Ohhhh, Rachael

This is a wonderful show, 100% because of Ms. Ray, who is a treat for the eyes, in every possible way. Her smile alone makes it worth tuning in, and it's pure heaven to watch her taste the food and sigh, "Mmmmmm," before sharing with us the specifics of her culinary bliss.

The only negative thing I can say about her is that she leaves unbelievably crappy tips, and sometimes, she cheats. For instance, on a recent show (I believe it was the Napa Valley one), she bought a $13.95 bottle of wine to take with her to the chosen restaurant for dinner, and the price of the entrée was $12.95. On the final talley ticket that she always shows, the dinner was listed as $12.95, without any tip or tax included - this kept her under the $40 limit which she clearly went over. I think it would have been much cooler - and far more human - for her to show that she indeed went over the limit, rather than try to pass it off without tax and tip, hoping we didn't notice.

I do like how she is fond of a cocktail (or a decent bottle of wine), and how she works that into the budget; this makes the show far more realistic for me, since going out to dinner - and sometimes lunch - generally will involve a drink and/or a glass of wine. All in all, this show is most definitely worth catching whenever you have 30 minutes' worth of time.

ADDED ON 12/17/07: So on a few other segments, I see she has shown herself going over the $40, and as I had imagined, I love this. It does make her more human and even more adorable, when she 'just can't help' herself.