Galactic Space Hamster Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 This is another thread inspired by freewheeling andy! That guy is such a source of inspiration! I was thinking about Andy's trip to Gordon Ramsey's with it's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Normally, I'd agree with you. Celebrity chefs usually aren't the best chefs. They're the people who are best on TV, or who can write best (and there's even a distinction between those two). But, as it happens, Gordon Ramsay is a spectacularly good cook, as you have to be to run a restaurant with 3 michelin stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galactic Space Hamster Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Oh, I don't doubt he is I didn't mean to single him out, just using him as an example... maybe a bad one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Yes, the best cooks are those in the trenches serving real people everyday -- like families. Yes, "diners" are real folk, but...in light of that, my grandmother's pot roast turns a pleasant man into a ravenous beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Although I think that (for me certainly) cooking every day for five people, can make it a chore and not a joy which is the only way to make a fantastic cook, like GR and your friend Hammy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 I really agree on this. I don't think great chefs make a great meal when you consider a restaurant environment is not as good as someones home. Too many variables and people handling the food. I have been to some pretty good restaurants in Northern California, San Francisco bay area in which we are known for good dining and none of them compare to home cooking. They are OK, and a treat from time to time, but the thing I personally dislike is too much emphasis is placed on presentation. I am concerned with the actual preparation and outcome of the food being prepared. Most of my favorite restaurants are family owned small and worth going to for great food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 DH and I have just got back from a weekend away together in Cornwall. Whilst there we went to St Petroc's Bistro, owned by Rick Stein. The food was fantastic and as every bit good as his Seafood Restaurant - at half the price! We had:- Plaice Goujon starters (both) DH had Chicken with black pudding and a Muscat Reduction I had Seabass on a bed of wilted spinach and a buerre blanc sauce Both main meals were served with a salad of rocket, sun dried tomatoes and parmesan shavings with fries Desert was Sticky Toffee Pudding Passion fruit pavlova The ambience was relaxed and faultless service!! It was divine:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 I've never had a meal cooked by a celeb chef - I couldn't afford it & really, although I'm sure the food is delicious, aren't you really paying for the name attached to it? My Grom bakes the most beautiful cakes & egg custards I've ever tasted anywhere. I don't think she's ever entered a baking cometition, but she could walk away with the first prize every time if she did! And my Dad's pastry is to die for - pies & scones that melt in the mouth - mmm mmm mmmmmmm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Kell, I have to admit that some of the meals were expensive -especially at the Seafood Restaurant, but we went for the set menu. 3 courses for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Kell, to me it really depends on which way round the fame works. Someone like Gordon Ramsay or Heston Blumenthal became famous for their cooking, and their fantastic restaurants, and only later went on to TV. You were paying the premium before they were on telly. I'm not sure how true that is of, say, Jamie Oliver or Gary Rhodes or (heaven forbid) Ainsley Harriot. I think if someone from TV opens a restaurant you'd be right to be cynical; but if someone runs a 3* restaurant and then gets recruited to TV, then it's probably fair to trust that the restaurant is pretty good whatever the chef's fame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 I think you can get wonderful restaurant food here in Britain, but you have to hunt for it. Last year we had a fantastic meal in Dornoch (NE Scotland). It was simply beautiful. But unfortunately many folk now accept second rate food as 'great' because generally people eat bland, overcooked and over processed food. There are many women who could put professional chefs to shame, cooking in tiny kitchens and often on a budget (and without turning the air blue) One thing that really annoys me is the attitude that many chefs have...'how dare you critise my food. You don't know anything about it!' I always thought the customer was right... PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididave Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 I think celebrity chefs are excellent at "technical cooking" on the whole but if I want a decent Scouse, Hotpot or Spag Bol my wife would kick their arses! Likewise, I am the best cook at making something out of nothing. You would be amazed what I can do with the crappest of ingredients! I have no doubt celebrity chefs cook great food but if I want to feel like I have eaten I would not go to one of their restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahrob Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I wouldn't consciously avoid a restaurant just because the chef was a celeb. I'm not sure I would pay a whacking premium - there are enough good restaurants around. I know what you mean about scouse or hotpot though Dave, there aren't many places serving good local dishes, though I think the number is increasing slowly. There are a few restaurants round by me who are using local ingredients and it is a huge selling point for them. Ultimately restaurants will serve what sells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted April 3, 2007 Share Posted April 3, 2007 Ya mon, let's talk about food! I've read this thread (backwards, I love it) and my experience has been that eating at the high end restaurants or name restaurants that the exposure to unusual fare is what it's all about. Little bits of this and that that are unexpected tastes that are quite unique are a lot of fun. With such a hefty price tag, the presentation is crucial. The best food ever, however, was my grandmother's cooking - literally fresh off the farm fare; home-grown tomatoes, onions, local eggs, butchered meat that was grown on the very farm that we lived and worked on. Catfish that you caught yourself from the creek, food that was worked for and earned and enjoyed all the more because of that - and she was brilliant at the stove with a hundred folksy sayings, "farmers spice their food in the skillet, city folk spice their food on the plate." One last bit: one time when I was maybe seven years old, my grandfather at the dinner table caught my eye and picked up an onion and took a big bite out it and munched it like one might an apple. Not to be daunted, I did the same --- whoa! He laughed and laughed at my expression as I "manfully" followed suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 My favourite chef is James Martin not only is he good on the eye but i like the fact that he makes "proper food" and doesn't go on about the fat and calorie content... I watched his new programme this evening on BBC2 all about desserts and i have to say that my mouth was watering! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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