| Best New Restaurant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Based on | Ramsay's Best Restaurant |
| Judges | Tom Colicchio Maggie Nemser Jeffrey Zurofsky |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company | One Potato Two Potato |
| Original release | |
| Network | Bravo |
| Release | January 21 (2015-01-21) – April 1, 2015 (2015-04-01) |
Best New Restaurant is an Americanreality competition series onBravo that premiered on January 21, 2015.[1] The show is based on British television seriesRamsay's Best Restaurant created bycelebrity chefGordon Ramsay.[2][3]
The show features a celebrity chefTom Colicchio, along with Maggie Nemser and Jeffrey Zurofsky, who bring sixteen new restaurants against each other in a series of challenges in order to determine which one of them would be crowned as the best.[4] The challenges include the dishes that are served, the restaurant's decor and the overall concept.[5]
| No. | Title | Original release date | U.S. viewers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Italian Cuisine" | January 21, 2015 (2015-01-21) | 663,000[11] | |
The first two participating newly opened restaurants compete in three challenges. Both restaurants serve Italian cuisine. The menu in Dolce Italian in South Beach is dedicated to serving authentic Italian dishes while the other restaurant Doma in Beverly Hills offer Italian food with a global twist.[10] Winner: Dolce | ||||
| 2 | "Shared Plates" | January 28, 2015 (2015-01-28) | 518,000[12] | |
| 3 | "New Service Concepts" | February 4, 2015 (2015-02-04) | 417,000[13] | |
| 4 | "Operated by Couples" | February 11, 2015 (2015-02-11) | 366,000[14] | |
| 5 | "Battle of the Burger" | February 18, 2015 (2015-02-18) | 363,000[15] | |
| 6 | "European Inspired" | February 25, 2015 (2015-02-25) | 305,000[16] | |
| 7 | "Fast Casual Dining" | March 4, 2015 (2015-03-04) | 227,000[17] | |
| 8 | "Seasonal Menus" | March 11, 2015 (2015-03-11) | 433,000[18] | |
| 9 | "Semifinal Round 1" | March 18, 2015 (2015-03-18) | 296,000[19] | |
| 10 | "Semifinal Round 2" | March 25, 2015 (2015-03-25) | 315,000[20] | |
| 11 | "Finale" | April 1, 2015 (2015-04-01) | 422,000[21] | |
The show has been very well received by critics.[22] Christina Chaey ofBon Appétit accented thatBest New Restaurant is different from other cooking shows because it does not focus entirely on food, but includes the quality of service and hospitality as well.[23] Vicki Hyman ofThe Star-Ledger gave the show a B, praising the show's different approach to “reward the restaurant that consistently fulfills its mission, regardless of cuisine or price point,” also distinguishing judges’ personalities as "genuine, not pumped-up-for-the cameras.”[24] Adam Smith ofBoston Herald noted that even though the show seems similar to those that have come before it but also manages to stand out for not infilling the show with drama by saying that "the knives are used for cooking and not stabbing each other in the back."[25]
