"The Restaurant" Reality Show Season 1

[bao]

Ya, couldn't believe that.

"When people come to Rocco's, they want to see Rocco. So, the most important thing I can do is be with my customers" - Rocco

[d.hawksworth]

Did anyone catch the part in tonights show about the food being cold was actually taken from a previous episode ( I believe table 34 ) when the Critic from The Post came in. Same footage, same voice over.....

Or is this a nightmare on repeat ?

[d.hawksworth]

I can't believe I'm spending 1 hour of my day off to watch this crap......I'll never get that hour back.....I feel so unhappy !!

[SobaAddict70]

Yowza.

I'm wondering if she got hired based on her "special skills". Cuz I'm not sure why she was hired.

Maybe I should watch a show. How many episodes are left, assuming it doesn't get rerun?

Soba

[KelMH]

Did anyone catch the part in tonights show about the food being cold was actually taken from a previous episode ( I believe table 34 ) when the Critic from The Post came in.  Same footage, same voice over.....

Or is this a nightmare on repeat ?

Was Eric Ripert's shot from last week's episode as well?

Also, was the actual Post review mentioned at all in this episode? It seemed to be the "cliffhanger" last week, and I don't remember it being mentioned once. Maybe I wasn't fully alert--I usually try to drink when I watch this show...

[rdailey]

From what I understand Ripert was at the "opening night" when several other well-known NYC chefs also attended, including our beloved Bourdain. They used a shot of Ripert last week and identified him, while he told Rocco what a cool concept he thought the restaurant was. They used a shot of him again this week, showing him order the meatballs. However they did not show him in the "opening night" episode.

I have not noticed any face time for Tony yet. Maybe thats a good thing for him...

[Mark Sommelier]

Sorry, I'm another person who's being pulled from the lurker files into a need to post on this thread. Because of living in another country and a different time zone, I've already seen tonight's (Aug.10) show. You are soo right, it is like watching a train wreck, I don't want to but I can't help it. Tonight's show may take the cake for overly -contrived shlock. As the promos stated it's SuperRocco, it slices, it dices it sautees, it flambes and, wait for it, next week it serves. I admit I have only work in small food-service spaces where front and back of house are close to the same thing and I've worked for some wing-nuts (throwing trays of food and screaming at prep cooks in front of customers come to mind) but I don't know how anyone could work with someone so ambivelent to what is going on around him.  I don't want to give away too much but Rocco doesn't seem to know how to deal with other human beings. He doesn't realize how he treats one member of the staff may infuriate others or cause to to expect similar treatment. Isn't that what normally happens?

Welcome to eGullet, Moira

I watched the first 3 shows. I had absolutely no interest in watching tonight. I really, really don't care what happens next. I don't care about the people, the stupid restaurant, mama, Rocco, none of them. I snipped up and threw away my Amex card 7 years ago, I don't drink beer and I don't drive anymore, so screw the sponsors. Plus, the subject matter of this show is BORING. Watching waiters and cooks bitch about their jobs? Ha! What's new? Curiously enough, in today's (Sunday, August 10) New York Times, there was an article about "red-sauce" Italian restaurants in New York City. Rocco's wasn't even mentioned.

[d.hawksworth]

Eric was probably there just the once and the editors are using the old CUT AND PASTE.

Edited August 11, 2003 by d.hawksworth (log)

[Mark Sommelier]

Or is this a nightmare on repeat ?

Yah.

[branch]

damn those Coors placements... sooo many

I was gonna post about shrimp salads tonight, but this last episode combined with my ad placement drinking game has rendered me incapable of posting said message... I feel like it would sound something like "shrimp good, spices good, Rocco's bad"

Oh those Coors placements... coors taps, coors down the loading ramp, coors neon sign in the kitchen, people at tables toasting with longnecks of coors...

aaaaaaaargh

[TrishCT]

Also, was the actual Post review mentioned at all in this episode?  It seemed to be the "cliffhanger" last week, and I don't remember it being mentioned once.  Maybe I wasn't fully alert--I usually try to drink when I watch this show...

In one scene Rocco mutters that the Post said the food was cold.

It almost made me laugh

(emphasis on almost)

Food..... cold......must......serve....hot......food....

Man, the insights you glean...

[TrishCT]

Yowza.

I'm wondering if she got hired based on her "special skills".  Cuz I'm not sure why she was hired.

Maybe I should watch a show.  How many episodes are left, assuming it doesn't get rerun?

Soba

In the opening episode for her interview she danced a samba...

Two more episodes to go, maybe the series will get picked up by a cable channel for reruns... No not Food Network...

I am thinking Court TV because what's going on here is criminal....

[tommy]

i loved the part where super-rocco went down to the kitchen to save the restaurant: "before you flip the chicken, salt and pepper", as the camera pans to 15 fascinated cooks hanging on his every word.

[tommy]

Well then he's got to be upset that the editing implies that he left because Rocco didn't offer him a Vespa, doesn't he?

i worked with a guy who wanted to leave the company, as he had an offer which was paying a bit more, and he wasn't particularly thrilled with his current position. he approached the VP, who instantly offered him much more than the other company, and reworked his bonus package for the year, including a "stay bonus" if he stayed through 6 months, which was a very important transitional stage for this company. he stayed. another guy heard about this and said he was leaving because of similar circumstances. that guy was told to not let the door hit him on the ass on the way out.

the moral of the story is, you don't have to pay all of your employees the same, no matter how much they cry.

Edited August 11, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Bux]

One thing I'll say about this show is that it makes me nostalgic ... nostalgic for a time when there wasn't reality TV maybe. I remember when an AmEx card seemed like a status symbol. Even the green one would do. It wasn't a credit card that had a limit like one from a bank and you had to apply to become a member. Today, American Express is fighting a losing battle with Visa and MasterCard. I also remember when Coors wasn't available on the east coast and maybe not available anywhere east of the Rockies. There was a mystique to the beer. Invariably someone would bring a six-pack or case to college and a few guys who never really drank much beer, or who drank too much would ooh and ah. Complaints from the rest would be answered by comments like it doesn't really travel well or you have to get it in bottles, not cans. I guess it was always a second rate beer. I haven't owned a car in years and my familiarity with any make or model is limited to short term rentals of whatever cars the rental companies choose, but my mother-in-law drove a Mitsubishi. As best I recall, they treated each other poorly. I'm not sure who's lost the most or come off the worst in this arrangement. The editing manages to keep us from ever seeing this as reality, while losing the real excitement of a restaurant.

Last night when super Rocco came down to save his and everyone else's ass the show took a huge nosedive for me. It turned from second rate sit-com to dumb cartoon. Rocco, after contemplatively rolling meatballs, single handedly prepared every dish that came from the kitchen to raves from the now adoring diners while the rest of the kitchen staff just watched in awe as their hero saved the day. And then came the losing kicker that the next show would find him in the front of the house again. As the editing and staging becomes even more apparent, it becomes obvious there's no real reality. It's a pity that a chef I admired, at least to a degree, comes off looking so bad. Maybe it's time for a makeover. Is there an open spot on Queer Eye?

Speaking of queer eyes, I spotted one post that I thought was in poor taste. It brought no reports, but there were a few sharp responses from members sensitive enough to both call the poster and not to make a fuss. We try to protect the greatest freedom of speech when it comes to opinions about food, but that doesn't mean we have to allow bigoted references to stereotypes or the use of pejorative names. It can be the kind of thing that gives heterosexuals a bad name.

[tommy]

but that doesn't mean we have to allow bigoted references to stereotypes or the use of pejorative names.

i'm assuming that post is being worked on?

Edited August 11, 2003 by tommy (log)

[plax]

I'm seeing a real opportunity for NBC to do some cross promotion between The Restaurant & Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The Fab 5 could come in and do a makeover on Jeffrey Chodorow (who really seems to need it) and Ted could do some wonders in the kitchen!

[chefdave]

Well here I am with my first post, having never done this anywhere before. I've read every post regarding "The Restaurant" and have watched all 4 shows. Wow what a mess. I can't seem to stop watching it in disbelief. Nevermind the constant add placements, how about working in your kitchen Mister. No way is your kitchen staff going to make you look good, when they don't seem to know how to make your food. Then to find out neither do you, bringing in your Mama to try and get the food right. Please. I've only opened 3 restaurants, none of them mine, and I've never seen anything like "Rocco's" mess. I guess the editing of 300 hours per show can be blamed for certain things, but come on, what about the food. What about the kitchen. Anyone who's ever worked in one knows that the FOH and the BOH are like cats and dogs. Not that that's a good thing, but the natural seeming fact. I wish the editers realized that there is probably plenty of good drama going on in the kitchen. The cooks do seem to work slowly, with no sense of urgency. I'd really like to see more BOH in action, say in the middle of the rush, when tempers go off and mistakes are being made. I do feel for the kitchen and the cold food issue. I opened the Houston "Sam's Cafe" in '89, (remember the Mariel Hemmingway spots), there were 2 in NYC. I sat there with Mariel and asked her what the place and food was supposed to be about. I didn't get far. That place was the closest thing to Rocco's for me. The general manager was a catering director, the owner partner was a lawyer. The whole place seemed clueless. It's amazing it lasted almost 2 years. The Kitchen was upstairs, as was the main dining room. There was also a dining room downstairs, and yes the food was served cold most of the time. Hot plates and food that is hot when it goes on the plate can only go so far. I ended up leaving after 7 months as it was too hard to deal with the local owners, and their management ideas. I don't understand why Rocco is spending most of his time out front when his kitchen is always in the weeds. His little demo was cute but did it fix any problems? I think not. It seems when chefs become celebrities they loose focus for what made them. It certainly looks like that for Rocco. Now he thinks he can be a waiter. Come on Rocco. You are making your peers look bad. Are people really going to think this is how their favorite restaurant runs? Will they think this is how a chef should act? Should we even watch reality tv? I normally don't watch network tv, but I have seen the Osbournes and while I find myself laughing here and there, I really feel sorry for Ozzy who seems to be almost incapeable of doing anything. I can now say the same for Rocco. Maybe they could do a show with Rocco and Ozzy, "The Rocbournes", where they sit around drinking talking about when they could still "do it"

[madziast]

as he slips into a banquette of a bevy of blondes:

• "When people come to Rocco's, they want to see Rocco. So, the most important thing I can do is be with my customers"

he he, of course we noticed. we also noticed that he only feels like fulfilling the expectations of female customers--he never forces himself on a table of men...

Eric Ripert was definitely recycled from previous episodes, so were food shots. how many ppl out there know/care about Ripert? Gina Gershon is a bigger draw and more recognizable to national audiences. and that's who the producers go after, ignoring the fact that most ppl who watch the show are into food and more likely to lust after a meatball than Gina...

similarly, Rocco will go out of his way to lure female employees back, but made only a half-assed effort to keep his "best waiter." don't tell me he didn't realize the vespa, salary & promotion would piss the rest of the staff off. just more drama for the camera. 'cause you gotta keep it real. ah, and what a happy ending, ppl loving food once Rocco rolls a few meatballs and has a revelation. or maybe it was the blessing? what happened with the meatballs that were not blessed? will they arrive cold again? can customers order their meatballs blessed or not? if it weren't for yoga's eye rolling excercises, my eyesballs would be stuck in the back of my head permanently by now

[zilla369]

I gotta get me one a them "evil eye" pinkie rings the maitre d was sporting.

[MatthewB]

I gotta get me one a them "evil eye" pinkie rings the maitre d was sporting.

Word. (And I never wear jewelry.)

That's been the best part of the show for me so far.

[Jinmyo]

Come on Rocco.  You are making your peers look bad.  Are people really going to think this is how their favorite restaurant runs?  Will they think this is how a chef should act?

Egad.

[Jinmyo]

And cold food.

The only way that this is a BOH problem is if a line cook screws up on getting the different dishes ready for a table at the same time.

Otherwise the food is by definition hot when plated.

It's the expediter (or runners) and FOH that let food go cold.

[ronnie_suburban]

I know this isn't PC, but I was particularly happy to see the departure of that whining little fag, Topher.

In the previous week's episode he came off as tempermental but still professional. Well, at least he seemed like the kind of server you'd want as a diner...that he'd do a lot to make sure everyone at your table had exactly what they needed.

But, this week that all unravelled. Not only did he walk out rigth before the shift started but he got so very jealous about Lola receiving the Vespa. Then, when Rocco and Laurent were talking to him, asking him specifically if there was something they could do to talk him out of leaving, he didn't even have the nerve to ask for what he wanted.

He really came off terribly on a few levels this time around.

=R=

[Callipygos]

I gotta get me one a them "evil eye" pinkie rings the maitre d was sporting.

Yeah, about that -- personally, I find that a MUCH more disturbing reminder of the creepy side of life than seeing a guy in a sling.