Rocco's
 

The post below has a few short (negative) comments about Rocco's in NYC. Who has been there? Is it any good? Expensive? I ask because I am ADDICTED to this show and would love to hear from someone who's been there.

Also, are they still filming? Will this restaurant have a future when the cameras leave?

I'd go and judge for myself. People always spend so much time trying to figure out what's worth it. You spend a fortune flying to NYC, staying in a hotel, doing all the things you do... just go and then when you get home you won't wish you did. As for filming, they said this week is the finale.

No, filming is over, and with any luck this restaurant will die an immediate and painful death. The absolute worst dining experience in NY I have ever had. Waited over 1/2 hour after sitting down before seeing a waiter, and only then because we complained to the manager. Boring, uninspired food. Incompetent staff. You'll get better food from Mama Celeste.

Sorry, haven't been there but in my experiences in working at restuarants this place appears to have incredible problems. I would not waste my time. Some say he is just a media whore!

on the AOL boards there were several posts about how bad it is. The guy is absolutely amazing in how he cannot understand the business he is supposedly in. It is over over next week.

The restaurant critic for the New York Post said the food was "piping cold"! The last episode is tonight (on tape)and Rocco is as of this morning vacationing in New England.

The owner of a new restuarant with big problems going on vacation after a few months of being in business???

It is probably the worst Italian Restaurant in all NYC. One night a diner on the show said he would have been better off a the Olive Garden and that was an under statement. Terrible service, Cold Food, Losy food, poor attitude all the way around.
It was printed in an article that Rocco himself was to walk away from this with over 2 million dollars as a paid endorser, from Amex, Coors, Vespa and all the other commercial endorsements on the show.

The gay waiter having a hissy fit might have been worth dining at Rocco's. Maybe MaMa should run the place and Rocco could bus tables.

Did nobody see the episode where the restaurant is in chaos and Rocco is looking a photos of himself in a magazine and kissing up to the female customers? It was the night that the food critic for the Post showed up and got cold food.

... how in the world could you ever begin to think his restaurant was worth trying? It was a horrible show as well!!!

I posted my review a while back. If you do a search it should come up. I ate there several weeks after filming. We were in disbelief over how bad it was. Crain's confirmed it. This week they gave it 1 star. And we feel that was generous. Go for a drink, but eat someplace else.

Sounds like it is the Italian version of a hot dog stand IMO. Oh I love good (real) Italian food.

Anyone who likes good, old "red sauce" Italian, try Gargiulo's on Surf Ave. in Brooklyn. We were there over the weekend, and had forgotten how good that plain old Brooklyn Italian food is! It's an old restaurant, but nice & updated, extremely reasonable & wonderful.

Just checked the Internet and Rocco's still has a web site. If you have a web site, do you really ever die?

Not to be contrarian, BUT, I have a friend living in Manhattan who went to Roccos last weekend "just to see if it was as bad as everyone says" and they actually liked it for it's kitchy Italian decor and thought the food was good. Not even one hissy fit or drama act during dinner- that was their only disappointment.

Maybe they should hire some drama queens who throw hissy fits and make sure the food is cold in order to keep up their image. Watching a hissy fit can be entertaining while you're waiting for the expected cold food.

Rocco and his financial backers may have been foolish to agree to being taped while working out the inevitable coordination kinks any large restaurant will have at its inception. Furthermore, it is in the interest of NBC and the independent production company that filmed Rocco's (the same that produces Survivor, I believe) to film the most chaotic, negative events that occur at Rocco's. After all, who wants to see a middle-aged woman express satisfaction with a plate of linguini with red clam sauce. TV viewers want to see women complain about cold food and gay waiters pulling fits and a line cook getting chewed out by the lead chef. That's entertainment.

Anyone who thinks the entire opening, hiring, and taping of the series wasn't a well-coordinated and directed theatrical event is just naive. This wasn't a regular restaurant that just happened to be chosen for the show and those weren't regular waiters. They were hired under the direction of the show's producers for the best theatrical effect. This is no more reality TV than the Jerry Springer show is with its hired and rehearsed actors.

Did they tell the line cooks, chefs, and waiters to serve cold food? We are not "naive". Crap is crap, not a theatrical effect.

I was just there last night, and the food was served hot and the food was good. I was seated right on time. I had Penne alla Vodka and a side of meatballs. The portions weren't huge, and for the price you know you could get more food at another Italian restaurant- but let's face it, anyone who's there is there to check out the scene. Mama came to our table, we chatted her up a bit- now I know where Rocco gets his schmoozing skills from! She works the whole dining room going up to many tables. It was a fun atmosphere but overpriced. I would go back though.

Perhaps some people go there to create their own drama by complaining? But, obviously, not everyone's experience can be good at any restaurant.