By Jennifer Larson

On tonight’s menu at KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, we get a serving of sub-par food and lackluster service at the Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe, N.Y. Wow, there’s a shocker for you, a failing restaurant that has bad food and service, who’d a thunk it? Right off the bat, we hear the owner, Dean, call his consistent clientele a bunch of blue hairs. Now that’s not a nice way to describe the elderly, especially when they are the only ones frequenting your establishment. But help arrives quickly, in the form of one Chef Ramsey, who rides in on his motorcycle like a knight charging in on his trusty steed. As usual, he dubiously eyes the menu and chooses the least offensive offerings he can find. But he’s immediately put off by a wait staff that does just that … makes him wait; not too mention chomping on gum when he finally does arrive. Gordon was even less impressed with his first taste of the restaurant’s food, but that’s just par for the course on this show. And the owner was more than just a little annoyed, when Gordon began attacking his restaurant. I’ve said it time and time again; if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Ok I didn’t say it, but seriously, these owners act as if they have no idea what’s coming when they invite Chef Ramsey into their lives. But as we know, that doesn’t stop this perfectionist from giving these owners the best advice he can, even if it means he has to beat it into them.

While Gordon doesn’t actually physically beat anything into people, he comes close with his acid tongue. Actually, I think some of these people would rather have a good pounding than hear the brutal truth of what they are doing to screw up their business. But this owner will lose everything, if he doesn’t listen to and put into practice everything Gordon tells him to. He has a family and a home to protect, so it’s not just a matter of being able to keep his restaurant open. What I can’t understand is why these owners and managers never seem to know what’s going on in the most important part of the restaurant, the kitchen. While the owner is out in the front schmoozing with the customers, the head chef is in the weeds in the back. Pressured by the owner, the head chef, Mike, has been sending food out too quickly, knowing that it isn’t up to par. Uh oh, that’s a big no no in the world of Gordon Ramsey, but the fault really lies with the Dean, and this leads to a nasty battle of words between him and Ramsey. Hey, this wouldn’t be KITCHEN NIGHTMARES if there weren’t a good fight.


They good news is that the décor of the Olde Stone Mill is quit lovely, although it is part of the package to redo it, so redo they did. But the bulk of the work was on revamping the menu and an attitude adjustment for Dean. At least chef Mike didn’t have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the table to learn some tricks of the trade. Gordon decided the Olde Stone Mill needed to relaunch as a hearty steak restaurant, which didn’t go over too well with the owner at first. Apparently he was afraid to lose his customer base. Now come on, if he had a decent customer base, Chef Ramsey wouldn’t be there. Honestly, where do the producers get these people? Luckily, much to Dean’s credit, he eventually did get onboard with the changes. Except for a few minor glitches, things turned around at the Olde Stone Mill, but this is Chef Gordon Ramsey, so did we really ever have any doubts?