What Is A Chef?

[DonRocks]

Alain Ducasse has 14 restaurants. If you ask if the chef is in the kitchen, the answer is yes (it's not Alain Ducasse).

Joel Robuchon, ditto

Thomas Keller, ditto

Paul Bocuse, ditto

Gordon Ramsay, ditto

Tom Colicchio, ditto

Laurent Tourondel, ditto

Jeff Tunks, ditto

Jeff Black, ditto

These are chefs, like Michel Richard, who have assembled strong, talented teams in the kitchen to execute their visions. Michel spends most days and many nights in the kitchen when he is not committed to charity events (ask any chef in town if they are bombarded constantly with charity donations) and book promotions. The chef (David Deshaies) or the executive sous-chef are there (both with 3 star Michelin training backgrounds). Not many other restaurants in Washington can say this.

Just some counterexamples to your list of ex-chefs: Eric Ziebold, Fabio Trabocchi, Frank Ruta, R J Cooper, Gillian Clark, Johnny Monis, Tom Power, Jonathan Krinn, Barry Koslow, Carole Greenwood, and Jamie Stachowski.

The first six celebrities you named would be complete unknowns had they not worked the kitchens at Louis XV, Jamin, French Laundry, Bocuse, Gordon Ramsay, and Mondrian; they sure as hell aren't famous for their looks.

By all means, cash in and enjoy your fame - just make sure to clear a little space on the stage for the next generation of hard-working cooks that will be joining you.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[jparrott]

And Michel is doing the same as them. As famous as he is as a chef, he is not the chef of Michel Richard Citronelle. He is the owner. At least some of the people in your list above, Don, aren't the owners of their restaurants.

[Mark Slater]

Just some counterexamples to your list of ex-chefs: Eric Ziebold, Fabio Trabocchi, Frank Ruta, R J Cooper, Gillian Clark, Johnny Monis, Tom Power, Jonathan Krinn, Barry Koslow, Carole Greenwood, and Jamie Stachowski.

The first six celebrities you named would be complete unknowns had they not worked the kitchens at Louis XV, Jamin, French Laundry, Bocuse, Gordon Ramsay, and Mondrian; they sure as hell aren't famous for their looks.

By all means, cash in and enjoy your fame - just make sure to clear a little space on the stage for the next generation of hard-working cooks that will be joining you.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Don, the one thing all the chefs you mentioned above have in common is that they all have one restaurant. Four of them are only open five days a week for dinner. Not an excuse, but worth mentioning. Citronelle's chef works 6 days and nights a week, sometimes 7 depending on business and vacations.

[Nadya]

Incidentally, just because you don't see a title chef personally sprinkling microbasil on your tuna parfait, doesn't mean he's not around. For all you know, he can be in the back kitchen overseeing prep or doing orders or planning menus or delivering guidance to staff in the most gentle and politically correct language for which chefs in generally are known.

[brian]

And Michel is doing the same as them. As famous as he is as a chef, he is not the chef of Michel Richard Citronelle. He is the owner.

Should we refer to him as Owner Richard instead of Chef Richard?

(as an aside, I've always hated the "Chef So-and-so" construction - we don't refer to "Sommelier Slater" or "Server Jones". Even worse is the use of "Chef" as a name rather than a noun or adjective. "Chef has prepared..." sounds so much more precious and pompous than "The chef has prepared...". You'd certainly never say "Let me go get Manager".)

[Dave Pressley]

I'd prefer to see a chef having a drink regularly in his own restaurant at 9pm than at another random joint. At his own restaurant, he's still accessible to the staff and customers, and I've no doubt that he is observing the restaurant's flow and its patrons' reactions. This is a recognizable guy, and I'm sure he knows that.

In any case, I've always thought that much of the chef's oversight was in menu planning and prep. Hell, by 9pm the man deserves a drink, and if he's having it at the office, more power to him.

There was a well known DC chef who won the "Chef of the Year" award a few years ago that was at the bar in my restaurant at least 3 nights a week before 8:30. We wondered if he actually won the "Lunch Chef of the Year" award and it was never publicly announced correctly.

[Waitman]

Alain Ducasse has 14 restaurants. If you ask if the chef is in the kitchen, the answer is yes (it's not Alain Ducasse).

Joel Robuchon, ditto

Thomas Keller, ditto

Paul Bocuse, ditto

Gordon Ramsay, ditto

Tom Colicchio, ditto

Laurent Tourondel, ditto

Jeff Tunks, ditto

Jeff Black, ditto

These are chefs, like Michel Richard, who have assembled strong, talented teams in the kitchen to execute their visions. Michel spends most days and many nights in the kitchen when he is not committed to charity events (ask any chef in town if they are bombarded constantly with charity donations) and book promotions. The chef (David Deshaies) or the executive sous-chef are there (both with 3 star Michelin training backgrounds). Not many other restaurants in Washington can say this.

Worth noting that two of the chefs on that list -- Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse -- both crashed and burned in New York City, despite bringing some of their top talent with them. Also that guys like Tunks and Black (and Andres?) seem to aim for a lower level than EZ, Michel and Fabbio, implying that it's easier to spread the magic around if you only need enough to earn two stars than it is if you want to earn four.

[sandynva]

2) If you aren't going to be in the kitchen that often, have the professionalism not to be sitting around having drinks with your friends at the restaurant for all to see. I can't think of any other chef of Richard's caliber that does this as regularly as Richard seems to, but please inform me if it is otherwise. I can live with the illusion that many top chefs don't spend much time actually manning a station or even in the kitchen at all (and I certainly seem to prefer places where that is not the case), but have the tact not to flaunt it, especially when you are charging $155 a meal.

(And yes, my meal at Citronelle last year was really lacking considering the price. I have only been once, but I got the impression from my dishes and trying some others in our group that there is an over-reliance on sous vide. I didn't know who was in the kitchen other than the temperature-controlled water bath.)

I agree, that to appear to be totally uninvolved with what is coming out of the kitchen and going on in the restaurant is less than tactful, given Citronelle's price and the fact that for so many of the people there on a given night, it's a splurge or a special evening. i think that it's quite possible that some of those people feel slighted--i believe that most people (perhaps naively) have an expectation that a chef with one or two restaurants is generally attending to the kitchen in some way. So, if they saved up for a special meal they might feel a bit disapointed, feel that if they'd come in on a different night Chef Richard would have been in the kitchen himself, and thus they did not get the full Citronelle experience.

And I also agree that this would not be an issue if you had been happier with your experience that night, if you'd had an amazing experience, you wouldn't have minded so much. I too have had less than amazing experiences at Citronelle. Granted, i'm a vegetarian and have only been there 3-4 times, but i've never had a meal there that i really enjoyed. They've all been just ok, not bad, but certainly nothing i'd have paid for or even agreed to go to had i had any input into the restaurant selection. The only good part of the meals, for me, have been the desserts, and even those didn't wow me.

[The Leaver]

There are good arguments either way, but the bottom line for me would be that if I went to Robert DeNiro's restaurant, I'd be very happy to see Bobby D knocking one back at the bar with Joe Pesci and Martin Scorsese. Similarly, if I had ever gone to the Fashion Cafe , I'd have loved to see Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford there sipping mojitos. But at Citronelle, I'd be a lot happier seeing MR in the kitchen than sipping wine on the patio. Not saying he has no right to do what he wants, just my preference.

[zoramargolis]

Also that guys like Tunks and Black (and Andres?) seem to aim for a lower level than EZ, Michel and Fabbio, implying that it's easier to spread the magic around if you only need enough to earn two stars than it is if you want to earn four.

I can assure you that Jeff Black was not aiming for two stars when he opened BlackSalt. And he was not a happy camper, to put it mildly, when Sietsema first reviewed him--he has since re-scored it as two-and-a half stars IIRC.

[Waitman]

Worth noting that two of the chefs on that list -- Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse -- both crashed and burned in New York City, despite bringing some of their top talent with them. Also that guys like Tunks and Black (and Andres?) seem to aim for a lower level than EZ, Michel and Fabbio, implying that it's easier to spread the magic around if you only need enough to earn two stars than it is if you want to earn four.

I can assure you that Jeff Black was not aiming for two stars when he opened BlackSalt. And he was not a happy camper, to put it mildly, when Sietsema first reviewed him--he has since re-scored it as two-and-a half stars IIRC.

Not saying that he was -- just that he wasn't aiming for Citronell stars (using "stars" as shorthand here for qality level, rather than as an absolute measure).

Another thought -- if he hadn't had to worry about his other places, might his initial score have been higher?

[Mark Slater]

never mind

[Poivrot Farci]

Ducasse, Robuchon, Keller, Bocuse, Ramsay, Colicchio, Tourondel...

Now they are businessmen.

The work of dedicated tradesmen is diluted by greed, frozen fries and delicious money.

Bean merchandising trumps cookery thereof.

[Mark Slater]

never mind

[Heather]

Never mind.

[DonRocks]

never mind

Never mind.

Quoth the craven, "never mind."

[Hannah]

Okay. What did those of us who sleep occasionally miss during the wee hours?

[Mark Slater]

Just some counterexamples to your list of ex-chefs: Eric Ziebold, Fabio Trabocchi, Frank Ruta, R J Cooper, Gillian Clark, Johnny Monis, Tom Power, Jonathan Krinn, Barry Koslow, Carole Greenwood, and Jamie Stachowski.

The first six celebrities you named would be complete unknowns had they not worked the kitchens at Louis XV, Jamin, French Laundry, Bocuse, Gordon Ramsay, and Mondrian; they sure as hell aren't famous for their looks.

By all means, cash in and enjoy your fame - just make sure to clear a little space on the stage for the next generation of hard-working cooks that will be joining you.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Rocks, Michel Richard has been working in kitchens for 45 years. That is much longer than all except one or two of the chefs you named have been alive.

[DonRocks]

Rocks, Michel Richard has been working in kitchens for 45 years. That is much longer than all except one or two of the chefs you named have been alive.

Of course. Michel has worked long and hard in his career, and I would never imply otherwise.

[starfish]

another perspective...

given the number of hours that most highly regarded chefs/owners/gms work, socializing at their own restaurant is sometimes the only way they can see their friends.

[Capital Icebox]

Some related thoughts from Frank Bruni today on the cult of celebrity chefs and how little time (if any) they actually spend in the kitchen.

[Gillian Clark]

Just my two cents.

I used to wear dred locks. My Locktitian had a tiny studio where she washed and locked everyone's hair. Sure in the old days she had 10 customers and worked until 11 or 12 at night.

She's very talented and of course her business really grew. New studio, more chairs, an article in the Post. She hired a shampooer and three other folks that she trained and stood over until they each locked hair just as she did.

People complained...they wanted Susan to wash and lock their hair...no one else. Well, unfortunately it doesnt work that way. As business grows we all need help and we need to teach people to do it our way.

I wasn't always behind the stove every day the way I am at Colorado Kitchen. But it is a tiny restuarant compared to others in town and others i've cheffed. At Broad Street Grille there were 145 seats (CK has 48) I had a big staff that I worked with before we opened for two weeks. I stood over them and fussed at them when they didnt do the risotto or the crab cakes like I had shown them. But I stood behind the line and called orders (expedited) and stepped in when the kitchen was going down or someone was on vacation. I rarely got my chef coat dirty. But the food was my food. This is the way that Chef's can really teach folks how to cook and make them do the cooking so that they get better and one day have a show of their own.

I remember at Evening Star hiring a team of really rag tag folks...I brought out the great cook in them and it was a good feeling. We had some rough times and bad reviews and then we hit our stride. It was really hard but I taught high school and figured there was a lot of teaching that needed to be done...one of my cooks confessed that he had never made pancakes before. Sometimes the dishwasher wouldn't show up and there I was washing dishes that night. The manager insisted that I cook and make one of my cooks do the dishes that night. I said, "NO". They need to get better at this. They need to learn how to do this and do it under pressure. There is no better training and no better way to build the next generation of chefs.

I remember Susan Lindeborg and Ann Cashion standing back and letting me cook. You never forget that trust bestowed upon you and it makes you work even harder. All of us at Cashion's one night watched Ann take a Saturday night off. She didn't want to go...we had to make her leave. But we had pride at stake too. We wanted everyone in town to see Ann out on a Saturday, to see that she trusted her staff that much. It made us feel great and while she was gone we all strived for perfection.

Just my thoughts...thanks for letting me share.

[Scott Johnston]

I remember my first real job was on the kitchen crew at a all boys camp in upper state NY. The Chef there (Tony P, who was the Executive Chef at the Harvard Club in Boston)would often select the dirtiest pot and wash it till it shined, explaining that he though our job was much harder than his. He also taught me how to peel carrots and potatoes (we had potatoes for 400 people every day, it seemed like, and these would be peeled at 6 AM). No job was beneath the Chef and I learned more about management from him than most jobs I have had since.

God Bless Tony P, RIP

I remember at Evening Star hiring a team of really rag tag folks...I brought out the great cook in them and it was a good feeling. We had some rough times and bad reviews and then we hit our stride. It was really hard but I taught high school and figured there was a lot of teaching that needed to be done...one of my cooks confessed that he had never made pancakes before. Sometimes the dishwasher wouldn't show up and there I was washing dishes that night. The manager insisted that I cook and make one of my cooks do the dishes that night. I said, "NO". They need to get better at this. They need to learn how to do this and do it under pressure. There is no better training and no better way to build the next generation of chefs.

Just my thoughts...thanks for letting me share.

[Waitman]

Emergence as a full-blown television celebrity is a is a sure sign that a chef's best days (as a chef) are behind them.

Discuss.

[DonRocks]

Emergence as a full-blown television celebrity is a is a sure sign that a chef's best days (as a chef) are behind them.

Discuss.

There's nothing to discuss; it's true.

And I'm not saying that's "bad," mind you, but I will point out that (most of) these chefs wouldn't have become celebrities had they not worked the kitchen.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Dave Pressley]

And I'm not saying that's "bad," mind you, but I will point out that (most of) these chefs wouldn't have become celebrities had they not worked the kitchen.

Rocks.

Do you think there are chefs that have become celebrities without working in a real kitchen? Keep in mind, I (and most people I know) don't think most of the personalities on the Food Network are "chefs".

[ol_ironstomach]

Emergence as a full-blown television celebrity is a is a sure sign that a chef's best days (as a chef) are behind them.

Discuss.

Seems to be generally so, although I still really wanna eat at Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai's flagship restaurant.

[Gillian Clark]

I think this is one of those little understood issues that could be argued well a bunch of different ways. But ultimately most Chef's have wild imaginations, big egos, are overachievers, and hyper ambitious. I know that cooking in front of the stove for years can get tired...like I'm not using my full brain. I've got to do other things. As line cooks and prep cooks we've all worked for years to perfectly blanche Haricot Verts, and roast the perfect chicken. Its time to conquer other things. It's no different than any other job. I'm sure the suits out there don't want to type reports all day. Eventually you want to be at the desk with the windows with the underlings bringing you their reports and sweating over it. Most Chefs do hours of prep during the day, and have neither the energy or stamina to work the line at night. We need those young kids to come in and sling the pots around. Hopefully, we've trained them and instilled in them all of the things that make our food what it is. They wouldn't be cooking for me if they haven't.

Time in the kitchen isn't necessarily time best spent for a chef. There might be prices to be negotiated, a fundraiser to attend, a publicity opportunity, a meeting with the accountant. Some of my best food ideas come to me when I'm in a building that's not my restaurant. I can tell a well trained staff that I want this or that to go with a sauce that is a little acidic and in season. I'll leave it to them, but ultimately it is my decision. "How about a blood orange reduction, Chef?" Sounds good..do it. Sometimes that's how it works. You can be involved and in charge without doing it all.

Expanding and growing for chefs is different for all of us. Some of us satisfy this lust by opening more places. Others do TV shows. Write books. But before we leave the kitchen we make sure that the folk in charge know how we want things done. A great chef is a great teacher, a great conductor, a great communicator. I believe a chef can have a restaurant in NY and one in DC or LA. If all of those things have been accomplished. It doesn't mean you care any less.

[Waitman]

Joe, it was indeed Sunday evening.

Many people (r u there TK? ) think of suburban ethnic restaurants as immune to inconsistency, but I've found this not to be true, as they often hinge on the kitchen work of one individual.

Given the number of posts here and elsewhere defending kitchens which often lack their chefs' presence (can you say "Jose Andres growing empire?") I'm curious if you find this to be a particular problem for suburban ethnic places and, if so, why (and if you think that Mothers' Day falling on a Sunday this year led to my mediocre outing at Present).

[DonRocks]

Given the number of posts here and elsewhere defending kitchens which often lack their chefs' presence (can you say "Jose Andres growing empire?") I'm curious if you find this to be a particular problem for suburban ethnic places and, if so, why (and if you think that Mothers' Day falling on a Sunday this year led to my mediocre outing at Present).

Not sure if you're asking me personally, but I'll have a go at replying anyway.

Assuming you're talking about suburban ethnic places like little mom-n-pops, with one spouse in the kitchen, and the other running the front of the house (or some variant of that), versus relatively well-financed restaurants downtown with a team of cooks in the kitchen ...

... the suburban ethnic mom-n-pops are like NBA basketball teams, and the downtown restaurants are like Major League baseball teams. A basketball team can go 72-10, but if Michael Jordan gets injured, then no championship for Chicago that year; in baseball, losing your 20-game-winner hurts, but not nearly as much, and the rest of the team can still be good enough to bring home the pennant.

(Was going to use airplane pilot vs. bus driver heart-attack analogy (anyone else can jump in and steer the bus), but airplanes have co-pilots so that didn't quite work.)

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Waitman]

Not sure if you're asking me personally, but I'll have a go at replying anyway.

Assuming you're talking about suburban ethnic places like little mom-n-pops, with one spouse in the kitchen, and the other running the front of the house (or some variant of that), versus relatively well-financed restaurants downtown with a team of cooks in the kitchen ...

... the suburban ethnic mom-n-pops are like NBA basketball teams, and the downtown restaurants are like Major League baseball teams. A basketball team can go 72-10, but if Michael Jordan gets injured, then no championship for Chicago that year; in baseball, losing your 20-game-winner hurts, but not nearly as much, and the rest of the team can still be good enough to bring home the pennant.

(Was going to use airplane pilot vs. bus driver heart-attack analogy (anyone else can jump in and steer the bus), but airplanes have co-pilots so that didn't quite work.)

Cheers,

Rocks.

But isn't Present (supposed to be) operating on a higher level than mom-n-pop?

[Ericandblueboy]

"The meal was fine," Long reports, "but two things threw us off." First, [chef-owner] Bryan Voltaggio, who was in the kitchen, didn't address the group at Table 21 "even to say good evening or thanks for coming." Second, when Long's party made its reservation last fall, Table 21 served four people; it now seats eight. Long says his group was not told of the change or given the opportunity to fill the additional seats instead of dining with strangers. The Washington reader asks: "Is it reasonable to expect the executive chef to say something, anything, to the folks who have plunked down a good bit of money for the experience?" When the diners mentioned both issues to the manager, they got an apology about not being notified about Table 21 and handshakes from Voltaggio as they walked out, which, Long says, "felt like too little, too late."

Reached for comment, Voltaggio said Long's evening was "not the experience I want them to have." Four members of the L-shaped communal table were closer to him than Long and company, and they got more face time. "My mistake," says Voltaggio. The chef says that he was training staff and working the fish and roast stations that Friday in April. Still, "I [personally] plated every dish for" all eight guests at Table 21. As for Long's not being informed of the reconfigured Table 21, a change made in January, Voltaggio says receptionists are supposed to inform guests that they may be seated with strangers. "An oversight," apologizes the chef.

This complaint is comical. I can't believe Sietsema picked up on it. WTF? Table 21 is actually a bar. Do you bitch about a stranger sitting next to you at a bar? I don't recall Bryan saying hi to me nor did I expect him to. I don't recall ever meeting Monis either, or Chang, or Achatz (I know I didn't, it's not a matter of recall).

[DanCole42]

This complaint is comical. I can't believe Sietsema picked up on it. WTF? Table 21 is actually a bar. Do you bitch about a stranger sitting next to you at a bar? I don't recall Bryan saying hi to me nor did I expect him to. I don't recall ever meeting Monis either, or Chang, or Achatz (I know I didn't, it's not a matter of recall).

I think it's a legitimate complaint, or at least one worthy of discussion. I've certainly always been under the impression that Table 21 is a chef's table. I've also been under the impression that, at a chef's table, there is some level of interaction with the chef. That's a big part of the appeal (for me anyway), and certainly enough people have said of 24 at Vidalia that having RJ there is a big part of the experience. To understandably be under that impression about Table 21 and to be let down, one can certainly commiserate with the guy. If the three chefs you mentioned offered a separate chef's table, I would expect them to put in an appearance as well.

Also, the complaint wasn't, "Strangers! Ghastly! I refuse to be seated next to some plebeian, lest my monocle drop into my champagne in shock!" It was, "We thought it was just going to be the four of us. It was an unexpected change." Would I have a problem sitting next to four strangers? Probably not. Would I have a problem thinking I was going to be dining in private with my party, only to find that four strangers had crashed it? Definitely.

Both complaints can be blamed on let down expectations that I feel the restaurant could have managed better.

[DanielK]

I've also been under the impression that, at a chef's table, there is some level of interaction with the chef.

Seen Jose at Minibar lately?

[KMango]

Seen Jose at Minibar lately?

Nope, but the last few times I've been (granted, it's been months), the interactivity with Chef Fukushima was outstanding.

[fuzzy510]

Seen Jose at Minibar lately?

I think there's a world of difference between expecting Bryan Voltaggio to make an appearance at the chef's table in the restaurant he's currently working in, especially on a night when he's in the kitchen, and expecting Jose Andres to pop up at Minibar when you know full well that he hasn't been cooking at Cafe Atlantico or Minibar for a while.

[monavano]

Seen Jose at Minibar lately?

No-I'm not Anderson Cooper or Tony Bourain

I think a "hello" and a "welcome, I hope you enjoy" would have been nice. I mean, some interaction as Bryan is right there. Although, I can understand having singular focus on the food* and getting wrapped up in that. It's a good reminder for the chef to acknowledge his patrons.

*I inferred from the tone of the missive that the chatter is a bit of a whiner. I mean, here he's experienced a multi-course and probably well-executed and imaginative meal at the hands of a very talented chef, and all he can say is the food is fine.

Fine? I think he was "in his head" getting fumed over the strangers he was dining with and his perceived dismissal rather than being "in the moment" and letting the small stuff go.

[Pat]

This complaint is comical. I can't believe Sietsema picked up on it. WTF? Table 21 is actually a bar. Do you bitch about a stranger sitting next to you at a bar? I don't recall Bryan saying hi to me nor did I expect him to. I don't recall ever meeting Monis either, or Chang, or Achatz (I know I didn't, it's not a matter of recall).

In the actual chat this week, he posted several positive comments about Volt, including one from someone who has a reservation later this year and had already been called about the size of Table 21 changing and from a couple of people weighing in on the chef's presence.

[B.A.R.]

I have to be honest, I was extremely disappointed by the lack of intimacy in the Chef's Tasting Room at Volt. I was under the impression, when I made the reservation, that this would be somewhat smaller and more "exclusive" than the rest of the restaurant. Truth be told, it is just a dining room with a vew of the kitchen. And it is, without a doubt, more crowded than any other dining room in Volt.

I was not expecting any personal attention, nor did we receive any. But with a name like "Chef's Tasting Room" and a higher tariff, and limited selections for the experience, it is perfectly reasonable to expect some level of interaction with the Chef, or maybe just A chef.

To pay even more, to sit at Table #21, THE Chef's table, I would assume I would speak with the Chef (or CdC, or Sous)

[Ericandblueboy]

If you pay for front row seat, do you think the fat lady should kiss you? The slugger should autorgraph your glove? The coach should consult you for play-calling? I think eating at the Chef's Table is like having a front row seat. You should get a great view but you shouldn't expect special treatment from the artist or athlete. Wanna meet the artist, pay for a backstage pass.

[TedE]

If you pay for front row seat, do you think the fat lady should kiss you? The slugger should autorgraph your glove? The coach should consult you for play-calling? I think eating at the Chef's Table is like having a front row seat. You should get a great view but you shouldn't expect special treatment from the artist or athlete. Wanna meet the artist, pay for a backstage pass.

Agreed, I don't get this whole celebrity chef star-f*@#ing thing. Actually I do get it, I just don't like it or understand it. I believe Volt could have been named the best restaurant in America by the Post, NY Times and SF Chronicle and not have received this kind of attention, good or bad. Bryan goes on screen and suddenly it's, "Oh, he's the guy with the restaurant from tee vee! Let's make reservations and maybe we'll meet him and can tell our friends!" Then people are let down that they don't get the full Bryan "experience". Then again I realize that on the list of priorities for a an increasingly large segment of the high end dining public the quality of the food is 3rd or 4th on the list

[monavano]

Agreed, I don't get this whole celebrity chef star-f*@#ing thing. Actually I do get it, I just don't like it or understand it. I believe Volt could have been named the best restaurant in America by the Post, NY Times and SF Chronicle and not have received this kind of attention, good or bad. Bryan goes on screen and suddenly it's, "Oh, he's the guy with the restaurant from tee vee! Let's make reservations and maybe we'll meet him and can tell our friends!" Then people are let down that they don't get the full Bryan "experience". Then again I realize that on the list of priorities for a an increasingly large segment of the high end dining public the quality of the food is 3rd or 4th on the list

Agreed on this point. It seems the chatter's priorities are in alignment with this. If I paid that kind of money and thought the food was just fine- now *tha*t would piss me off.

GAR restaurants are fine.

[jiveturk21]

I got engaged at Volt on July 11th last year. Everyone that we encountered that evening were more than pleasant to us. Chef Voltaggio did not come by our table, hell, I don't even know if he was there that night, I had enough other stuff on my mind.

If he isn't going to come by my table that night and you are bitther that he didn't personally welcome you to his VERY busy restaurant...well, you can suck it. On top of that, you are going to complain to a manager at the restaurant about it...well, you can double suck it. Oh yeah, then you have to go on into a chat session on the Washington Post's website and bitch about it...well, you can triple suck it.

I am not sure why I got so vein-popping-out-in-my-forehead-upset when I read this, but I did. People need to calm to hell down and stop bitching about the most trivial and stupid crap.

[cajcaj]

I got engaged at Volt on July 11th last year. Everyone that we encountered that evening were more than pleasant to us. Chef Voltaggio did not come by our table, hell, I don't even know if he was there that night, I had enough other stuff on my mind.

If he isn't going to come by my table that night and you are bitther that he didn't personally welcome you to his VERY busy restaurant...well, you can suck it. On top of that, you are going to complain to a manager at the restaurant about it...well, you can double suck it. Oh yeah, then you have to go on into a chat session on the Washington Post's website and bitch about it...well, you can triple suck it.

I am not sure why I got so vein-popping-out-in-my-forehead-upset when I read this, but I did. People need to calm to hell down and stop bitching about the most trivial and stupid crap.

Having never been to Volt, is the fact that the person was at Table 21 warrant a different consideration though? Again, I don't know of the set up and all - from what I read here it sounds like Table 21 is kind of like a bar with a view of the kitchen.

[DanCole42]

If you pay for front row seat, do you think the fat lady should kiss you? The slugger should autorgraph your glove? The coach should consult you for play-calling? I think eating at the Chef's Table is like having a front row seat. You should get a great view but you shouldn't expect special treatment from the artist or athlete. Wanna meet the artist, pay for a backstage pass.

Those are specious comparisons. You're just listing places where a rational person wouldn't expect that level of interaction. Most people I'd say would expect a chef at a chef's table.

[Ericandblueboy]

Those are specious comparisons. You're just listing places where a rational person wouldn't expect that level of interaction. Most people I'd say would expect a chef at a chef's table.

Since when is dining an interactive experience with the chef personally? What you're purchasing are food an drinks, just like tickets entitle you to view a specific event. You want to run on the field, you get tazed and a trip to the local jail.

[DanCole42]

Since when is dining an interactive experience with the chef personally? What you're purchasing are food an drinks, just like tickets entitle you to view a specific event. You want to run on the field, you get tazed and a trip to the local jail.

Dining isn't. Going to the chef's table is. If I got to a ballgame to the "owner's box," I'd expect the owner would be there. I have never been to a chef's table where the chef wasn't heavily involved in interacting with the guests. Now, if you want to dispute that Table 21 is NOT a chef's table, that's a different story.

[fuzzy510]

If the restaurant's website says that you will be personally served by "Chef Voltaggio and his team," which it does, I think it's a more than legitimate complaint if he didn't come over and interact in any way.

With that said, if not meeting Bryan Voltaggio ruined Table 21 for you, you're missing the point.

[Sthitch]

Those are specious comparisons. You're just listing places where a rational person wouldn't expect that level of interaction. Most people I'd say would expect a chef at a chef's table.

This guy seems as rational as most celebrity hounds that I have seen at restaurants, and it seems that he would look for something far more if he were sitting court side at the Staple Center.

[TedE]

Since when is dining an interactive experience with the chef personally? What you're purchasing are food an drinks, just like tickets entitle you to view a specific event. You want to run on the field, you get tazed and a trip to the local jail.

I think the problem here is the notion of a chef's table. This term has become common parlance for pretty much any restaurant-within-a-restaurant concept, especially when a tasting menu is involved. Are people being led on by the terminology? Maybe. If you are looking for a celeb chef experience you might reasonably interpret chef's table that way. FWIW the Table 21 description on their website actually avoids the term:

TABLE 21

21 course tasting menu | advance menu not available

Seating in the kitchen | up to 8 guests

Kitchen table is the better term here. But, hey, if you are sitting in the kitchen you are more likely to see the chef, right?

Still won't stop people from bitching but maybe would temper expectations.