Saturday, December 28, 2013

Angelo's From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Angelo's Restaurant in Woodstock, IL, which was featured on season 6 of Restaurant Impossible, has closed after 39 years in business.  The Woodstock Independent reported that Angelo's has closed, and that a new restaurant will take over the location.

In that article, an owner stated that his family and the community lost connection with Angelo's after the renovation.  Also, he stated that after Restaurant Impossible, the family realized the restaurant wasn't theirs anymore and it was time to move on.  The changes done by Restaurant Impossible were 'too many changes, too quickly.'  The family also thanked the community for their 39 years worth of support.

This is the 3rd restaurant from season 6 (2013) of Restaurant Impossible to close, and the Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show this.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Food Network's January 2014 Programming Highlights

The Food Network has put out a press release detailing the programming in January on the channel, which includes a lot of new and returning series.  Some of the highlights include:
  • The series debut of The Kitchen on Saturday January 4th.
  • The season 3 premiere of Rachael Vs Guy: Celebrity Cookoff on Monday January 6th.
  • The series premiere of Chopped Canada on Thursday January 9th that Dean McDermott is hosting.
  • New daytime episodes of Barefoot Contessa, Rachael Ray's 3 In The Bag, Sandwich King, Trisha's Southern Kitchen, Pioneer Woman, Giada At Home, and Guy's Big Bite.
  • New primetime episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen (one with Giada De Laurentiis as the judge), Restaurant Impossible, Mystery Diners, Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Restaurant Stakeout, Iron Chef America, and On The Rocks.

The full press release that includes episode descriptions is below:

Friday, December 20, 2013

Food Network's Solution For Declining Numbers - MORE Guy Fieri

Photo - Food Network
Have you been watching the Food Network lately and thinking, "I wish there were more Guy Fieri shows on here."?  Well, you are in luck as the Food Network is beginning to show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives EVERY night during the week between 11pm and midnight.

Variety reported this and had quotes from Food Network's Bob Tuschman, where he said the episodes of "Triple D" will run at 11pm for an "indefinite" amount of time.  They made the decision as they have a “deep library” of episodes filmed and the show is “upbeat.”  Bob Tuschman also said they "thought it would make the perfect late-night accompaniment, a nightcap before you want to go to bed.”

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Ducky's From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Ducky's Family Restaurant in Kokomo, Indiana, which was on the current season (season 7) of Restaurant Impossible has closed as of Tuesday, December 16th.

Ducky's posted this on their Facebook page yesterday:
"The time has come for us to say goodbye. Thank you Kokomo for allowing us to serve you for the past 35 years. We will miss serving you. Merry Christmas! And a prosperous New Year!"
There are comments referring to the IRS taking the restaurant on that Facebook post.  Someone also let me know about the closing on Twitter saying that the restaurant was open for breakfast on Tuesday, and the cops came and locked the door for not paying their taxes.  He also provided me with a picture of the notice on the door, which is below:

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - Goombazz Big City Eatzz Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Rock Island, Illinois to makeover Goombazz Big City Eatzz.  The restaurant has only been open for one year and is struggling to attract customers to earn a profit.  Robert discovers that the owner Sal's short temper is driving people away such as his co-owner, the staff and the former GM.  The restaurant is also supposedly $300,000 in debt.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Goombazz Big City Eatzz to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Kalico Kitchen From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Kalico Kitchen in Douglas, Michigan, which was on season 6 of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  A few readers notified me last week about the restaurant closing saying there was a for sale sign outside, and that the bank took the property due to it being in foreclosure.

The restaurant recently posted a message on their Facebook page stating:
"Please be advised it is with a heavy heart that we want to let you know we are closed. Thank you all for 37 wonderful years in business. Keep sending positive thoughts this way!"

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

'Beat Bobby Flay' Judges Include Giada De Laurentiis, Justin Warner, Scott Conant & More

Photo - Instagram
Back in August, a new Throwdown type show with Bobby Flay, called Beat Bobby Flay, aired a pilot episode on the Food Network.  Then in October, the show was picked up for a season and started the process of casting competitors to go against Bobby Flay.  For the pilot episode, Jeff Mauro and Alex Guarnaschelli were judges, and it was not known if they would be on every episode or just on the pilot.

The filming of Beat Bobby Flay happened this past week and by looking at social media, it appears there will be rotating judges for the show.  The photo to the right was on Katie Lee's Instagram and said "How does a girl get so lucky? Filming today w/ @bobbyflay and @conantnyc @foodnetwork"

Also, the below photo of Eden Grinshpan (from the Cooking Channel) and Justin Warner appeared on Eden's Instagram which said "Judging table with @eatfellowhumans #foodnetworklife #iloveit!"

Monday, December 16, 2013

Robert Irvine's eat! To Close Permanently

Back in October, Robert Irvine's eat! restaurant in Hilton Head, SC abruptly closed for emergency repairs, and the restaurant space was also listed for sale/lease with all equipment included.  The restaurant did reopen after the repairs, but they were still trying to decide whether they wanted to renew the lease for the restaurant.

It appears that Robert Irvine decided not to renew the lease, and that the restaurant will be closing for good after December 31st.  There will be a New Years Eve farewell party at the restaurant, which will be the last night it is open.

On a post on the restaurant's Facebook page, the restaurant stated:

Watch the SNL Guy Fieri Christmas Special

This weekend on Saturday Night Live, Bobby Moynihan did his Guy Fieri impression in a spoof of a Guy Fieri Christmas Special.  The fake special was called 'Guy Fieri's Full Throttle Christmas Special.'  Guests of the Christmas special include fake versions of Kid Rock, Criss Angel, Bret Michaels, Kimbo Slice, Mimi from Drew Carey, Verne Troyer, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Big Ang, The Duck Dynasty cast, and the cast of Pawn Stars.



The video of the sketch is after the jump:

Friday, December 13, 2013

Amy Thielen's Heartland Table Renewed For 2nd Season

Amy Thielen's Heartland Table, which premiered on the Food Network in September, has already been renewed for a 2nd season.  Look for the season to begin some time in March on the Food Network.

Amy Thielen announced on her Facebook page:
"Food Network announces it! "#HeartlandTable will be back early next year." THANK YOU to everyone who asked for more! I'm putting my all into season 2."


Heartland Table's first season was a 6-episode season produced by Lidia Bastianich's company, and started around the same time of her book release.  Heartland Table had a lot of comments about people liking the show and her book is highly rated, so it seems that people like Amy Thielen and her Midwestern concept of cooking.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Rachael Ray's Boobs In Rachael Vs. Guy Promo

Rachael Ray BoobsThe Food Network has been airing a 30-second promo for Rachael Vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off which is beginning January 6th on the Food Network.  In the promo, Rachael Ray is wearing a low cut shirt, which many people have complained about online including on Twitter, Facebook and even on the Rachael Ray Show and Food Network Facebook pages.

Comments on the Food Network Facebook page include:
  • "I would really rethink your promo commercial for Rachel vs Guy Celebrity Cook off...Rachel's low cut shirt and display of way to much cleavage is frankly distasteful. If I wanted that much breast I'd go cook a chicken." 
  • "omg! Rachel Ray needs to cover her cleavage! just saw the commercial for celebrity cook-off."
  • "Rachael Ray, you "Spoil" the TV Commercial ad for this..(Put those "girls" away!)" 
There are also 4 pages worth of people talking about it on a DC Mom forum

Video of the 30-second promo that has people talking is below:

Food Network's 'The Kitchen' - More Information About The Show

Photo - Multivu
The Food Network finally made the official announcement about their daytime talk show called The Kitchen, which will air on Saturday mornings starting January 4th at 11am ET/PT.  It was announced here back in October, with the show originally being called 'The Scoop.'  Despite the name change, they stuck with the Mad Lib naming convention of 'The _____(verb/noun)' that all talk shows seem to be using now.  There was also a Google Hangout after Food Network's Thanksgiving Live to help promote the show.

In the announcement today, the type of segments and things they will talk about on the show were revealed.  Co-Hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro, Marcela Valladolid and Geoffrey Zakarian will talk about food trends, recipes, and family meal tips and also have trivia games and twitter questions from viewers.

The premise of each episode was also talked about in the press release:

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - LBI Pancake House, Ship Bottom Firehouse (Holiday: Impossible 2)

Photo - Food Network
Tonight in a special edition of Holiday: Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Ship Bottom, New Jersey to help out LBI Pancake House and the Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Company.  This is the second Holiday: Impossible, which have helped areas devastated by natural disasters.  The first was in Joplin, Missouri after a tornado, while this one is in Ship Bottom, NJ to help rebuild after Hurricane Sandy.

Instead of the normal 2 days and $10,000 usually does, the show will be spending 3 days and $50,000 to help repair damage at LBI Pancake House and the Ship Bottom Fire Company.  As this is a special, I will not do the normal update or include it in the stats for the show.  So, just enjoy a show where Robert is helping people who appreciate it and doesn't have to deal with clueless owners, bad food, and the normal drama.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Drake Skips Grammy Nomination Concert To Hang Out With... Guy Fieri?

Photo - Twitter
Drake was supposed to perform tonight at the Grammy Nomination Concert on CBS, but has pulled out due to a "scheduling conflict" according to TMZ.  Drake is in the middle of a nationwide tour, but there is no concert scheduled until tomorrow night.

Last night, Guy Fieri posted the picture on the right to Twitter and said "My brutha @drake cookin' it up Nikos & Sikey at Voula's Offshore Cafe tonight." (Voula's is in Washington, where a recent Drake show was performed.)

Of course, he is Guy's "brutha".  Hopefully Drake's scheduling conflict wasn't that he wanted to spend more time with his "brutha" Guy Fieri.

You may remember last year around this time, the internet went crazy when a photograph was posted with Guy and Drake cooking together in a kitchen.  That picture is below:

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Oak Creek, Wisconsin to makeover Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant.  There is a volatile relationship between the owners and their son, and they seem to argue over everything 'from the food they serve to the artwork on the wall.'  One of the owners walks out during the makeover and vows never to return.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Big Mama's Kitchen - New Food Network Show

There is a new show premiering on the Food Network Friday night at 10:30pm ET called Big Mama's Kitchen.  Given the time slot of the show and the fact that only one episode is on the schedule, this is most likely a pilot episode.  The show is airing in between re-runs of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and late on a Friday night, which probably isn't good for ratings.

The show description states:
"The best soul food in Nebraska is found at Big Mama's Kitchen. With three generations working in the restaurant, emotions are high as new recipes are debated and new employees are tested. No matter what's thrown at them, this family sticks together."
You may remember Big Mama's Kitchen as being on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives a few years ago.  The episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that Big Mama's was on is actually airing before the pilot.  The restaurant is located in an old school, and the owner got Guy Fieri to try a pig ear.

Below is the video of the episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that Big Mama's was on:

Sunday, December 1, 2013

New Celebrity Chopped Tonight On Food Network

Photo - Food Network
Tonight at 10pm on Food Network is another new episode of 'celebrity' Chopped.  This special episode has Anthony Anderson, Dawn Wells, Antonio Sabato Jr., and Teri Hatcher competing for $10,000 for the charity of their choice.

If you aren't familiar with these celebrities, here is what they are most known for:
  • Anthony Anderson - Actor on the TV show Hang Time, and movies such as Me, Myself, and Irene, Barbershop, and Scary Movie 3 and 4.  He is also a frequent judge on Iron Chef America.
  • Dawn Wells - She was Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island.  She is 75 years old now.
  • Teri Hatcher - TV actress most known for her role on ABC's Desperate Housewives.
  • Antonio Sabato Jr. - Known for his acting role on soap opera General Hospital back in the 90's.
I will update this post after the episode airs with the order of eliminations and also reveal who won.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Watch Marcela Valladolid Win A Car on 'The Price Is Right' in 2004

Back in 2004 (aired in 2005), Marcela Valladolid appeared on The Price Is Right and ended up winning a car on a game called 'That's Too Much.'  I asked Marcela back in January if video existed of the win, but at the time, I couldn't find any (I figured out the episode, but the video wasn't anywhere online).

Today, Marcela had a guest appearance on The Price Is Right, and the show released the video of her appearance almost 10 years ago.  If you were wondering about her chest after watching the video, Marcela said on her Facebook page, "excuse the pamela-anderson look but Fau was born just a few months prior"


The video of her appearance on the show is below:

Restaurant Impossible - Seven Update

Photo - NWI Times
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to La Porte, Indiana to makeover Seven.  An engaged couple Chad and Tonya named the restaurant Seven in honor of their combined seven children.  Chad purchased the restaurant, which is where Tonya used to work as a server.  The restaurant is suffering from bad food, lack of management, and bad decor.  Also, Tonya's 19 year old son is the main cook at the restaurant despite a lack of training and passion.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Seven restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Nigella Lawson Accused of Using Cocaine and Other Drugs For A Decade

Nigella Lawson and ex-husband Charles Saatchi's former personal assistants are currently on trial in England for spending money on credit cards that were meant for business purposes.  The assistants are sisters Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, and are accused of spending $480,000 (£300,000) on personal expenses such as lavish vacations, designer clothes and first-class plane tickets.

As part of the sister's defense, they are claiming that the charges on the credit card were agreed upon by Nigella Lawson in exchange for keeping her use of drugs a secret.  They claim Nigella used cocaine, cannabis, and prescription drugs daily for about a decade.

Charles Saatchi was apparently unaware of the alleged drug abuse until after they were divorced.  When he heard about the defense the assistants were using, he sent an email to Nigella calling her 'Higella' and saying:

Monday, November 25, 2013

Giada De Laurentiis Annoys Many, Cuts Finger on Thanksgiving Live

Photo - Food Network
This weekend on Food Network was the two hour Thanksgiving Live special with Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, and Ina Garten.  Judging by the comments on this site, as well as the Food Network Facebook page, Giada De Laurentiis ruined the special for many people.

The consensus among people commenting included things like:
  • Giada being obnoxious and rude by talking over others and interrupting others throughout the episode
  • Giada being 'childish' by her throwing food on the show. (She recently threw pies on another show) 
  • People wanting Giada to not be on the show again next year
  • People not liking her glasses and thinking she was being too 'flirtacious'

Friday, November 22, 2013

Food Network - Thanksgiving Live 2013

Photo - Food Network (Thanksgiving Live 2012)
Tomorrow at 12pm ET/PT on the Food Network is the Thanksgiving Live special, which is returning for its 3rd year.  It will be live for the East coast, but the show will be taped for the West coast as it will still air at noon.

The 1st year of Thanksgiving Live had Ted Allen, Alex Guarnaschelli, Rachael Ray, Anne Burrell, Sunny Anderson, Melissa d'Arabian and Bobby Flay with Alton Brown hosting.  The 2nd year of Thanksgiving Live had Sunny Anderson, Giada De Laurentiis, Ree Drummond, Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Aarón Sanchez and was also hosted by Alton Brown.

This year they seemed to have trimmed the number of people down with the Food Network only advertising Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Ina Garten with Alton Brown hosting.  So, basically the Food Network Star judges plus Ina Garten.  Guy Fieri will be busy throwing his 'Trailer Park' Thanksgiving elsewhere.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - Georgia Boy Cafe Update

Photo - Food Network
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Hagerstown, Maryland to makeover the Georgia Boy Cafe.  Chuck and Montez, who are the owners of the restaurant, once had a loving relationship, but the restaurant has ruined that.   They also scream at each other in front of the customers.  Robert has to get the owners back on speaking terms and also deal with the 'health hazards' in the restaurant.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Georgia Boy Cafe to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

The Oleander Bar & Grill From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Photo - Food Network
The Oleander Bar & Grill in Olean, NY, which was featured on Season 4 (2012) of Restaurant Impossible, has closed as of November 17th, 2013.  They posted a message on their Facebook Page that said:
"We would like to thank everyone for their support these last few years. Today, is The Oleander Bar & Grill's last day of business. Come in one more time for specials on beer and food. Cheers, See you there!"


The Oleander Bar & Grill didn't have too many reviews, but the reviews that existed were average to below average.  They recently added a Tex-Mex menu to their exiting menu in August according to a post on their Facebook Page.  No word on what they plan to do with the property or if Abby still lives above the restaurant.  This is the 5th restaurant from Season 4 of Restaurant Impossible that has closed, and the Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show this closing.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Giada De Laurentiis Promotes Her Children's Books By Cursing and Throwing Pies

Giada De Laurentiis was on Big Morning Buzz Live today on VH1 in a very weird segment.  Giada comes and tastes Morning Buzz Co-Host Jason Dundas' baking and spits out the bite she takes.  She then throws the remaining desserts at him yelling that each of them sucks, and curses at one point, which is bleeped out.  I can't tell what she said, but it seems like an F-bomb to me.

Then after this little segment, the other Morning Buzz Co-Host holds up Giada's two children's books to plug them.  You would think after a segment like that, they would at least push her new cookbook rather than her children's books.

Video of the segment is after the jump.  Let me know if you can figure out the curse word.

Monday, November 18, 2013

The Kitchen @ Food Network - New Daytime Talk Show

Photo - Instagram
Last month, it was revealed that the Food Network would be producing a daytime talk show with Geoffrey Zakarian, Jeff Mauro, Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, and Marcela Valladolid being hosts.  At the time, the show was going to be called The Scoop, but a press release that came out today now has the show called The Kitchen @ Food Network.

The show will be an hour long and air on Saturday mornings starting in early January.  To drum up interest for the new talk show, the Food Network will be doing a Thanksgiving leftover themed Google Hangout with Jeff Mauro, Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, and Marcela Valladolid at 2pm ET this weekend.  This will start immediately after the Thanksgiving Live special airs (12-2pm).  You can participate in the Google Hangout and submit questions by going to foodnetwork.com/ThanksgivingHangout (there is an error at that link now, but it should be up shortly).

UPDATE - For upcoming episode descriptions of The Kitchen - See a later post here.

UPDATE 2/2014 - The Kitchen has been renewed for a 2nd season.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

On The Rocks - Lock & Key Speakeasy (Oxford Inn)

Photo - Royal Oak Patch
Tonight at 10pm is the series premiere of On The Rocks on the Food Network.  On The Rocks is a bar makeover show where bar expert John Green tries to turn around struggling bars.  It seems to be Food Network's attempt at the concept of Spike TV's Bar Rescue, but instead of having Jon Taffer, they are using John Green.  Or you could say it is a Restaurant Impossible for bars, but instead of Robert Irvine, it is John Green.

The Food Network decided to put On The Rocks in the exact same time slot as new episodes of Bar Rescue on Spike TV, which I don't think was very smart.  I am not sure if this was done on purpose, or it happened to just be a coincidence, but many viewers of Bar Rescue would probably be interested in On The Rocks if it was in a different time slot.

The first episode of On The Rocks is at the Oxford Inn in Royal Oak, Michigan.  Here is some background information of the Oxford Inn for this episode:

Friday, November 15, 2013

Paula Deen Foods Store To Open In February 2014

The next stop in the Paula Deen comeback tour?  Upstate, New York.  It was announced that Paula Deen will be opening a Paula Deen Foods store in Clarence, NY, which is a suburb of Buffalo.  The store is scheduled to open on February 8, 2014, and to help open the store, Paula Deen will be doing a live cooking show ($60 for general admission, $250 for VIP).

So, why Buffalo and not somewhere in the south?

In June of 2012, Paula reached a deal with Nanco to produce foods such as tortilla chips, baking mixes, salad dressing, etc. with her name on it.  The Nanco Group is based out of Clarence, NY and the partnership has continued with the launch of the retail Paula Deen Foods store.  The store will include a showroom that is designed to look like Paula Deen's kitchen.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Food Network Website Getting A Makeover

The Food Network website, Foodnetwork.com, is going through a design change, and you can now preview what the new website will look like.

If you go to preview.foodnetwork.com you can take a look at the beta website and navigate around.  All of the links will work and you can search around the new website to see how each page looks.  The site navigation is pretty much the same, but there are a lot of different graphics.

I am sure people who are resistant to change will complain when the new website goes live, but that is usually the case when websites are updated.  What are your thoughts on the new website?


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - Coach Lamp Update

Photo - Facebook
Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Louisville, Kentucky to makeover the Coach Lamp Restaurant.  The Coach Lamp looks nice, has knowledgeable owners, and the food actually tastes good.  Robert has to sit down with them to try to figure out why the restaurant is failing and come up with unique plan to turn it around.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Coach Lamp restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Food Network's 20th Birthday Special Tonight

Food Network's Original Logo
Just a reminder that tonight at 9pm ET/PT is the Food Network 20th Birthday special that will celebrate the 20th year that the Food Network has been on-air.  The special is hosted by Mo Rocca, who is the host of My Grandmother's Ravioli on the Cooking Channel, and has appeared as a judge on Iron Chef America and as a guest on Best Thing I Ever Ate.

The special is an hour long and will take a look back at the early days of the network and interview chefs and personalities from the Food Network both past and present.  It will be interesting to see who/what they focus on, and if they cover Paula Deen at all during the special.  So tune tonight if you are interested to see the how the past 20 years of the Food Network will be summed up in just a one hour special.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - Windsor 75 Family Restaurant Update

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Windsor, Connecticut to makeover the Windsor 75 Restaurant.  The Windsor 75 has an outdated decor, different menu's and and overworked staff.  The owner George is apparently stubborn and can't get out of his own way to fix anything.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about the Windsor 75 Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Giada De Laurentiis On Jimmy Fallon - Horrible at Catch Phrase

Giada was on Jimmy Fallon last night and played the game Catch Phrase with Jimmy Fallon, Lucy Lui, and Zachary Quinto.  She was pretty terrible at the game and couldn't get easy clues such as Donald Duck, and described Egyptians as wearing togas.  The video is below:



Giada also made a green drink for Jimmy Fallon, which he didn't seem to like, then he poked some fun at her cookbook.  The video of that is below:

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Maple Tree Cafe From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Maple Tree Cafe Restaurant ImpossibleThe Maple Tree Cafe in Las Vegas, Nevada, which appeared on Season 4 of Restaurant Impossible, has closed as of last week.  A reader emailed me (thanks!) to notify me about the restaurant being closed with an orange sticker on the door, which can usually be a sign of a lockout by the building owner.  I tried calling the restaurant multiple days while during normal hours, but no one ever answered the phone. 

Yesterday I reached out to Ashley from the Maple Tree Cafe on Twitter to ask if they were closed.  She responded that they closed last week and said they got a 'large catering contract and have relocated to do that full time.'  No word on where that catering contract is or why they had to close due to getting a 'large catering contract.'

The Maple Tree had opened 2 additional locations at Lucky's Tavern after their Restaurant Impossible makeover (Link to original update with info).  Those locations have been closed for a little bit, but now the actual Maple Tree Cafe made over by the show is closed as well.  This is the 4th restaurant to close from Season 4 (2012) of Restaurant Impossible, and the 3rd restaurant from the show to close in a week.  The Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show that this restaurant has closed.

Giada De Laurentiis New Cookbook Released - Plus Book Tour and TV Appearances

Giada De Laurentiis released another cookbook today titled Giada's Feel Good Food: My Healthy Recipes and Secrets.  This cookbook focuses on healthy recipes and how Giada stays thin.  The recipes include breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and many are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian or vegan.  You can preview much of the book and recipes with the link above and the "Look Inside" feature.

As is normally the case with cookbook releases, Giada will be going on a book tour and be appearing on TV to promote the book.  It is a pretty packed schedule that spans both coast and includes appearances on the Today Show, Jimmy Fallon, The View, and Watch What Happens: Live.  To see the dates of the book signings and TV appearances, continue reading:

Monday, November 4, 2013

Mamma D's From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Mamma D's in Pipersville, PA, which appeared on Season 2 of Restaurant Impossible, has closed as of last week.  I was notified by a reader about the closing and was able to verify it through Facebook.  While the restaurant hasn't posted anything about the closing on their Facebook page or website, there are some posts by customers, such as this one that suggest the restaurant closed on October 26th.

Also, on Chef Louie Desiato's Facebook page, there are a lot of posts to Louie thanking him for the memories, and wishing him the best of luck in the future that refer to the restaurant closing.

The Mamma D's episode originally aired in September of 2011.   An article a year after the episode aired stated that the restaurant didn't stick with Robert Irvine's menu, and that while business was up a bit, it was still a struggle due to the economy.  This is the 9th restaurant to close from Season 2 (2011-2012) of Restaurant Impossible, which means more restaurants have closed than remain open from that season.  The Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show this closing.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Restaurant Express Contestants - Preview

Bianca Rose - Food Network
The premiere of Robert Irvine's Restaurant Express is tonight, although the first episode has been available On Demand for a few weeks.  As is usually the case with reality shows, many of the contestants have already been on reality TV before.  For Restaurant Express, three of the nine chefs have already appeared on TV on cooking related shows. 

The three chefs that have appeared on TV before are:
  • Seonkyoung Longest - Appeared on Fox's Masterchef 4
  • Bianca Rose - Competed on Chef Race: U.K. vs U.S., which was on the BBC and hosted by Claire Robinson.
  • Adam Goldgell - Competed on Chopped in Season 4 and was eliminated after the dessert round
Below I have listed a little information about each of the contestants and their restaurant concepts they pitched during the first episode.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Food Network Stars and Their Halloween Costumes

A lot of Food Network chefs/stars were dressed up for Halloween yesterday, and a popular theme was to dress up like a different Food Network chef/star.  Let's take a look at some of the costumes that everyone decided to wear for Halloween:

Rocco DiSpirito dressed up as half Giada De Laurentiis and half Guy Fieri on New York Live to promote his new show Restaurant Divided:

Photo - Twitter

Bronk's Bar and Grill From Restaurant Impossible To Close

Bronk's Bar and Grill in Lake City, Minnesota, which was on Season 5 of Restaurant Impossible will be closing for good effective November 4th.  A few of the readers here notified me about a sign at the restaurant which said they were closing, and the restaurant recently put up a post on their Facebook page which stated:
"Due to many unfavorable circumstances over the past couple of years, we have decided to close our doors for good effective November 4, 2013. We will be running specials all week long on food, beer, and alcohol. Deals will be good while supplies last. It's been one heck of a 12 1/2 year run! So come on down this week one more time and celebrate with us as we say goodbye!"
The Bronk's episode originally aired in December of 2012, so the restaurant closed less than a year after being on the Food Network.  This is the 3rd restaurant to close from Season 5 (2012-2013) of Restaurant Impossible and the Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show this closing.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Food Network's November 2013 Programming Highlights

The Food Network has put out a press release detailing the programming in November on the channel, which includes a lot of new and returning series.  Some of the highlights include:

  • The series premiere of Restaurant Express on November 3rd, although the first episode has been On Demand for some time.
  • The series premiere of On the Rocks on November 17th, which is pretty much a Bar Rescue knock-off, where a bar expert tries to help struggling bars.
  • The series premiere of Farmhouse Rules, which is a daytime show with Nancy Fuller.
  • A Food Network 20th Birthday Party celebration on November 9th.
  • New Daytime episodes of Trisha's Southern Kitchen (See the celebrity guests on this season), Guy's Big Bite, Rachael Ray's Week In a Day, Southern at Heart, Giada at Home, and Pioneer Woman.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Restaurant Impossible - Ducky's Family Restaurant Update

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Kokomo, Indiana to makeover Ducky's Family Restaurant.  Ducky's is a 33 year old business that has 'terrible food' and a 'dysfunctional management style.'  Also, when the family and long time staff begin to open up to Robert, emotions will erupt.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Ducky's Family Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):


Guy Fieri in Fight With His Hairdresser. Plus See His Courtroom Sketch from Monday

Guy Fieri Courtroom Sketch
Photo - NBC Bay Area
Guy Fieri testified this Monday at the trial of the man who was accused of stealing his Lamborghini, and we were treated with the courtroom sketch to the right of Guy.

Also in unrelated, weird Guy Fieri news, TMZ came out with a video today of Guy Fieri in a fight with his hairdresser, which was described as a 'Knock-Down, Drag-out' fight.  His hairdresser is outside of the car trying to attack Guy, while Guy is kicking him.  A rep for Guy told TMZ, "A bunch of guys were messing around.  Things got a little out of hand, but they're all good now."


Video of the fight is after the jump (Warning: bad language):

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Ree Drummond Cookbook and Book Tour

Ree Drummond released another cookbook today called The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Holidays!: 150 Step-by-Step Recipes for Simple, Scrumptious Family Feasts.

Ree seems to be someone people either love or hate, and there aren't too many people in between.  She has quite the cult following from internet bloggers and people who seem to be interested in the 'ranch life.'  Other people, such as myself, cannot stand her and think she is boring.  If you are like me, a great site to read is The Marlboro Woman, where the website owner and the people commenting make fun of Ree, expose things about her, expose her stolen recipes, etc.

If you are in the 'love' Ree category, enjoy the book, and the dates for her book tour are below:

Monday, October 28, 2013

Guy Fieri Family Cruise Special Airs Tonight

Good news... The Food Network decided to break up the usual Monday tradition of 10 straight hours of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  The bad news is that they are breaking it up with more Guy Fieri, with a Guy's Grocery Games re-run at 7pm, and a new special called Guy's Family Cruise at 9pm.

Guy's Family Cruise will follow around Guy and his family on a Carnival cruise that makes stops in Miami, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Islands, and Jamaica.  The Flavortown port of call did not make the cut. 

Guy has a partnership with Carnival Cruises (which some people call the 'Wal-Mart of cruise lines') and has restaurants aboard some of their ships.  This will probably be a 1-hour advertisement for Carnival Cruises, and who knows if it was paid for by the company.  So, if you are interested in seeing Guy Fieri without sleeves for an hour, wonder what the Fieri's do on their vacations, or want to watch for unintentional comedy, then tune in tonight.