While channel surfing yesterday, I came across some show with Lydia Bastianich on PBS. She was making Potato Pizza (dumb name - the crust is made with potatoes). Anyway, it looked delicious, so I looked up the recipe and made it. It was really boring. It was so tasteless that I heated up some leftover Bolognese sauce to put over it so that it wouldn't be a complete waste - not that the ingredients were particularly expensive. I should have questioned the recipe when I saw that a 10" X15" pan would have a grand total of four cherry tomatoes. I had about five cherry tomatoes left over and then used most of two plum tomatoes just to fill up the space.

http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/1313

I've never eaten at any of her restaurants. Is her food boring?

If she's the same Lydia from the namesake restaurant in KC, I found it vastly overrated and boring, yes, but it's been a few years.

I've eaten at Becco several times in NY and absolutely love it.

I ate at her KC location and had the same reaction. I like her show and have enjoyed some of the recipes that I've made at home, but the restaurant was disappointing.

Mother of Joe Bastianich (restauranteur) of Master Chef tv fame.

Never been to any of her restaurants, but I sometimes watch her cooking show on PBS.

I agree with you. Also, Felidia in NY is quite good.

She has partnered with Mario Batali on about a dozen restaurants, around the country. Del Posto in NYC being the prime example. (although I actually prefer Colicchio and Sons, another celeb chef restaurant, which is 2 doors down on the same block, slightly more).

In any case, I do like her food...

Not a comment on her cooking abilities, but she's a partner in Eataly with her son and Mario Batalli. They got in trouble with their liquor license recently...

http://ny.eater.com/archives/2014/03...six_months.php

Perhaps you found it underwhelming because it's not the American version of pizza, which in Italy, is eaten more like bread than the version we have here.

More often than not, when watching her show, I feel like I'm watching my mother cook. I've said it repeatedly, what people in this country think of as Italian food isn't the food Italians eat. Lasagna, zita, all those heavy cheese dishes are special occasion food. Like Christmas or Easter special occasion.

Of the recipes I've tried, they have all been very tasty. You had the first clue in 4 small tomatoes that it wasn't the type of pizza you would expect

The first time my husband went to Italy he went into a restaurant with the same expectation of being wowed by the food like he was in Paris. His comment? "I eat this food all the time at your mother's house"

I haven't tried any of her restaurants because, well, why pay for something I learned how to make at my mother's elbow?

I don't think so!

Well, she made it very clear that it was a soft dough - and I like potato bread, so that didn't concern me. As I said, it was tasteless. I should have also made it clear that despite the recipe calling for four cherry tomatoes, on the show, she obviously used several of what looked like plum tomatoes - they were already sitting on a paper towel, sliced. She covered the entire 10x15 surface with cheese and tomatoes. Four cherry tomatoes wouldn't do that no matter how thinly they were sliced.

I should send you the recipe and have you make it and see how tasty you think it is. If you were smart, you would use your mothers canned tomatoes so it would have some flavor.

You've just been spoiled by my mother's canned tomatoes

I didn't see the show, I just read the recipe, and it looked like ordinary table bread with a little flavoring.

Although I haven't tried any other recipes of hers, this pasta with sausage, leeks, and peas is delicious.

So, you're admitting I have good taste!

Hmmm. Good idea. I'll pretend it's Wonder Bread and dip it in olive oil.

I went to her resto on the UES, I think it is called Felidia or something like that, wasn't really that impressed. I thought that I eat better Italian in Paris.

Yes Lidia's in Kansas City is her restaurant. Yes, the food is boring there. Try Gruenauer's next door for a much better experience.

I like Bluestem in Westport, but totally OT and a completely different style