"You Gotta Eat Here" - Canadian version of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives- coming soon!

[jerrysiz]

I was in Stratford today talking to Sue from Boomer's Gourmet Fries (highly reccomended if you're in the area, great burgers too), and she told me about a new show being produced for the Food Network called "You Gotta Eat Here" that's supposed to be a Canadian version of DDD. Sue said they'll be filming a segment at Boomer's in September, and the show should start airing sometime in the fall. From the press release:

You Gotta Eat Here! is deliciously funny. This 13 episode, half hour television series sends our charming, funny and food-obsessed host, comedian John Catucci, on a quest for Canada’s most delicious, mouthwatering, over-the-top comfort food. He’s visiting great joints, greasy spoons, and legendary restaurants to taste the food that made them famous and to meet the colourful characters that make them institutions. John dives into the kitchens to find out what makes these signature recipes so damn good. Health food? Not on this show, baby. Bring on the cheese, bacon, and barbecue!

“We know everyone has a ‘spot’ they rave about. Every episode will be an up close and personal visit with three great, off the beaten path spots,” said Michael Geddes, Executive Producer, Lone Eagle Entertainment. “We know that You Gotta Eat Here! will be a mouth watering journey that everyone is going to talk about.”

There's a facebook page for the show too, nothing much on it yet though. Don't know if John Catucci can fill Guy's shoes for the Canadian market, but time will tell. It will be nice to see some places that we can gorge ourselves without crossing the border. So, any bets on which places they'll showcase?

[sarnya]

I've worked in the television industry for five years in Toronto and I've never heard of the production company that's producing the show, Lone Eagle TV. According to their website their most recent shows were Wipeout Canada and Carlawood... Canwest's solution to filling Canadian content regulations on TVTropolis.

If You Gotta Eat Here is anything like those shows or the other Canadian content filler on specialty channels, I doubt there's much hope that it will be any good. There's a chance the host could carry the show and make it awesome but who knows.

[0xffff]

I've worked in the television industry for five years in Toronto and I've never heard of the production company that's producing the show, Lone Eagle TV. According to their website their most recent shows were Wipeout Canada and Carlawood... Canwest's solution to filling Canadian content regulations on TVTropolis.

If You Gotta Eat Here is anything like those shows or the other Canadian content filler on specialty channels, I doubt there's much hope that it will be any good. There's a chance the host could carry the show and make it awesome but who knows.

There's no hope. Canada is not capable of producing an enigmatic personality as Guy Fieri. There's simply not enough tattoo ink and bacon covered french fries in this great nation of ours.

I love Carlawood though! It's my favourite show on TV. I cried tears of sympathy when she got passed over at the Genie nominations for the 10th year running.

[mart242]

There's a facebook page for the show too, nothing much on it yet though. Don't know if John Catucci can fill Guy's shoes for the Canadian market, but time will tell. It will be nice to see some places that we can gorge ourselves without crossing the border. So, any bets on which places they'll showcase?

Let's hope he doesn't talk with his mouthful like the other idiot..

[heyjoe]

Let's hope he doesn't talk with his mouthful like the other idiot..

<333 guy

he's so money

[Pete_Coach]

Guy Fieri and is Diners, Drive ins and, Dives crew were in Vancouver last week. checking out Vancouver spots for his program. First time out of the USA for the show. He seems to like Vancouver and visits often but this time doing shows.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertai...252/story.html

[vickysf]

You Gotta Eat Here is coming to my favorite vegan restaurant in Winnipeg!

[ronin1701]

Guy Fieri and is Diners, Drive ins and, Dives crew were in Vancouver last week. checking out Vancouver spots for his program. First time out of the USA for the show. He seems to like Vancouver and visits often but this time doing shows.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertai...252/story.html

Watching DDD right now, and they featured a place called The Red Wagon.

• Pulled pork pancakes with Jack Daniels maple syrup
• Confit pork belly

[Captain Canada]

YGEH turns out to be a great show.

The host is great and it is fun to see Canadian places being featured for a change.

I love Guy but his bit is getting old.

John is funnier and not the over-the-top big personalty type like Guy.

YGEH is a nice change.

[Goonish]

Watching DDD right now, and they featured a place called The Red Wagon.

• Pulled pork pancakes with Jack Daniels maple syrup
• Confit pork belly

The Red Wagon is good but it doesn't even hold a candle to most of the American places featured on DDD. (I've been there about a dozen times.)

[stealth]

YGEH turns out to be a great show.

The host is great and it is fun to see Canadian places being featured for a change.

I love Guy but his bit is getting old.

John is funnier and not the over-the-top big personalty type like Guy.

YGEH is a nice change.

I don't find him funnier, just a total copycat.

But it's nice to have a Canadian version of DDD that we've all been asking for.

[ronin1701]

The Red Wagon is good but it doesn't even hold a candle to most of the American places featured on DDD. (I've been there about a dozen times.)

So you obviously like it then.

[sucka]

finally got a chance to watch this show as well. Pretty solid i must say, the show is pretty the same style and substance as DDD. Once they feature more places around the GTA then it'll be even better.

[at1212b]

Nothing like that I know of exists here that makes it special.

If they do, it will be extremely overpriced.

[pakmode]

Here's a Recipe for Disaster when trying to do a DDD Canadian version:
Take a C-grade comedian, who knows *nothing* about food, how to be a chef or how to cook anything - insert annoying comments, repetitive jokes, lame shtick humour and what do you have? An absolutely terrible choice for a host of a show on Food Network. Cantucci's previous background is sketch comedy. Yes, sketch comedy. Not cooking in a diner, drive-in or dive. Not growing up eating this sort of food. He doesn't have any experience or background in food or cooking.

Here is why I feel this way after watching the first 4 episodes of the show.

1. Food Network is about food. You are analyzing, commenting and discussing food. What goes in it, how you make it, where it comes from, what the chef does differently, where you grow it, where you get it, why you make it, what it tastes like, etc etc. Guy Fieri and other hosts on Food Network do that. Watch any episode of DDD or any other show and you will see Guy, or a panel of judges, critique the food, describe it, analyze it. We vicariously live through them. Guy specifically tells us what he's tasting, I taste the this, with that, I can feel the heat of the peppers, the acidity of the lemon juice, the texture of the focaccia bun and the garlic aioli brings everything together.
John Cantucci does none of that. All he says is oh a burger, oh mmmm its good. Thanks John.
It's like Sportsnet hiring somebody who knows nothing about hockey to host Hockey Central. Or CBC hiring somebody to do play-by-play for Hockey Night in Canada, when it's nothing they've done before.
Cantucci is not a Chef. If Mike Holmes wasn't a contractor then he wouldn't be hosting Holmes on Homes.

2. Some of you might like a sketch comic hosting a show on Food Network. But if he's not good enough to get a show on Comedy Network, owned by Bell Media then why the hell is Shaw Media hiring him for Food? Makes no sense.

3. I've actually eaten at 2 restaurants that have been on the show. Harbour Diner in Hamilton and Stoney's Bread Company in Oakville. The production/editing team for You've Gotta Eat Here shows them making the food, then Cantucci eating it. Then comments from patrons eating there. Then Cantucci asking people for their food. Then Cantucci dancing in the kitchen. Repeat cycle. Nowhere does he describe the cooking process of the food, what it tastes like, the textures, where the food is grown, how they make things from scratch, he doesn't really describe any of the senses the viewer associates when eating food. He just says mmm good, followed by a routine you would see at a free sketch comedy night.

4. Somebody will inevitably say an apples-to-apples argument is the only way to make a fair comparison. Fair enough, apples-to-apples, Guy Fieri did a DDD segment a couple weeks ago on the Tomahawk restaurant, in BC. Cantucci did a segment last week on the Tomahawk as well. Watch them both and you will see what I'm talking about.

Food Network Canada would be better served finding an actual chef with screen presence to host the show.

I give the show a big fail, that unfortunately, some Canadians will accept because we are self-deprecating and do not ask for, or expect more.