Thursday TV: Stamford on Kitchen Nightmares!

I really hope I do not make it onto the TV show Kitchen Nightmares, which was shot in Stamford last February. A lucky convergence of events ended up with my husband and I (and other members of the Stamford blog network) eating at the featured resto post-makeover. It's awkward eating with a camera in your face, and I'm not the type who can play things cool, so I really hope there is no embarrassing footage of me. This photo is a paparazza-style shot I took of the resto on filming night.

Read about my experience with the TV show:
--Feb 20, 2008-- Gordon Ramsey, Cleavage, Me, and a Kitchen Nightmare in Stamford

Read about how I first found out there was a show filming in our city:
--Feb 17, 2008-- Reality TV in Stamford This Week: Let's Eat!

Read about Blog Stamford's experience with the show:
-- Feb 20, 2008-- Kitchen Nightmares in Stamford

Sabatiello's Kitchen Nightmares DeBriefing

1. I made the cut. The owner serves us steak, and I, smiling like an idiot, watch my husband cut into his steak. While the steak was good, the middle was undercooked, as were many of the steaks you saw served on the show.

2. I highly doubt that being on Kitchen Nightmares will give the resto a boost as the owner hoped. The show portrayed an Italian Steak House whose chef cannot cook a medium steak. Maybe the chef has figured it out by now, but I am too scared to go back and see. I'm afraid the owner will recognize me and ask me a question about the show. If someone else can go check out the steaks and report back, I'd be so grateful.

3. A lot of commenters on the previous post thought that Sammy came across looking like a jerk, but I bet a lot of owners are tyrannical when they have a million dollars sunk into a place.

4. The only horrifying thing to me was charging high prices for food that was not the quality that was promised: selling a lower quality steak than listed, charging $29 for sole with imitation crabmeat, and reheating week-old lasagna. What's the point of eating out? I can get better food for cheaper, and I can microwave a frozen lasagna dinner at home for 3 bucks.

5. I was happy to see that the kitchen was clean-- except for the raw chicken right beside the cooked, which Gordon Ramsay freaked over.

6. I think it's awkward that the main dining area is upstairs. Even if upstairs is full, the resto will look empty if people are not downstairs. Nobody wants to risk being the only one eating in a resto; people like to see who's there before they commit.

7. The show made me nostalgic for Dunn's Loft, the steak house that had a brief, glorious, rollicking run on Summer before it went down because, like Sabatiello's, there just was not the business to offset the high rent. However, at Dunn's, the steak was delicious and the atmosphere far more celebratory.

Related posts:

--Jan 2008-- Stamford Restaurant: Dunn’s Loft... Steak!
--March 2008--Stamford Steak Awards 2008
--Feb 2008--My experience with the TV show: Gordon Ramsey, Cleavage, Me, and a Kitchen Nightmare in Stamford

Reality TV in Stamford This Week: Let's Eat!

On the way to the Avon Film Festival on Saturday, I saw guys unloading two big trucks of equipment behind Telluride. Hmm, what's this special event? A band? I hadn't heard of anything going on. I snapped a few pics with my camera, which I always carry around Stamford, then zoomed over to one of the guys.

Me: Hey, what's this? A band?
No, a reality TV show.
Me: TV show?!? Which one?
Kitchen Nightmares.
Me: What's that?
It's by the same guy who does Hell's Kitchen.
Me: Which restaurant are they doing? Republic Grill? Telluride?
No, the one on the corner.
Me: Sabatiello's?

Are you a reporter?
Me: No, but I have a website about Stamford. So when are they filming?
Sorry, that's all I can tell you.

Exciting, right? Well, here's the best part: WE GET TO GO TO THIS!!!!!!! Zobot posted this essential info, which I'll pass on to you:

Fox's Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay is shooting at Sabatiello's Italian Grill in Stamford CT Sunday 2/17-Wednesday 2/20. Diners are needed to fill the restaurant each night and be on camera as Gordon walks the dining room.

Sunday & Monday diners will receive a $20 appearance fee to apply to the cost of their meal. Menu ranges from $10-$30.

Tuesday & Wednesday participants cover the cost of their meals. Menu items are Gordon Ramsay creations.

Please email (dinad7@yahoo.com) or call Dina at 323-326-6045.

Thanks Zobot, and see y'all at Sabatiello's!

I am such a paparazzi.

Quattro Pazzi on Bedford: Very Good!

A friend posted on my wall yesterday that he saw me and my husband on a rerun Kitchen Nightmares, Stamford edition. That episode was filmed over two and half years ago at the since bankrupted Sabatiello’s on Bedford… geez, time flies!

When the husband and I were brainstorming places to eat dinner tonight, and he suggested “the place that used to be Sabatiello’s,” I said sure, even though I had no idea what restaurant it now was. “Whatever it is, I can blog about it,” I said.

We tossed the kid in the car and parked behind Bedford Street. We strolled up and I said, “Oh! Quattro Pazzi! This should be good.” We’d been to the Quattro Pazzi in Fairfield a few years ago, and it was a nice, simple Italian place with quality food.
“Are you sure?” the husband said. “This place looks kind of nice. You sure he (the kid) will be ok?”
“Yeah! If he’s terrible, we’ll leave.”

The Stamford branch of Quattro Pazzi lived up to my expectations from the very beginning, when the host and hostess didn’t look pissed that we were bringing a toddler into the restaurant. Actually, several people greeted us enthusiastically, which made me feel kind of like a celebrity, but I think I’m used to mediocre service. So many restaurants almost seem annoyed that you’re there (even if you’re not toting a toddler/baby). We truly had excellent service all evening. The downstairs was full by 6:45, and there was a big birthday party upstairs. It seems that Quattro Pazzi might be a great place for that big corner building on Bedford.

We placed our order right away, just in case the kid went crazy. Our salads were delish- Caesar for the husband, arugula with roasted beets and a goat cheese croquette for me- and the entrees were good as well. The husband got steak with gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce. I got orechiette with meatballs, mostly so I could share with the kid. He devoured the meatballs. The food came out at perfect intervals: not too fast, not too slow.

While we were eating our salads, a lady who was leaving stopped by our table to compliment us on how cute and well-mannered our kid was. That made me feel good, because we always make an enormous effort to keep our kid happy and therefore quiet. The fact that others notice makes me realize that all of my frantic entertaining and redirecting is worth the effort.

Related Posts:

--February 20, 2008-- Gordon Ramsey, Cleavage, Me, and a Kitchen Nightmare in Stamford

--November 16, 2008-- Sabatiello's Kitchen Nightmares DeBriefing

--December 10, 2008--Sabatiello's is Closed: What Should Replace It?

Stamford Talk's 2008 in Review

This year didn’t start off well for the city. Marco Paoletta was killed on Vine St. on Jan. 3 and the murder remains unsolved despite there being a photo of the suspect on the surveillance camera at the JCC.

In February, the reality show Kitchen Nightmares filmed at Sabatiello’s, a foundering restaurant on the corner of Bedford and Forest. I signed up to be on the show and it was a hoot.

March was a little dead, but I ate a lot, and reviewed Market, Napa and Co’s $24 burger, and steak options in Stamford (note: Dunn's Loft now closed). March also included posts about immigrants, crazy soccer moms, headless chickens, cheese spills on I-95, robberies at Stamford Mall, "Stuff White People Like," and the TV show Lost. Hmm. I guess a slow news cycle leaves more time for writing fun posts.

In April, star sightings began in earnest: DeNiro, Isla Fisher, and movie sets all over town. Fatigue with the school redistricting mess set in.

Mid-May, I finally spotted stars myself. I got to watch DeNiro on set, then I saw the stars of another movie strolling on Summer St.
Meanwhile, Trump Parc was being constructed on Wash Blvd. Evidently it felt like its spotlight was being stolen by movie stars, because the next day, we had the FIRST of of a series of 4/5 falling debris incidents.

June kicked off a very successful Alive at Five season with a crowded Blues Traveler concert. We had our second Trump incident- more metal stuff falling 20 or so stories onto a vehicle.

In July, we had, unbelievably, another Trump incident. Malloy shut down the site until it put in some better safety measures. I took some photos of the new measures, which worked pretty well for, oh, just over a week.

In August, Trump delivered its fourth and fifth debris incidents in grand fashion. During a heavy storm, my friend’s car got hit by debris and a mail truck got skewered by a piece of lumber. I mean, that's just silly.

In September, we had our second murder. In October, a fancy cupcake store opened. Yes, Stamford is a city of extremes.

In November, the Sabatiello’s episode of Kitchen Nightmares made it to television, and I made the cut. Readers had very strong opinions about the show. Stamford got new blue holiday lights- to mixed reviews- and my husband’s favorite restaurant burned down. It was arson, but it was not me. I have an alibi.

In December, Sabatiello’s bit the dust. Trump almost managed to make it to the end of the year without another incident, but on Dec. 22, a plank of wood fell 15 feet into the street below. Fifteen feet is better than 15 stories, but it still could have hurt someone. I'm sure the people at Trump are not trying to kill us on purpose, but getting bashed in the head by accident would still be pretty UNCOOL. I was pulling for Trump Parc to get itself together, but I guess we've got to keep looking out for ourselves in the new year.

In 2009:
--Will we get a Stamford Dog Park?
--Will we get more movies filmed in town? Or will the bad economy/actor's contract problem ruin one of my biggest sources of frivolous excitement in Stamford?
--Will Trump Parc redeem itself by going incident-free and/or throwing us a big party/open house with free wine?
--Will Barcelona Tapas and Wine Bar open on Summer?

When Will Stamford Be on Kitchen Nightmares?

Last February there was drama galore in Stamford when the reality TV show Kitchen Nightmares came to Sabatiello's on Bedford. I had never heard of the show, but you can bet I got myself signed up to be on it ASAP. Basically, Gordon takes a resto that is floundering and tries to turn it around by showing the place what's wrong, helping them fix it, and then relaunching it with better decor, menu, and attitude. I and a few other Stamford Talk readers got to be diners at the resto post-makeover. We discussed it on Chowhound if you want details.

The show is finally back on the air, and I'm dying to find out if I was interesting/photogenic enough to make the cut. (Doubt it.) There are two new episodes on tonight (Thursday), but neither is Sabatiello's, and I can't seem to find out what next week's episodes will be.

Last week's episode was the only show I've found stimulating enough to make it through an hour. There was a stubborn owner, a recalcitrant chef, and an insanely dirty walk-in fridge.

I'm curious what Sabatiello's problem was, besides mediocre food, which, if you think about it, is a pretty common problem.

When I find out the date the Stamford episode will air, I'll let you know!

Gordon Ramsay, Trivia: Stamford Rocks the FC

I had so much fun last night that I’m not even sure what to say. I’ll keep it brief for now. Doing Kitchen Nightmares was entertaining and awkward. I met Gordon Ramsay. He is a big, good-looking man.
After dinner I was pumped up on fame and adrenaline, so I talked my husband into “just one drink” at Tigin. Well... I joined a trivia team, recruited some more strangers, and we had a blast. I have no idea why this many people are out on a Tuesday, but it was a thrilling sight.

This morning I woke up and went out to get milk and coffee. It’s a beautiful sunny day. The cops were at Liz Sue Bagels (rumored to be the best bagels in Stamford), my convenience store owner was friendly, I held the door for a man, and I thought to myself, It’s going to be a fantastic day. We’ve got film shorts at the Avon tonight, a lunar eclipse, and I’m doing lunch with a friend at Duo. I’m happy bordering on ecstatic.

I also had lunch at Fin 2 yesterday, knocking one more restaurant off my “eat at every single restaurant in Stamford” list. The food was excellent, the freshest I’ve had in this town except Duo. Yup, Stamford continues to offer us many, many ways to enjoy life.

I know I'm being insanely positive (actually Gordon Ramsay commented that I was a very positive person) but I only have good things to say about yesterday. Even the Marshall's/Bed Bath parking lot was tolerable, and I noticed cars letting pedestrians pass more willingly than usual.

More details on Trivia and Kitchen Nightmares later today and tomorrow, because I have a lot to say about both.

Gordon Ramsey, Cleavage, Me, and a Kitchen Nightmare in Stamford

Stamford will give you what you want if you look.
I want culture, and I want excitement.
I went on Saturday morning to the Avon Film Festival (culture) and stumbled upon the reality show Kitchen Nightmares (excitement).

I’d never heard of the show, but the premise is to take a failing restaurant and turn it around. Despite zealous protests from my husband, I got our name on the list for Tuesday.

After signing our model release form and getting our pictures taken, we were the first ones in the downstairs eating area. We were met by a nervous waiter, soon followed by Gordon Ramsay, who wanted to know what we thought of the gaudy waterfall sculpture on the wall. “It’s nice!” I said. When I’m nervous, I smile and make cheerful conversation.
G: “No it’s not, it’s hideous!”
Me: “Well- it doesn’t match anything else in the restaurant.”
G: “It’s hideous. You’ve got to tell the owner to get rid of it.”

After a few minutes, I got used to the 2 men in black looming over me with a large camera and boom mike. We weren’t given any instructions on how to act, so I just acted like a person eating dinner. It seemed to go over well.
When a course arrived, or even a bread basket, the cameramen swooped in. They were completely silent, so I figured I wouldn’t talk to them either. We each pretended the other didn’t exist. From what I’ve seen of reality TV, that’s what you do. I really like reality TV: Supernanny, America’s Next Top Model, America’s Biggest Loser and Project Runway are all on my TiVo.

In my reality TV debut, I ignored the cameras, flirted with my husband, swilled my Metropolitan, and cleaned my plate.

The camera spent a lot of time on a brunette with enviable cleavage.

Actually, I just this second went to chowhound, where I posted,

“A-
I think I was sitting right across from you... were you the blond, or the brunette with the great cleavage? (If you're the blond, maybe you have great cleavage too, it just wasn't facing me.)
Ha!
Gordon was adorable- hot, even. The beef special was well done on the outside and almost completely raw on the inside. The meat itself was tasty though. I got some good 'camera in the face' time, but I'm not sure if my husband's and my awkward conversation will make for a good TV clip.
My waiter was wonderful despite the cameras following him around. The owner was nervous but attentive, not in a terrible, annoying way. He seemed very likable. I hope this show helps the restaurant.
I think my favorite part of the evening, besides a very nice Merlot, was when Gordon Ramsay insisted on carrying a baby carriage up the stairs-- with the sleeping baby in it.”

Rather than try to write a clever entry that flows well, I’m just going to post this. It’s short, it’s honest, and I have to get ready to go to the Oscar Film Shorts at the Avon tonight!

A, if you are not the cleavage-bearer, let me know. Or, if you want me to take mention of your cleavage off the blog, email me. I’m assuming since you wore the shirt, you are proud of your cleavage. I would be!

Me on Sabatiello's, in Newsprint: Is It OK?

I feel bad saying bad things about nice people, so I hope the owner of Sabatiello's is not pissed that I said- to an Advocate reporter- that I thought the food at Sabatiello's was "OK."
It's such a neat little spot and it's just a mystery why it's not more productive," Redlien (that's me!) said. "You can look out and see everyone that's going by." One explanation may be the food. In comparison to other Italian restaurants in the city, the few dinners Redlien had at Sabatiello's were "OK," she said. (See full article.)

OK is OK, right? Like, it's not great, and it's not bad? I did not say the food was good, but that's because I am an FC-trained food snob. Not a real food snob, but a food snob who can either pay 20 bucks for great Italian food (small size pasta at Napa, or a delicious pasta entree at Siena) or pay $10-15 for OK food that most people would never complain about. That's how I classify Sabatiello's based on the few times I ate there. It's normal Italian food. But that's the prob. There is so much of it already in Stamford that Sabatiello's has not made a splash.

With Capriccio just a few doors down, you have already have quality Italian food on Bedford, plus the best outdoor scene in Stamford. My husband loves Capriccio, so that's where we get our fill of Italian food at a good price. He likes lighter Italian. I actually like Siena a lot, on the other end of Spring, even though it's a bit pricey to eat there regularly. By pricey, I mean meat entrees are over 20 bucks. Siena is a pretty, romantic resto with very good food. We rarely go there because my husband likes nothing on the menu, but sometimes I can play the sympathy card and we'll get to go there.

But back to Sabatiello's. I can't wait to see the show... and maybe we can all agree to go there in the next week and share our reviews! My husband has been scared to eat at a place that has been on Kitchen Nightmares (I forced him to the reality show taping under slight duress), but maybe the show will portray a place that is clean, with good quality cooks, but that is just struggling because of slow business.

There. I think I feel better now, and that what I said was alright. OK? OK.

Mystery, Power: Stamford and the Island of Lost

Stamford will give you what you want if you ask. It’s just like Lost. Locke has faith that the island will show him the right path, but he takes actionable steps like digging up the hatch and blowing up the submarine.

I took actionable steps in August when I started the blog. I said, “I am going to find the good stuff in Stamford and share it with people so they don’t go through the same devastating boredom I experienced when I first lived here.” I had faith that if I asked Stamford to show me something interesting, it would. I have pursued leads on events and places, creeping around Stamford like Locke creeps around the island.

I'm certain I'm on the right path. I ask for weird events and encounters, and I get them. For example, when I went to the Avon Oscar Film Fest on a Saturday morning, I saw a film crew with loads of equipment. I strolled up, got the scoop on the upcoming Kitchen Nightmares show and posted about it. Zobot responded with the info on how to get reservations. If I hadn’t gone to the movies and approached the camera crew guy, I wouldn’t have had any quality gossip to post. I wouldn’t have known how to reserve a spot, and I never would have met Chef Ramsay and made my reality TV debut. One actionable step leads to another.

Getting what you want requires sacrifice, both of yourself and others. Locke has no qualms about killing other people or letting them die if it means he can further his quest to follow the signs to an ultimate end that he doesn’t know but believes is there. I make my husband do all sorts of things like eat dinner with a camera in his face, sit in the Avon’s horrible chairs, and play trivia with complete strangers. I believe something very good will come of these actions.

All of Locke’s actions, no matter how maniacal they seem, are part of the series of events that have led at least some of the castaways off the island.

When I first moved here in 2001, I just sat on the beach complaining. I didn’t know how to get out there into the jungle and make things happen. I didn’t hunt boar or pursue mystical visions in a sweat lodge. I didn’t even get out to collect sticks to build a baby crib.

I took my first step last summer when I joined meetup.com, and that little step has led to a circle of talented friends who have added a lot to my life. Little actions matter, and if you keep at it, Stamford will give you what you are looking for, whether it’s adventure or food or friends.

Lost is a puzzle of people and places, just like Stamford. I don’t understand this town yet, but I’m trying.




I’m thinking about Lost today because it’s Tuesday, the day I let myself start thinking about the upcoming Thursday episode, just 2.5 days away. I’ve only watched the show since November. I roared through 3 seasons in less than 3 months on planes, my couch, and the bike at the gym. My love of Lost has corresponded with a surge of happiness in my life in general, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Sawyer is my favorite character. I hope he lives, but I'm pretty sure he's going to die.

Sabatiello's is Closed: What Should Replace It?

I heard from Streets of Stamford that Sabatiello's looked closed, and an article in the Stamford Advocate today confirms that and adds some juicy details, like that the rent of the property is $100,000 a year. Someone commented that a Sabatiello's Pizza just opened in Riverside, and Lunch Break Chronicles has the photo that confirms it. On Kitchen Nightmares, Sammy said he was a million dollars in debt. I wonder how he got the money to open the new pizza place so quickly. So, who's going to be the first to try the pizza?

Back in Stamford, looking forward, the bigger question is: what do we need next in Sabatiello's old spot?

One commmenter on the Advocate Topix site mentioned a sports bar. I sort of agree, because I don't find Bradford's, a few doors down, very cozy. But we already have Bobby V's, a classic sports bar, and Black Bear, both a few blocks away on Columbus Park and both with great booths.

Maybe Mexican? Even with yummy Spanish tapas resto Barcelona coming to Summer St., we could still use an affordable (but nice!) Mexican place in Stamford. Ole Mole on High Ridge is too tiny to eat in comfortably, plus, I'm not wild for their food. Boxcar Cantina in Greenwich is a hike, and the tacos are like 16 dollars. That's insane. I can't picture a Mexican place in the old Sabatiello's spot, though. A Mexican eatery in the upstairs of a tremendously expensive property?

Dunn's Loft, with its great steak and fun pool table, couldn't survive the high rents on Summer, so I even doubt a nice steak place would work in that building.

What kind of place could survive in that spot? I'm at a loss, but I'm pretty eager to see what comes in there.

I'm also super-eager for Barcelona to open, because while their food has struck me as odd both times I've eaten there, the sangria is magnifico!