I have never met Bobby Flay, however I have never been a fan of his public persona. He just seems like he’s a jerk, sorry, just the rub he gives me. (he also has the male version of resting bitch face if you ask me) Regarding the quality etc. of his burgers, they were fine however I feel over priced for a burger especially for portion size.
David Burke was an arrogant ass. Watching his bloated ass sweat around the restaurant with an ego as inflated as his waste-line was a very disappointing experience. This one particular restaurant was a very long standing and well respected fine dining and Burke came in as if his sh*t didn’t stink and put his “signature” on the restaurant. A lot of locals liked having the “celebrity” presence however the end result was a hostile takeover by his partners in which Burke himself was banned from the property that bore his name. The location has subsequently closed and a new operator is in the location. Good riddance!!
I recall visiting The Bedford Post in Westchester County, N.Y. It was owned by actor Richard Gere and partners at the time. We sat in The Barn, the casual section to the property for brunch one Sunday. We noticed a vehicle pull into the parking area with the license plate: Jean-Georges. Sure enough, in comes Uber-chef Jean George with his wife and kids in tow, much to the consternation of the chef and his crew at The Barn.
The meal was quite good, by the way. And we enjoyed watching the activity between the kitchen and the J-G table…
Whenever in London, I will seek out Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa. Had some fabulous meals there. Also love Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsey in the same St. Paul’s Cathedral neighborhood.
In NYC I went in to Guy Fieri’s Times Square restaurant just because it had been ripped apart in the press after opening. I only had a glass of wine at the bar but the wings were popular with folks that day.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
24
Oh, I remember my one and only experience of a Jamie’s Italian. Remember vividly. Poor. Very poor. Really, really, very poor. Chains should be able to do better than that!
We were seated at a very close table next to George Lopez at the original Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant on Navigation in Houston. The Wifeacita wanted a picture with him but I said just leave the man alone.
I don’t think it’s fair to group non-chef celebrity-owned restaurants with those owned by famous chefs. When an actor, athlete, or other non-cooking celebrity goes into the hospitality business as a vanity project, they had better partner with an experienced restauranteur if they want to be successful over the long haul. The same would hold true if the celebrity was a cook who won a competition but had no experience in a commercial kitchen/restaurant. But if the celebrity is a chef with a long professional resume, who has progressed through ascending levels of responsibility for a restaurant, diners should reasonably have high expectations for the quality of the food and service.
