Are you not entertained?
Gordon Ramsay hasn’t had it easy over in NYC. The critics and diners were expecting some sort of Gordon Ramsay Show at his eatery in The London Hotel on 54th street – instead they found a quiet, “coolly elegant” little place. And they did’t like it, according to NY Times food critic Frank Bruni.
Bruni’s two-star review of the restaurant has sparked some bitter cake-throwing between Ramsay’s supporters and critics. The critics intone that the menu isn’t imaginative enough, the atmosphere tepid and the clientele mostly British. The supporters wave Ramsay’s three Michelin stars and rant on about the Yankees’ bad taste.
And what does Ramsay himself do? Why, remove the offending review from every New York Times in the hotel, of course. Or so claims gossip mill Gawker.com. He has also complained that most of the criticism in the review is personal and nothing to do with the restaurant.
Consider the following excerpt from Bruni’s review:
“the restaurant fails to deliver the most important thing of all: excitement. And it’s impossible, given Mr. Ramsay’s reputation, not to be primed for it, and not to be rankled by the low-key loveliness that you get in its place.”
And there you have it – Ramsay in ‘too lovely’ shocker. Were it not for the many other criticisms Bruni levels at Ramsay’s menu selection you’d almost think it was personal.
