I felt so sorry for the couple running the restaurant “Grasshopper Also” in tonight’s episode of Kitchen Nightmares. First of all, because they’re my people (Irish) serving up my people’s food (which they don’t do so well, to say the least.) The whole place is just a mess. See, the married couple has been running the place for 16 years, with the “help” of the Father-in-law, a cheeky old bloke named Chief. The FIL hates the SIL (Mitch), which puts the daughter smack in the middle of a nasty sandwich. (Wait. Am I reviewing The Bold and the Beautiful?) Nay. This is a true story. Try to follow along.
The main things you need to know are these. There’s trouble. The cooks are completely goofing around and could give a four leaf clover. The refrigerators are so disgusting that Gordon shuts down the restaurant for the night. I mean, there’s “blood” in the mozzarella stick bin. The blood of nearby dead cows being stored and leaking down! I’m gagging! I’m never eating out again, unless My Gordon wants to take me to one of his restaurants for a small teté-a-teté. Then, I shall consider it.
The FIL just bitches and bitches to anyone in hearing distance about the Mitch (you remember, the SIL). In Ireland, he’d be called a “gobshite.” However, when you really get a look at Mitch, the guy is just useless. My hubs and I were wondering how Mitch could own and run this establishment for sixteen years, and still not know how to expedite, order merchandise, make sure the kitchen doesn’t have the potential to have maggots, or get his people to listen to him.
Flash to a lot of crying, hair pulling, screaming and swearing. And that’s just Mitch! Poor guy was so beaten down by everything, he could barely function. Even after a modernization of the decor, excellent pep talks from the wife and Gordon, and a new computer system — he just couldn’t seem to get it together. Gordon did all he could, including bringing in a local chef to help get the yahoos in the kitchen in order.
But at the end of the day, Gordon points out that it is ultimately up to them — to work out the family issues, and for someone anyone to step up and lead this place. I wouldn’t be at all surprised, if we see “Grasshopper Also” has gone down in a future “revisited” episode.
In the meantime, “Slainte!”
One of the first things they teach you in culinary school is how to organize a fridge… all things potentially eaten raw/not cooked any more that it already is is put at the very top.