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"  I was reminded of last season&amp;#039;s cast of characters on Fox&amp;#039;s two hour special, Kitchen Nightmares Revisited. Gordon returned to Campania in Fair Lawn, NJ, Finn McCool&amp;#039;s in West Hampton, NY, Purnima a.k.a. Dillon&amp;#039;s, in New York City, The Olde Stone Mill in Tuckahoe, NY and The Mixing Bowl restaurant in Bellmore, NY. Fortunately, all these restaurants are within striking distance of my home base, New York City. After witnessing Gordon&amp;#039;s stamp of approval on the graduating class, I figured I would pay them a visit to see if they were really up to standards-my standards. Bravely, I headed to Purnima, formerly known as Dillons. The most nightmarish of the bunch, before Gordon installed a new chef and fired the restaurant manager, Purnima was infested with cockroaches and rotten food that Gordon said could kill any innocent diner. Since Purnima is just a block from the Delish offices, I grabbed my co-worker Allison, without cluing her in to why we were headed to this obscure restaurant in Midtown. Though Allison stated that, &amp;quot;Indian gives me heartburn,&amp;quot; I convinced her this restaurant was different and had received many rave reviews. There, bathed in neon light beaming from the Subway sandwich sign across the street advertising the $5 footlong sub, stood Purnima. Loud music blared from the adjacent bar, Dillons, which explains why the Indian restaurant dropped the name. As we perused the menu in the window, I noticed a laminated clip from Time Out New York touting the restaurant for being a Kitchen Nighmare success story. Unfortunately, Allison realized why we were there and doubted my optimism. As we entered the humble restaurant, we overheard a couple by the window paying their check saying their meal was delicious. With high hopes we sat down and were immediately showered with compliments from our waiter. He took a liking to Allison, asking her if her pashmina was made of hemp. She told him no, but then we learned a little bit more about him and his interest in fashion. He also seemed to like Allison&amp;#039;s necklace. Maybe he just liked Allison! We scanned the menu of Indian classics-Samosas, Naan, Biryani, and Tandoori--and agreed to share a little of everything. Before our meal we snacked on spicy Indian crackers with dipping sauce - can&amp;#039;t remember exactly what that was because while chomping, I looked around the fabric-walled dining room. Besides us and one other couple, it was completely and totally dead. At 6:45pm in New York&amp;#039;s theater district on a Wednesday! While other restaurant brim with folks eating before curtain time, you could hear a pin drop in Purnima. I started to feel really sorry for the lonely staff. They couldn&amp;#039;t have been more gracious and hospitable, but rather than remember the glamorous Gordon makeover prospective diners (myself included) minds are littered with images of a flithy kitchen teeming with cockroaches. And what about Gordon&amp;#039;s newly appointed chef Vikas Khann&amp;#039;s gourmet menu? Samosas were crispy and filled with fresh veggies, both entrees, the Tandoori chicken and the Kashmiri Aloo Dum (potatoes stewed with cashew nuts and sweet and plump California dates) were elegantly served in little sliver plated bowls. The dates cloaked in a creamy sauce were like candy, but as my tongue wrapped around them I couldn&amp;#039;t help but think the similar shape and color closely resembled creepy crawlers. At $18-24 per entree, I thought my money would be better spent at upscale Indian restaurants like Tamarinde or Devi, both in the Flatiron district. If you&amp;#039;re in New York, definitely book a table. While eating our complimentary cardamom ice cream, I saw the other couple happily finishing up their meal, they even left with doggie bags! Doggie Bags! That is Gordon&amp;#039;s biggest no-nos! Don&amp;#039;t give the customers more than they can eat in one sitting. Food costs will be higher than necessary and eat into the restaurant&amp;#039;s profits. I guess the folks at Purnima, though miles away from where they started, have forgotten a few of Gordon&amp;#039;s golden rules. If Purnima brought the prices down and the loud volume from neighbor Dillons, they might be able to salvage their reputation. Certainly diners would remember the food and not the sensational images from Purnima&amp;#039;s former kitchen nightmare. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/restaurants/a29463/signing-up-for-kitchen-nightmares/>