Chef Gordon Ramsay is a restaurateur’s worst nightmare. The host of “Hell’s Kitchen” is now tackling the worst restaurants in the New York area. He’s working hard to turn these places around – and he’s taking no prisoners in the process. Last night, the show focused on an Indian restaurant called Dillons that had a serious pest-control problem and a general manager who managed his busy social life better than the restaurant.

Ramsay tests out the food first, but is terribly disappointed and a bit fearful for his life. The vegetarian appetizer included meat. Then, his ‘meat’ dish was unidentifiable. The chef determined it was possibly ‘old lamb.’ Yuck! There were flies in the dining area, which you don’t need to be a restaurateur to know can’t be good for business.

The owner, Mohammed Islaam, admits that this place is losing him money - $30,000 a month – and is considering closing the place down. However, he’s willing to listen to Ramsay’s suggestions and make the necessary changes to get the place back on track.

The kitchen inspection yields enough spoiled and rooting food to make us sick. Green burgers, rotted tomatoes – one of which got served to a customer – and lettuce greens with flies and other insects in ‘em were just some of the disgusting things Gordo found. A trip to the storage room uncovered a rat and cockroach problem. Yuck! It makes us itchy just thinking about it.

Ramsay has the staff close down the dining room. Later on, he brings in steam cleaners who help everyone clean the place from top to bottom. The next day he brings in consulting chef Vikas Khanna to create a contemporary Indian menu that focuses on fresh food and simple flavors and preparation. The staff approves and becomes more energized about the process…except for Martin who has incurred Ramsay’s wrath. At one point, Jenna, one of the waitresses, sticks up for Martin, much to Ramsay’s chagrin.

However, during dinner service of the newly-refurbished Purnima-Dillons, which is absolutely gorgeous by the way, Martin proves himself more of a hindrance than a help. The floor manager, Khan, steps in and rallies the troops beautifully. He does a fantastic job of keeping the customers satisfied and the staff on task.

Overall, it was a profitable night – the waitresses had fantastic tips – and the customers were pleased. The place was busier than normal thanks to some creative marketing set up by Gordon. In the end, Gordon suggests that Mohammad get rid of Martin so he can hire Vikas. Martin is ticked off. He decides to quit rather than be fired, which is fine by Gordon. In fact, a few months later, we see that Purnima is flourishing without its former GM. The place is finally making a profit.

All in all, we love “Kitchen Nightmares” (heck, we loved it as “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” on the BBC). Gordon Ramsay is a tough critic, but he knows what he’s talking about. He puts his blood, sweet, tears and passion into turning these places around. That’s why he’s successful. The restaurateurs might not have an easy time of it, but if a well-run restaurant is what they ultimately want, then “Kitchen Nightmares” is a great boot camp to get there.