http://www.tvgrapevine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2976:kitchen-nightmares-handlebar-restaurant-and-lounge&catid=62:knKitchen Nightmares has Ramsay tonight in Mount Sinai, New York at the Handlebar Restaurant and Lounge. Gordon will be working with its owners (Billy and Carolynn) to turn the restaurant around and make it the place to dine in Mount Sinai. Billy and Carolynn have owned the Handlebar for one year when Ramsay arrives.
Ramsay has a problem right out the bat. He gets lost driving to the restaurant. He calls and gets directions from a member of the wait staff who then informs Billy that Ramsay is on his way. The staff tell us that Billy is an okay manager but not a good owner. For example, he refuses to answer the phone if no one else does. He is also classified as grouchy. Billy loves the décor of the restaurant but the kitchen is dirty. Melissa, the chef, tells us she is not a chef and the food is crap. That’s not good coming from the person who makes the food. Billy tells us that the last day the restaurant is open will be the day they run out of cash.
Ramsay arrives and looks at the town’s name. He makes a joke (a small one for Sinai’s sake) that Sinai sounds like cyanide. He enters and is greeted. Billy is happy Ramsay is here because: (a) he’s a renowned chef; and (b) he has beautiful restaurants. Billy also tells us he’s not an idiot (which I will question later).
Amanda is assigned to Ramsay’s table but she didn’t want to serve him. Amanda says when she gets nervous she talks. She hands Ramsay not one menu but four. He notes that there are a lot of fondues. Ramsay orders the clam chowder, the seafood crepes, and the filet mignon fondue. While he waits for the soup, he looks around and tells us the décor is terrible.
When the meal arrives, Ramsay likes the clam chowder. He asks for Billy, and compliments him on the soup. Ramsay is not as happy with the seafood crepes. Billy tells us that Ramsay takes his food apart before he eats it. The crepes are rubbery, the scallops are too firm, and the crab meat (an imitation) is plastic. Ramsay then has to wait at least 20 minutes for fondue. Ramsay throws salt over his shoulder and starts the fondue. After frying a piece, he notes that it looks like dog food, is rancid, and tasteless. The fondue is called stupid. The whole meal (except for the soup) is a disaster!
Ramsay sees that Billy has no idea what is wrong. The major problem is the food! Melissa tells Ramsay that she doesn’t’ like the fondue either. She then tells Ramsay she never had a passion for cooking or wanted to be a chef. This shocks Billy but not Ramsay.
Day 2 and Ramsay watches the dinner service and reactions to the food. Bill’s mushroom recipe is not well received. When they run out of vegetables during the service, Ramsay is shocked by the lack to planning and the use of radishes. He also learns that the vegetables were frozen (a no-no in Ramsay’s book). Melissa is keep ing up with the orders but the food is not satisfactory.
Ramsay tries to tell Bill the food isn’t good. Billy is shocked! It’s not bad in everyone’s opinion. Billy is developing a strong “dislike” for Gordon Ramsay!
Day 3 comes and Ramsay inspects the kitchen. Nothing is labeled and the food is going bad. The refrigerator is filthy. Ramsay surmises that the restaurant lacks passion because the owner doesn’t have passion. Billy and Melissa tells Ramsay it is 100 times cleaner than 6 months ago and the refrigerator was cleaned a week ago. Ramsay tells them he has been in the business for 21 years and he knows the restaurant’s kitchen has not been cleaned in years. Billy still seeks credit for the changes (cleaning) he has made but Ramsay doesn’t give any. Ramsay sees Billy as week and says that the restaurant is running him.
Melissa and the wait staff start giving the kitchen area a thorough cleaning. Billy is inside but doesn’t seem to care. Ramsay calls him outside to talk and tells Billy that he “can’t stick his head in the sand.” Billy doesn’t want to take the responsibility though. He says if he did everything, he’d only get two hours sleep a day and drop dead from tiredness. Billy also despises the way Ramsay talks to him. “I wouldn’t talk to my dog like you talked to me!” he tells Ramsay.
Billy goes outside and the wait staff tells Ramsay that he is ashamed. Mary and the others go outside to talk to him but he walks away. He tells them that he would go after Ramsay with a baseball bat but would end up in jail if he did. He continues walking down the street with Ramsay calling him. Billy calls his wife, Carolyn, and tells her to put the restaurant up for sale. He plans to go back to construction.
Carolyn arrives and tells Ramsay that she faces the prospect of running Handlebar alone. She doesn’t know what to do and Ramsay convinces her to let him open the restaurant that night. He shows her how the staff is cleaning and that they support her. She tells Billy she is determined to continue. Ramsay makes an addition to the menu for that night – hand cut potato chips. These will arrive as soon as the customers sit down. There will also be a special appetizer – deep fried clams with tartar sauce.
That night, the restaurant has a crowd and Billy shows up which surprises Carolynn. Billy wanted Ramsay gone and Carolyn sees Bill’s bad attitude toward the needed changes. Billy tells us he only came back for his wife. In the kitchen, Melissa is having trouble completing orders. Billy gets a first hand glimpse of how fluster Melissa gets in the kitchen. While the orders are getting messed up, the customers take out their frustration on each other.
Ramsay meets with Billy, Carolyn, and the staff. Ramsay tells Melissa she has to talk more. Billy thinks he can maybe put aside his hurt feelings to get things done. Ramsay points out the vastness of the menu and tells them it needs to change. Billy is acknowledged as the foundation of the place! After the discussion, the menu will be cut down, Melissa will talk to others, and the relaunch is planned for the next day.
The next day, Ramsay’s team has updated the look of the Handlebar. It is warm, fresh, and looks new. Carolyn thinks it is awesome while Billy said “Wow!” It will now be a “gastro pub” – Long Island’s first. There are 25 gastro pubs in Manhattan doing great. The restaurant will specialty in high quality food. To help with the relaunch, Ramsay brings in Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, and they hold a motorcycle rally. Billy and Carolynn are ecstatic since they love motorcycle rallies. Billy was surprised that Ramsay could ride a motorcycle. When they return, the new menu is rolled out. Billy thinks that it is phenomenal. Ramsay tells Melissa that she must make a statement that night.
The reopening sees a crowd – hardly a chair empty – but things are going well in the kitchen. Melissa isn’t talking. Bill thinks Melissa needs to be more assertive. While they are dealing with Melissa, Dee Snider and his family and friends arrive. The announcement is made that the motorcycle will be auctioned off for charity with bids being made on the website. Still Melissa is causing problems in the kitchen. She refuses to ask for help. Billy tells her to communicate and something changes. Suddenly, Melissa is asking the other chefs for help! She finally is understanding Ramsay’s reason for communication in the kitchen.
During the service that night, Billy admits to seeing screw-ups but is proud that they managed tow ork through it. Melissa found her passion (or developed a passion) again for cooking. She’s learned to communicate with those around her. Wait staff is taking pride and even going so far as to help clean up the place after service. Billy sees them moving ahead from here. Ramsay ends the night with telling them as he leaves: “This place is going to be a success!”
It’s interesting when you visit the website today. The following quote shows their dedication to following Gordon Ramsay’s advice:
Quote
It took the famous chef Gordon Ramsay to remind us who we are & what we are about. We are not about being a stuff white linen tablecloth restaurant. We are about being the best First “Gastro Pub” on Long Island to bring you something more than your normal Pub Grub. We will find the best intriguing recipes for you to try on our blackboard specials. All our food is prepared fresh daily including our sauces and potato chips. So stop by, have a drink, a bite to eat & relax a while.
The motorcycle is up for bid and can be found at: AUCTION
The winning bid will see the money going to the March of Dimes.
