Restaurant comedy ‘Sweetbitter’ lacks spice

The story of the Midwestern innocent let loose in the big city has been a trope in successful comedies from “Tales of the City” (1993) to “Girls” (2012). “Sweetbitter,” a new, six-episode series on Starz, takes another naif, doe-eyed Tess (Ella Purnell), and sets her loose in the New York City of 2006. Despite her complete lack of qualifications, such as not knowing the “five noble grapes of Bordeaux,” she is “invited” for a tryout as a backwaiter at an upscale restaurant patterned on the Union Square Cafe (where series creator Stephanie Handler once worked before writing the bestselling novel on which the show is based). Tess doesn’t have much of a personality but knows that her Betty Boop good looks can advance her cause in a world where surface charms speak volumes. As her boss later tells a guest at the restaurant, “She complimented me on my nails. That’s how she got a job here.” With its pink chairs and vases of orchids, the restaurant may be the picture of moneyed calm but the kitchen is a war zone and that’s where “Sweetbitter”s juices start cooking. Tess receives a baptism by fire, trying to master the “three-plate carry” and learning lingo such as “burning the ice” while she tries to make friends and sort out the office politics. While Purnell, a cross between Zooey Deschanel and Marion Cotillard, hangs back, seemingly too shy, the show’s supporting cast doesn’t miss a chance to shine. Caitlin FitzGerald is Simone, the diva of the joint, who regally towers above her colleagues while subtly suggesting her sell-by date may be fast approaching. Daniyar is the flamboyant Sasha, a Russian immigrant desperate to get his green card. Evan Jonigkeit is Will, a waiter who gives Tess the lowdown on the place: “Simone’s not your friend.” Ella Purnell and Tom Sturridge work at a New York hot spot on “Sweetbitter.”Starz Restaurant series don’t have a great track record. “Kitchen Confidential,” based on the Anthony Bourdain book and starring Bradley Cooper, died after four episodes on Fox in 2005. “Feed the Beast,” which co-starred David Schwimmer, lasted exactly one season on AMC in 2016. “Sweetbitter” succeeds best when offering an amusingly tart portrait of some Manhattan strivers whose abundance of attitude compensates for the reality that they’re earning a living making, as one character says, “ourselves feel small so our [patrons] feel big.” The series stumbles, though, in forcing a romantic storyline between Tess and Jake (Tom Sturridge), the restaurant’s moody, unshaven bartender who feeds her oysters in the stockroom and offers the pickup line “What do you taste?” Sturridge doesn’t have chemistry with Purnell, and if Tess is meant to have her bad New York boyfriend experience with Jake, she can’t say she wasn’t warned. “It just won’t be a cool story for later,” Simone tells her. As Season 1 only has handful of episodes, it’s fair to say that not enough happens on “Sweetbitter” to pique our interest for more. Pop in for a drink at the bar, but you’ll have to book a table elsewhere for fine dining. Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/05/01/restaurant-comedy-sweetbitter-lacks-spice/ The post Restaurant comedy ‘Sweetbitter’ lacks spice appeared first on My style by Kartia.