"The Restaurant" Reality Show Season 2

[Mabelline]

It's said to be picking up where Martha Stewart is leaving off.

...Waiting for a jail sentence?

Okay, Trish, you are now the Champion of the pithy Rocco quips!!

[tissue]

THe lawsuit is real. Rocco and Jeffrey had many disagreements on how to run the restaurant.

[carp]

I just read the NYT article...

What are the "repeated and manifold breaches of contractual and fiduciary obligations" alleged by DiSpirito in his countersuit?

[TrishCT]

I just read the NYT article...

What are the "repeated and manifold breaches of contractual and fiduciary obligations" alleged by DiSpirito in his countersuit?

Carp check out The Smoking Gun for a few pages of the actual suit.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Rocco alleges that Chodorow's henchmen "fired the pasta makers" and have "substituted frozen pasta in the Restaurant's dishes."

Aha! Under the steaming legal mountain of verbiage!! Buried .... in marinara ...

There it is ... the true smoking gun in this brouhaha ..... frozen pasta? Heaven forfend! damages awarded to Rocco, case dismissed ....

[TrishCT]

Rocco alleges that Chodorow's henchmen "fired the pasta makers" and have "substituted frozen pasta in the Restaurant's dishes."

...no wonder the customers are complaining about cold food...

[Gifted Gourmet]

Rocco alleges that Chodorow's henchmen "fired the pasta makers" and have "substituted frozen pasta in the Restaurant's dishes."

...no wonder the customers are complaining about cold food...

You mean one has to defrost it? That they never show on television!!

[Blondie]

New York Magazine on Rocco vs. Chodorow.

[Carolyn Tillie]

The truly best quote from the NYTimes article:

assorted pastries were served; Mr. Niccolini brought popcorn.

[TrishCT]

From the NY magazine interview:

Union Pacific has a fresh look, but in front of the Zen waterfall and flowers sits a stack of books and one of the pots DiSpirito is selling on QVC. “I want to sell my books and products. Is there something wrong with selling out?” asks DiSpirito. “Every chef is looking to cash in on his brand and notoriety. I don’t have a brand like Martha, but negative press certainly affects it. Sure, we got letters saying ‘You were so mean on the show.’ It bothers me. I want to be loved just like everybody else, but people should judge my products on their merits and not figure out what is right for me. Put me next to any chef, any time, and I’ll be better than them. I can cook. Let’s say I am overexposed. Should I be judged poorly for it? Purism is boring. They say I want to be an actor. I’ve turned down modeling and acting jobs. Was it wrong for Da Vinci to want to sculpt after painting?”

Even I don't have anything further to say about this.

[theminx]

Just when you thought you'd seen enough of Rocco...

Personally I wasn't curious about what was under Rocco's kilt, but considering his current circumstances, maybe this could help his image

Aww...poor Rocco:

"Then he confides that he’s upset, because a picture of him in his underwear, taken while he was on a runway wearing a kilt for a charity event, has found its way onto the Internet."

This from the New York magazine article posted above. Maybe he shouldn't have been high-stepping like the show pony he is then, eh?

[sml311]

New York Magazine on Rocco vs. Chodorow.

That article was interesting but WAY too long and redundant. It's a prime example of over-writing. I even saw two different quotes used twice! Ugh!

Anyway, Rocco does come off sounding like a whiny little bitch. That's dissappointing (for Rocco). But maybe I just think that because of all the author's suggestions in that direction.

SML

[Mabelline]

Ah, Trish, that direct quote from Rocco was a far worse statement than any of us could've made. I've heard of folks hanging by their own tongue, but rarely is it so "out there". The Roc needs to go into seclusion or something...jeez...now he's just comin' across as a brat.

By the way, Rocco, keep the kilt in the cupboard. I DID not say closet, did I---cupboard.

[tissue]

Basically as an investor, Rocco's wasnt' making money. JC came in to change some management styles and clashed with Rocco. Rocco took it really personally. That's all I'm going to say.

The show will be good, of course i'm biased.

[jhlurie]

Wow, Chodorow is Darth Vadar and Rocco is Luke Skywalker. Or at least that's what Rocco basically claims in the intro.

Is it wrong if I hate both of these guys?

[Jason Perlow]

BEST. EPISODE. EVER.

[TrishCT]

...The neck of handsome Rocco is on the chopping blocko...

Edited April 20, 2004 by TrishCT (log)

[bloviatrix]

I gave in to temptation and watched tonight. It was actually pretty compelling stuff. Plus, no in-your-face product placements. What a pleasure.

[pjs]

To expand: Best scripted episode ever.

It was interesting that it was mostly devoid of product placement. Except for the token scooter shots which may have been fulfilment of some leftover contractual bullshit.

I sincerely hope everyone involved in this train wreck of bad TV will eventually and rightfully suffer the unexpected consequences. Except, of course, the producer who will laugh all the way to the bank.

PJ

Edited April 20, 2004 by pjs (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Wow, Chodorow is Darth Vadar and Rocco is Luke Skywalker.  Or at least that's what Rocco basically claims in the intro.

Is it wrong if I hate both of these guys?

So I wasn't the only one chanting "The Imperial March" (click) when Chodorow and his managment team come storming into the place?

[jhlurie]

BEST. EPISODE. EVER.

Yeah, and nice way to adapt my Darth Vadar/Luke Skywalker description to the new title. I feel honored.

So far I've liked the fact that this "season", at least so far, seems less oriented towards being a showcase for famewhorish wanna-be actors in the front of the house, and wacky Rocco vignettes (to the extent of seeming self-parody with the few things of this type we DID see), and might actually have some relevance to how a restaurant runs. Well, not ANY restaurant, but at least one trying to be the Italian-American equivalent of Planet Hollywood.

Of course Rocco is coming off like a huge tool, but then again if you really believe that there's no such thing as bad publicity, maybe he's okay with that.

[TrishCT]

It was interesting that it was mostly devoid of product placement.

Rocco's cookware....Rocco's book....

Best part for me was the cook who mentioned a passage from Kitchen Confidential... When consultants come in that means the restaurant is going to close.

[Holly Moore]

It was a great show indeed. And piss-poor management style. I'm sure Chodorow knew exactly what he was doing, holding the dinner meeting in the restaurant. Yeah, his only interest is to pull everyone together and work as a team. Could be called Restaurant Fear Factor. That dinner meeting the day before he took over was cruel and inhuman treatment of the employees.

And the sh#t flows down. Chodorow gets on Rocco's case. Rocco gets on the chef's case. The chef was actually a great study in human behavior. Rocco or visiting chef Tony had no idea of what the chef thought of them. Yet despite his attitude, he was all about quality and profesionalism during turnout.

What I don't think a lot of viewers realize - there is a big difference between a corporate, New York City based restaurant like Rocco's and 95 percent of the individually owned restaurants. It's not just a matter of scale. The layers of management, the assembly line and mass production turnout. The money spent on flowers. It just can't be a fun business. I'd like to see Rocco and Momma running a 40 seat byo in South Philly.

My final though - I wish my copy center had gotten the $10,000 card order. We turn out cards at six to eight or nine cents each. Over a buck a card. Gotta raise my prices.

Edited April 20, 2004 by Holly Moore (log)

[sml311]

It was interesting that it was mostly devoid of product placement.

Rocco's cookware....Rocco's book....

Best part for me was the cook who mentioned a passage from Kitchen Confidential... When consultants come in that means the restaurant is going to close.

Ah, yes. It appears that DOOM is on the menu at Rocco's, the 22nd only serving as a sad reminder of Rocco's planned empire.

I found the "no comment" stuff interesting. Wonder what really happened in that meeting...

This episode was certainly better than last summer's and left the door open for a lot of plot development. I particular enjoyed in next episode's teaser the "intern" comparing himself to Tiger Woods. Why would Chodorow let the intern do this consulting job anyway? Is this normal?

Did anyone else notice the restaurant didn't look as busy (to me at least) as everyone kept claiming?

SML

[jhlurie]

And the sh#t flows down.  Chodorow gets on Rocco's case.  Rocco gets on the chef's case.  The chef was actually a great study in human behavior.  Rocco or visiting chef Tony had no idea of what the chef thought of them.  Yet despite his attitude, he was all about quality and profesionalism during turnout.

Rocco being oblivious seems a theme. Did you notice Rocco storming into his office in a huff after the first Chodorow encounter, and the way that the woman sitting there hardly even bothered to try and hide the big-ass smirk on her face? One gets the feeling that she's seen that kind of behavior from him quite a lot. If I had to put it in words, I'd say it was kind of a "here comes the asshat" look.