Angelo's From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Angelo's Restaurant in Woodstock, IL, which was featured on season 6 of Restaurant Impossible, has closed after 39 years in business.  The Woodstock Independent reported that Angelo's has closed, and that a new restaurant will take over the location.

In that article, an owner stated that his family and the community lost connection with Angelo's after the renovation.  Also, he stated that after Restaurant Impossible, the family realized the restaurant wasn't theirs anymore and it was time to move on.  The changes done by Restaurant Impossible were 'too many changes, too quickly.'  The family also thanked the community for their 39 years worth of support.

This is the 3rd restaurant from season 6 (2013) of Restaurant Impossible to close, and the Restaurant Impossible Update Page has been updated to show this.

Food Network's January 2014 Programming Highlights

The Food Network has put out a press release detailing the programming in January on the channel, which includes a lot of new and returning series.  Some of the highlights include:

• The series debut of The Kitchen on Saturday January 4th.
• The season 3 premiere of Rachael Vs Guy: Celebrity Cookoff on Monday January 6th.
• The series premiere of Chopped Canada on Thursday January 9th that Dean McDermott is hosting.
• New daytime episodes of Barefoot Contessa, Rachael Ray's 3 In The Bag, Sandwich King, Trisha's Southern Kitchen, Pioneer Woman, Giada At Home, and Guy's Big Bite.
• New primetime episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen (one with Giada De Laurentiis as the judge), Restaurant Impossible, Mystery Diners, Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Restaurant Stakeout, Iron Chef America, and On The Rocks.

The full press release that includes episode descriptions is below:

Food Network's Solution For Declining Numbers - MORE Guy Fieri

Photo - Food Network

Have you been watching the Food Network lately and thinking, "I wish there were more Guy Fieri shows on here."?  Well, you are in luck as the Food Network is beginning to show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives EVERY night during the week between 11pm and midnight.

Variety reported this and had quotes from Food Network's Bob Tuschman, where he said the episodes of "Triple D" will run at 11pm for an "indefinite" amount of time.  They made the decision as they have a “deep library” of episodes filmed and the show is “upbeat.”  Bob Tuschman also said they "thought it would make the perfect late-night accompaniment, a nightcap before you want to go to bed.”

Ducky's From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Ducky's Family Restaurant in Kokomo, Indiana, which was on the current season (season 7) of Restaurant Impossible has closed as of Tuesday, December 16th.

Ducky's posted this on their Facebook page yesterday:

"The time has come for us to say goodbye. Thank you Kokomo for allowing us to serve you for the past 35 years. We will miss serving you. Merry Christmas! And a prosperous New Year!"

There are comments referring to the IRS taking the restaurant on that Facebook post.  Someone also let me know about the closing on Twitter saying that the restaurant was open for breakfast on Tuesday, and the cops came and locked the door for not paying their taxes.  He also provided me with a picture of the notice on the door, which is below:

Restaurant Impossible - Goombazz Big City Eatzz Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Rock Island, Illinois to makeover Goombazz Big City Eatzz.  The restaurant has only been open for one year and is struggling to attract customers to earn a profit.  Robert discovers that the owner Sal's short temper is driving people away such as his co-owner, the staff and the former GM.  The restaurant is also supposedly $300,000 in debt.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Goombazz Big City Eatzz to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Kalico Kitchen From Restaurant Impossible Has Closed

Kalico Kitchen in Douglas, Michigan, which was on season 6 of Restaurant Impossible has closed.  A few readers notified me last week about the restaurant closing saying there was a for sale sign outside, and that the bank took the property due to it being in foreclosure.

The restaurant recently posted a message on their Facebook page stating:

"Please be advised it is with a heavy heart that we want to let you know we are closed. Thank you all for 37 wonderful years in business. Keep sending positive thoughts this way!"

'Beat Bobby Flay' Judges Include Giada De Laurentiis, Justin Warner, Scott Conant & More

Photo - Instagram

Back in August, a new Throwdown type show with Bobby Flay, called Beat Bobby Flay, aired a pilot episode on the Food Network.  Then in October, the show was picked up for a season and started the process of casting competitors to go against Bobby Flay.  For the pilot episode, Jeff Mauro and Alex Guarnaschelli were judges, and it was not known if they would be on every episode or just on the pilot.

The filming of Beat Bobby Flay happened this past week and by looking at social media, it appears there will be rotating judges for the show.  The photo to the right was on Katie Lee's Instagram and said "How does a girl get so lucky? Filming today w/ @bobbyflay and @conantnyc @foodnetwork"

Also, the below photo of Eden Grinshpan (from the Cooking Channel) and Justin Warner appeared on Eden's Instagram which said "Judging table with @eatfellowhumans #foodnetworklife #iloveit!"

Robert Irvine's eat! To Close Permanently

Back in October, Robert Irvine's eat! restaurant in Hilton Head, SC abruptly closed for emergency repairs, and the restaurant space was also listed for sale/lease with all equipment included.  The restaurant did reopen after the repairs, but they were still trying to decide whether they wanted to renew the lease for the restaurant.

It appears that Robert Irvine decided not to renew the lease, and that the restaurant will be closing for good after December 31st.  There will be a New Years Eve farewell party at the restaurant, which will be the last night it is open.

On a post on the restaurant's Facebook page, the restaurant stated:

Watch the SNL Guy Fieri Christmas Special

This weekend on Saturday Night Live, Bobby Moynihan did his Guy Fieri impression in a spoof of a Guy Fieri Christmas Special.  The fake special was called 'Guy Fieri's Full Throttle Christmas Special.'  Guests of the Christmas special include fake versions of Kid Rock, Criss Angel, Bret Michaels, Kimbo Slice, Mimi from Drew Carey, Verne Troyer, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Big Ang, The Duck Dynasty cast, and the cast of Pawn Stars.



The video of the sketch is after the jump:

Amy Thielen's Heartland Table Renewed For 2nd Season

Amy Thielen's Heartland Table, which premiered on the Food Network in September, has already been renewed for a 2nd season.  Look for the season to begin some time in March on the Food Network.

Amy Thielen announced on her Facebook page:

"Food Network announces it! "#HeartlandTable will be back early next year." THANK YOU to everyone who asked for more! I'm putting my all into season 2."

Heartland Table's first season was a 6-episode season produced by Lidia Bastianich's company, and started around the same time of her book release.  Heartland Table had a lot of comments about people liking the show and her book is highly rated, so it seems that people like Amy Thielen and her Midwestern concept of cooking.

Rachael Ray's Boobs In Rachael Vs. Guy Promo

The Food Network has been airing a 30-second promo for Rachael Vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off which is beginning January 6th on the Food Network.  In the promo, Rachael Ray is wearing a low cut shirt, which many people have complained about online including on Twitter, Facebook and even on the Rachael Ray Show and Food Network Facebook pages.

Comments on the Food Network Facebook page include:

• "I would really rethink your promo commercial for Rachel vs Guy Celebrity Cook off...Rachel's low cut shirt and display of way to much cleavage is frankly distasteful. If I wanted that much breast I'd go cook a chicken." 
• "omg! Rachel Ray needs to cover her cleavage! just saw the commercial for celebrity cook-off."
• "Rachael Ray, you "Spoil" the TV Commercial ad for this..(Put those "girls" away!)" 

There are also 4 pages worth of people talking about it on a DC Mom forum

Video of the 30-second promo that has people talking is below:

Food Network's 'The Kitchen' - More Information About The Show

Photo - Multivu

The Food Network finally made the official announcement about their daytime talk show called The Kitchen, which will air on Saturday mornings starting January 4th at 11am ET/PT.  It was announced here back in October, with the show originally being called 'The Scoop.'  Despite the name change, they stuck with the Mad Lib naming convention of 'The _____(verb/noun)' that all talk shows seem to be using now.  There was also a Google Hangout after Food Network's Thanksgiving Live to help promote the show.

In the announcement today, the type of segments and things they will talk about on the show were revealed.  Co-Hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro, Marcela Valladolid and Geoffrey Zakarian will talk about food trends, recipes, and family meal tips and also have trivia games and twitter questions from viewers.

The premise of each episode was also talked about in the press release:

Restaurant Impossible - LBI Pancake House, Ship Bottom Firehouse (Holiday: Impossible 2)

Photo - Food Network

Tonight in a special edition of Holiday: Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Ship Bottom, New Jersey to help out LBI Pancake House and the Ship Bottom Volunteer Fire Company.  This is the second Holiday: Impossible, which have helped areas devastated by natural disasters.  The first was in Joplin, Missouri after a tornado, while this one is in Ship Bottom, NJ to help rebuild after Hurricane Sandy.

Instead of the normal 2 days and $10,000 usually does, the show will be spending 3 days and $50,000 to help repair damage at LBI Pancake House and the Ship Bottom Fire Company.  As this is a special, I will not do the normal update or include it in the stats for the show.  So, just enjoy a show where Robert is helping people who appreciate it and doesn't have to deal with clueless owners, bad food, and the normal drama.

Drake Skips Grammy Nomination Concert To Hang Out With... Guy Fieri?

Photo - Twitter

Drake was supposed to perform tonight at the Grammy Nomination Concert on CBS, but has pulled out due to a "scheduling conflict" according to TMZ.  Drake is in the middle of a nationwide tour, but there is no concert scheduled until tomorrow night.

Last night, Guy Fieri posted the picture on the right to Twitter and said "My brutha @drake cookin' it up Nikos & Sikey at Voula's Offshore Cafe tonight." (Voula's is in Washington, where a recent Drake show was performed.)

Of course, he is Guy's "brutha".  Hopefully Drake's scheduling conflict wasn't that he wanted to spend more time with his "brutha" Guy Fieri.

You may remember last year around this time, the internet went crazy when a photograph was posted with Guy and Drake cooking together in a kitchen.  That picture is below:

Restaurant Impossible - Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Oak Creek, Wisconsin to makeover Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant.  There is a volatile relationship between the owners and their son, and they seem to argue over everything 'from the food they serve to the artwork on the wall.'  One of the owners walks out during the makeover and vows never to return.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Big Mama's Kitchen - New Food Network Show

There is a new show premiering on the Food Network Friday night at 10:30pm ET called Big Mama's Kitchen.  Given the time slot of the show and the fact that only one episode is on the schedule, this is most likely a pilot episode.  The show is airing in between re-runs of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and late on a Friday night, which probably isn't good for ratings.

The show description states:

"The best soul food in Nebraska is found at Big Mama's Kitchen. With three generations working in the restaurant, emotions are high as new recipes are debated and new employees are tested. No matter what's thrown at them, this family sticks together."

You may remember Big Mama's Kitchen as being on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives a few years ago.  The episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that Big Mama's was on is actually airing before the pilot.  The restaurant is located in an old school, and the owner got Guy Fieri to try a pig ear.

Below is the video of the episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that Big Mama's was on:

New Celebrity Chopped Tonight On Food Network

Photo - Food Network

Tonight at 10pm on Food Network is another new episode of 'celebrity' Chopped.  This special episode has Anthony Anderson, Dawn Wells, Antonio Sabato Jr., and Teri Hatcher competing for $10,000 for the charity of their choice.

If you aren't familiar with these celebrities, here is what they are most known for:

• Anthony Anderson - Actor on the TV show Hang Time, and movies such as Me, Myself, and Irene, Barbershop, and Scary Movie 3 and 4.  He is also a frequent judge on Iron Chef America.
• Dawn Wells - She was Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island.  She is 75 years old now.
• Teri Hatcher - TV actress most known for her role on ABC's Desperate Housewives.
• Antonio Sabato Jr. - Known for his acting role on soap opera General Hospital back in the 90's.

I will update this post after the episode airs with the order of eliminations and also reveal who won.