Archive through August 20, 2003
MoveCloseDeleteAdmin

TV ClubHouse: Archive: The Restaurant (ARCHIVES): Archive through August 20, 2003

Mpls

Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 08:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Scorpio, I think Tony Bourdain was saying that in fact a present day chef DOES have to prostitute him/herself in order to make it in the competitive field.

I guess that justifies why Tony "ho'd" himself out for this TRAIN WRECK of a show.

This thing is so shamelessly staged and scripted that it is horrible.

I cannot believe that anyone who apparently has opened 2 previous restaurants can be so clueless and inept as this Rocco idiot. All I can say is that he must hav made Burnett pay him quite a bit of money in cash and up front because if this stuff is real, his reputation in this industry as a restauranteur is ruined.

Jhezzie

Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 08:39 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Shamelessy staged is being kind, Mpls. This was awful. First, the phoney payroll crisis. Tell me this wasn't just to showcase the "Open" program for quick credit lines. Next, the 3 cooks. Are you telling me that 3 food service professionals in NYC risked their careers on national television without a saftey net? Give me a break. They're probably working at one of the other two properties as we speak. "Don't ever darken this door again." LMAO! Oh, let's not forget the Coors Lite swilling comedians. Yikes!

Scorpiomoon

Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 08:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Mpls: Thanks for the clarification. It is so noisy in that place that, I, often times, don't catch what people are saying.

You're right though. Rocco may have profited greatly from this show, but his reputation has got to be shot.

Texannie

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 05:04 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I loved the speech that Tony gave to the condescending French chef! I think it's very true in this day and age.
The whole chef thing was really bizarre.
I just sat there with my mouth hanging open at how lame Pete's routine was, and how little credit he took for it.

Madelane

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 06:18 am EditMoveDeleteIP
You know how in movies or television sometimes there are "good guys" and "bad guys" and every once in a while you find yourself rooting for the bad guys? Well, not that I would ever condone lying or blowing off work, but I still couldn't stop myself from taking the "side" of the cooks over Rocco. I was almost enjoying watching them lie to him and then insult his food and complain he was never in the kitchen. Do you think it got through to him though? Probably not. His three best cooks hate his food and working there? Could it be him? Of course not, it's them, Rocco, they just need to grow up. Yeah right.

Speaking of not getting through, as many of you have pointed out, Pete was convinced it was the crowd that was the problem and not his "jokes." Did you see that one of the buildings at the time was lit up red white and blue? This means it was shot while we were at war. Great idea to tell terrorist bombing jokes in the middle of our second most controversial war, because what are the odds that people will be sensitive?

Mpls

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 06:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with some of your points Madelane regarding the chefs that quit. However, I am just sick and tired of NOBODY on this show being able to express in cogent, concise, business like detail what their concerns are. I mean Rocco is the worst person in the world with communicating and The same with the chefs.

Why can nobody on either side sit down face to face with no props and just say, "hey this is the way I feel about such and such. Therefore, in Rocco's case he would say, I think it would be best for you to go or on the chefs side say, it would be best if I left.

I have no respect for immature, high school like stunts.

Texannie

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 01:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
No one watched Rocco on the Today show this am? To me, his attitude seemed to be "hey, you do whatever you have to for PR".

Yankee_In_Ca

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 02:59 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I didn't watch this morning, but I just went to the Today Show website and watched the interview.

(I am really pathetic, because I can't stay away from this thread, because I dislike this show so much!! :) And of course I went and looked at the interview clip right in the middle of my work day. So I must have some serious issues... :))

Anyway, here's my admittedly-cynical take on that interview:

Can you say "damage control?"

The Restaurant is on NBC. The Today Show is on NBC. The Restaurant has been getting some bad publicity, owing in major part to the health code violations.

If you watch that interview, Ann Curry seems to grill Rocco about the violations, while also throwing in some quick, seemingly-off-the-cuff asides about how they're issuing more violations this year to everyone in NYC -- not just Rocco's, how the inspectors might have been after him because he's "in the press," etc.

But were they innocent asides? Or was this interview scheduled so Rocco could "set the story straight" about how oh-so-hard it is to be a restauranteur, and how great everything really is?

Cynical, yes. But probably right!

Kellirippa

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 03:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Don't you think that the whole 3 cooks leaving was strange? Why the heck was there a camera crew with them? Does everyone that works at the restaurant have a camera team following them everywhere they go?

Alegria

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 03:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I watched the show and thought it was strange that the two were kissing for the first time on camera. Talk about sharing what should be intimate & private!

Gina8642

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 04:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have to admit I fast forwarded through the performance by that waiter. And I ff through the kissing. Sorry, I just don't need to see this.

I did watch the 'three cooks' story line. I think they started following them once they told the producers they were quitting. The rest was set-up so the cameras could catch it. I found it pretty odd how bad Rocco made himself look when it was his cooks doing all the lying. What was up with having them go downstairs and say good-bye to everyone, and then yell at them?? What was up with trying to catch them in another lie?Did they quit in the ealier meeting - if so, why not just let them leave? What was Rocco trying to prove by acting so small? No matter what Rocco does, he comes off as small and petty.

All his 'being a waiter' stuff last night? Even that came off bad. He constantly comp'd meals. An ordinary waiter doesn't have that option. He spent too much time at tables. We saw other waiters get yelled at for that very thing a few shows back. Quite frankly, he looked bad. The other waiters were all dressed up, he instead was dressed in a too tight coat with buttons on his lapel. He looked like an irish day-laborer of 100 years ago, the others looked all 2003 dressy casual.

I don't like how Rocco always blames everyone else for everything.

The whole pay check thing seemed incredibly contrived. I was concerned that the staff really did have to wait, just so they could show them going to the AmEx credit line. Icky, icky, icky.

BTW - I don't believe AmEx is quite that generous. A small business I worked at a few years ago was constantly hounded by AmEx to pay their bills. There was no constant expanding credit. The collection agency AmEx employed was extremely underhanded and attempted blackmail one of the people working at this business (ie - threatened to ruin their individual credit because they were the contact name on the business account.) Sorry, AmEx is not all that for the small business owner. More like a loan shark.

I guess Mark Burnett has always loved to cast people and then absolutely skweer them. Heidi on Survivor Amazon is an example. I guess Rocco was his latest victim. MB pulls no punches on these types.

Did anyone else notice employees are STILL slipping on that floor downstairs? How hard is it to put down a mat? Is it against code or something?

Ladybug007

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 06:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Fianlly went there and will never go back!

Nuff said...did see Rocco's mom though....It really is so stupid...

lb

Ladybug007

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 06:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh and I find it utterly interesting that there wasnt any1 else I recognized in that reatuarant from the show....

once again
nuff said

lb

Grooch

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 06:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Rocco will never get a dime out of me from the many things he is working on to make money. Be it cookbooks, frozen food, cook wares in the stores, magazines, yada, yada, yada.

He repulses me with the way he treated his staff.

Gina8642

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 07:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ladybug007 - DETAILS!!

How was the food?

Was it warm or cold?

How was the service?

Was your order correct?

How long did it take your food to come?

Was it served in little paper bowls?

Was the decor odd? (That marble floor Rocco was worried about looks pretty bad on camera - how was it really?)

How was the price?

Is it busy? Does it look like they might make it?

Where is it? It was never made clear after they lost their first location.

Alisons

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 08:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ladybug - did you have the meatballs? Were they any good?

Scorpiomoon

Monday, August 18, 2003 - 08:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Yeah, Lady! WE WANT DETAILS!

I thought I read somewhere the place was hard to get into if you weren't a celeb. Was it easy to get in the place?

Gemma120in2002

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 10:41 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Ladybug! You are such a tease! Now give us the goods!

I'm waiting with antici--------PATION!

Jhezzie

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 12:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
C'mon, Ladybug. Dish!

Scorpiomoon

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 01:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
LOL Jhezzie! "Dish!" That was a good pun! :)

For the love of God, someone get Lady back here! I am dying to know what the place was like!

Reader234

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 03:55 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Yeah Lady, we have to live it thru you, give us details!! :) :) :) AND if you are a TVCH Angel, you could give us some pictures too!!! *G OK ok, back to my real life!! :) :) :)

Pamy

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 06:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I thought this weeks show was the most scripted looking so far, this show just gets worse!!
I can't stand that comic guy, he just looks like a loser!

Jhonise

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 07:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh Ladybug...where are you?

Pamy

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 06:38 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Maybe Ladybug got food poisoning!

Rslover

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 09:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Here is Rocco's meatballs for anyone who is interested. Have not made them yet.

Nicolina DiSpirito's popular meatballs recipe


1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 large sweet onion

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground veal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

5 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 or 3 pinches chile flakes

1 tsp. salt, or to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil

Place chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in blender or food processor and purée. Set aside.

Combine ground meats, bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, chile flakes, salt and stock mixture in a large bowl and mix lightly with hands until uniform. Do not overmix.

Rub hands with a little olive oil and form mixture into 2-oz. balls.

Heat oil (about 1/2-inch deep) over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Brown meatballs, turning once. Do not crowd meatballs. Drain; simmer in marinara sauce. Serve over spaghetti if desired. Makes about 24 meatballs.