Giles Coren Set for BBC America's New Restaurant Series MILLION DOLLAR CRITIC

BBC AMERICA's new restaurant series, Million Dollar Critic, introduces Giles Coren (Gordon Ramsay's The F-Word) the bitingly funny and controversial restaurant critic of The London Times to North America. It's said that a positive review from the vigorous writer is worth a million dollars and that his words can change the fates and fortunes of the restaurants he visits. With help from his researcher Julia Pileggi, in each episode the host samples meals from five worthy restaurants and thrusts one lucky winner into the limelight by giving them his million dollar review. The six-part hour-long culinary journey, Million Dollar Critic, premieres Thursday, January 22, 10:00pm ET following the final episodes of the original Ramsay's KITCHEN NIGHTMARES on BBC AMERICA.

Giles Coren has eaten at the world's finest restaurants, but nothing excites him more than discovering a hidden gem - a place that's doing everything right and deserves recognition. In this new series, he travels city-to-city to discover some of North America's most enticing and authentic restaurants in need of the acknowledgment that can help them pop on the culinary map. From Philadelphia, Charleston, and Providence, to Toronto, St. John's Newfoundland, and Québec City, he'll assess and select one winning restaurant in each city. Along the way, Coren receives some helpful insight from local residents including Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in the series premiere.

In Toronto, Coren visits The Atlantic, a restaurant with no menu, pay-what-you-think-it's-worth philosophy, and an eccentric, multi-tasking owner, who is also the host, bartender, chef, and server; Opus, a pricy old-school restaurant with 3,000 bottles on its wine list; hugely popular Indo-Pakistani buffet King Place; hipster bistro Small Town Food Co.; and Mexican food stall turned restaurant, Agave y Aguacate.

Caring little if the restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall, or a Michelin-starred destination, Coren judges his experiences based on the chef's passion for food, the restaurant's atmosphere, and service. This levels the playing field for all restaurants hoping to win his review. While it can get hot in the kitchen, it's Coren's British wit and blunt honesty that drives this new culinary series.

Million Dollar Critic is produced by Temple Street Productions and BBC AMERICA, in association with W Network. The series is distributed by BBC Worldwide.

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