In this Kitchen Nightmares episode, Gordon Ramsay visits Davide in Boston, Massachusetts.
Davide was bought by brothers Frank and Anthony in 1997.
Business was good when they first opened the restaurant.
Davide restaurant is located in the North End.
The area is known for outstanding Italian food with over 150 Italian restaurants.
The first fine dining restaurant in the neighborhood was Davide, which opened in 1982.
Davide used to be the number one in Boston.
There used to be a three week wait for bookings.
A few years after opening Frank found out that Anthony was embezzling money to support his drug addiction.
Anthony went to jail, leaving Frank to run the restaurant.
The business went downhill in his absence.
Anthony later returned to the restaurant.
He is trying his best to prove that he has changed.
Frank still seems to distrust Anthony.
The shaky relationship between the brothers has affected the business.
The restaurant is currently in $1million of debt.
Everyone knows that Frank has a lot of pent-up anger and resentment towards Anthony.
They know that if the relationship is not fixed, the restaurant cannot be helped.
Gordon takes a tour bus to the restaurant.
He is told by the bus driver that none of the locals would recommend the restaurant.
On entering the restaurant, Gordon meets Anthony.
He asked him when they last updated the restaurant.
Anthony admits they haven't changed much since they have owned the restaurant.
Gordon calls a staff meeting with the family.
Frank tells Gordon that business has declined over the previous 3 years.
Anthony explains his drug problems and previous behavior.
He says that Frank has been holding on to the pain when he should have let go of the past.
Frank explains his struggles with moving on from Anthony's issues as Anthony has been burnt six times.
Gordon wants to sample the food.
He orders a Caesar salad, homemade lobster ravioli and Rack of lamb.
He is impressed as the salad is prepared table-side and the pasta is advertised as homemade.
The salad takes too long to be made and the lettuce is soggy.
The eggplant wasn't cooked properly and the lamb has a burnt garlic crust.
Gordon and Anthony talk in between courses.
He reveals that he spent almost four years in jail and has been clean of drugs for two years.
Gordon finds out that the eggplant was cooked three weeks ago before being frozen.
He also discovers that the lobster ravioli is bought in.
It is not homemade as advertised.
The embarrassed waiter tells Gordon that he hopes he can get to Frank.
He thinks that he is a good chef but not a passionate one.
Anthony takes Gordon to the kitchen.
Gordon comments on the food he had tasted but Frank states that he can’t do better.
After Gordon leaves, the whole family argues.
Frank’s wife tells him to make a decision to either learn from chef Ramsay or not.
He is upset after chef Ramsay’s harsh critique of his dishes.
Frank is not only questioning the future of the restaurant but his own ability.
The staff are frustrated as the boss is supposed to carry the whole staff.
Frank seems to slack off in the kitchen and is not wearing his chef uniform.
Gordon arrives to observe the dinner service of the restaurant.
He finds Frank sat in a chair in the kitchen.
As orders start rolling in, Frank tries to be motivated.
The kitchen quickly gets backed up with a long wait for food.
Anthony tries to speed things up but Frank yells at him to shut up.
Gordon discovers there is a complete lack of communication.
Frank sends out a fish dish that he knew was bad.
An hour and half into dinner service and the food is making its way to the diners.
Unfortunately the food isn’t worth the wait.
The diners send back most dishes.
Frank explodes before walking out of the kitchen.
The sous chef and staff step up to finish the service but the damage was done.
His wife Kim breaks down and explains her husband feels demotivated.
The next morning Gordon sits them down together for another meeting.
Anthony reads a letter apologizing to Frank for what he has done and tells him that he loves him.
He tells Frank that he knows he has damaged the restaurant.
He knows they can work together to get the restaurant back on track.
Frank’s wife also tearfully talks to him.
She gives him his chef's jacket that he hasn't worn in years.
He refuses to wear it as he feels he doesn't deserve it.
Gordon asks Frank to create a dish he likes to cook.
He makes a lemon chicken dish and Gordon loves it.
Overnight, the restaurant is given a makeover that reduces Kim to tears.
For relaunch night, Kim persuades Frank to put on his chef's whites.
Gordon opens up to Frank about his own brothers struggles with addiction.
Gordon reveals a brand new menu.
The menu has homemade pasta and gnocchi and Frank's lemon chicken special.
Gordon has invited some Boston Magazine food critics for the relaunch.
He reveals this just before the service starts.
The food goes out quickly and the critics and customers are pleased.
However, as the kitchen gets busier the brothers argue.
They rush the food out resulting in under cooked pork dish.
A pep talk from Gordon gets the kitchen back onto track with proper communication.
The dish is sent out perfectly.
Overall, the relaunch is a success.
What Happened Next at Davide?
Gordon revisits the restaurant.
Anthony is in front of house and Frank in the kitchen.
He has the chef jacket on and his seat is back in the kitchen.
Frank only uses it before and after service.
Gordon is served a variety of dishes, he loves them and thinks they are delicious.
The brothers are getting along a lot better and business is up 15%.
Gordon has a surprise for them.
A hockey player from the Boston Bruins who gives them a Jersey.
Reviews after filming were mixed, Yelp reviews were mostly 1 or 2 star.
There were negative comments on service and poorly cooked food.
Urban Spoon were more positive and praised the food and service.
Some mention long waits for food.
Davide closed in May 2014 after being sold in January 2014.
The owners wanted to start a farming venture and Boston North End food tours.
They posted the below on Facebook in May 2014,
Today is the day we say goodbye to Davide Restaurant.
We would like to say thank you to all of the customers, family and employees who came through our doors all those years.
Life has a new direction for us and we have now begun Three Boys Farm.
We are getting to the root of the industry and growing the product that makes all those dishes possible!!!
Davide aired on February 25 2011, the episode was filmed in December 2010 and is Kitchen Nightmares season 4 episode 5.
Read About More Kitchen Nightmares
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Next episode - Down City
Netflix is now carrying seasons 4 and 5 (the previous seasons are now unavailable) on its streaming service so I am catching up. This episode was a memorable one, not because of the conflicts, but how he got the chef to believe in himself again. This was a guy who had lost the passion for cooking. He also had a major problem with his brother for stealing money to feed a drug habit from the restaurant. Helping him back on that road to cooking good food was something nice to see. Too bad the restaurant closed just this year. This one would have been worth a trip to visit.
ReplyDeletehulu has all the seasons
DeleteI was really rooting for these guys. Moreso for Frank (frankly, Anthony seemed like a jerk). Wish only the best for Frank and his family.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed for the family and especially for the Anthony. Keep up a good work bro, never never give up ...
ReplyDeleteWith no offence intended you cannot have a guy at the front of house who has a terrible lisp/speaking impediment. Immediately you are feeling wrong by having to ask the guy to repeat himself the whole time. Then a Chef with no culinary experience. McDonalds do better than that.
ReplyDeleteThis place was in Boston, the city that kept electing "Mumbles" Menino as Mayor for 20 years, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that nobody could understand a word he slurred.
DeleteAre Davide closed or not now in 2016???
ReplyDeleteIts still closed. Sorry.
Delete