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(If you like Gordon Ramsay, read my series of posts on Life Lessons from Chef Ramsay - here’s Part One)
I’ve talked about how much I love the BBC version of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. When I heard about an American version, I was looking forward to seeing Ramsay deal with some U.S. restaurants, especially given the geographical and culinary variety of the orginal show. So I’m sorry to say I’m a bit let down by the Fox TV version of his show.
The first episode is part Sopranos, part a poor remake of the BBC version. Ramsay visits Peter’s Italian Restaurant in Babylon, New York. Here’s a Zagat’s review from December 2006.
A traditional Italian Pasta hang out that looks better from the outside than the experience is at the table. No real bar to enjoy and the experience of listening to a karaoke-inspired crooner is not good for digestion. The food is consistently okay and the menu is uninspired.
Peter’s Italian Restaurant Restaurants - Zagat - Italian
The place is run by a stereotypcial Italian family. That doesn’t mean unrealistic, though - those sterotypes come from somewhere. Peter, the owner, is an Italian American tanned psuedo gangster who is quick to want to throw down with people. And in the end - suprise - Peter turns over a new leaf and all is well! So the show becomes much more about personality than about running a restaurant or food, another real loss over the U.K. version of Kitchen Nightmares.
But of course it’s about personalities - it turns out Peter isn’t just a guy who co-owns a restaurant…he’s…an actor.
Now that the specter of Joey Buttafuoco has faded, the South Shore of Long Island needs another poster boy and, in the show, Peter Pelligrino rises to the challenge. He comes off as selfish, crass, vain and violent: skimming money off the restaurant’s profits to buy a fancy car, an expensive tan, gleaming teeth and jewelry. He insults the wait staff within earshot of their tables, he physically threatens his creditors and, worst of all, neither he nor Tina seem to care that their kitchen barely functions and sends out consistently mediocre food.
Was Peter nervous about his upcoming small-screen debut? “As Shakespeare said,†quoth he, “‘All the world’s a stage.’â€
The fledgling thespian—“this restaurant is my Carnegie hallâ€â€”said he has studied with acting coach Olinda Turturro. Years ago, he was stopped on the street by “Bobby De Niro†who liked his look. This led to a small role in “A Bronx Tale†(uncredited) and other De Niro movies. “I read seven times for the Soprano’s,†he said.
The production value is…well…like a U.S. reality show. Harsh video as opposed to the British version, which had a softer film look. Cheesy musical cues pepper the American version.
Another very bad thing is that halfway through the show, Gordon / the show GIVES the restaurant a brand new kitchen. Fookin’ gives it to them! So we’re now a makeover show, where the magical host drops tens of thousands of dollars of equipment on our lucky prize winners.
Bollocks.
It’s exactly the wrong thing to do. The drama of the BBC show is watching the people who own the restaurant struggle with something really at stake. If they have a bad kitchen on the BBC show, the owner may have to sell his car or make due. The first U.S. episode, the owner is a total asshole with a fancy car and expensive clothes, who brags that he spent money on a suit rather than equipment. But this is American TV so god knows he can’t make an actual tough choice - show him what he’s won, Gordon.
Now my biggest complaint- the American, announcer voiced narrator. I hate the narrator. Hate. By adding a narrator who is not Gordon Ramsay, they lost about 70% of his personality. Furthermore, the dumbs down the show by talking down to the audience.
Literally the first 4 minutes were spent explaining to us what we were about to see. I didn’t need that and nobody else does, either. It’s exactly the kind of thing Gordon Ramsay seems to hate in cooking - a pointless extra ingredient.
What we’re left with is Ramsay Lite. Not nearly enough Gordon, way too much U.S. dumb TV production, and no sense of the real challenge of running a restaurant. They never explain who Ramsay is or why he’s qualified to do this and they don’t let him speak for himself. No wonder American interviewer ask this kind of question…
Do you think you’re mean with people you work on the show, or are you merely being honest?
I spend a lot of time in top restaurants across America. No disrespect, but when you’re cooking in the premier league of restaurants, and you’re standing there watching Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud or Thomas Keller, trust me when things go down, it has to be sorted immediately. I never like to misconstrue that level of meanness. My mum doesn’t enjoy sometimes listening to me tell staff off, and I say to my mum, it’s a kitchen not a hairdressing salon. Being assertive and somewhat really firm has to be backed up with being fair. And one thing I’ve been all along is incredibly fair.
The Stew - A taste of Chicago’s food, wine and dining scene | Chicago Tribune | Blog
If you’ve watched the BBC show, you wouldn’t have to ask that question, because you meet the real Gordon Ramsay. What we get here on Fox is a guy who’s playing Gordon Ramsay on TV. I’ll keep watching, but it’s just not the same.
In case you want to try Peter’s, here’s where it is…
Peter’s Italian Restaurant
132 W Main St, Babylon, NY
(631) 422-9233
November 11th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
The USA is second rate.
December 12th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I couldn’t agree more with your review. What a disappointment to see this American version of Kitchen Nightmares. There can be absolutely no comparison with the British version which truly is remarkable. You are especially correct about the effect his lack of narration has on the quality of the show. The show is completely not on par with his other work and resorting to gimmicks of giving “stuff” away was absolutely its’ low point . Honestly, if I were Gordon I would be absolutely embarrassed at what FOX aired last Wednesday.
December 19th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
why the f*** cant thins f***ing guy not use the f word so often . shut the F*** up and talk sense
January 28th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Mate you need to get a life, you type with so much venom and it’s just coming across as pure jealousy. Get a grip of yourself, it’s a TV show and the fact that you can sit and not just write an un-bias review or opinion (or whatever it is you’re actually trying to achieve with this nonsense) about it without coming across as an upset little girl is poor.