Check Please appearances

Anyone here been on Check Please?If so what restaurant did you recommend?I recognized Rick Kogan who I think wrote Dr Nightlife,before I was of drinking age.Val of Val's Halla.Rick Garcia.

If you were to appear,what restaurant would you recommend?LTH would be an obvious choice unless you wanted to keep it in the family.What would be a less obvious choice?Both a cheap eats and an upscale option.

I applied to be on to talk about Hop Leaf. I got an initial call where I was interviewed about the restaurant. They told me their time line for getting back to folks, but I never got a call back. The only reason I was at home to get their call is because I was really sick, I am sure that impacted my interview performance, but I didnt think to say "I'm really sick, can we talk later in the week?" because I was so excited about the call. Silly me. I am very curious to see if the Hop Leaf shows up on the show in the new season.

I applied and initially offered El Llano. Then, after realizing that nearly all the staff at El Llano speak no English, I changed my choice to the much more upscale La Quebrada. I had a telephone interview where I lovingly extolled the hand made tortillas and other fare at one of Chicagoland's great restaurants, but I never heard back from them subsequent to the telephone interview.

To be honest, I got the impression that the whole thing was a bit of a scam. I've mentioned this story before on Chowhound, but after I did my interview, I got e-mails for months telling me that I was in the running but that WTTW had not yet picked up the show for a new season and that it was incumbant on me to call Channel 11 to show support for Check Please. I really imagined that they dangled this lure out there in front of a lot of people to get them to do their sell job. After all these we need your help e-mails, the next one was, we've filmed all the shows, stay tuned. You'd think at one point, they'd say thanks for auditioning we did not use you.

I get the impression from the people actually on the show that they rarely if ever use "ordinary folks" who call in. Rather, I think they pick from their friends and other media creatures for effect.

Rob

I got a call after submitting an app for Spoon Thai, talking about the thai language menu and the kindness of Chai and Wanna, and they went as far as to ask me to pencil in a date last december, but then they didn't follow up with me.

I didn't feel scammed - they were upfront about when they would use me and when i could expect to hear from them by.

Was that the distaff side of the kudho family featured at La Bruquena on "Check Please" this week?

I am sorry to say I've never eaten at this place...I think. The male reviewer came up with one of those quotes that is right up there with the famous "fire" comment:

"It's not called 'Nice, Please.' La Bruquena is run by wonderful people turning out amazingly bad food."

David Hammond wrote:Was that the distaff side of the kudho family featured at La Bruquena on "Check Please" this week?

Yes, absolutely! Phylis, aka Mrs. Kudho, was on for a brief, yet glorious, moment in the La Bruquena segment. You just beat me to the posting punch.

G Wiv wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Was that the distaff side of the kudho family featured at La Bruquena on "Check Please" this week?

Yes, absolutely! Phylis, aka Mrs. Kudho, was on for a brief, yet glorious, moment in the La Bruquena segment. You just beat me to the posting punch.

And did not this segment also feature the young kudho child who took home ronnie suburban's exquisite pate from our holiday party? I think so.

I'd like to hear kudho's comments on this place, as opinion was very divided.

On this show, also nice to see Semiramis get some major and unanimous love.

Two interesting take-aways for me from this episode:

David Hammond wrote:I'd like to hear kudho's comments on this place, as opinion was very divided.

I think the negative review of La Bruquena was the most vehement negative review I've ever seen on Check Please.

David Hammond wrote:On this show, also nice to see Semiramis get some major and unanimous love.

I've been eating at Semiramis with regularity since they've opened and I've always pronounced it with the accent on the "ra" (Se-mi-RA-mis). Last night I learned that it's pronounced with an accent on the "mi" (Se-MI-ra-mis), which creates almost an entirely different word. I think I've mis-pronounced it to a hundred different people a thousand different times. Time to re-wire some neural pathways.

Best,
Michael

David Hammond wrote:And did not this segment also feature the young kudho child

Good eye! On further review not only was Phylis spotlighted, but the two Kudho siblings and Kudho himself were shown.

Incidentally, on the theme of celebrity spottings (the kudhos, etc.), I believe that was show creator David Manilow (yes, Barry's cousin) doing a Hitchcock walk-on during the open of the Semirami's segment.

EC, you are right about the pronunciation. I had always heard it pronounced the way you used to pronounce it; but having the owner pronounce it differently is compelling rationale for rewiring the tongue.

David Hammond wrote:I am sorry to say I've never eaten at this place...I think. The male reviewer came up with one of those quotes that is right up there with the famous "fire" comment:

"It's not called 'Nice, Please.' La Bruquena is run by wonderful people turning out amazingly bad food."

Do you think the male reviewer was getting back at the woman who recommended La Bruquena due to the so-so comments about his pick Boka? He seemed a little annoyed that the other two didn't love his pick as much as he did.

chicagogrrl wrote:

David Hammond wrote:I am sorry to say I've never eaten at this place...I think. The male reviewer came up with one of those quotes that is right up there with the famous "fire" comment:

"It's not called 'Nice, Please.' La Bruquena is run by wonderful people turning out amazingly bad food."

Do you think the male reviewer was getting back at the woman who recommended La Bruquena due to the so-so comments about his pick Boka? He seemed a little annoyed that the other two didn't love his pick as much as he did.

Maybe it was a payback issue, but I found much of the "negative" criticism on all sides somewhat unsubstantiated. The personal trainer who didn't like Boka said the food was "great" but too expensive, but then didn't cop to the obvious conclusion that she probably wanted more (quantity); the curly-headed guy didn't really explain much why he thought the food of Bruquena was so amazingly bad, except to suggest that maybe it wasn't seasoned enough, which I feel makes the mistake of assuming all food of Spanish-speaking peoples is going to pack Mexican heat, which, of course, it doesn't.

David Hammond wrote:the curly-headed guy didn't really explain much why he thought the food of Bruquena was so amazingly bad, except to suggest that maybe it wasn't seasoned enough, which I feel makes the mistake of assuming all food of Spanish-speaking peoples is going to pack Mexican heat, which, of course, it doesn't.

To be fair, he said you could get better food just down the street, which I took to indicate a passing (or more) familiarity with Puerto Rican food.

David Hammond wrote:The personal trainer who didn't like Boka said the food was "great" but too expensive, but then didn't cop to the obvious conclusion that she probably wanted more (quantity)

Um, I'm curious: why is that the "obvious" conclusion? I can think of more than a few places where the portion size was sufficient (or more) but overpriced. In fact, I ate at one recently in Tahoe--Big Water Grille. Excellent, truly top-notch food. At prices that I considered quite out of line. I didn't want more food, I wanted reasonable prices.

Sorry about the delay in responding, just noticed this thread. Yes indeed, that was us, though the young fellow next to Molly was the BF from Oak Park, and not my male progeny (Gabe/astrozombie).

I'm on record as liking La Bruquena and was a bit surprised at the almost gleeful virulence of Curlymans' attack. Although his comments about liking plantains, and being able to get better food "down the street" imply some knowledge of PR cusine, his confusing creole and cajun cooking and bemoaning the lack of spice suggest maybe this isn't the case. Maybe he was referring to COCO across the street where they serve "new" Puerto Rican cusine including mofongo with crabmeat and mango relish (which kind of misses the point of mofongo if you ask me), it's certainly more Bocaesquue. Anyway, Pr cusine is typically homey, warming comfort food, but it's not meant to be spicy. The young woman who recommended LaBruquena said "it's the kind of food that puts you to sleep when you get home", and I think that nails it pretty well. To me that's not a bad thing (when in the right mood), but clearly not what the CurlyOne was looking for.

I tend to like straight forward ethnic cooking, without pretension or unnecessary embelishment and La Bruquena suits me fine. I like their Mofongo con carne frita (the stuff in the wooden chalice), bistec encobollado and chuletas . Then again, I'm likely to find myself considering a trip out in lousy weather for a bowl of soup at Seven Treasures,Some chicken boti (Khan or Naan),bbq pork and eggs from Hong Kee,fried pork chops from Dong Ky , a steak burrito from La Pasadita,tips from Lems or Honey 1, a char polish, Harolds, a Burek, Kachapuri,pork chop sandwich,frontier chicken roll (Bismillah) or some other similarly funky foodstuff. This kind of food connects directly to my brainstem, releasing shoals of endorphins, lighting up my dopaminergic pathways and leaving me (usually) deeply satisfied. If I want shortribs I'm going to Manny's, not Boca, but I understand not everyone is wired up this way.

Like this simple food or not, it's hard to imagine actually loathing it as Curly seemed to hate the food at La Bruquena (maybe he just thought he'd be funnier and more engaging by being critical...I actually thought "come for the drinks, leave for the food" was pretty good). On the other hand it's not hard for me to understand how someone who would choose Boca as his favorite place might not like La Bruquena at all (and vice versa I might add). You only have to look at the crowd at these two places (and for La Bruquena I don't mean the kuhdos, but the mostly neighborhood people who have kept the place going for nearly twenty years) to see that they appeal to polar extremes of the dining out crowd.

Despite the mixed reviews, I enjoyed the show and we all got quite a kick out of being on TV. I still like La Bruquena (and COCO)and plan on going back soon. I think I'll pass on Boca though.

I often find that those who appear on Check, Please have a surfeit of enthusiasm: all three restaurants are "amazing!!!," certain to bring immense joy. A must to return. Fantastic food, terrific service. Of course, this is not always the case, but it seems to be more the rule than the exception.

So, on this week's show I was surprised (and secretly pleased) to see one of the "guests," Hattie Snider, trash - really trash - the other two restaurants: Hamburger Mary's (a gay-themed chain) and Trattoria Trullo (southern Italian in Lincoln Square). I haven't been to either and can't weigh in on the justice of her attacks (she described one dish at Trullo as "horrific," which certainly got Apena's attention - and mine). And, to top it off, her pick was Bonsoiree, which has, justly, received a lot of LTH love.

I wondered if she is one of the nearly 6000 LTH'ers, but she should be. Bravo for bringing some cold water to the heated environs of Check, Please! And, for a moment at least, turn CP into the Capitol Gang.

GAF wrote:So, on this week's show I was surprised (and secretly pleased) to see one of the "guests," Hattie Snider, trash - really trash - the other two restaurants: Hamburger Mary's (a gay-themed chain) and Trattoria Trullo (southern Italian in Lincoln Square). I haven't been to either and can't weigh in on the justice of her attacks (she described one dish at Trullo as "horrific," which certainly got Apena's attention - and mine).

Except that her "horrific" comment got her nailed for mispronouncing "bruschetta," which kind of undermined her credibility and seemed to throw her off. To me, describing something as "horrific" on Check, Please! is just as meaningless as describing something as "amazing" because the heavily edited-TV format doesn't allow for explanation. In this case, describing the food as "horrific" was a miscalculation on her part as it apparently pissed off enough the person who nominated Trattoria Trullo to induce him to correct her "horrific" mispronounciation of bruschetta on TV. It made for good TV, though.

aschie30 wrote:To me, describing something as "horrific" on Check, Please! is just as meaningless as describing something as "amazing" because the heavily edited-TV format doesn't allow for explanation.

Quite the contrary. Alpana immediately, and justly, challenged her "horrific" comment. Ms. Snider seemed unable to back it up with any viable explanation. I also thought that her dismissal of the brusccheta due to it's "untraditional" toppings to be childish.

I actually thought this episode was a low point for Check Please: Reviewing a national chain that is not known for its food, and having one of its guests seem hell-bent on trashing a restaurant without any ability to really back up her vitriol. Sad.

eatchicago wrote:

aschie30 wrote:To me, describing something as "horrific" on Check, Please! is just as meaningless as describing something as "amazing" because the heavily edited-TV format doesn't allow for explanation.

Quite the contrary. Alpana immediately, and justly, challenged her "horrific" comment. Ms. Snider seemed unable to back it up with any viable explanation.

Yes -- you're right about this episode. I meant that, more as a general strategy, it probably isn't very helpful to use such extreme, broadstroke terms such as "horrific" or "amazing" because you don't know if you'll be allowed to explain or if your follow-up comments will be edited out. In this episode, Alpana (rightly) followed up to ask her why she thought it was horrific.

Of course, it is true that "horrific" could not stand on its own, but my point is that neither can the comments of wonderful and amazing. And when most of the comments embrace the assumption that most restaurants are astonishingly special, it is nice to recognize that - for some diners - food can be unappealing. The problem with CP is that it often devolves into three lengthy advertisements. In some sense, lengthy culinary spankings are no better in the long run. But it caught my attention.

I wonder if there will be a "CP effect" for Trullo?

GAF wrote:I wonder if there will be a "CP effect" for Trullo?

Interesting question. Just guessing here (but I bet I'm right), I bet no restaurant has ever refused the Check Please cameras entry, other than restaurants who don't need the publicity. Because no restaurant has ever for a moment considered that being on Check Please would be anything other than free advertising. Which supports your point.

Certainly, of the universe of restaurants who have said yes to the show, not one has ever anticipated a net negative effect from doing so.

It might be salutary for them to consider that possibility.

But they are right to consider it remote. If restaurants were more wary of Check Please, such that more and more of them shut Check Please out, Check Please would find itself with no show. Ipso facto, the very existence of the show depends on its continuing to dispense nothing but good reviews, and on quickly "shooting down" any panelist who dares to express a too-vigorous dissent from boosterism.

Feed turned them down for a special kids' Check Please.

Bhabi's Kitchen also turned them down repeatedly. Eventually, the owners expanded the restaurant and agreed to be on the show.

GAF wrote:Of course, it is true that "horrific" could not stand on its own, but my point is that neither can the comments of wonderful and amazing. And when most of the comments embrace the assumption that most restaurants are astonishingly special, it is nice to recognize that - for some diners - food can be unappealing. The problem with CP is that it often devolves into three lengthy advertisements. In some sense, lengthy culinary spankings are no better in the long run. But it caught my attention.

I think the boosterism of the show is pretty obvious; plus I somehow feel as if negative comments need more elaboration. On that episode I am not sure the person couldn't have elaborated, given the chance.

I have been worried at times, seeing restaurants I like on the show. If they pump the place up too much, people are going to be disappointed.

riddlemay wrote: Ipso facto, the very existence of the show depends on its continuing to dispense nothing but good reviews, and on quickly "shooting down" any panelist who dares to express a too-vigorous dissent from boosterism.

Typically I would agree, but I also have to jump in and say the woman trying to randomly eviscerate both Mary's and Trullo with out a cogent way of doing so deserved to be dismissed by every other participant. I'm not sure why she felt the need to use such strong language given what I saw photographed of the dish she ordered at Trullo but I'm glad they didn't just let her fire up the flamethrower without any real rational. If the picture of the dish that followed her description ("pasta with Mortadella... kinda like fancy bologna...") was actually the dish in question, it appeared to be a well composed pasta, even though that isn't the focus of the place. In any case, I'm glad she got put in her place... What bugged me wasn't that she was tough on the restaurants, but that it didn't seem to go any further than strong adjectives. This lumbering form of dialogue helps no one, either in finding out exactly what was wrong, or what was right in the case of a mushy glowing review.

riddlemay wrote:But they are right to consider it remote. If restaurants were more wary of Check Please, such that more and more of them shut Check Please out, Check Please would find itself with no show. Ipso facto, the very existence of the show depends on its continuing to dispense nothing but good reviews, and on quickly "shooting down" any panelist who dares to express a too-vigorous dissent from boosterism.

I'm not sure this is a fair criticism. Remember the old guy vs. the raw food bar guest with the infamous line "we found fire a couple million years ago, and I think we should use it"? I don't think Check Please! discourages dissent. Having been on the show, I could certainly tell you dissent was not discouraged, and we were told to be as honest and truthful as possible in our reviews. Hell, I got the feeling the guys running the show love a little disagreement; it spices things up and keeps the show interesting. There were dissenting opinions on my episode: Everyone liked my place (Xni-Pec), I liked Tanoshii and had some qualms with Timo, and the two other guests hated each other's choices, saying they would never go back. There's no active "shooting down" of any panelist who dissents from boosterism.

I think it's more an issue of group dynamics. Some groups you'll get where all the people are polite, don't want to make waves, and hence every restaurant comes out with a decent review. Another group you'll get one person's restaurant gets put down a little by another reviewer, and that reviewer will feel the need to retaliate by trashing the other reviewer's restaurant. And so forth. I personally think the show itself would like a little more friction and lively dissent, but when you stick three people on camera, unless you have the right personalities, most people are going to want to tone down their criticism in an effort to be likable and diplomatic (and to keep on-set tension down), and also so they don't elicit a possibly retaliatory review from the reviewer they're criticizing. This is not some master plan by the producers of Check Please! to have as many positive reviews as possible--it's just group psychology in action.

Considering that the format guarantees at least one person will like a place, and that TV has a magic power anyway, I doubt it's hard to convince restaurants to be on it. One refusenik every 20 or 30 is hardly bad.

Stagger wrote:

riddlemay wrote: Ipso facto, the very existence of the show depends on its continuing to dispense nothing but good reviews, and on quickly "shooting down" any panelist who dares to express a too-vigorous dissent from boosterism.

Typically I would agree, but I also have to jump in and say the woman trying to randomly eviscerate both Mary's and Trullo with out a cogent way of doing so deserved to be dismissed by every other participant. I'm not sure why she felt the need to use such strong language given what I saw photographed of the dish she ordered at Trullo but I'm glad they didn't just let her fire up the flamethrower without any real rational. If the picture of the dish that followed her description ("pasta with Mortadella... kinda like fancy bologna...") was actually the dish in question, it appeared to be a well composed pasta, even though that isn't the focus of the place. In any case, I'm glad she got put in her place... What bugged me wasn't that she was tough on the restaurants, but that it didn't seem to go any further than strong adjectives. This lumbering form of dialogue helps no one, either in finding out exactly what was wrong, or what was right in the case of a mushy glowing review.

I think its fair to say this show has officially "Yelped the Shark". A bunch of whiny (generally) transplant know-nothings yammering away about what they Hate (Yuk!) and what they Love (Yum!) with neither nuance nor substantive reasoning.

A Manichean binary world of thumbs up / thumbs down reviewing with either:
a. some obvious axe to grind or
b. (as noted earlier in the thread) This jr. high-schoolish well, if you dont love MY resto, well, then mister, I am going to reviews yours yuk, yuk, yukky too!

Ugh. But it makes for such good TV, you know! This bitchy catty nyah nyah side-choosing world of (non)reality Boob Tube vapidity. Maybe we can bring back Amanda for a mana-y-mana old fashioned cat fight!

"Yelped the Shark".. hilarious...

I dont have much use for Check Please, it is at least 6 months behind LTH and other food forums in regards to dining options.