20 March 2012

Settlin' down .... in VA??

Well it seems that we will be in VA for a few more years yet so we're buying the house. Guess I now have a reason to start shipping in some of the cast iron Texas memorabilia - giant cacti of all descriptions, a giant Texas star, etc.

Gotta become the nearest Consulate Outpost of the Republic! Open to all Texans on the Eastern seaboard when they're in need of tamales, chili, fresh tortillas, Shiner, and just good ol' Texas camaraderie.

I don't think VA will EVER be the same again!

15 March 2012

Kitchen Nightmares - Season 2

Well, I've looked up the season 2 restaurants for Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares as listed on Wikipedia. The results are in, and they aren't that pretty....

S2-Ep1 Handlebar in Mount Sinai, NY - CLOSED *Out of business, renamed "The Skybox" which is also out of business.

S2-Ep2 Giuseppi's Trattoria in Macomb Township, MI - CLOSED.

S2-Ep3 Trobiano's Ristorante in Great Neck, NY - CLOSED *Apparently seized by the authorities for failure to pay taxes.*

S2-Ep4 Black Pearl in New York City, NY - CLOSED *A complete and epic failure from the management team. The only one who tried got screwed over by fatso David the bully who threatened to use a gun. Really can't say I feel sorry for this one. Especially given the vitriol that bluddo is still trying to force down the gullet of the eating public.*

S2-Ep5 J Willy's in South Bend, IN - CLOSED *This one lasted a good 3 years from its show on Kitchen Nightmares so while closed, it had a decent run afterward.

S2-Ep6 Hannah & Masons's Deli in Cranbury, NJ - CLOSED

S2-Ep7 Jack's Waterfront Restaurant in Saint Clair, MI - CLOSED

S2-Ep8 Sabatiello's Italian Grille Restaurant in Stamford, CT - CLOSED *It seems this one closed, almost immediately after the KN episode aired, however it seems that a new(ish) Sabatiello's Pizzaria opened elsewhere owned by the same man. I guess we can call this one a DRAW!

S2-Ep9 Fiesta Sunrise in West Nyack, NY - CLOSED *This one was seized for failure to pay taxes as well.*

S2-Ep10 Sante La Brea in Midwest City, Los Angeles, CA - CLOSED *As of June 2011 the restaurant closed down. It survived 3 years post KN so it had a good run none the less.

S2-Ep11 Cafe 36 in La Grange, IL - CLOSED

Um, YOWZA!!! Not a single restaurant from season 2 remains open. That's 11 CLOSED down, though 2 (Sante La Brea & J Willy's) did put up a fight. We also Have Sabatiello's is a draw (at best). Season 2 you were a cruel, cruel mistress!

13 March 2012

Kitchen Nightmares - Season 1

Season 1 (as listed by Wikipedia) restaurants are checked against Yelp, Google, Zagat & any other sites linked for the information.

S1-Ep1 Peter's in Babylon, NY - CLOSED

S1-Ep2 Purnima in New York, NY - OPEN *Was originally named "Dillon's" which is currently just the name of the bar.

S1-Ep3 The Mixing Bowl Eatery in Bellmore, NY - CLOSED

S1-Ep4 The Seascape in Islip, NY - CLOSED *was sold, then turned into "The Coast Bistro & Bar" which has since closed as well*

S1-Ep5 The Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe, NY - OPEN and seems to be doing well

S1-Ep6 Sebastian's in Taluca Lake, CA - CLOSED *filmed in season 1, aired in season 2

S1-Ep7 Finn McCool's Irish Pub in Westhampton Beach, NY - OPEN & from the looks of it doing well. *SOLD as of the end of Season 1, but still open under the same name.

S1-Ep8 Lela's Fine Dining in Pomona, CA - CLOSED

S1-Ep9 Campania's in Fair Lawn, NJ - CLOSED

S1-Ep10 The Secret Garden in Moorpark, CA - OPEN and seems to be doing well.

So our total for Season 1 restaurants are 6 CLOSED, 4 OPEN. Not a terrible amount of closures, but not pretty either. Considering some sold, and still closed, I think we can chock those up to a bad economy.

Up next .... Season 2!

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

So the kids & I dig Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on Fox. BBC America is running a marathon today, leading up to a new episode tonight.

The cafes got me thinking. I wouldn't mind trying a few of them, so I started looking them up. The results aren't good. So I decided to go from ground zero & look up each restaurant. The results are REALLY not good.

I'm going to break it down by seasons, offer a tally, and see just how much or little help Chef Ramsay brings to dying restaurants. Considering the economic fiasco of the last few years, we may need to chock it up to bad times or bad food. If anyone has eaten at a joint listed, feel free to leave a comment about it!
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