200 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

Chef Ramsay tries to revamp an Indian restaurant just steps away from his own New York restaurant.

[JohnR]

July 10, 2007 write up on Purmina Dillion's

[mtvcdm]

Steam cleaners: not a giveaway. Remember the managers had to join in.

The redesign: Have to hear from the British viewers, but methinks that's a giveaway.

Boo.

Back soon with the remake reviews, which should be easy to find due to name changage.

[Reddeyze]

Well. That was a little more like it, but still too much of the fake drama and sound effects, and too little of the "real" Ramsey for my tastes.

I'm still a little annoyed that Gordon is giving away so much stuff. It seemed that he gave them an entire new dining room, or am I mistaken? Sheesh. At least he made the staff clean that friggin' mess, though.

And Martin the Freeloader is gone, daddy, gone. Good riddance.

[JohnR]

Martin is the one that sued Gordon and the producers for $23 million for being a fraud and causing him to lose his job.

[Sexylibrarian]

It appears that the revised restaurant is doing well Purnima

[cstad]

Oh. My. God. That was disgusting and hilarious at the same time. Is it wrong that I laughed and laughed and laughed anytime Martin the Slacker and Gordon butted heads? They really didn't like each other. I'm not surprised lawsuits were filed over this episode.

Anyone else notice that a waitress' face was blurred during the show? Was that the one Martin was "friendly" with? And that kitchen might make me swear off eating out for the rest of my life. Dis-gust-ing.

[mtvcdm]

Insider Pages, June 15:

"In the world of indian cuisine, the choices of usually similar looking and tasting dishes is normal.
But what do you get when you combine the great tasting curries and masalas with the unsusual ingredients(for indian cuisine at least) and top it with look of the dishes in some of the finest world class restaurants.

Add to that the unbelievable burst of flavors which hit your palette with each bite
The chef is none other than famous humanitarian Vikas Khanna, if his foundations and efforts to help humanity brought a tear to your eyes , then his phenomenol tasting food is surely going to leave you licking your fingers and craving for more of this myriad of tastes and flavors" (2/5? Huh?)

11 from July and since in Zagat, all pretty good. Vikas mentioned by name once or twice.

Add in Menu Pages, and gents, we have ourselves a turnaround.

[Unsure]

Awesome episode - too many giveaways, but how cute was the Bangladeshi cook hugging GR and not letting go.. Loved the standoff between Ramsay and Martin. I just kept thinking that I'd never want to be on the receiving end of a patented Ramsay tirade. But I respect the fact that incompetence and carelessness are the things that really bring it out in him.

Also - more than 5 minutes of insect porn did not gel with my dinner. Yech, the close ups will haunt me - and no way could they have staged all those cockroaches.

Edited by Unsure, Sep 26, 2007 @ 9:11 PM.

[Spooneroonie]

Disclaimer: I've never worked in a commercial kitchen. However, even if the rotten produce was "staged" for drama (as whatshisface claims in his lawsuit) there's no way in hell they could plant those bugs.

[GuyInGA]

A much better episode and much more like the UK version except for the fake drama. Martin seems as spineless off-camera as he is on, judging by the article linked. I don't think the problem is necessarily him as much as the restaurant itself. I would say that maybe Andrew (even though he shares my first name) needed to go too, judging by what I've seen.

[aliyameadow]

there's no way in hell they could plant those bugs.

No kidding. Eeeww! I may never eat in a restaurant again. Other than the restaurant on the UK version that had doggie doo in the dining room, I don't think I've seen such a disgusting place.

Had to love GR giving it to Martin, "You sat in it! You allowed it!" Wonderful!

[GuyInGA]

Anyone else notice that a waitress' face was blurred during the show? Was that the one Martin was "friendly" with?

"She's only seventeen (Seventeen)!" Winger

[Haveahabit]

And that kitchen might make me swear off eating out for the rest of my life. Dis-gust-ing.

Word. I literally couldn't watch parts of this show. My stomach is still tumbling around.

At the unveiling of the new interior, I got the feeling of Tom Felicia doing a reveal on Queer Eye.

The show is still a bit too Foxified and I'm really not liking the give-aways but I can't not love Gordon (except for Boiling Point).

[silvananoir]

You want to know the horrifying thing? I remember that restaurant, my friends and I were in manhattan on a day trip and walked right past it. We were starving and considered eating there, I remember walking in and looking at the menu, but it was so digusting that we went to another restaurant instead. When I realize that I almost ate their food, I thank my lucky stars. I could've died.

[Sexylibrarian]

After seeing Martin in action, IMO his lawsuit was without merit, no wonder it was dismissed. I don't think that Gordon or the producers had to stage anything because that mess was a product of an inept manager who just didn't give a shit about anything. As I see it, if it was all faked then the restaurant owner would have sued - instead he adopted Gordon's changes and seems to have really turned his restaurant around.

[dreamy]

Well. That was a little more like it, but still too much of the fake drama and sound effects, and too little of the "real" Ramsey for my tastes.

Absolutely. Let's hear more GR voiceovers.

The waitress with the blurred face wasn't either of the ones we saw canoodling with Martin (dude, lying down in a booth while a waitress plays with your hair? While you're on TV? Dipwad.)

Explain something to me: how do you send rotten food out when you KNOW who you are sending it to? At that point, I kept thinking it was rigged, because doing that otherwise just did not make sense.

All in all, much better than last week's, though they really need to let Ramsay be Ramsay (rm The West Wing).

Oh, and watching this show, as well as catching up on the original on BBCA means that I never want to eat out again.

[Driad]

How are these restaurants chosen? Presumably the owners applied to request help, as on "This Old House"?

In the "education" phase, why not invite the staff to "shadow" the people in equivalent positions at a restaurant that functions well?

For the reopening, they might try fewer tables, especially at a restaurant like tonight's where the staff are not used to being so busy.

Martin from this week and Peter from last week might be best buddies.

[LolaLilaLilly]

Well, atleast this one featured the classic bare-chested Gordon changing into his chef's jacket shot.

[Vali]

Well, atleast this one featured the classic bare-chested Gordon changing into his chef's jacket shot.

To which I said, "Hell, yeah! It's about time for shirtless GR!"

Big fat WORD about the bugs. I start wondering about restaurants I eat in frequently...and I can't get the image of those cockroaches out of my mind. Suddenly I'm imagining I see bugs everywhere.

Even though this version does seem rather dumbed-down for the American audience (in comparison to the UK version), I watched tonight and found myself thinking--as I always do during the original KN--"Aww, I just lurve him!"

[Fiddler1]

I find it kind of funny he'd complain about planted rotten produce when the place is crawling with roaches. I cringed to see Gordon running his finger along that gasket -- blech. But boy, what a constrast with his own kitchen! I bet you literally COULD eat off the floor at his place.

[Tejayes]

"She's only seventeen (Seventeen)!" Winger

I have trouble passing that song on heavy, even when I use Star Power at the end.

On topic, it's apparent that Martin is a sack of Fenwick Arms sauce. I doubt anyone could plant that much rotten food (barf), let alone the flies, cockroaches, and rats (double barf). The shoddy chair mentioned in the lawsuit wasn't even shown on the show, unless I missed it. And while Ramsay did lobby for Martin's dismissal, the bottom line is Martin quit! If Martin was as blameless as he claimed to be, he shouldn't have had to quit. He could have stayed on and showed just how useful he really is. I'm so glad the lawsuit got dismissed.

I still want more GR, less private confessionals, and a "two months later" revisit. Still, I feel better about this show now than I did after last week's premiere. Oh, and CAN THE FUCKING MUSIC ALREADY!

[w2irt]

Anybody else notice that the original name was Dillons, but on the new signage, underneath the name Purnimam in smallish letters, was Dillions? Guess NY signmakers need spellcheckers!

[inny]

That? Was better. Still not a 10 on the charm meter, but better.

There was food! I'd like a little more background on the thinking behind the menu rework, but at least is wasn't just 'we changed the menu' and poof! turnaround! The new menu dishes did look tasty.

Did anyone catch the shot of the guy eating the rotten tomato garnish? Ewwww. And where the hell has the health department been all these years? I know it's difficult to keep insects out of a kitchen, but it can be done. That was absolutely disgusting.

Well, at least this one featured the classic bare-chested Gordon changing into his chef's jacket shot.

This made me so happy. So very happy...

[ladyblue]

This sort of bugged me (pardon the pun...)

With a kitchen that gross and infested, why on Earth has a health inspector not shut the place down. Ewwwwwwwwwwwww I was itchy all over watching Gordon going through the fridges and finding the cockroaches.

Gordon's New York Kitchen being so clean really put the other restaurant to shame. I'm not sure if Martin had a bad edit at this point, but it didn't look like he spent much time nosing around the GR's kitchen just to see how a clean kitchen should look.

[LolaLilaLilly]

Did anyone catch the shot of the guy eating the rotten tomato garnish? Ewwww. And where the hell has the health department been all these years? I know it's difficult to keep insects out of a kitchen, but it can be done. That was absolutely disgusting.

Well, I caught the editing that made it LOOK like a guy was eating a rotten tomato.

As for the health department, I just assume with the few hundred thousand/million restaurants in NYC they're spread thin when it comes to inspections. That bit dosen't surprise me much.

[Puds38]

This was much closer to the UK version. Even after being spoiled as to what was to come I was disgusted by that basement. It's restaurant week here in Philly and as much as I believe the restaurants I'll be eating at are closer to London than Dillion's, my stomach is still kinda doing flip flops at the thought of dining out.

[FutonPotato]

I was wondering about the Health Department too. I looked online and, oh yes, they've been there. They closed the place in April for 113 violations. And the place had long lists of violations in previous years, too. I'm amazed that they were allowed to operate for so long. Check out the official reports. If that link doesn't work, go to http://www.nyc.gov/ and find the Department of Health.

As much as it looks like Martin needed to go, why did anyone else allow that place to be run like that? It clearly wasn't all him. (Though he was annoying as hell.) Every single person who worked there knew about the rats and bugs and unsanitary conditions. And you'd think these people would have the good sense to be too embarrassed to bring tv cameras in, or to file lawsuits about unjust treatment. Good Lord.

[scimeron]

I'm glad the owner showed a genuine desire from the get-go to make a change. And it wasn't just a face-value 'yeah-I-want-to-make-this-better' without really meaning it.

Does anyone have a good link for the lawsuit details? I read a bit about it from last week's ep. thread. Speaking of which, as soon as wife saw him with the waitresses she said "Lecher".

Yeah, less music-more GR voice-over.

Martin- "Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty" . Kinda got a flashback to the that muppet-dinosaur sitcom that was on a few years back with the baby dino that could only say "Not the mama, not the mama".

[Sillytwist]

Disgusting. How come an exterminator wasn't called? After this I still wouldn't go for fear of rats and roaches that lived through the steam cleaning. I'd say good riddence to the crappy general manager and hello new chef those changes should have been fundamental without Gordon having to tell the owner.