America's Next Great Restaurant

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• Meet Onion Crunch, soon to be your hot dog's new best friend. — Food Republic

If you watch any amount of food television, there's a good chance you've heard of Curtis Stone. From Take Home Chef to The Biggest Loser, there's nowhere this attractive Aussie hasn't been. Currently, he's busy being host of Top Chef Masters and a judge on America's Next Great Restaurant. We took time to get to know the chef, who's busy as the new face of Great Grains.

Over the phone, Stone — who revealed he's opening a new restaurant in Los Angeles, and talked about the highs and lows of filming — was surprisingly grounded and impressively well-spoken. He also addressed naysayers' criticisms that he spends too much time on TV and not enough in the kitchen. Curious to see what he's got to say? Read more.

Last night saw the debut of two much-hyped-about food television shows: Bobby Flay's America's Next Great Restaurant on NBC and Chopped All-Stars on Food Network. I watched both and found them to be overall entertaining. At a time when the fast-food industry has been under scrutiny, it's interesting that mega chefs Flay and Curtis Stone are investing in a chain eatery.

Over on Chopped, it was fun to see the Next Food Network Star contestants again. I forgot how much I liked Lisa Garza, and despite the fact that she didn't complete the challenge, I was rooting for her to get past the first round. Did you watch either of the new shows? Share your thoughts below!

Photo courtesy of NBC

Think you've seen a lot of celeb chef Curtis Stone on Celebrity Apprentice and The Biggest Loser? Well, America's about to see a lot more of him. This year, he'll replace Kelly Choi as the host of Top Chef Masters and serve as a panelist alongside Bobby Flay in America's Next Great Restaurant.

The dashing Aussie chef caught up with Slashfood and talked frankly about everything from the "freaks" on Celebrity Apprentice to Kelly Choi's sudden exit on Top Chef Masters. For all his quips, head over to the full story at Slashfood.

NBC's America's Next Great Restaurant was among many midseason TV shows at the Winter TCA, and the competition reality series is about to make someone's dream come true in the grandest way possible. Celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Curtis Stone are judging the hopefuls who want to open the next big restaurant chain, so the show will be equally as focused on food as it is on business, sort of like if The Apprentice met Top Chef. Flay and Stone joined the producers to talk about what the competition is all about.

• Judge Steve Ells, who launched the Chipotle chain, says the judges are looking for a great "fast, casual restaurant idea that's going to sweep this country." He stressed that "fast casual" isn't fast food, and that the winning restaurant should offer real food and real cooking "that just happens to be convenient." And it's not just about one location — the best idea needs to be able to become a chain.
• Flay is excited about what he and the other judges — who are all potential investors in the winning concept — will encounter: "Ultimately this show is about the American dream," but they won't pass just anyone on to the next rounds because they like them. It's business — as investors, they can't "get a show-crush on them" to keep them around.
• Executive producer Jane Lipsitz gave details about the format: the first episode narrows down the 20 concepts to 10, and every week, they'll be developing concepts like design, menu, and marketing technique to evolve the restaurants. Exec producer Dan Cutforth pointed out one big bonus to the show: eventually, "America's going to be able to go out and taste this food."

There's still more Winter TCA news coming, so keep reading BuzzSugar!

Today there's more intel on NBC's restaurateur reality TV show, formerly titled United Plates of America. Variety reports that the competition, which will air next season, has a new name, America's Next Great Restaurant, that's perhaps more fitting of the show's premise than its old title.

In addition, Bobby Flay has signed on to be one of the five restaurant and business leaders who will be a judge, mentor, and investor to the contestants. On the new program, which is casting right this moment, industry insiders like Mesa Grill owner and Iron Chef Flay will help a winning chef or aspiring restaurateur open a new eatery.

NBC hasn't had too much success in the food reality series department: 2003's The Restaurant, starring Rocco Dispirito, was a flop; last year's The Chopping Block with Marco Pierre White was canceled after just three episodes. Still, this is a completely new premise, and having Bobby Flay star certainly can't hurt. What do you think? Does the show sound like it has the ingredients for success?

From Magical Elves, the producers of Bravo's Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, and the soon-to-air Top Chef: Just Desserts, comes yet another reality TV show, tentatively titled United Plates of America.

Unlike its sister productions, United Plates will air on NBC. The premise: aspiring restaurateurs compete in a number of challenges involving the restaurant's concept, cuisine, management, and marketability. The judges' panel will include wealthy investors in the culinary and business world.The prize is being called "among the biggest in reality show history" — the winner will receive a restaurant chain that opens in four locations across the US — funded by the investors themselves. "It's a culinary competition that anybody can take part in," said executive producer Dan Cutforth. "All you need is a great idea for a restaurant."

Finally, a different foodie reality TV concept. This show could be wildly captivating and educational, because the average American viewer doesn't have an inkling of knowledge about the operations behind a restaurant. I would definitely tune in to check out the show. What about you?