Thursday, February 24, 2011

Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Visits Boston's Own Davide: 2/25 @ 8:00 on Fox


Photo courtesy of FOX
 Gordon Ramsay. The name itself evokes admiration, some fear, and discipline. Ramsay has widely been considered one of the best chefs in the world with literally hundreds of restaurants to his name, and an incredible TV empire. Kitchen Nightmares, originally begun in the UK, is, in my opinion, one of the crown jewels of this empire. With the basic premise of saving a failing restaurant, Ramsay's skill and expertise are called in at every turn. He spends time correcting menus, decor and attitudes when needed. The show is crafted with the perfect amount of heart warming stories and the Ramsay charm. You can imagine my excitement when I heard that the show would be visiting Boston to help one of our own North End institutions, Davide.


Davide has been a part of the North End for two decades, serving traditional Italian fare. However, over the past several years the restaurant has hit hard times suffering from internal family problems, economic hardship, and location concerns, all resulting in badly damaged business model. An email to Ramsay and he showed up to help.


It was my extreme honor to dine at Davide the evening they reopened after a superficial makeover and the menu redesign. I dined with Ramsay on the premises, and watching every move of the kitchen, the dining room and every member of the staff.



Photo courtesy of FOX
 On a personal note, I cannot put into words the thrill of entering Davide and being greeted by Chef Ramsay himself (complete coincidence). No words. After the initial shock wore off, it became very obvious that the entire evening was going to be amazing-we were sitting in a live television set. Camera men, microphone operators, and lighting specialists were running around the room, they were stealthily recording conversations for use on the show. My dining companion, the great Chris Haynes, and I had a fabulous time trying to provide helpful quips for the camera, which you may get to see during the episode. I have no idea what footage they got, but there is a distinct possibility that A Boston Food Diary will make her television debut courtesy of Gordon Ramsay. We shall see...


After speaking with the wife of one of the owners, I learned that the new menu for the new Davide had just been finalized that morning at 7am. Due to that detail, I won't review the food here until I've had the opportunity to return. I will say that it was a very long meal, around three hours for three courses. However I am more than convinced that the length of the visit was due entirely to the circumstance.


I will say that the air in the room was of nerves, but it was also of relief and joy. Every staff member seemed to see the show as the a chance to regain their restaurant, it's glory and their life.


I am thrilled to see the show in it's entirety tomorrow, Friday, February 25 at 8:00 pm on Fox. If you can-tune in or DVR it and let me know what you think. No matter what, I am so proud of Boston, and the owners and staff of Davide for all of their dedication and hard work.


Oh, and Gordon Ramsay is just as impressive in person as you might think...















5 comments:

Jen said...

Ok, first of all, I had no idea you had a blog! Exciting!

Second, I am so jealous you were there and got to meet Ramsey in person. He is one of my heroes, and my must-do on my last visit to NYC was to eat in his restaurant. I am such a fan.

Really looking forward to watching this episode and then making a trip into the North End to try the new and improved Davide!

Melissa said...

Very cool! I hope I remember to set my DVR by the time I get home!

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

There's no way around it....this is so awesome. What an experience! It must have been hard to put all of this into words but you did so beautifully!

Unknown said...

The show was great and I never would have known about it/tuned in without you. I set it to record on my DVR, but I could not find you in the crowd even though I rewound several promising scenes to get better looks at some of the people present! I was disappointed that I didn't get to see you, but I enjoyed the show, as it was my first experience at all with Gordon Ramsay, and found the whole thing very emotional and moving. Thanks, Fiona!

Anonymous said...

I watched the episode and thought it was great!! But I couldn't find you and that made me sad :(

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