Channel: STARZ

If you enjoy learning details about wine and food, then you will like that part. As for the rest, man – this show sorta irritates me! Based on a book by Stephanie Danler, I thought I would love to watch Tess (the Audrey Hepburn-type-of-beautiful protagonist) go to New York and establish her new life and culture! Her mentor, Simone, even tells her as she teaches her about wine, “moving to New York is never a bad idea.” However, I get frustrated by Tess’ bad choices, casual attitude towards her personal safety, and associations with people who are going nowhere professionally (except one who plans to go to law school). I used to work in a restaurant so the in-house drama that goes with restaurant personnel is true and it is very easy to think it is your whole world at the time, but it really needs to be a stepping stone to your next thing … unless you are going into management. In Tess’ case, I admire her ability to learn her craft and how to present/upgrade a fine dining experience. For the rest, the drama is annoying, pointless, and often too dramatic for a smart girl to get involved with when she needs to think about her life and where it is going. On the other hand, I did not make great choices in my twenties – particularly with choosing the guy you want over the guy who is good for you – so I am probably just projecting! It is a cringe-worthy time in one’s life and SweetBitter is making me relive it! (Although there is no way I would have EVER taken whatever shot or pill someone at work handed me!) Over and over, I ask, “WHY is she doing that?” and “Why is no one at this restaurant working?” You can’t have 20-minute conversations in the wine cellar when the restaurant is full! Bottom line, while Tess is adorable and I would love to eat at the restaurant, the whole staff bugs me. With that said – I will probably watch more just to see if she can make some better strides in the Big Apple! I really hope she does!

The Council Rules: Binge it if there is nothing better going on but give yourself a nice restaurant experience afterward to remind yourself that you have a better path in front of you.

Binge food: Anything! This is a show about a fine-dining restaurants in NYC, but I had Ben & Jerrys.