- This was the issue with our french fries!
I've never seen, it looks like chicken blood in there!
What the hell is that?
- [Owner ] I don't know. (liquid sloshes)
- Figure out what it is!
(rock music)
- So for recon, I got two Ohio food critics.
- [Co-Host 1] Makes sense.
- [Co-Host 2] Yeah.
- Debbie Snook and Kevin Spice Hound.
You guys know if they come in
and give us a good review,
this place will fill up.
They give us a bad review, it'll empty.
- Yeah.
- I'm a food writer and restaurant critic
for the Plain Dealer, which is Ohio's largest daily.
- What can I get you guys?
- [Jon] That's Lauren.
She's a waitress.
- Our burgers are definitely the best in town.
The John Wayne on the bottom of the menu.
- Okay, I'll have that.
A medium.
- [Kevin] Grilled cheeseburger.
Medium rare.
- All right guys, I'll put those in for you right now.
- The place is called the Burger Bar.
You expect a great burger.
He's squeezing the (bleep) out of that burger.
It's gonna be overcooked.
It's gonna be dry and disgusting.
- You get a burger.
You want it a little juicy in there?
- Yeah, I'm not understanding this.
He's frying the fries and then putting 'em into a bus tub.
See all that steam?
That's moisture, equals soggy fries.
(bell rings)
- Right out of the gate
before the food even leaves the kitchen.
There's no chance.
- No chance.
- Oh dear.
Here we go.
(Debbie bites into burger)
God, that's awful.
It is quite a bit of fries.
I don't taste fresh at all.
- If you're gonna claim to be a burger place
and you prize your burger
you should also prize the things you put around the burger.
(Kevin mutters)
- And you got more medium.
- Is everything okay?
- Mine's more medium rare, and his is more medium, see?
- Did you want him to remake the-
- [Debbie] I'm fine.
- [Lauren] Okay, I'm sorry about that.
- Look at this.
Fries in a bus tub.
Come on.
You're developing the enemy of fries, moisture.
Here, look at this.
This is what you're serving to the customers?
- Keep dumping it, guys!
French fries on the grill!
When I got there,
I thought that grill was treated like a garbage pail.
Now it is a garbage pail.
It's covered in their failure, their waste, their abuse
and it should be covered in their shame.
- All right, Joey.
When you're cooking for people, you gotta have integrity.
- Yeah, for sure.
- So the concept we're gonna go with is now fresh
and things cooked properly.
- Okay.
- Fresh fries is a nice touch.
Before were you rinsing them?
- They would go right into the fryer.
- What happens when you cut the potato,
now all that starch is on the outside,
and then you don't get the crispiness that you want.
- Okay.
- But when they drop into the water
that starch comes out.
It's really important to rinse 'em well.
The inside of a potato is 17% starch, an organic chemical
with a natural tendency to absorb liquids.
When fries are cooked.
Starch locks in oil on the surface causing over browning.
This gives the appearance that the fry is ready to serve
when in fact the inside remains soggy.
Rinsing off the starch
ensures a properly cooked fry throughout.
The proper technique of fresh fries
is par cooking them.
Essentially you're cooking them twice.
The first time at 300 degrees.
- Okay.
- Then cool them, turn the fryer back up,
375, 400 degrees.
They're crispy brown right away.
- [Joey] Okay.
- I'm gonna try the nachos.
- We have no oven, so we have no nachos.
- What?
What do you guys have?
- We have the fryer and we have the flat top.
- These guys are chefs,
and all they have is the fryer and the flat top.
- I'll try the catfish and french fries please.
(oil sizzling)
- Look at this.
He's frying catfish and fries in the same fryer.
I'm guessing they have only one fryer.
- I don't care if these guys had one knife and one flame
they could still make great food.
- Of course they can.
As long as they designed their menu
around the equipment they have.
- The fries, they taste like fish.
- It tasted a little fishy.
- Doesn't surprise me at all.
These are three trained chefs.
It's a disgrace that these guys
spent money on their education
and this is how they follow through with it.
- You guys are all chefs. - Mhm.
- But I wanted to bring in a fresh set of eyes.
So I've asked Nick to come in,
take a look around the kitchen.
- Are you guys aware how filthy this kitchen is?
(suspenseful music)
Just going like this.
I couldn't believe my eyes, what I saw today.
Dust on the hood and falling on the flat top.
This falls on your food every time you guys are cooking.
Look at that thing.
I mean, there's mushrooms,
there's shrimp in there or something in there.
How dare you serve someone out of this kitchen.
(suspenseful music)
- Okay, we'll do the nacho fries and turkey melt.
- I'm gonna give you guys this.
This is your number that he is gonna call.
- Where do I?
Do I get up?
- You're gonna go right there to that counter.
- [Customer] Okay.
- When he serves it,
he's gonna yell for that number,
and you're gonna go pick up your food right there.
(rock music)
Couldn't you like ring a bell
rather than like screaming out across the bar?
(oil gurgling)
What's that sound?
- Fries in the fryer.
- Those are the fries in the fryer?
- Yeah.
- Well, I just see all that bubbling up,
and I'm just thinking, "Somebody's gonna eat that."
- When you see smoke like that coming out of the oil.
That's because all the debris in the oil, correct?
- Yes.
It'll get to the point where it can just bubble right over.
- [Jon] Look at that, oh!
- Oh God.
- [Jon] Look at that.
- [Mike] Oh my gosh.
- That's the worst we've ever seen, Mike.
- Yeah, luckily he was standing right there.
I mean that's a serious fire hazard.
(spoon scrapes)
- [Jon] What is this?
- Processed cheese.
- Okay, so he's taking the cheese,
he's added some water to it.
- Very special recipe going on here.
- Look at it.
It's all lumpy.
- You're using crap, and then you're watering it down,
and you're putting it on more crap and more crap.
And then you're sending it out.
- Nacho fries.
The nacho fries, yeah?
- [Customer] Yeah.
Thanks man, appreciate it.
- I want to see
if they're actually going to eat this
the way this looks.
- Yo, that's not real cheese.
(suspenseful ring)
I mean, honestly, this looks like a joke.
When it came out on that styrofoam plate
with that gross fake nacho cheese.
That was greasier than my face back in middle school.
(customer laughs)
Like this thing, it was so wild.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey, how're you doing?
(suspenseful ring) (bleep)
I saw the look on your faces.
- Yeah.
- We love good, lousy food.
We took one bite, we couldn't even eat the food.
- I don't know what it is, man.
It's like it has a bitter aftertaste.
That's not cheese.
Nadia.
- [Nadia] Oh, yes sir.
- I'd like you to meet American authors.
- Hi, guys.
- How're you?
- Let me just be honest.
Gimme a thumbs up or down.
Was this food edible or not?
- No. - Wow.
- They're talking about the food, dude.
- It was (bleep). - (bleep) food.
- He's gonna grill my ass so hard, dude.
- I want you all to come with me for a minute.
Let's go in the kitchen.
I want you guys to see this, right?
- Here they come. (suspenseful ring)
- So I have to come.
- Lewis. - Yes.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, dude.
- Come on in.
First of all, look at that fryer.
What you're about to see will blow you away.
Here we go. (oil gurgling)
Look at this, guys.
You ever see oil smoke like that?
You know why it's doing that?
'Cause it is so contaminated with bacteria and filth!
Do you understand how dirty that is?
- Yeah, yeah.
- You leave at night and don't clean it.
You let him leave at night and don't clean it.
- I personally have spoken to Louis
about cleaning the kitchen numerous times,
and I've been on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor.
The floor was like that all the way across.
- Really, what about that?
- [Nadia] Did not finish.
- So that's like changing a baby's diaper
but not between the cheeks of his ass.
'Cause you don't see it?
Will you eat that food?
- No, I don't wanna eat that food.
I don't like-
- So if you won't eat it,
how do you give it to them?
- My stomach hurts.
I feel like I can't believe I just ate this nonsense.
- But where's the owner?
Come on, let's make it a freakin' party!
(suspenseful music)
What is that?
- [Owner] That's really disgusting, I don't know.
- Was that disgusting last week?
- I don't know that.
- The answer is yes. - [Owner] Okay.
- Was that disgusting two weeks ago?
- Yeah. - Yes.
How about three weeks ago?
Was it disgusting then?
- Yeah, it was pretty bad.
- And look at this! (bleep)
How do you stand here and live with that?
Three weeks ago was it replaced?
Why?
- I had no money lately.
It's been so tight.
And that's the only answer that I personally have
as a manager.
- So you don't have the money (group exclaims)
to do that. Nadia!
- Jon-
- You're full of (bleep).
You have to get this changed and clean tomorrow.
- We have to.
Here's a couple hundred dollars.
- Yes. - Make it happen!
- Yeah.
- If you can't fix that,
then I can't help you because that is so obnoxious, Louis.
I want nothing to do with you as long as that's here.
Do you understand that?
(hurried beat)
- We'll order the sandwich.
I wanna get the chili cheese fries too.
- So they're gonna microwave the chili.
Did you see that?
- Yep.
- Oh, thanks.
Can we get a couple of drafts?
Thank you.
The cheeses are melted.
- [Customer] The french fries is soggy.
- Thank you.
We still have this sample coming out, right?
- What's the ticket time on this?
It's been a while.
- Eight minutes.
I think I forgot to put that in.
- Oh no.
- Forgot to put their order in.
- They are responsible for leaving the bar to cook the food.
Then who's taking care of the bar guests?
(flat top sizzles)
- Where's all my bartenders?
This lovely gentleman needs some beers.
- We're now at 11 minutes on that platter.
And normally a potato skin would be fried
so it's crisp and then topped off.
- [Co-Host 2] Uh-huh.
- So I'm guessing this is gonna be very soggy.
- Soggy.
- [Jon] Look at those wings.
They're not crisp.
You can see it. - [Co-Host 2] Mhm.
(bar patrons chattering)
- Mm, potatoes are raw.
- [Customer 1] Yeah? - [Customer 2] Yeah.
(suspenseful ring)
Yeah, it's raw.
- That's raw.
- It's raw.
- Oh, that's gross.
- Don't eat that, Kevin.
Don't eat that.
- I can't let this go on.
I'm going in. (suspenseful music)
- So you didn't eat your potato skins.
You love potato skins.
- I love potato skins.
- [Jon] I know that about you. - Yeah.
- How many bites did you take?
- One.
- She didn't even take a second bite.
(heavy electronic music)
Look at the filth everywhere!
Look at the filth in here!
It just keeps getting better, guys!
This is your future, look at it!
(spatula clangs)
Look at the sludge on the bottom of this grease!
This is why their fried food was terrible!
Do you want to eat this?
Come on in, Kev.
- Oh my God.
- Look at him.
He's gonna barf.
- Do you know how old that oil is?
- No.
- Did you see how thin the oil is?
All the properties of the oil is completely broken down.
All you're doing is boiling food in old oil that's occurred-
- Look at that. (suspenseful ring)
- This is the chili that was on your fries.
20 days ago this was made.
If this bar is not clean
when I come here in the morning, I will not rescue you.
Do you understand that?
Shut this bar down!
Get these people outta here!
You gotta prove yourself to me, Michelle!
Shut it the (bleep) down!
Big Bar is closed!
Look at this.
Ugh, those fries look awful. (suspenseful music)
- Can we go ahead and put some entrees in too?
- [Server] Okay.
- I'm gonna do the pulled pork.
- [Server] Pulled pork sandwich?
With fries?
- With, yeah.
- All right, I wanna see when they make this food.
I'm dying to see what that pulled pork is.
Look at that.
- [Co-Host 3] Oh man!
And it's dirty.
Look at the film on the fries.
- This place is horrendous.
Something is wrong with these fries.
What are they doing to these that makes them look that way?
- I don't know.
- Look at that.
So you can't get your bartenders making the same drink.
You don't know if you have any beer in a place or not.
You don't know if it's hot or cold.
You don't know how to make food.
You're serving food that's five weeks old.
You don't know the bar.
You don't know inventory.
You don't know the kitchen.
And I'm not done!
This was the issue with our french fries!
I've never seen, it looks like chicken blood in there!
What the hell is that? (suspenseful music)
- [Owner] I don't know. (liquid sloshes)
- Figure out what it is!
I want you to clean up your kitchen.
Do what you need to do.
I don't want you to touch this.
You are cleaning that.
No employees will touch this!
- Right now I'm pissed off.
I don't sweep and mop and I don't know how to,
but that's fine.
We're gonna do this, and I'm not lazy.
(rock music)
- Hi, this is John Taffer.
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