Seems everybody wants a piece of Gordon Ramsay.
But the restaurant formerly known as Prohibition Grille has pretty much been getting the shouty, cuss-monger chef all to itself.
“One man said, ‘Name your price. I’ll pay anything to meet him,’” said Travis Lovestedt, son of the restaurant’s owner, belly dancer Darlene “Rishi” Brown.
Ramsay and his “Kitchen Nightmares” production crew set up shop this week revamping the struggling pub known for good music but bad food.
Lovestedt, 21, said his mom needed help. Professional help. So, about six months ago, he signed her up for Ramsay’s scrutinizing show.
“I didn’t tell her,” said Lovestedt, who lives in California.
Boy, was she surprised when the folks from Fox TV showed up a month ago to check her out.
The Ramsay brigade returned this week to do the deed, and kept a lid on what’s going on. Media pleas for access were denied. Bystander bribery didn’t work, either.
The Rishi-Ramsay show went on behind closed doors.
“It was all the swearing and ruckus as usual,” Lovestedt said.
A few lucky people got inside, but most got only snippets from the sidewalk.
That’s about to change: The new look and menu was expected to be unveiled Thursday evening at the renamed Prohibition Gastro Pub.
Lovestedt said it might reopen this weekend to the public. (Update: The restaurant won’t reopen until Monday.)
“It is an amazing total transformation,” he said. “The menu will change from the Southern cuisine thing going on to a real Northwest-based menu.”
He said the episode should air in six months or so.
“It will have twists and turns,” he said. “It really was an actual reality show. None was made up. I expected it to be over-exaggerated, but it has been 100 percent real.”
Ramsay was the genuine thing as well.
“He’s just a tall, handsome man, really polite and passionate about what he does,” Lovestedt said.
Polite?
“He’s polite, but when it comes down to business, it’s business,” Lovestedt said. “He doesn’t want to see any of this fail for anybody. It’s a really good service, TV aside.”
Lovestedt said his mom accepted all of Ramsay’s suggestions.
“She is very grateful,” he said.
Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com.
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