Best New Restaurant Explained

Genre:	Reality competition
Based On:	Ramsay's Best Restaurant
Judges:	Tom Colicchio Maggie Nemser Jeffrey Zurofsky
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	11
Runtime:	42 minutes
Company:	One Potato Two Potato
Channel:	Bravo

Best New Restaurant is an American reality competition series on Bravo that premiered on January 21, 2015.^[1] The show is based on British television series Ramsay's Best Restaurant created by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.^{[2] [3]}

The show features a celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, along with Maggie Nemser and Jeffrey Zurofsky, who bring sixteen new restaurants against each other in a series of challenges in order to determine which one of them would be crowned as the best.^[4] The challenges include the dishes that are served, the restaurant's decor and the overall concept.^[5]

Judges

• Tom Colicchio is a well-known celebrity chef. He has been the head judge on every season of Bravo reality television series Top Chef and also been serving as mentor to the competing chefs on the series, guiding them through their various challenges. On Best New Restaurant Colicchio will also act as host, judge, and executive producer.^[6]
• Maggie Nemser is the CEO and Editor-in-chief of Blackboard Eats, a food go-to site for perks and exclusive experiences at top restaurants as well as deals on artisanal foods and products.^[7]
• Jeffrey Zurofsky is an entrepreneur whose career started in the kitchen, eventually "trading in his apron for a business casual blazer."^[8] Jeff is also Colicchio's partner in ‘wichcraft, a sandwich shop business.^[9]

Reception

The show has been very well received by critics.^[10] Christina Chaey of Bon Appétit accented that Best New Restaurant is different from other cooking shows because it does not focus entirely on food, but includes the quality of service and hospitality as well.^[11] Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger gave the show a B, praising the show's different approach to “reward the restaurant that consistently fulfills its mission, regardless of cuisine or price point,” also distinguishing judges’ personalities as "genuine, not pumped-up-for-the cameras.”^[12] Adam Smith of Boston Herald noted that even though the show seems similar to those that have come before it but also manages to stand out for not infilling the show with drama by saying that "the knives are used for cooking and not stabbing each other in the back."^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kondolojy. Amanda. Bravo Media Serves Up Heated Competition Series 'Best New Restaurant' Premiering on Wednesday January 21at 10PM. https://web.archive.org/web/20141221031317/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/12/02/bravo-media-serves-up-heated-competition-series-best-new-restaurant-premiering-on-wednesday-january-21at-10pm/334335/. dead. December 21, 2014. Zap2it. January 17, 2015. December 2, 2014.
2. Kondolojy. Amanda. Bravo Media Greenlights Most Diversified Slate Ever of New and Returning Unscripted and Scripted Series. https://web.archive.org/web/20140408224832/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/08/bravo-media-greenlights-most-diversified-slate-ever-of-new-and-returning-unscripted-and-scripted-series/252326/. dead. April 8, 2014. Zap2it. April 8, 2014. April 8, 2014.
3. Web site: Bibel. Sara. Competition Series 'Best New Restaurant' to Premiere in January 2015 on Bravo. Zap2it. January 17, 2015. September 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150126084155/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/09/16/competition-series-best-new-restaurant-to-premiere-in-january-2015-on-bravo/303471/. January 26, 2015. dead.
4. Web site: Friedlander. Whitney. Bravo's 'Best New Restaurant' Gets Premiere, Sets Competitors. Variety. January 17, 2015. September 16, 2014.
5. Web site: Dwyer. Lexi. Exclusive: Get a First Look at Tom Colicchio's Upcoming Show 'Best New Restaurant'. People. January 17, 2015. December 2, 2014.
6. Web site: Tom Colicchio – Biography. 25 June 2012 . Bravo Media. NBCUniversal.. March 26, 2015.
7. Web site: Maggie Nemser – Biography. December 2014 . Bravo Media. NBCUniversal.. March 26, 2015.
8. Web site: Jeffrey Zurofsky – Biography. December 2014 . Bravo Media. NBCUniversal.. March 26, 2015.
9. Web site: Steinthal. Andrew. Maggie Nemser & Jeffrey Zurofsky of Bravo's 'Best New Restaurant'. The Infatuation. January 17, 2015. January 16, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150119013326/https://www.theinfatuation.com/friday-fives/maggie-nemser-jeffrey-zurofsky-of-bravos-best-new-restaurant. January 19, 2015. dead.
10. Web site: Best New Restaurant – Season 1 Reviews. Metacritic. January 25, 2015.
11. Bravo's "Best New Restaurant" Experts Weigh in on Last Night's Premiere. January 22, 2015. January 22, 2015. Christina. Chaey. Bon Appétit.
12. News: Bravo's 'Best New Restaurant' turns the tables on 'Top Chef' formula. January 21, 2015. January 25, 2015. Vicki. Hyman. The Star-Ledger.
13. News: Rewards are big for Bravo's 'Best New Restaurant'. January 18, 2015. January 25, 2015. Adam. Smith. Boston Herald.