Author |
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Pcakes2
Member
08-29-2001
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 11:32 am
I didn't think she was a very good waitress, but at least that new girl had enough common sense to take the knife & fork from the person who had the undercooked chicken.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 11:56 am
My mom worked in the restaurant business for years and has often said to me, as I'm grossing out over something, "If you knew what went on in restaurants you'd never eat out!" I do know that the health department will always have findings. It's like an auditor -- they feel like they aren't doing their job unless they find something wrong. Notice that both those restaurants passed w/out a follow up. Can you imagine how bad it has to be for them to fail? I had a dream about Rocco last night. Seems I have a crush on the arrogant cutie.
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 4:52 pm
I missed the show last night, but I do have to say I believe in the old maxim: If you want to eat someplace clean, go visit your mom! Heehee.
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Gemma120in2002
Member
07-05-2003
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 6:08 pm
I've worked in the restaurant business as a waitress, and as support staff just doing whatever needed to be done as a floater. Unfortunately many people are even nastier than what we are seeing on tv. Now I'm going to school working on my culinary arts degree, and there are many rules these guys are breaking. I had a cow over Rocco coming in and just starting to eat off of what I thought was a patron's plate! Then when I found out that he was testing something I felt better about it, but his hygiene is really the pits. He looks like he just rolls out of bed and doesn't even comb his hair. He's supposed to have a shower and wear clean clothes every day. Where are the hats and hair restraints? He's eating in the kitchen, and that completely goes against kitchen hygiene rules.
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Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 6:32 pm
Tish, I am going to see Mom tomorrow! Gemma, I am so jealous, we have a new culinary arts school in Charlotte and I would love to someday go there, not to work in that field but to learn how to make all those fabulous dishes for family and friends.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 6:53 pm
I'm not a big Chodorow fan, but Rocco is acting like a spoiled baby. He has no sense of people management (although well-deserved, his confrontation with Drew was totally wrong). Rocco is acting like a spoiled baby -- it's MY restaurant and you can't have it. I don't know if Chodorow was supposed to be the silent partner, but watching the discourse as Jeffrey gave the "ultimatum" to Rocco made me think that he was originally supposed to be simply the money man. And yes, he's opened numerous other restaurants, so he should know whether he'd be making money by now (now being when this was filmed). They may not be in the black, but they shouldn't be bleeding red with the crowds that it appears they have (then again, if they took care of the drink situation, they might make more $$!). I'm thinking Rocco's ego is just too big for Rocco's 22. I'm watching, cause I can't wait to see him taken down a peg or two. Puhleeze? He never saw the monthly balance sheets? He meant, "no, I'm too important to care about that and of course this is a popular restaurant cause it has my name on it". Barf.
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 7:12 pm
Oh, it doesn't surprise me that Rocco has never seen the monthly financial statements. Good gravy, Rocco is so not a business person. And I have to wonder, does the guy have any talent when it comes to cooking? I mean, how many times have they shown that ONE SHOT of Rocco cutting up parsley? Can he do anything else? I think Rocco is simply a pretty face whom someone realized could be marketed as a celebrity chef. They're trying to make him into the American version of Jamie Oliver. Notice the comparisons: the motorcycle, the messy hair, etc, etc... I love to loathe Rocco. The guy has no humility whatsoever. Telling those kids people will want to buy their shirts because Rocco got them dirty? Had anyone else said it, it would have been funny. But I think Rocco actually believes there's some truth to it. I'm with Costacat. I can't wait for Rocco to be taken down a notch or two.
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Sunrvrose
Member
08-13-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 1:15 am
I don't have any desire for Rocco to be taken down any notches. He's not my idea for man of the year, but just like other 15 min celebraties, he is making the most of what he has. I commented above that he seems to think he is grander than he is, but I don't see any reason to hurt him. He's just a happy young boy on a trip thru lala land. Re: April's mistakes, She is a beautiful girl and she has a real connection with the patrons, except the really stodgy ones, of corse. I was dumbfounded to learn that there exists people on this planet who are so full of sh*t that they treat the professional staff in restaurants as though they were chattel.
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Wendo
Member
08-07-2000
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 2:05 am
"A question for those who work in restaurants, is this normal practice?" Yes...and worse in a lot of instances. When I worked as a waitress and in food service many years ago, it was shocking. I just tuck those thoughts away when I eat out.
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 6:31 am
It's been years and years since I worked in a restuarant, but I know the chef did some really gross things. We were all grossed out that he picked his nose for one! Ewwwwwwwwwww..... Then one time I delivered the wrong plate to a table and a person picked up a french fry on the plate so the person who it was supposed to go to, of course, wanted a whole new dinner. What did they do? They just took the stuff off the plate, tossed the meat on the grill and flipped it a couple of times to warm it up and then just put it back on a new plate and sent it out. I still couldn't believe they were telling people to put their fingers in the food to see if it was hot. It's bad enough what's done behind people's backs, but they know TV cameras are on them. I think that bothered me the most about the whole show! This is a wreck in progress. So hard to look away..... lol
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Beachcomber
Member
08-26-2003
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 1:08 pm
The Chef picked his nose??? I am really gonna puke now!! Thank goodness that I am going to eat at Nakato's tonight where they prepare the food in front of you!!
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Abby7
Member
07-17-2002
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 6:32 pm
Dh and I eat out and order in VERY frequently. I even have a binder of menus for restaurants in the area. There's supposed to be a great book written by a famous chef from NY who wrote all about his experiences in kitchens. I've always been too afraid to read it. Here in Los Angeles area, about once a year CBS shows a special about various restaurants in Los Angeles. Many of them are high end restaurants (in Beverly Hills, etc.). They had undercover reporters with cameras in the kitchen. Unbelievable. One story that sticks in my mind was about this one restaurant. They showed a guy in the kitchen shredding chicken for the dish. You won't believe this.....he put the chicken in his mouth and shredded it with his teeth, then put the shredded chicken in a bowl. That image is still in my mind.
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Gemma120in2002
Member
07-05-2003
| Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 8:24 pm
Mmmmm! Predigested chicken! My mouth is watering, but that always happens before I puke! The book you mean is Kitchen Confidential by Anthony (Tony) Bourdain. I've been trying to read it when I don't have my nose buried in my textbooks, or pointed at a reality TV show. It's really a good book. He's the same guy who has the Food Network show "A Cook's Tour". It's available at Amazon.com. I posted the url here, but it was too long and it screwed up the page so I took it off.
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Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Friday, April 30, 2004 - 9:25 pm
'Restaurant' Fails to Deliver Viewers Apr 27, 2:51 PM EST As a reality TV star, Rocco DiSpirito isn't nearly in the same league as Donald Trump or Boston Rob. "The Restaurant," the colorful Mark Burnett-produced series set in a Manhattan dining establishment, failed to make a smash in its second-season debut. It reached only 6.5 million viewers, or less than a third of the regular audience for "Survivor" and "The Apprentice."
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Gemma120in2002
Member
07-05-2003
| Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 11:04 pm
It's not going to be on this week. The second part of the movie "10.5" is going to be on instead. BooHoo!
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Hamsterlady
Member
07-03-2003
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 7:02 pm
Anybody else watching it tonight? It's starting now.
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 7:10 pm
Um... We get a shot of Rocco on his bed talking to his girlfriend about Jeffrey. Then we get a shot of Rocco on Mama's bed talking about Jeffery. Freudian analysis, anyone?
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 7:43 pm
LOL!!!
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Hamsterlady
Member
07-03-2003
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 7:55 pm
LMFAO Scorpio! 
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 8:05 pm
Geez. There's only 1-2 more episodes of this show left, right? I don't know if it's the editing or what, but these people come across as being so completely unlikable. And I am getting so tired of here "Where's Rocco?" Was Rocco tearing up at the end of the show? Oh please. The scene when the fired waitress stomped on the bananas was kind of funny. Seriously though, when the C.I.A was making such a big deal about Rocco, I was not quite convinced he was deserving of it. To me, he comes across as a big media-hungry egomaniac. But then again, he has had success with Union Pacific and has been around for awhile. Maybe, in the culinary world he has achieved success. I just can't help but wonder if, thanks to him being on TV, suddenly he's considered some great cooking God.
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 9:26 pm
Having had a kid graduate from college last year, I know they just LOVE LOVE LOVE to make big deal about their alumni and how successful they are, and to have a couple there at graduation, is their frosting on their cake! I missed the beginning so I'll have to check my tape later. I missed what looked like the something being thrown or tossed all over the kitchen. Could that corporate "hostess" be any more scary?! LOL This restuarant is a train wreck! It was nice to see the different atmosphere at the other restuarant. Quite a contrast! What I can't understand is, why didn't Rocco just TELL someone he was asked to speak at his alma mater? Mamma was going there, too, she could have said something. Sheeeesh. And if Rocco's so worried about things, I'd sure have my butt in there to make sure the whole thing wasn't gone and my name was off the building! FWIW!!
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Dee
Member
08-08-2000
| Monday, May 10, 2004 - 11:02 pm
I was in the kitchen when the waitress supposedly took a drink at the bar. Was it shown on TV? She denied it but that waiter said he saw it... and then she got fired for it. Rocco talks about it being "his" restaurant and says how hard things are being there - but he's never there! How can he possibly complain that Jeffrey is taking over when he's not there to guide things himself? Many of the patrons are there to see Rocco - it's still a fairly new restaurant and he needs to be there to build up the business. Even if he says he's not there too much because of Jeffrey, that's a chicken-crap way to deal with him - by not showing up. Either he should be there to fight for it or give it up. At least Jeffrey is trying to make it more profitable. That one line about how there's silverware on the table but the calamari is served in newspaper - ugh. I saw the previews for next week - fire in the kitchen. Someone is telling Rocco over the phone because he's not there AGAIN.
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Willwillbee
Member
09-20-2001
| Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 5:01 pm
I recorded it & replayed the alleged drinking scene and didn't see it. She raised her serving tray to her face - which I thought was strange and at an angle (she was the shortest one in a small circle of people) with everyone raising their glass - it may have appeared that a glass was in her hand but I didn't see it. I figured they all raised their glasses in a salute & since she didn't have a glass raised her tray instead??? Or maybe she had a shot hidden under her tray but then she would have had to tip her head to do the shot??? I didn't see it ...
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Demeter
Member
08-05-2001
| Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 6:40 pm
Whether she was drinking or not, she wasn't cutting it. She had already managed to weasel out of her "server" job because she supposedly has a bad back, but was a pretty lousy waitress as well. They really didn't need any excuse to fire her.
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Tobor7
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 6:48 pm
This show is really starting to bug me. They have ONE single issue for the entire show. The place is losing money and they want to fix it. How many shows are we into the plot and they have done THREE things: 1) Change the silverware 2) Change the plates 3) Change the bar stools. They explained the stools, but the other two? Main plot point and no insight. What a waste. Rocco does not show up... blah-blah-blah... again and again. He has a cell phone. Why doesn't anyone USE it and call him up? It is as if they are living in the 1970's with all the no-contact excuses. Rocca has another restaurant. Does that one make money? if so, then why? We don't know. Is he stealing stuff from one and sneaking it into the other? Food? Liquor? Why would one work and not the other? We don't know. The show feels set-up and manipulated to me. And the kitchen scenes are disgusting with the wiping of the plates once food is already on... and the chef sticking a spoon into the pots to taste the stuff. Gross I say.
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