Sweetbitter

This is a great show that simmers slowly and takes its time building the plot and characters over two gorgeously filmed seasons situated primarily in a restaurant modeled after Union Square Cafe in NYC in the early 2000s. It reminds me a bit of the series Felicity with Keri Russell from the late 90s: a shy, beautiful young woman moves to the big city looking to explore all the possibilities life may offer while she slowly discovers who she is and who she really wants to be. It's moody and thoughtful and gives us an accurate look into the life of young servers, bar and kitchen staff working in a high-end, high pressure restaurant. The episodes are only 30 minutes long, so things never get too deep and I think I appreciate this aspect. I can immerse myself a little, get the feeling and the vibe of the time and place and romance of it all; good escapism with a talented cast that serves up courses of relationship drama, intimacy and sex while bringing in well researched and even informational aspects of food and wine. If you enjoy coming of age stories and love food, you'll enjoy all the sweet and bitter this show has to offer.

I love a show that can make you feel something and this does not disappoint. It's about creating an experience. Feeling and learning new things for the first time and growing into the you that you want to become. Girl in the city working at a sexy restaurant growing into her own. I also love the breakdown of the taste and sexual sensation aspects. Can't wait for more.

I managed to watch the entire first season in one day. It was good. Not great. Not terrible. IMO, if you want a fair review of this series, ignore all the one and ten star ratings. They simply are not realistic. It moves a little slow at times but the characters all become likeable in their own way. Never having worked in the food service industry, I can't say how accurately life is portrayed. Most of the characters seem depressed and without hope (and high :) all the time however, so that seems a bit over-played. The one aspect I found exceptionally annoying is how Tess is constantly portrayed as the "wide-eyed country bumpkin" stepping foot into the big city for the very first time. It was sort of cute in the first episode. It gets pretty old by the 6th episode. Started Season 2. Seems on-track so far.

Just finished season 2 on the starz app and loved it! Give us a season 3 with more episodes!

Have made it through 3 episodes which I think is a reasonable shot but that's as far as it goes. Careers from one cliche to another. Perhaps in other hands a show set behind the scenes in an upmarket New York restaurant could yield something a little more than on offer here, but then again perhaps not. It looks great but moody lighting and sultry acting isn't enough. A sit com might have worked better with this material or at least a plot with somewhere to go.