Fox is finally airing new episodes of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay. I’m always surprised the restaurants he sets out to save are still in business, and Cafe 36 is no exception. The head chef can’t cook, the sous chef has more attitude than work ethic, and the place is empty night after night. A fancy French bistro outside of Chicago should be raking in the dough - will Ramsay’s magic be enough this time?
Cafe 36 is losing $10,000 a month. The decor is eclectic, which means that none of the dishes match. It’s supposed ot be a fine dining restaurant, and it’s a dream owner Terry Gilmore bought into at the ripe old age of 58. His wife Carol is supportive, even though she’s nervous about it and thinks her husband can’t delegate to the staff. Terry has full faith in head chef Pinto, but the servers think he’s a dirty, sloppy chef. Pinto constantly digs his fingers into the food, and he can’t run the kitchen, either.
Pinto is convinced everyone loves his cooking, even as the customers complain. Meanwhile, Terry hasn’t received a single paycheck since he opened the restaurant!
Ramsay Arrives
“I thought this is going to be great,” Terry says, excited that Ramsay is coming to the rescue. Ramsay orders a few meals, including a duck and strawberry dish. Doug, the server, warns Ramsay not to order the crepes because they are frozen. Ramsay notices that the fake fruit decorating the wall is full of dust. It’s been over half an hour, and the food isn’t out yet, either. When the food does arrive, the waiter brings it out on a trolley which takes even longer.
“I got nervous when he started eating,” Carol says, “But I believe the food here is well above excellent.” Ramsay, who’s actually eating the food, disagrees. “The risotto is mush and it’s very salty,” he says, sending it back to the kitchen. “It was really good!” Chef Pinto says. Sous Chef Barney is glad somebody finally agrees with him about the overcooked food. He find the strawberries and duck to be a bizarre combination. “It’s rather sad, really.”
The salmon crepe looks terrible, with pan scrapings instead of a filet. Ramsay is shocked that the crepes are store bought. He heads back to the kitchen to quiz the chef. Pinto claims that he lived in Italy, and Ramsay is amazed that he can’t even cook a decent risotto. He finds out the dish was cooked 7 days before it was served. Pinto, apparently, makes it a habit to serve week old food.
Terry is embarrassed and shocked to learn that Pinto has been serving week old clams. “A lack of caring, a lack of responsibility, and ignorance,” Ramsay yells at Pinto. It really is a Kitchen Nightmare!
Owner Meeting
Ramsay finds out that the Gilmores have never owned a restaurant before, and they’ve sold everything they had, including their home and second car, in order to buy the restaurant. “It’s hard!” Carol says, disappointed the restaurant isn’t doing better. “The food is crap,” Ramsay says. “You have to focus on the wrong and not ignore it.” He wants to help them but they are going to have to face the problems in the kitchen.
Gordon decides to investigate the freezer before the dinner service. It’s a mess. “What’s all this stuff floating in water?” Pinto claims it’s fresh-frozen food. Pinto makes up the dishes fresh, and freezes it, defrosting as the customer orders. Ramsay is shocked. “There’s no such thing as fresh frozen,” he yells. “Certified jerk!” Pinto feels the same way about Ramsay!
Dinner Service
There are a few customers, and Ramsay wants to see how they prepare the food. He freezes everything, even the butter! He yells at the head chef for a while. “It was great to see Pinto eat a little humble pie,” Barney says. The customers are still waiting, and waiting for their food. “It makes the servers job difficult,” Doug says. “It’s the definition of the job. To serve.” The waiters hate serving on the carts, too.
The customers hate the food when it finally shows up, and an order comes back to be cooked more. Ramsay spies some asparagus, which are out of season and imported in from another country. “It’s the most expensive vegetable on the market,” he says. “And you just put them on four dishes. Unbelievable.” Carol thinks Pinto needs to go, now that she’s seen how inefficient he is in the kitchen.
The customers complain about overcooked chicken, disgusting salad dressing, and several start to leave without even eating because they are tired of waiting. Ramsay confronts the staff. “There is one thing I would change instantly,” he tells them. “You!” He singles out Pinto, saying he is dragging the restaurant into bankruptcy. The servers and other chefs agree and are glad to see someone confronting him.
Fixing the Food
Ramsay tackles the cooking problems first, and shows chefs Barney and Pinto how to make a simple mushroom risotto. The next change is ditching the carts. The servers get to carry the plates by hand! Owner Carol has always hated them and she’s glad to see it go. Ramsay is going to help out the kitchen by teaching the servers to make a tableside goat cheese salad. “Light, exciting,” he says.
The biggest change needs to come from Terry. “Don’t ever be intimidated by strong chefs,” he tells Terry. “You have got to start being firm.” Terry agrees and realizes he’s been doing too much while the staff just stands around.
The next service arrives, and Ramsay is babysitting in the kitchen. Barney, the sous chef, is nervous. The customers are loving the tableside salad, but the appetizers aren’t getting out to the customers. “I’m tired of working someplace where I can’t get the food out,” Brian says. “I think Pinto’s making this crap up as he goes along. It’s all a lie.”
Ramsay tries to hurry Pinto up. Barney and Pinto don’t get along and can’t work as a team. “Pinto really can’t cook on the line, and Pinto really can’t run a kitchen,” server Brian says. Ramsay has had enough and pulls both off to yell at them. He tells Pinto to expedite. Brian’s had enough and yells at the owner Terry. “Remember who you work for,” Terry says, not pleased that Brian is confronting him. “I almost fired him on the spot,” Terry says.
Makeover
“Pinto, what do you think of tonight’s service?” Ramsay asks at the staff meeting. “It was excellent!” Pinto replies. Barney thinks it was terrible, and Ramsay agrees with him. “No teamwork,” he says. “Customers waited!” He points out three major issues. Slow service, inconsistent food, and a dated restaurant. He promises to have a plan and new decor by the morning.0
The restaurant is sparkling, with a fresh black and white design. The designers made sure all of the place settings match, and the booths are upholstered. “I’m just so thankful,” Carol says.
Ramsay unveils a new, fresh and simpler menu. It’s full of seasonal dishes. He tells the servers to taste one of everything before each service so they know what they are serving. There’s onion soup, crab cakes, duck confit, and lots of classic dishes. “It’s a whole new beginning,” Carol says.
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Relaunch Service
The service starts well, but an hour later the kitchen is backed up and Pinto’s making up arrival times again. Pinto’s confused by all of the tickets and he’s not calling out what needs to be done. He won’t talk to anyone, and Ramsay’s had enough for the third night in a row. Customers are leaving, Brian still wants Pinto fired, Terry’s trying to placate the customers, and Ramsay is trying to get Terry to get things moving.
Terry heads to the kitchen to expedite and food starts getting served. The kitchen finally gets its act together, and Ramsay pays the owners a lot of compromise. He thinks their relationship is perfect and beautiful. The Gilmores give Ramsay a bottle of 30 year old wine, and Ramsay asks them to keep it at the restaurant for when Ramsay returns to see their successful, thriving business.
There’s a footnote- Pinto left the very next night and now Barney’s in charge of the kitchen. Maybe they have a chance, after all!
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Photos courtesy Fox.
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