Check Please
 

This is a tv show on public television (channel 11) which has three guests on the show. These guests are selected from the general public. Each selected guest chooses a favorite restaurant and the other guests have a meal at the selected restaraunts independently of one another. The three guests discuss and evaluate their experiences on tv.

The guests have evaluated everything from hot dog stands to fine dining.

It's a show I enjoy and wonder if others watch it? What restaurant would you review?

Anyone know if this type of show is on in other markets? maybe even a website? (the Check Please website should be within the WTTW channel 11 website)

Yes, my Replay TV recorder records it. Amanda Puck does a very good job w/a very subjective issue. I like the shows when few of the three guests can agree on each other's picks http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...um/biggrin.gif

That is a tough question for me. I think my choices change every other week. I would want to choose a restaurant that has true bold or ethnic flavor as for me the food is the most important aspect of dining, ambiance is a far far second place. But I think the average person dining places much more emphasis on ambiance so that is my dilemma, as I would want people to go and try my suggestion, rather than make a "no" decision based upon how the restaurant looked on TV.

In New England, on NECN, we have a show called the Phantom Gourmet 'the mysterious restaurant critic who serves up the most trustworthy reviews.' The Phantom rates restaurants in New England using a 100 point ratings scale. He rates 10 different categories, each worth up to 10 points:
1. atmosphere
2. menu
3. appetizers
4. entrees
5. desserts
6. portions
7. cleanliness
8. value
9. location
10. service

www.phantomgourmet.com

To me the quality of the food, compared to its price, and the service counts. I love the idea of these 3 people thing. We do this with our friends sometimes. One picks a place and the rest goes there. Learned some real marvels that way, including a restaurant where twice every evening IN the restaurant a rainstorm goes down! Fully completly summer rain storm http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif and very good bavarian food (but this is the Chicago board...)

I don't know whether I would review this restaurant if I were on the show--because it's not really worth a special trip. Yet, it does seem to be a type of restaurant the show would like reviewed.

If your in Northbrook looking for a fast food type restaurant I suggest Chicken Charlie's. I enjoy the Chinese Chicken Salad with the regular salad dressing (not the fat free). It's really quite tasty, different than any other salad I've had. Plus, it has to be healthy (well maybe not the good salad dressing).

Think the first Chicken Charlie's was in Buffalo Grove and I went their all the time. (quite convenient) After a couple of years they opened up the one in Northbrook, and they may have opened one up in Highland Park, not sure.

I was not surprised when the Buffalo Grove location closed up. Never seemed to generate a lot of business - the prices are on the high side for the location.

A couple of years went by, you can't imagine how often I missed the place. I'm in Deerfield and Northbrook quite often. A few months ago (maybe 4 or 5) I was trying to think of a different place to eat and for some reason a thunderbolt struck and I thought of Chicken Charlie's. Didn't know whether the Northbrook location was still in business. Much to my surprise it was. I've been a happy camper ever since.

If anyone is interested I'll find out the exact address location. It's in the same shopping center as the new Sunset Foods.

the website for Check Please has recipes from many of the restaurants reviewed.

http://www.wttw.com/checkplease/supp...ecipesa2z.html

I like the new host Alpana Singh over the original host Amanda Puck, my wife does not like Singh at all.

Oooo, sweet!

You are my new best friend, Sweet Willie!! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...um/biggrin.gif

I just read that Singh is currently the youngest master sommelier in the country (is she at Everest? - I can't recall).
She seems very well informed about the local scene and always has some interesting back information about the restaurants being reviewed.
What is the relation of Amanda to Wolfgang?

Yes, Singh is at Everest. I like her feedback too.

Amanda is a daughter in law I believe.

ok, I'm showing my age again. How does one edit a reply?

I haven't made up my mind which moderator I like better. Thought I read the original was replaced because of a potential conflict of interest. She may own a restaurant or something else. So I'm surprised that the new moderator works at Everest.

Couple of weeks ago Check Please mentioned a restaurant on Kinzie I may try this weekend.

just above your own individual post there is an icon that looks like it has a pencil on it, click on that. Pretty self explanatory after that.

"Check, Please!" is taking its show on the road. The restaurant review program launched on WTTW-TV/Channel 11 has a deal in the works with San Francisco public TV to produce a local version of the show there next year. After that: New York. A cookbook and restaurant guide are also in the works, and there's even talk of a board game.

I'm not a big fan of the show. I realize I'm probably a minority, and a small one at that. I don't really care what Joe Blow thinks of certain restaurants, just as I'm not interested in what "he" thinks about most other things. This was confirmed when I saw someone who worked for me on the show. However, I am glad to see the thread revived for the recipes.