• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Guy Fieri not feelin' the love in NYC...

I like the guy. I think he is a hoot to watch but I don't watch the show for his critical evaluations of the places that the show features, it's the specialty items and the stories behind the restaurant that I enjoy learning about. I don't see him as pretending to be a food or restaurant critic that does the type of reviews that one might expect to see in publications. DD&D is an entertaining show that often makes me want to go find those little out of the way places that have some unique specialty. If I want to search for reviews of the best fine dining experience in a major metropolitan city and I look to DD&D for references, I am looking in the wrong place, apparently never having read the title of the show to start with.

As to the review of his restaurant, it very well may have been simply a case of still being in the start-up and training mode. I really don't know, but I would give it a try regardless of one reviewers possibly biased review.
 
He's got a sweet gig anyway you look at it. His restaurants will continue to draw customers no matter what the reviews say. He’s relatively famous and he’s on all over the TV. That’s all that matters to enough people to keep him successful.
 
KrisM said:
I was thinking the same thing.

I wonder if there is a market for a "retro" food channel? Nothing but old(er) shows that are about cooking. I suppose most people are not clamoring for re-runs of Biba's Italian Kitchen, but I'd take it.
Click to expand...

Ever seen any of Lidia Bastianich's "Lidia's Italy in America"? That airs twice weekly on PBS here. An Italian grandma doing no nonsense, real world cooking. The linked video is her Roasted Tomatoes with Fusilli, and is a good example of how the show works. Great recipe, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8irrSidZH7Y&feature=related
 
BruceRPA said:
I like the guy. I think he is a hoot to watch but I don't watch the show for his critical evaluations of the places that the show features, it's the specialty items and the stories behind the restaurant that I enjoy learning about. I don't see him as pretending to be a food or restaurant critic that does the type of reviews that one might expect to see in publications. DD&D is an entertaining show that often makes me want to go find those little out of the way places that have some unique specialty. If I want to search for reviews of the best fine dining experience in a major metropolitan city and I look to DD&D for references, I am looking in the wrong place, apparently never having read the title of the show to start with.
Click to expand...

What he said. :yes:
 
KrisM said:
I wonder if there is a market for a "retro" food channel? Nothing but old(er) shows that are about cooking. I suppose most people are not clamoring for re-runs of Biba's Italian Kitchen, but I'd take it.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Food Network used to be TV Food Network and I thought their shows were better back in that era. Instead of Alton Brown, you had David Rosengarten and his show Taste. As informative as Alton but without the schtick, and he did wine parings and other "foodie" stuff. Too Hot Tamales, East Meets West, Emeril had a show on there, some restaurant guide shows. Then the network changed hands, changed programming, and really hasn't been the same since.
 
One thing though is when Fieri's show features a restaurant, the positive vibe can help a restaurant for a long time. I visited the Savoy Cafe in Santa Barbara, partly on the basis of a show recommendation. The folks there said that business was up 20-30% due to their exposure and people coming by to see what it was about. The Savoy had great food, interesting decor, and a dedicated family running it. A similarly great restaurant was next door, Los Arroyos, was also a great family run Mexican restaurant.

I'd try Fieri's just for the novelty, like a lot of other restaurants. And yes, it takes 6-12 months to work out what dishes work and what don't. If the service is good, they've got half of the winning system, getting the food right sometimes takes awhile.
 
mech986 said:
One thing though is when Fieri's show features a restaurant, the positive vibe can help a restaurant for a long time. I visited the Savoy Cafe in Santa Barbara, partly on the basis of a show recommendation. The folks there said that business was up 20-30% due to their exposure and people coming by to see what it was about. The Savoy had great food, interesting decor, and a dedicated family running it. A similarly great restaurant was next door, Los Arroyos, was also a great family run Mexican restaurant.

I'd try Fieri's just for the novelty, like a lot of other restaurants. And yes, it takes 6-12 months to work out what dishes work and what don't. If the service is good, they've got half of the winning system, getting the food right sometimes takes awhile.
Click to expand...

Perhaps in Dubuque, but, with literally hundreds of stellar food options available in Manhattan alone (let alone greater NYC), it would be a tragedy to waste a meal opportunity on a place like that, run by Fieri or anyone else. He better hope he gets unknowing tourist foot traffic in that location, because most New Yorkers ain't gonna take the bait.
 
Gimme a mom 'n pop truck stop any day of the week.

Chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, smothered in rich brown gravy, with green beans and a cup of homemade vegetable soup. Don't forget the hot buttered rolls!!
 
BruceRPA said:
I like the guy. I think he is a hoot to watch but I don't watch the show for his critical evaluations of the places that the show features, it's the specialty items and the stories behind the restaurant that I enjoy learning about. I don't see him as pretending to be a food or restaurant critic that does the type of reviews that one might expect to see in publications. DD&D is an entertaining show that often makes me want to go find those little out of the way places that have some unique specialty. If I want to search for reviews of the best fine dining experience in a major metropolitan city and I look to DD&D for references, I am looking in the wrong place, apparently never having read the title of the show to start with.
Click to expand...

ekmanning5 said:
What he said. :yes:
Click to expand...

I'm with those guy's . :thmbsp:
 
Fisherdude said:
Yup, pretty much my take on him as well. He spends way to much time on Triple D oohing and aahing over typical diner fare.

I've always liked the Food Channel, but it's never been the same since Alton Brown's "Good Eats" went off, and then when I found out that the competitors on Iron Chef knew the secret ingredient before the show taped and had plenty of time to work out all their recipes beforehand...:no:

Now it's just another reality channel. "Cupcake Wars"?!? :wtf:

The Food Channel is to food as MTV is to music.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way and have actually used your MTV description to my wife. We also have "The Cooking Channel" (which is owned by The Food Network) which started out to be what the Food Network used to be. The problem is that I am starting to see that channel sell out also.
 
He sounds like a different person here....

....makes ya wonder. . :scratch2:

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/ny-times-slams-guy-fieris-restaurant-regular-folks-224800321.html


"At my restaurants, we always try to live by a very simple notion: that food brings people together," Fieri, said in his statement to Yahoo! Shine on Thursday. "I’ve learned that not everyone agrees with my style. The Times’ critic, Pete Wells, clearly did not enjoy his experience. I normally do not respond to reviews or critics, however, given the tone of Pete’s piece, it’s clear to me that he went into my restaurant with his mind already made up. That's unfortunate. I take comments from patrons, fans and visitors very seriously, and if there is ever a problem with our service, I’ll fix it."

"We’ve only been open a short while, but I’ve seen countless people come to my restaurant – families, fans, tourists, and yes, even New Yorkers – looking to get away for an hour or two, and they’ve had a great experience and a meal that they enjoyed,"

I like this part too....

His target audience—out-of-town fans of Fieri's Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," who are excited simply to be in the Big Apple—agree. They think Guy's American is a hit, calling the food "amazing" and raving about the atmosphere.

"We were so excited because we love watching him on TV and we also love great food," Debra Popp of upstate New York wrote on the restaurant's Facebook page in October. "Anyway we got to Guy's restaurant in TIMES SQUARE!!!! And we were led to a table in an upper room. The decor was exciting to look at Rock N Roll memorabilia all over the walls!!… The food was delicious. The service was perfect. We had a waitress take our order and she served our drinks and gave us linen napkins with our utensils and extra paper napkins as well. When our entrees were served a young man wearing this neat looking black cap set them down in front of us. I thought this was great as the plates were heavily laden with a generous serving of food. We ate everything and the food tasted just as we hoped it would. Very satisfying and very much like we would cook ourselves."

She may be onto something. Just as columnist Marilyn Hagerty made clear in her sincere, gone-viral review of the Olive Garden —"the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks"—not everyone is looking for a haute-cuisine experience.

"I'm loving the throw-back to Old-Americana," wrote one recent Guy's American guest. "I'm guessing this restaurant is on its way to being the biggest tourist trap NYC has seen since, well, yesterday. But hey—it's neato looking."
 
And by the way, guess what happened in the cultural morass that is New York City:

> New York Times food critic Pete Wells may not have found the food at
> Guy Fieri's new restaurant worth eating, but it was apparently good
> enough for others at the newspaper.
>
> The New York Times confirmed to FoxNews.com that the very day that
> Wells' scathing review was printed in the paper's Dining and Wine
> section, the New York Times held a party at Guy’s American Kitchen
> and Bar.

Following scathing review, NY Times held a party at Guy Fieri’s restaurant

Nothing...absolutely nothing is for real in New York City.
 
The place was built as a tourist trap, not as a gourmet restaurant. Very few of their customers will have the opportunity to eat there twice, so it doesn't really need to be good - just convincing enough to get people in the door.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom