Defensive Chefs

[Kit]

Faust,

I think what she was trying to point out is that a rude act is a rude act no matter how famous the person is that performs it. You may not be embarressed by a famous chef in the same situation, but people who tend to be horrified by scenes like that (myself included) would probably be only more embarressed because the top chef in a high end restaurant came out to confront them.

As for my 2 cents, the only time as a professional I ever come out of the kitchen is when someone asks to see me. The boss didn't hire me to do the manager's job. You don't like the dessert? I'm sorry. Tell the manager, she'll comp it, and then she'll come back and tell me so I can either fix the problem in the kitchen (If it's a real problem) or brush it off (if it's a freeloader).

[Tess]

I had the opportunity to work for, as a waiter, in two restaurants with talented and dedicated chefs here in DC: Le Pavillon, with Yannik Cam, and Restaurant Nora, with Nora Pouillon (and a great sous, whose name I forget).  Both of them were spectacularly more talented than some of the chefs around DC who have a reputation for being prima donnas, both of them would do anything within reason to make a diner happy.  When I hear of a chef who refuses to make a modest substitution because it interferes with their "artistic vision," I assume that this is a person who, by definition, has allowed theire ego to eclipse their talent.

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Put that way, I would agree. Partly it also depends on what a "modest" substitution is. But I think there is, at least theoretically a place in this world for restaurants (high and low end) that serve what they serve, and that's it. It doesn't have to be about ego or artistic vision either; it can be about knowing what you do well and what you don't, and how many hands (and materials) you have in the kitchen.

[FaustianBargain]

Faust,

You may not be embarressed by a famous chef in the same situation, but people who tend to be horrified by scenes like that (myself included) would probably be only more embarressed because the top chef in a high end restaurant came out to confront them.

I get it, Kit. In fact, that is my point too. The small guy in a new restaurant is willing to please. The poor chef is probably congratulating himself on his brilliant move to interact with the customer. Nowhere in the incident narrated was it indicated that harsh words were uttered.

I am tempted to bring to this discussion the Manresa story. It is somewhere in the California thread. I cannot seem to find the link. I think it is we who interpret reactions and label them. There is a thin line between 'gracious' and 'defensive'.

[jerkhouse]

Faust,

You may not be embarressed by a famous chef in the same situation, but people who tend to be horrified by scenes like that (myself included) would probably be only more embarressed because the top chef in a high end restaurant came out to confront them.

I get it, Kit. In fact, that is my point too. The small guy in a new restaurant is willing to please. The poor chef is probably congratulating himself on his brilliant move to interact with the customer. Nowhere in the incident narrated was it indicated that harsh words were uttered.

I am tempted to bring to this discussion the Manresa story. It is somewhere in the California thread. I cannot seem to find the link. I think it is we who interpret reactions and label them. There is a thin line between 'gracious' and 'defensive'.

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I'm not sure that it should matter whether the chef interpreted his gesture as a brilliant act of customer diplomacy. The question everyone seems to be debating is whether this was an appropriate way to handle the situation, not whether the chef acted with malice. If the chef honestly thought that this was an appropriate way to handle the problem, I think many of the posters will agree with me that he has some pretty undeveloped people skills. You've met these people before, they think there's nothing wrong with telling you that your girlfriend has big boobs because it's a compliment; yeah, they honestly thought they were saying something nice, but the majority of people would still likely find it inapropriate. Like Grub said, regardless of the chef's personal characteristics, he demonstrated what has been commonly interpreted as "lack of grace and social skills -- and possibly a lack of business skills." Whether his behavior met the Webster's definition of defensive or not seems irrelevant in the face of all the posts by people who agree that, taking the whole restaurant's interests into consideration, this wasn't a good way to handle the problem. (and I'm going to weigh in with my two cents, I wouldn't be happy if this happened to me either, but I'm a wuss about complaining about food so it's a moot point)

[RETREVR]

If the same thing happened in French Laundry or Daniel or ADNY, nobody would complain. Any dining group would be grinning ear to ear to rub noses with the top chef.

No, having a big chef embarrass me isn't going to make me any happier about the situation. If Brad Pitt grabs my breast he's going to get the same slap as if a co-worker did the same.

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We had not a defensive chef at Daniel, but a defensive sommelier. My father is not a wine schlump like me - he knows his stuff, has a collection of several thousand bottles, buys wine futures, etc. He orders a wine he's been dying to try at Daniel - but when we get it, the cork is soaked all the way through and the wine is brown. Even me, the wine schlump, thinks that it doesn't look right. My dad points this out to the sommelier and asks for a new bottle of the same stuff, figuring that since the cork was soaked through, the wine got bad, but that a new bottle wouldn't necessarily have the same problem. The sommelier tasted the wine, said that it was fine, and refused to bring another bottle of the same wine, and basically insinuated that my dad was some sort of Neanderthal that didn't know good wine from bad. Even if that were true, and the sommelier didn't want to waste another bottle on what he perceived as a wine schlump, couldn't he have just said "oh, that's our last bottle - can I recommend something else?" Instead, he chose to be a snotty asshole.

My poor dad was so embarrassed - it ruined the rest of the meal for us. I don't care how good Daniel is, I'll never go back there.

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So, was the wine bad? What was the vintage?

[viva]

We thought the wine was bad, the sommelier heartily disagreed - we wound up ordering a bottle of something else just to make the sommelier go away and stop telling us loudly that my dad was wrong. The cork was completely soaked through & crumbly, the wine was brown & smelled like a barnyard. This was several years ago, I don't remember the details of the vintage, unfortunately.

My point is - even if we were wrong, or it was just a weird wine that is supposed to be brown - there were better ways for the sommelier to handle the disagreement. At a restaurant of the caliber of Daniel, embarrassing the guest should not be one of those methods.

[winesonoma]

I (shy person that I am ) would have made him drink a glass and describe it to me. F*&^in asshole.

[viva]

I (shy person that I am ) would have made him drink a glass and describe it to me. F*&^in asshole.  

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He did take a little sip from his wine taster - said it was a "very complex wine". Dude, it's brown.

[winesonoma]

I (shy person that I am ) would have made him drink a glass and describe it to me. F*&^in asshole.  

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He did take a little sip from his wine taster - said it was a "very complex wine". Dude, it's brown.

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Don't go back and tell all your friends the story. Hell I'd write to the Owners and demand a meeting (but I'm a shy person).