Ramsay's New York nightmares

In a strange test for the special relationship, Gordon Ramsay has taken some of his signature dishes to New York. And, as Tina Nielsen reports, it’s turned into something of a nightmare

Since the November launch of his first restaurant in the US, Gordon Ramsay has undergone a kitchen nightmare himself. First, he had to battle with waiting staff in a dispute over tips. Next, neighbours started complaining over excessive noise from the restaurant’s air conditioning units. Worst of all, American critics were less than thrilled with what they found on their plates at Gordon Ramsay at the London.
The heaviest battering came from New York Magazine’s Gael Greene: “Sea scallops, slivered, then overcooked, suggest someone hasn't a clue what great chefs here do with diver scallops and we are shocked by a leathery lobster ravioli”, she wrote. Another critic compared the fare to “the food British chefs turn out when they ply their trade on cruise ships.” Scathing words indeed.

Ramsay has taken a number of the most popular dishes from his London restaurants across the Atlantic to the London Hotel in Manhattan. In the 45-seat dining room guests can choose from the a la carte menu or go for the eight-course Menu Prestige while in the less formal 95-seat bar, they can eat their way through a selection of tapas-style dishes.

Absent from the critics so far is the New York Times’s Frank Bruni, by far New York’s most influential critic and suitably feared by Ramsay, who says he has given his maître d’ a keyring with a picture of Bruni on it. Until Bruni has made his customary three visits and passed judgment, it’s fair to say the jury is still out.

Famous for his uncomprising attitude and rants in the kitchen, New York must seem an odd location for Ramsay. After all, this is the city where chefs are not allowed to shout at their brigade. On the bright side, while US critics have given his eatery a difficult time, UK reports so far have been highly complimentary–it seems English and American tastes have differing enjoyment thresholds.

Unsurprisingly, the American guests love his signature peanut butter and jam pudding (lifted from the menu at Maze) and maybe Ramsay and New York just need a little time to get used to each other.
Concerns that the celebrity chef is spreading himself too thin, while expanding his empire persist. Ramsay, who has so far collected seven Michelin stars for his nine London restaurants, doesn’t think so. “When I have achieved three stars in New York and three stars in Paris, then I’ll ask myself ‘should I take my foot off the gas?’” he said before the launch of his New York venture.

Forthcoming projects include openings in Miami and Los Angeles–unless those coveted stars arrive first.