One dead, 28 sick in Michelin star restaurant.

[liuzhou]

Woman dies after eating at Michelin-starred restaurant

 

 

[liuzhou]

It has yet to be confirmed, but a dish containing "morels" seems to be the prime suspect. The restaurant has closed until investigations are complete. More here.

[Anna N]

12 hours ago, liuzhou said:

It has yet to be confirmed, but a dish containing "morels" seems to be the prime suspect. The restaurant has closed until investigations are complete. More here.

 I’m awfully glad you survived many morels over the last few days!   There seems to be some suggestions in the link  that perhaps these were not true morels.   This is sad all around but I shall be curious to hear the results of the full investigation.

[liuzhou]

13 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 I’m awfully glad you survived many morels over the last few days!   There seems to be some suggestions in the link  that perhaps these were not true morels.   This is sad all around but I shall be curious to hear the results of the full investigation.

 

Yes. That is why I put morels in quotes. The symptoms described seem to match those of false morel poisoning - mild discomfort usually, but occasionally fatal.

 

However, I too will await an official investigation result.

[Katie Meadow]

As Liuzhou suggests, If indeed the source of the illness was a mushroom, it wasn't a true morel, but one of several varieties called "false morels." Restaurants that serve wild mushrooms often buy from local pickers. I am guessing regulations are spotty world-wide. If the picker or the buyer makes a mistake, well, the results may not be happy. If you are buying wild mushrooms from a grocery store and have doubts about the look of the morels, ask that one mushroom be cut open. A true morel is really hollow inside. Many of the false ones are not. Some have a kind of pale cottony interior. Having been a member of the SF Mycological Society, I might think twice before ordering wild mushrooms in any restaurant, star or not.

[eugenep]

It sounds like the clientele that died or got sick must be pretty upper-echelon (to dine at Michelin star) - pretty important 

 

I heard Spain's legal system is very slow-paced - maybe owner might not feel the fist of justice for a while if negligent etc.  

[gfweb]

And herein lies my fear of inexpert foragers. Its one thing if the chef or sous does it.  I kinda trust that.

 

Another thing entirely if they buy the stuff from some guy, out of the trunk of his car.

 

If nobody died, chances are that this never would've been detected...people get sick all the time.  You feel lousy and then you feel better, nobody does tests to find the kidney or liver damage, and you figure it was just a bad mussel.

[pastrygirl]

7 hours ago, eugenep said:

It sounds like the clientele that died or got sick must be pretty upper-echelon (to dine at Michelin star) - pretty important 

 

 

Nah, it's only a one-star.  Their tasting menus are 85 and 135 Euro, or about US$95-150.  Maybe most of us can't afford to be regulars, but it's within reach for a special occasion or splurge.  Mere mortals may be allowed.

https://www.restaurante-riff.com/en/

 

Edited March 1, 2019 by pastrygirl (log)

[gulfporter]

On 2/28/2019 at 11:15 AM, gfweb said:

And herein lies my fear of inexpert foragers. Its one thing if the chef or sous does it.  I kinda trust that.

 

Another thing entirely if they buy the stuff from some guy, out of the trunk of his car.

 

If nobody died, chances are that this never would've been detected...people get sick all the time.  You feel lousy and then you feel better, nobody does tests to find the kidney or liver damage, and you figure it was just a bad mussel.

 

I feel the opposite....foraging by chefs is relatively new and many of the chefs are young and from non-agrarian backgrounds.  The guy selling out of his car may (and I say, may) be a seasoned mushroom picker for decades and more knowledgeable than a recent culinary school grad.  

 

As kids we were sent to the nearby hills and culm dumps (coal mine leavings) to pick mushrooms.  Before going home with them we always stopped at a neighbor's house where "Aunt Annie" would inspect them.  While she rarely found a reject, it was part of our routine.  Only exception was if my Dad was with us as he was also well-versed in mushroom identification.  They didn't refer to any books to ID, they just knew.  No mushroom-related deaths in our family 😄

Edited March 2, 2019 by gulfporter (log)