You know, I really like this show. I like Ramsey. One of my beefs is that its in vogue to slam Ramsey, and Simon Cowell, and the criticsms have a certain point of validity.

That said, there is also something to be said for someone calling it like it is.

Kitchen Nightmares is the far better show of the two though. While he sometimes gets livid, how can you blame him? If these people had it all figured out, why would they need his intervention? Plus, I like that he has elite tastes, but he isn't a snob. Even for the pub owners he helps, he just won't tolerate garbage. If you are going to serve burgers, and fish and chips etc., he will show you how to do it and make money.

I think one of the more impressive ones was when he helped out an American woman who ran this soul food joint. And think that was the first time he finished off his entire plate at the initial tasting. I just thought it was neat, because his ideas to help her make money are obvious to the experienced, but a lot of failure goes into that experience.

And the other thing is, for all the cussing and insults those two give out, they do give credit where credit is due, which really lets the compliment hold a certain degree of validity.

Hell's Kitchen I find great fun, but these people are no more in position to run a restaurant in a Vegas mega-resort than any of these knuckleheads are anywehere near running a business for Trump.

There has to be a catch, because these people have no chance whatsoever, unless they perhaps stack the kitchen staff for you to such a degree that they can carry you while continuing the training.

Keith, or "K-Greasey" is a bit of a scum bag, but I bet he probably was a better cook than most of them. It's pretty funny though...

I still had some measure of palatte when I was a regular smoker, perhaps because I didn't get into the wine and food thing until after I was a smoker, so the tastes were still based on a relative baseline.

Now, if I smoke a cigarette or cigar, I can't really taste anything vibrant or subtle for days.

Point being, that one of the recent challenges was to deconstruct a recipe he created, and re-create it based on taste. The winner was the non-smoker (some argument over her cheating), but I thought it was funny that the others were horrified, and discussed said horror over a round of beers and cigarettes.

nirvana94, I very much agree with the standards set forth by Ramsey and his criticism of the contestants. What he asks is nothing that is not asked of culinary students (at least where I studied). He just asks a little more loudly.

I think he really relishes teaching as evidenced by Nightmares and the way he interacted with Virginia last night.

As someone who has worked in both the corporate and culinary worlds, I would argue that this batch from HK are all as bad as the most whacked out Apprentice candidate. No standouts at all.

Ramses is a blowhard, and he treats people like human meatloaf. He is a disgrace to television programing.

I have to disagree to some degree opus.

He DEFINITELY plays to the cameras, I think we can all agree to that.

On the other hand, unlike a lot of the other heros of the culinary/wine genre, it seems like he isn't bashful about telling people, "you know what? It's ok to want a restaurant with ribs, burgers, soul food, whatever." I just think he is horrified when people cook these lower levels of food, and thus think they are justified in serving garbage. He is a pompous fool. And I would imagine that his athletic background (supposedly he was a soccer phenom, oh sorry, futbol), and got hurt. So he pursued his other passion. Whenever you get someone like that, being a prat is expected. Combine that with people who are stubborn, and don't know anything, all the while needing a crash course, i would be like that too. Boot Camp isn't exactly nurturing either, and honestly, in either of his programs, that is what these people are doing.

Obviously, Hell's Kitchen is more of a summer entertainment, but I still think there is a certain nobility (or hubris) in it. Once all is said and done, he seems to be very gracious and complimentary. I think British culture is very different and that colors things.

But the girl he recently kept calling "cow"--something I very much disagreed with btw--he was very complimentary, and basically told her she could do it. And I think that while some of these people have been described as line cooks (and they are), I also believe that these people, through their experience on his show, are also more in a position to run something low-key, like a pub that has the best burger, maybe a bistro where everyone knows service is slow, but has great drinks and atmosphere (I think a lot of us know these, and like them), or heck, he seems like the kind of guy that if you said: "My goal is to have a fast-food restaurant, but make it the best one, with a little drinks service thrown in" he would be down. He just wouldn't be down with you mailing it in for the dough.

One of his Hell's Kitchen challenges was prefaced with a trip to one of LA's "most successful" restaurnats, which was a hot dog stand, that was obviosuly a huge lunch and after-bar spot.

But on the other hand, I kind of dug it. If James Beard can sing the parsies of mickey d's fries, there is a certain honor in making simple food well.

And his BBC show bears this out. He has gone to michelan caliber restaurants, and he has gone to pubs, resort restaurants, etc.

I jsut think in all cases, the necessities of turning things around quickly, coupled with society's desire to see people denigrated coalesce into a perfect storm of summer tv.

quote:

Originally posted by differentdave:
I am waiting for a wine reality show.

It's coming next year, based in Paso Robles. I believe TBird is still in the running for a slot on it.

Hell's Kitchen is a joke, one BIG jerk pitting a dwindling group of wannabe jerks against each other. No surprise that America loves this kind of flatulent fire and brimstone. I'll take Bourdain's No Reservations. Non-combative humorous and tres irreverent.

Checked out the Red Rock website; there's a picture of the dining room (T-Bones Chophouse)where the party took place, but no info at all about their "celebrity" chef.
Could she be history already?

Which restaurant is her's?

quote:

Originally posted by StarV100:
Which restaurant is her's?

They don't say on the website, but judging from the last episode, it looked like "T-Bones Chophouse".

quote:

Originally posted by StarV100:
Which restaurant is her's?

"her's"? Sheesh.

According to this her restaurant doesn't open until next year. Though the restaurant they showed on the show was definitely the chop house.