“We’re sinking like the Titanic in here.” – Gordon Ramsay
Paul Bazzini considers himself to be a good chef. “But Paul never anticipated the transition from star chef to owner would be so difficult,” we’re told.
The pressures of running a restaurant in Ridgewood, New Jersey while being the head chef took its toll over the years, and now Paul says, “I am distracted, I am frustrated, I am angry.”
“Everyone knows that he’s just not good about criticism,” Sharyn, the pastry chef, chimes in with a certain sarcastic glint in her eyes.
Paul’s wife adds that she’s supporting the restaurant, and in the process their kids’ college fund has been wiped out and they’re getting closer to being at the point of not being able to pay the bills to keep the lights on any longer.
Gordon Ramsay shows up to Bazzini the restaurant “unannounced” to try out their lunch menu, as is his wont, but it’s absolutely ridiculous that he “realizes” (and is thus “shocked”) when he arrives that it’s only open for dinner during the week. As a grizzled reality TV viewer, I fully understand there’s always some level of manipulation and editing going on with the “real world” on television, but things such as this take you out of the enjoyment of the proceedings.
In any event, Ramsay finally meets up with Paul, and Gordon lets him know right away that the restaurant feels “like living inside a dollhouse,” as it’s a narrow space and feels cramped.
“Entrée comes with sound effects,” Gordon snarks as he bounces on a squeaky seat.
Alex the waiter then serves Ramsay fettucine (“bland”) and some kind of chicken dish (“it’s like a f—ing elephant’s foot”). Non-shockingly, Chef Ramsay is not pleased. Back in the kitchen, Paul Bazzini flips out immediately at the feedback, so you know that this is going to an episode with some true Kitchen Nightmares in the offing.
The mushroom risotto is served, and amazingly it’s so glued to the plate that Gordon is able to flip the dish completely upside down and nothing falls off of it. Who knows if this bit is staged or not, but I enjoyed this bit.
Surprisingly, Sharyn’s carrot cake and other dessert dishes turned out to be delicious, and Ramsay and pastry chef end up getting along famously.
Sharyn breaks down Paul’s challenge with the first dinner service under Ramsay’s watchful eye coming up: “It’s like you either gotta s— or get off the pot.”
Just hopefully not a pot located in the Bazzini kitchen, I’d assume.
Meanwhile, Sharyn is clearly smitten with Ramsay, telling him she likes his aftershave and the camera that he has “an adorable butt.”
During the course of the day, Leslie, Paul’s wife and co-owner, has become increasingly distraught. “I feel like Paul is losing his artistry,” she says, tearing up.
Dinner service doesn’t go well, between burnt crab cakes going out and not much food going out overall, leaving the diners frustrated. Something I haven’t quite considered before is that it’s likely that the diners we see during Kitchen Nightmares are likely coach and/or prepped in some way with regard to how to “act” during filming of the show… but I have no hard evidence to back this up to be fair.
Back in the kitchen, Paul tells his staff things like, “Contrary to popular opinion, I do know a few f—ing things, okay?” Sharyn’s take: “If he were a woman, he would have PMS 24/7.”
It’s kind of amazing and a little bit funny when Paul reaches a level of freak out where he says things like, “Why can’t we just make a Chicken Milanese a f—ing Chicken Milanese?”
Eventually, Chef Ramsay screeches things to a halt, shuts the kitchen down, and sends Bazzini’s diners on home.
Which means it’s time for a Classic Tough Love chat between Gordon and Paul, of course. “Whyyy”… doesn’t Paul have the passion and fire any more, Ramsay asks/whines. Eventually, he gets Paul to crack as intended and, like the Drill Seargent he wishes he could have been, Gordon orders Paul to get some sleep so they can get that old turnaround started in the A.M.
The next day, Ramsay drills the staff (there’s that word again) on busting dishes out of the kitchen faster, and challenges Paul to crank a “stunning pasta dish” out of the kitchen within 15 minutes. This foreshadows the era of Hell’s Kitchen and Next Level Chef (and umpteen other food-based competition reality shows), people!
Gordon enjoyed Paul’s capellini, to the Bazzini chef’s relief, and then opens Paul up about his passion for pasta, which he feels is a “blank canvas” to express his creativity.
Gordon then puts on his Marketing Hat and decides to open Bazzini for lunch, where they are to serve “the most amazing two-course lunch” with the idea of keeping it simple and turning over tables while serving great dishes.
With a few hiccups here and there, the lunch service went well, and Paul and the Bazzini seemed to pick up confidence in the restaurant’s future by the end.
Then we’re ready for the reveal for the new Bazzini, post-renovation, replete with a new trellis and awning. Sheryl has “ants in her pants” and loves the new décor for her part. And now Leslie is teary eyed in appreciation. And meanwhile, the menu has been overhauled with cook-to-order pasta dishes that can be turned out quickly.
Things don’t start off very well, and we get a, “It’s f—ing raw,” from Chef Gordon to Chef Paul in the kitchen. That sends Paul into the Panic Zone pretty quickly, and once again we have a room full of diners waiting for entrees again. This is interspersed with Gordon yelling quasi-strategic advice at Paul, like, “You’ve got to manipulate the board to your advantage!”
Then Gordon heads into a Panic Iceberg himself: “We’re sinking like the Titanic in here.” And arguably even better: “Guys, please start cooking!” And then meanwhile while all of this is going on, Al the sous chef decided to take the opportunity to go missing.
Ramsay jumped in to help cook the lamb and risotto, and all went into rally the troops to save the night mode. Finally, the food came out and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Which… with Gordon Ramsay helping to cook, it’s hard to say what that means for the future prospects of Bazzini.
Usually, at this point Gordon and Kitchen Nightmares would take on an optimistic note, but instead Ramsay laid into Paul about sending out undercooked food and questioned his overall commitment. He even called him big boy at one point, which I would absolutely hate, were I in Paul’s shoes.
“You’ve got to start seriously telling yourself some home truths,” Ramsay concludes.
In the episode’s epilogue, we learn that Bazzini is hanging in there with a new sous chef, and also that Sharyn left “to get away from Paul” and to open up her own dessert business.
🍽 Want more? Check out Pop Thruster’s Kitchen Nightmares episode reviews (there’s a lot).
Kitchen Nightmares, “Bazzini”: is it still open, and what’s going on with it these days?
Bazzini closed, “shuttered.” Ouch!
Chefs and owners Paul and Leslie Bazzini couldn’t maintain the traction that Ramsay helped establish after visiting this Italian-American bistro whose food was cold, greasy, mushy and in some cases, “disgusting.” The only redeeming elements were pastry chef Sharyn’s desserts. She ended up breaking away to start her own pastry business shortly before Bazzini shuttered.
Some stats and info about Kitchen Nightmares, “Bazzini”
TV SHOW – Kitchen Nightmares
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 2, Episode 3
AIRED ON – February 5th, 2010
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – FOX
EPISODE DESCRIPTION – Chef Ramsay journeys to Ridgewood, New Jersey to rejuvenate Bazzini, an Italian eatery hampered by sluggish service and a lackluster kitchen staff.
GENRE – Docuseries, Office Culture, Trashtastic TV, Food Shows
CAST – Gordon Ramsay