

whatttt?????

Colicchio is a GIANT PRODUCT PLACEMENT AD for himself and his chain of eateries...

come on, in for a penny, in for a pound...the only reason ANY of these folks is doing Top Chef is to sell themselves...

To paraphrase Winston Churchill..We have determined Collichio is a "sell out", we are merely quibbling over the price....

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Then I guess you consider his restaurants on par with Macaroni grill and Olive Garden?

Tom Colicchio is the main reason Top Chef has any culinary credibility or relevance.

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Exactly!

[docsconz]

I wonder how we would all react if the restaurant were at the other end of spectrum -- fast-food or TGIFriday's, for example.

Or if the product had been Berkshire pork or Kobe beef.

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At least it would have some credibility.