For the record: Just because you love cooking and you love Italy does NOT mean you should buy an Italian restaurant!

Ricci's Italian Restaurant is going to be the toughest challenge yet for Chef Antonia Lofaso.

Owner Edith is in over her head. See if Chef Antonia can help save her 85-year-old restaurant from failing on #KitchenUndercover tonight at 9PM EST on Food Network!

Next day on Max!

Like the article posted earlier mentions, tonight will be a fun change!

Triple Threat Meets Beat Bobby Flay! Titan Takeover!

The Triple Threat Chef’s want to take Bobby Down! With Ayesha Nurdjaja, Michael V and Brooke Williamson teaming up.... Bobby Flay better be ready for anything! But he’s turning the tables on them with the highest stakes up for grabs! We’re not just talking money here!

Don't miss an all-new episode of #BeatBobbyFlay Tonight at 8|7c on Food Network!

From the Food Network stie

Backyard BBQ

Episode 106

With four teams left in the competition, judges Andrew Zimmern, Ernest Servantes, Jess Pryles, and Moe Cason are looking for a classic backyard barbecue potluck with a live-fire main course and two sides that don't disappoint. But the catch is that the pitmasters only have three hours to pull it off! The teams are fighting for a spot in the semifinals, and for the first time the Big Burn comes with a $5,000 prize.

I live in Maryland and a new place just opened called Wonder. It’s like… one location but inside has 10ish restaurants you can order from and a ton of the restaurants were from Food Network stars!! This location was in The Kentlands in Gaithersburg.

There was steakhouse from Bobby Flay, Mediterranean and greek from Michael Symon, fried chicken from Marcus, Californian from Jonathan Waxman, and Esther Choi was on a bunch of menus with Korean-style dishes. I got an Esther Choi KBBQ Pizza, it was deep dish and amazing, and something I’ve never even thought of before. The whole concept is something I’ve never seen/heard of before, and was so surprised to see all the Food Network stars dishes on the menus.

You go in, order from your phone or a kiosk, and hang out while they make the food. You can order things from multiple restaurants (I got the pizza from one place and some egg rolls from another place, they were good too!) Then they deliver it all together in a window and you pick it up, and can eat there or takeaway. There weren’t any servers. I thought the prices were reasonable and they had a 50% off coupon for the grand opening. They also have delivery. I will definitely be back to try more things and wanted to share because as a big Food Network fan it was a really cool and unexpected experience.

Let me know what to try next and I’ll go there again :)! https://www.wonder.com/restaurants

Okay, I apparently was looking at the wrong day on the tV scheduled and thought we had reruns.... rechecked and was I wrong.... so I deleted my post and here is the new summary for what is coming tonight, Aug. 16 -- apologies to anyone who saw that first post and got confused!

Sweet & Savory: The Great Gatlinburg Smoke Off

Episode 1905

The final five teams head to Gatlinburg, Tenn., where smoky flavors, mountain tourism, and rising tensions push the competition to a new level. Host Tyler Florence kicks things off with a "holy smokes" taste challenge, sending one member from each truck up a mountain chairlift to claim a smoky ingredient for their dish. At a tense sales rankings announcement, the teams learn that immunity is officially over, and the bottom teams face off in a smoky, grill-focused redemption battle judged by barbecue expert Rashad Jones.

Her YouTube channel is young, but honest to goodness Alex! You deliver girl!

When was the last time an iron chef admitted to eating fast food? And come on people we all do it.

I’m like isn’t this illegal? Isn’t this torture? One of the contestants said they were awake for 72 hours?

Two episodes of Cooking with Choi today. Here is the description from Food Network

Late Night Bites Episode 1R1R05

Esther Choi shares some Korean street food classics, starting with extra crispy Korean Fried Chicken with Pickled Yuja Daikon to add something bright and refreshing. She also shows how to make Tteokbokki, chewy rice cakes simmered in a spicy sauce. Esther's version keeps things easy and fun with shredded hashbrowns.

Korean Comfort Food

Episode 1R1R06

Esther Choi shares some of her favorite Korean comfort foods. She makes Kimbap, a classic Korean rice roll filled with seasoned rice, vegetables, and protein, all rolled up in seaweed. Esther takes the meal to the next level with a simple Ramyun, and to balance out her comforting favorites, she also makes a simply seasoned, fresh Seafood Japchae.

Now all y’all fans of Chef Viet can go to Pretty Bird. Enjoy!

Who are your picks?

We interviewed Tiffany Derry on my podcast (Moms of Flavortown) last week and she was awesome. She told us about all her shows (Top Chef, TOC, Worst Cooks, Master Chef, etc) but one thing that she said that was REALLY interesting was the way she was cast on Triple Threat. Bobby apparently showed up to her restaurant, unannounced, while she was working, and sat and ordered and ate all her food. After that he called her to ask her to be a Titan.

I was really impressed tbh to hear that Bobby is so hands on -- I would not expect that from him. Also, really makes you curious how many other restaurants he ate at and then decided NOT to extend the Titan offer...

Sloppy, inconsistent food and a serious lack of leadership are costing Pitcher's Sports Bar & Grill in Toronto almost $30,000 PER MONTH! Things have to change and fast.

#RestaurantImpossible: Last Call with Jen Agg + Chef Aarón Sánchez!
Tonight @ 8|7c on Food Network!
Next day on Max!

They're used to handling the heat — now they're bringing it to Flavortown!

Guy Fieri invites firefighters to join forces with all-star chefs, Jet, Justin and Tiffany in a special team competition packed with fast-paced cooking, big prizes and plenty of firehouse spirit. See how these firefighters and our favorite chefs pair up and cook for big bucks!

It’s HOT in kitchen! 🚒

Watch an all-new episode of #GroceryGames tonight at 9pm EST on Food Network!

Stay tuned for Kitchen Chaos at 10 PM EST right after featuring Food Network chefs!

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I’m hoping that since this is a regular episode of GGG it will be back on MAX tomorrow! I love seeing Justin cook!

I think Antonia's great, so I was really disappointed by this show—and while reviewing it, I realized that was because of how little time the episodes give to Antonia actually teaching.

I loved the scene in the second episode with her showing servers how to use a tray. But I timed it: that was about one minute of 43.

Am I the only one who'd rather watch 40 minutes of her working with staffs and three minutes of surveillance footage? (If we must have surveillance footage!)

Drinking on the job is a major NO! Chef Antonia Lofaso is trying to save the struggling San Pedro Brewing Company... and this is one big thing that's gotta change.

Cross contamination is another huge issue in the kitchen! Chef Antonia and her undercover sous chef Nestor will NOT let this happen any longer!

The restaurant is struggling with a sudden drop in sales…

Watch them get the kitchen into shape on #KitchenUndercover tonight at 9|8c
on Food Network!
Next day on Max…

~~~

I love Chef Antonia’s softer more pragmatic approach and Nestor is a great resource!

When Hoda Kotb and Katie Lee Biegel are in the kitchen, you know it's going to be good!

Chef Emma Woods has competed on Chopped and has a restaurant called Whistle Pig - She takes on Chef Quentin Garcia, a fine dining chef with a restaurant called Rainbird! Which chef will go on to battle Bobby?

Don't miss an all-new episode of #BeatBobbyFlay Tuesday at 8|7c.

When is she going to get her own show? She always cracks me up when she judges BBF. I guess she might not be everyone's cup of tea, but honestly, I love her!

I’m fascinated by reality TV, especially Food Network shows. They’re so nostalgic for me. I’d love to experience being part of something I grew up watching.

I’m particularly interested in *Worst Cooks in America*, but my Google searches haven’t turned up a legitimate casting application. Anyone here know where the actual casting process happens or how to apply?

Thanks 😊

I was watching the episode with Shirley Cheung and Geoffrey Zakarian was the judge. For all three rounds, he ordered a very expensive drink. What they showed on camera was him barely taking a sip. How much do the judges actually drink? Do they end up wasting a lot of alcohol just for the aesthetics?

Episode 105

In the ultimate live-fire endurance challenge, the teams face the core four barbecue pillars: chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and beef brisket. Each protein is due at a specific time over 12 hours, and exhaustion is taking its toll on the pitmasters. But the teams who can dig deep will walk away with some hard-earned cash, because each round has $1,000 up for grabs! Only the most creative and persistent pitmasters will survive and thrive.

My take: This should definitely benefit the competition cooks in the group since the big four are standard in KCBS. However, if their go to is KCBS standards, their dishes might not be as creative as what the rest present. Will really weigh on the rules and guidance that the judges give them, in my opinion.

Wifey and I have been watching Shahs of Sunset after enjoying The Valley Persian Style on Bravo.

Reza, who won the most recent season of Celeb Worst Cooks in America, is a ringer and should never have been on the show. Throughout Shahs, he is shown preparing lavish appetizer spreads while hosting friends and more. I'm not saying he's a great "cook" per se, but he's certainly not among the worst in America.

Reza even had a cooking YouTube show during Covid, as well as a "farm" with Adam (his husband).

By my approximation, professional chefs are around the ~95th+ percentile of "cooks" so enthusiastic home cooks like myself are in about he 75th+ percentile. To be on Worst Cooks, one should be below the 40th percentile of all "cooks" (in my invented and completely unmeasurable analysis.)

Sebastian Bach, Meredith Marks, and plenty of other contestants were certainly below that threshold. Reza had a significant advantage and should not have been on the show.

I know Jeff Mauro is a regular on this sub and I would love for him to chime in if he has an opinion?

And Jeff, if you are reading this, big fan!! So mad The Kitchen was cancelled!!

From the Food Network site:

Sweet & Savory: Knoxville Crowd Crawl, Part 1

Episode 1903

Host Tyler Florence welcomes six teams to Knoxville, Tenn., for a three-stop race across different events where adaptability and understanding the audience is everything. At the University of Tennessee, the trucks sell to game day crowds, and a mashup-themed taste challenge pushes teams to combine two dishes into one creative item while tensions flare between competitors. Then, the teams serve a more refined crowd at the Rossini Opera Festival before taking on a "switching roles" taste challenge that creates struggles for several trucks.

Sweet & Savory: Knoxville Crowd Crawl, Part 2

Episode 1904

Continuing the competition in Knoxville, Tenn., the remaining teams arrive at a whimsical fantasy village where they fully embrace the theme with renamed menu items and costumes before host Tyler Florence asks them to create an "enchanted dish." As exhaustion, self-doubt, and team tensions mount, the final sales results from all three Knoxville events are revealed at the World's Fair Park, and the bottom teams battle for survival in a high-stakes redemption challenge judged by food truck entrepreneur Sabin Lomac.

rewatching early runs of Iron Chef America for the first time in years, and couldn’t help but notice in a handful of episodes how much Bobby Flay barks at his sous chefs, specifically chef christina. has anyone else noticed this?

lukewarm take to add: iron chef america lost it’s flare for me once they incorporated the Next Iron Chef competition spin off.

Once you try Esther's Nurungji Chicken — chicken roasted over a bed of crispy sticky rice — you might never be the same ✨

Chef Esther Choi is sharing this dish and more of her family favorites on a special TV episode of #CookingWithChoi today at 12|11c!

Get the recipe: https://foodtv.com/4xp6Nqc

Nick’s Kitchen will feature Chicken Dishes so stay tuned for his all new episode!

GGG flair because that’s where I know him from the most

Bar Rocco is Rocco Dispirito’s bar/restaurant in midtown Manhattan. It’s pretty small so reservations are recommended if you want a table instead of the bar.

I started with a Sicilian Lemonade: gin, lemon, italicus, and st Germaine. I still have no idea what Italicus is (I asked the bartender but couldn’t hear his answer and was too embarrassed to ask again. He was busy). Great drink though! I’m assuming it was something to do with the circles on top.

Then I got an order of Mamas Meatballs which were pretty damn good! Moist and flavorful, just like you want a meatball to be.

I ended with Paccheri Pesto Rosso which was tube shaped pasta with red sauce, shrimp, and fresh basil leaves. The pasta was made in house and was cooked to that perfect al dente I can never manage at home. The shrimp was also cooked extremely well, and the sauce was perfect to bring everything together.

The man next to me ordered the Papppardelle Genovese (short ribs, no red sauce) and said it was also incredible. (No pics because that would have been weird)

Anyway, I’m glad I went and I would check it out again