Sandra Lee Outtakes

Slow news week for things involving the Food Network, so I will leave you with a screenshot of Sandra Lee grabbing her breasts during her infamous 'Semi-Homemade' outtakes released last year.

If you are interested in watching the video of her doing this and swearing, go to Eater to check it out as it has been removed from Youtube.  Hopefully we are treated to her yearly Halloween special again this year.  Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Restaurant: Impossible - Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant Update

Tonight's Restaurant: Impossible has Robert Irvine going to Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant in Lebanon, New Hampshire.  As in the past, I looked at reviews the restaurant has received since Robert's May visit, as well as local articles about the restaurant to get the real story, because of course sales will go up when the Food Network showcases your restaurant.  There surprisingly weren't too many bad reviews before Robert even came to visit, but it looks like they had 2 locations, and had to shut down the other location due to lack of consistent business, so maybe that is the reason why the owners reached out to Restaurant: Impossible.  One thing that was interesting is that they closed the restaurant May 4th, and reopened May 5th at 7pm, which is Cinco De Mayo.  You would think Cinco De Mayo would have already been a busy day for the restaurant, and they would have liked to pick a different date, but I guess when you are getting $10,000 of renovations and free exposure, you cannot pick your date.

Food Network News for the Week

 Just some updates for the week in Food Network news:

• Guy Fieri teamed up with Sodexto to create "Guy Fieri On Campus (GFOC), a fast casual retail dining concept featuring his unique culinary style with hints of Italian, Asian and Mexican flavors - the kind of food featured regularly on the TV host's shows and in his restaurants, Tex Wasabi's and Johnny Garlic's"  The food is "awesome," Guy is "psyched," and its going to be "Off the Hook!" 

Restaurant: Impossible 50th Episode Special

Just a reminder that tonight is a special episode of Restaurant Impossible and that it will air at 9pm EST rather than its normal 10pm EST time slot.  The first episode aired in January of 2011, so they have been pumping out episodes pretty much non-stop to get to the 50th episode.  I guess we will see how many restaurants have failed since Robert's visit, but with such a small time frame since the beginning of the show, most will probably still be in operation.  Here is a description of the episode and what will be in the special:

Chopped Grill Masters Final

The Chopped Grill Masters finale is tonight with the final 4 competing for the $50,000 prize.  Below are the competitors that won the first 4 episodes to get to the final, and a quick bio on each:

Episode 1 Winner - Ray Lampe aka Dr. BBQ
If you think you recognize Ray from being on the Food Network before, you would be right.  He has been on Tailgate Warriors with Guy Fieri, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  He has also been on many other TV shows and radio stations as a BBQ expert.  Ray has written 5 cookbooks and has won over 300 BBQ awards.

Anne Burrell's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef Canceled

According to Anne Burrell on Twitter, the Food Network decided not to bring back Secrets of a Restaurant Chef for another season.  However, she said that there "WILL BE another 'in the kitchen' show," so we will have to keep a look out for that.  Also, they are casting for Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell as well as Worst Cooks in America, so you will still be able to get your Anne Burrell fix.  I guess the Food Network needed to make room for all the Deen's and Triple D reruns.

Reminder that Wedding: Impossible airs tonight at 10pm, and will show you details of Robert Irvine and Gail Kim's wedding.

Extreme Chef Season 2 Starts Tonight

Tonight, the 2nd season of Extreme Chef begins on the Food Network at 10pm.  I am a bit surprised this show got renewed after the first season.  This season is probably full of chefs you have never heard of and includes: Viet Pham from Utah, Susanne Dillingham from North Carolina, Lance Knowling from New Jersey, Tiffany Ward from Hawaii, Terry French from New Jersey, Isadora Sarto from Massachusetts, and Scott Brandolini from Massachusetts.  The Food Network has upped the prize from $10,000 last season to $50,000 dollars this season.  So tune in if you want to watch chefs you do not know cook in unsanitary conditions in the wild.  Will you be watching?

Best Sandwich in America Winner Crowned

Although not on the Food Network, tonight was the finale of Best Sandwich in America.  Think Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives meets the Sandwich King with Adam Richman hosting.  There were 10 finalists representing different areas of the country and 2 additional wildcards for a total of 12 sandwiches.

The Finalists with the wildcards were:

Northeast: DiNic’s - Philadelphia, PA - Roast Pork Sandwich

South: Zunzi’s - Savannah, GA - Chicken Conquistador Sandwich

Melissa D'Arabian Releases First Cookbook Today - Ten Dollar Dinners

Melissa D'Arabian released her first cookbook, Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes & Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week today.  The book is filled with recipes that are supposed to feed a family of four for $10 or less.  It costs more to buy the book than it does to feed a family of four. 

If you are interested in entering to win an autographed copy of the book, head here.  Or if you want a chance to win an unsigned copy of the book, head here or here.

Also, she is doing book signings if you want to check them out in your area.  The dates. times, and locations are below:

Guy Fieri's Lamborghini Thief Involved in Jailbreak Attempt

Back in May of this year, Guy Fieri got his Lamborghini back after it had been stolen and missing for over a year.  Max Wade was the suspect accused of the theft after they found the Lamborghini when searching his storage unit from an unrelated arrest.  Max has been in Marin County Juvenile Hall ever since the arrest and is awaiting trial.  Today was Max's 18th birthday, which meant he was going to be moved out of the Juvenile Hall and transferred to the adult Marin County Jail.

Restaurant: Impossible - Stella's Italian Restaurant Update

Tonight's Restaurant: Impossible has Robert Irvine going to Stella's Italian Restaurant in Stratford, CT.  As I did last week, I took a look at the reviews the restaurant has received since Robert's April visit, as well as local articles about the restaurant, and it doesn't look too good for Stella's after my research.  We will see if the Food Network spins it positively with their update.  There were many reviews on Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Google, so we are not dealing with a small sample size with all of the negative reviews.  If you want to wait until the episode airs to read on, just come back after you watch the episode.  Let's check out some of the highlights or should I say low-lights in the reviews:

The Next Iron Chef Redemption Cast Announced

Well, not officially, but Alton Brown posted this picture on Twitter:

Looking at the picture, the cast will include:

FYI Guy Fieri is Cooler Than You

Or should I say kewler than you as Guy would?  Tonight is the season premiere of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  Somehow, the show began 5 years ago, but is already in its 15th season, which is probably the reason we see the show and its reruns on the Food Network nonstop.  Guy likes to use Twitter solely to brag about everything he is doing, so lets take a look at some of his tweets:

Food Network In The News - 8/02/2012

The Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival starts a week from today August 9-12 and will feature celebrities such as Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Michael Chiarello, Duff Goldman, Wolfgang Puck, and Andrew Zimmern.  There will also be a lot of past Top Chef contestants. (www.lafw.com)

Kara Sigle from Food Network Star shared her experience from the show such as being miked up to 20 hours a day and having to stay sequestered in New York after being eliminated so people couldn't determine the outcome of the show. (www.sj-r.com)

Restaurant: Impossible - Italian Village Update

Tonight's episode of Restaurant: Impossible is at Italian Village in Milmont Park, PA, so I decided to take a look at the reviews the restaurant has received since its April visit from Robert Irvine. 

• A story back in April from a local writer who went to the big reveal had some negative tones in it in which the locals from Delaware County, PA did not appreciate and disagreed with.  

• It seems as if the local people give the restaurant good reviews, while the people visiting just because Restaurant: Impossible was there seem to have more negative reviews.