10:12 AM EDT on Monday, April 19, 2004

BY GAIL CIAMPA
Journal Food Editor

NBC Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, above, and his financier, Geoffrey Chodorow duke it out on The Restaurant, which shows the behind-the-scenes mayhem of a New York City eatery that became a tourist destination after last seaon.

The meatballs hit the fan on the new season of The Restaurant, premiering tonight at 10 p.m. on NBC. It's amazing to watch and makes for some fine, entertaining television that leaves you hungry for more.

In its first season, every frame of the reality show about the opening of Rocco DiSpirito's new restaurant felt made for TV. Producers had the final say on the hiring of waitstaff, and would-be diners secured reservations only after promising to create some drama at dinner. All this created a distinct lack of drama.

Not so with the new episodes about life at DiSpirito's New York City restaurant, which are building toward a date on Court TV. There's big trouble between the celebrity chef and his financial backer Geoffrey Chodorow.

We know it ends badly because two months ago, Chodorow filed suit against DiSpirito, charging that financial mismanagement resulted in the loss of more than $600,000 for the first seven months of operation. Less than two weeks ago, DiSpirito filed a $6 million countersuit saying Chodorow's company stripped him of any say in the restaurant that bears his name.

The events leading to these lawsuits were captured by cameras as they documented life at the restaurant six months after the first season finale.

Executive producer Mark Burnett, of Survivor and The Apprentice fame, characterizes the result as "train-wreck television" but it's really a classic food fight between partners.

The lines are quickly and clearly drawn in the first two of the six episodes that comprise the season and end with a two-hour finale on May 24.

Chodorow wants to know why Rocco's is the busiest of his 20-plus restaurants, and yet the only one losing money. The show gave the restaurant an incredible boost and it became a destination for tourists visiting Manhattan last summer and fall.

He asks why the chef spent $9,000 on 5,000 business cards and questions the $400 weekly bill for new, manicured plants asking, 'Don't they last more than a week?' "

Those costs are just the tip of the financial iceberg. Staffing budgets will be looked at as well.

NBC Rocco DiSpirito, seated at left and his mother, standing, who still makes the meatballs, are the focus of the cameras on NBC's The Restaurant, which begins its second season at 10 tonight on Channels 7 and 10.

He's also seen bringing in a new chef from Italy to work in the kitchen with his staff, including his mother, who's still making the big meatballs. Even the employees complain they never see DiSpirito.

Chodorow quickly amasses a corporate team of consultants to swarm the restaurant and turn it around financially. He calls DiSpirito's staff together to explain his plan of action and his motives. He expresses his wish to save the restaurant. DiSpirito is among the missing, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by his employees.

Big man in Big Apple

What is obvious but not explained on the show is that Chodorow is a big player in the New York restaurant scene. He talks about how many he owns but the viewer doesn't know that his businesses include ventures with heavyweights including French chef Alain Ducasse and hotelier Ian Schrager. Still, his experience and business savvy come across. He plays as a professional committed to saving his investment.

DiSpirito, on the other hands, looks pouty, immature and unbusinesslike. It seems as if he'd rather whine from his office across the street, or complain to his girlfriend in bed. He shows no motivation to take any action to save his restaurant. His visits there appear to last no more than five minutes at a time.

The DiSpirito we see is more interested in being a celebrity than a chef. And he looks exhausted, not quite one of those People magazine's sexiest men alive that we remember from last year.

Can we get some water?

The cast of supporting characters, from a new bartender to an out-of-control intern, promises to add some color that was sorely lacking in the first season. Still missing is table service that pleases customers. When Chodorow's team of consultants comes for dinner, no one refills their drinks, even though this seems like a table that should be well-tended.

The scene is also set for DiSpirito's mother to fight for her son's good name. As Chodorow, and even his wife, assure her of their intentions, her eyes say she doesn't believe it.

What you won't see is the overdone product placement -- American Express and Coors Brewing Co. -- that was such a distraction last year. The show's opening and titles are also new to reflect the absence of those products.

The only greater absence on The Restaurant is of the star chef himself.