"Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares"

[Mabelline]

I think the little gal doing the waitron duties had the most on the ball, as well as (surprise!) the older guy with the 15 years (!?), once he caught his stride and started giving opinions of the taste. The waiter who could not answer a sentence was hilarious, as long as I was not the one signing his paychecks. Oh, woe is whosoever he waiteth on.

[winesonoma]

I loved the Executive Chef in Blue jeans, with a green t shirt out in the dining room. Also his constant attitude that they won't like it.

[Mabelline]

Didn't you feel he was a tad young to be waxing nostalgic about 70's food styling and recipes? I thought that was maybe his way of ingratiating with his golf buddies.

Also, did I hear right that there's a few thousand Yanks there? Damn, and nobody had the cujones to ask for a real burger?

[Devilkitty]

I agree.  This was my first time seeing the show and I couldn't believe how bleak the situation was going in.

The owners seemed clueless, but well-intentioned.

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Oh, just wait until they show the first episode (Bonaparte's) again...

[Rachel Perlow]

Am I the only one that liked the purple paint?

The food was ghastly, I'm amazed that the "Executive Chef" was still there a month later. Thankfully, the epilogue said he's since departed. I'm sure that was a relief to new head chef, Andy.

[Mabelline]

Even though I love purple, and it's an inordinate color in shear volume in my wardrobe, my beef with the color scheme there was it was just so wrong. The building would have benefitted from any Georgian Mansion color, but it was at an established golf course, and after hearing the locals disparage it, I feel the countryside reacted like I did. To people living there, it could be looked on as an insult by some folks if they are of an historical-conservation bent.

Did anyone notice the noticable difference in swapping a few of those palms' location? It was a real eye opener for me. I have a whole jumbly jungle of plants to trim up and get situated better; that helped me.

[madziast]

I loved the Executive Chef in Blue jeans, with a green t shirt out in the dining room. Also his constant attitude that they won't like it.  

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because, you know, given the chance most people would rather eat deep-fried sh*te with microwaved rice/sauce than anything fresh made from scratch and god forbid grilled...

what kind of a hell kitchen did the "executive chef" come from????

[SteveW]

What I find strange, is that considering 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares' is a Channel 4 production, it would air on BBC America.

-Steve

[achevres]

I finally saw the show last night. It was the first episode - the one at Bonapartes. Yikes!! Rotten food (literally), chefs that don't taste the food or have any sense of taste, owner that doesn't tour the kitchen, etc. I really enjoyed it. Gordon Ramsay is brutally honest while giving expert advice. He's hilarious.

[goshi]

Gross-Bonaparte's: the owner is a dullard and the head chef is a spent monkey.

This show is criminally hilarious and I love the part when Ramsay says to the pompous 21 year old moron-"Don't Cry!"

That kid couldn't get a break if he was walking in a field of day-glo pink landmines. Honestly, if I was Ramsay and I came back unannounced and found the fridge like that again...I would make him take all the fuzzy old foodstuffs and cook it in one of those big skillets.

I would sit back and force him to eat the entire thing Seven style. Eat you zit addled palefaced nitwit EEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT!

That "chef" is the ideal example of trying to prepare a foie gras terrine before even knowing how to make a liverwurst sandwich (hold the damn mayo please).

London, New York and Paris? Kid, you couldn't even open up a soup kitchen in Tulsa, Oklabiblehoma. Someone give this kid a shot of reality please, preferrably in the form of a shiny bullet!

[Jen Keenan]

What I find strange, is that considering 'Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares' is a Channel 4 production, it would air on BBC America.

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FYI, Steve, BBC America has no such limits when it comes to importing TV from the UK. It's not like we have ITV America, etc. My favorite is when the end credits say things like "BBC Midlands" and I'm thinking, wot? Is there local telly?

Trying to keep on topic, is anyone able to watch this show who isn't fully a fan of schadenfreude? I'm too afraid. That, and I wonder about the accusation that was made during the UK eGullet discussion of this show, that the show was completely rigged.

edited because I forgot to press "Preview"

Edited January 5, 2005 by Jen Keenan (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Slate's Sara Dickerman's commentary on Ramsay Telly ...

Ramsay struts into the troubled kitchens, his frosted hair bouncing as he smacks his forehead and does wild double takes at the wretched state of affairs. He's a funny, charitable authoritarian; he encourages hardworking line cooks while ridiculing managing chefs who are well-paid but have let the kitchens run amok.

The show also displays something I've never seen before in foodie television: the paralyzing effect of being "in the weeds" in a restaurant kitchen, with orders—and mistakes—piling up. Ramsay also acknowledges that a cook must have a certain fire in order to make it as a chef, and he almost always describes this quality in phallic terms. "You're a limp dick in the kitchen, you know?" he tells Tim. "How do you say erection in Italian?" he says as he tries to get one cook fired up.

Lovely article .. read on .. and on .. and on ...

[FistFullaRoux]

And has anyone taken the quiz on his sayings? I was good for 4 out of 5...

http://www.bbcamerica.com/britain/brit_qui...rdon_ramsay.jsp

[Rachel Perlow]

I got four out of five too. In most cases, I understood what Ramsey was saying, but I didn't know what the answers meant! It would be nice if they provided the answers/explanations at the end.

[SiseFromm]

My wife and I laughed furiously during the episode at Bonaparte's. I feel that this is quite possibly the greatest food show ever concocted. Ramsay is a genius.

[bloviatrix]

From the Slate article:

I could live without some of the series' set pieces, like each episode's shot of Ramsay peeling off his shirt and putting on his short-sleeved chef's jacket as he muses on the restaurant's shortcomings.

I've been meaning to bring this up. What's the point of this bit? To show the "sexy" side of Ramsay? Because there really isn't anything sadder that seeing the bare chest of middle aged guy going all soft.

[Mayhaw Man]

From the Slate article:

Because there really isn't anything sadder that seeing the bare chest of middle aged guy going all soft.

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Let me check that off of my list of things to do when we meet. I always thought that everybody loved it.

[Mabelline]

Just saw the Glasshouse. I am in complete agreement about the head chef. The owner was a nice wishy-washy guy, but man, he was sure blind about Richard.

[SethG]

I saw that one tonight as well, and every time Richard spoke I was reminded of the boorish boss from The Office.

[JPW]

Last night's show inspired my new sig.

Hilarious - laughed from opening to the end credits even with a fussy baby.

[johnnyd]

Up for no good reason this morning at 3am and caught "Glass House". What a show!

Slate's Sara had it right with that feeling of terror when things fall apart. It's about time someone did a show like this! Only four episodes? That's criminal! Think of all the dodgy eateries who could use a makeover, US, UK et al!

The messes Richard plated the day Gordo got there was awful. The teamwork that gelled when Richard and Neil took the night off was moving. The near-disaster on the "big" night, the fight over the caeser salad, and the incredulous discovery of that freakin' risotto w/pom-seeds three months later all made for the best food-tv I've seen yet.

Bravo!

Now let's get cracking and get started on more episodes....

[Mabelline]

I am always so impressed by the buildings the venues are located in. I really admire the stone buildings with a couple of centuries' worth of occupancy in them. I realize that they become harder to bring up to current standards, but it seems as though Chef Ramsey always have to overhaul the hygiene. It seems he has acquired a martinet reputation, but I'd eat in his places. I would at least be sure I am not setting myself up for the gut derby.

[SiseFromm]

Poor Richard didn't have any of Gordon's confidence-inspiring charisma. Under his leadership the Glasshouse kitchen was firing on all cylinders. What was with the "You're MY guys". It seemed a little weird and I got the sense that the kitchen basically fell apart after that.

[Mabelline]

Did anyone else feel like he was talking-down to the lady (who left before Chef Ramsey came back), whom the chef had actually made blush by telling she should learn to be a pro? I feel Richard was resentful, determined to show he was right, and just as determined to not acceed to anything proposed by Chef Ramsey. I would really like to know if it's still open, or doing as well.

[johnnyd]

I was floored by the layout and the exterior of the Glass House. I thought the kitchen, although not perfect, workable considering the age of that beautiful building, but there was no excuse for that place being as grubby as it was under Richard's reign.

I found myself thinking his experience was a collage of other kitchens, the bad habits of chef's he had worked under and a veiled degree of laziness. To his credit, he was there every day, did his best to rally the team with his hackneyed, but sincere, "we're a family" piffle, and seemed to really like kitchen life.

His Pom-risotto was an original attempt at envigorating the menu, something Gordo hoped would occur with or without Richard. When I saw that and the plastic thingies back on the mise, I could just taste the irony when Ramsay walked away in the snow muttering to himself.

Fucking great stuff! More!