Today's Entertainment

The popularity of online rating and review sites such as Yelp has turned America into a nation of critics, many of whom can ruin a restaurant owner's day, and if not his business, via a snarky review. Those reviews also can help a struggling eatery identify and fix problems in its operations, though. That's the notion behind "Say It to My Face," an entertaining new series premiering Saturday, May 9, on FYI. In each episode, co-hosts Andrew Gruel and Anthony Dispensa host a "town hall" session between an often testy restaurant owner and a small group of people who have knocked his business online. "My and Anthony's goal is to generate a strategy for turning around the restaurant using the content from the online reviewers, no matter how frustrating that is for the restaurant owners," Gruel says. "And we do it for as little money as possible, because these restaurant owners usually are on their last legs." As irritating as some of these reviews are, they almost invariably contain some kernels of valuable information, Gruel says, whether it's an ill-conceived dish (like a burger topped with an egg, jelly and peanut butter in the series premiere) or murky marketing that confuses prospective customers. "We look at any problems in the food, the ambience and the customer service, because those seem to be the three main pillars in all online reviews," Gruel says. "People are going to continue writing these online reviews and no matter how much you love it or hate it, it's not going to change. It's up to you to listen to what they say, find the truth in it and use it turn your restaurant around. You can use online reviews for your success and, if you don't, it could lead to your failure." Restaurant owners confront critics in 'Say It to My Face' What is your favorite comfort food? "I'm a huge roast chicken and mashed potatoes guy. As someone who works 16 hours a day virtually 7 days a week in restaurants, I find myself walking by the rotisserie section of the local grocery store and grabbing the full roasted chicken and doing some quick microwave smashed potatoes when I am looking for comfort food in 20 minutes." Do you have any favorite spices? "The first is fish sauce, which is really more of a condiment. It's important to consider using umami in our food and having that rich, savory flavor. It won't taste fishy, but it will add that richness. I love togarashi, which is almost like the Japanese equivalent of chili powder, a mixture of chili peppers and other spices. It adds some extra kick. I also make my own seasoning salt by mixing salt with fresh herbs, letting it dry for a day, then putting it in a coffee grinder." Where would you like to go on vacation? "If I had the time, I'd love to go to Paris. It's a food-lover's dream." Andrew Gruel BY JOHN CROOK By now, anyone who's seen even one movie in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise knows what to expect. That's not meant as snark: It's a fact, and the good news is that the series never fails to deliver. "Furious 7" is the latest example, and it's generally fast enough to overcome its cloud of tragedy, since founding co-star Paul Walker died before production was completed. This edition adds a couple of action-savvy notables to the cast – Kurt Russell and Jason Statham – and as soon as everyone is buckled in, it's high-octane business as usual. Statham plays the brother of a villain previously vanquished by Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (Walker) and company, and he's out for big-time revenge ... prompting our more-or-less-heroes to try to get to him first. A big help to them would be the surveillance device that the government agent played by Russell is seeking, so they agree to assist him in locating it. OK, so there's the plot. Now, bring on the cars. As usual, "Furious 7" does that, and then some. In one of the best of the many stunts, a vehicle crashes out of a skyscraper and goes flying into another one. And we're not talking the ground floor here. Yes, it's fun to see the interplay among the regular characters and actors – Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez and a typically, enjoyably natural Dwayne Johnson also are back – and watching Walker participate in that camaraderie is bittersweet this time. But there's no raison d'etre (which might seem a bit lofty a phrase in this case) for a "Fast and the Furious" movie without doing some innovative things automobile-wise, and "Furious 7" director James Wan and his crew have worked out some dazzlingly fresh spins on that count. Vin Diesel BY JAY BOBBIN Seventh round is as 'Furious' as ever Page 8 May 4 - 10, 2015

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