Scratch THAT One Off My Lunch List
Thursday, April 03, 2008 | posted by Mike
In addition to the good memories and photographs that I brought back with me from London, another result of the trip has been a severely overloaded DVR. To say I'm "behind" is an understatement. In all likelihood, I'll be able to watch the whole run of John Adams in one fell swoop since it will have aired in full by the time I get to it.And so, with this in mind, you'll understand why I didn't catch the debut of Hell's Kitchen. Philly ex-pat The Hungover Gourmet also has a great recap of the first episode...be sure to check it out. Anyway, it turns out that there is a local Philadelphia connection. It also turns out that things didn't start off so hot for the Philly boy. According to an entry on the Daily News' gossip blog, his "innovative" dish actually induced vomiting from Gordon Ramsay.
It may be a good thing that Matt Sigel cooks only breads and pastries at the Radisson Warwick and Tavern 17. His fine cuisine skills turned the stomach of Chef Gordon Ramsay on Tuesday night's season premiere of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen." Ramsay puked after sampling the signature dish of Sigel, a Pine Hill, NJ resident, a plate consisting of venison, diver scallops, shaved white chocolate, capers, and quail eggs.First off, the guys if from Pine Hill, which is about ten minutes from TVFF's boyhood home. Dude, that's no way to represent South Jersey!
Secondly, I walk past the restaurant where Sigel works (Tavern 17) EVERY MORNING on the way to the day job. Frankly, it's always bugged me a little. Here's why.
One of the popular trends over the past few years has been the rise of the "slider" -- mini-sized versions of full-sized sandwiches. It started with burgers but quickly went upscale. Let me be perfectly honest with you and let you know that I think the trend is ridiculous.
For one thing, there is one and only one slider. For another, if you have something delicious, why do you make it smaller and serve me three of them? This is especially true of burgers, where making them smaller makes them more likely to dry out.
Then there is the name. It's just not appetizing. And so, when I see a chalkboard outside Tavern 17 while my stomach is still adjusting to the waking world and it advertises the "Slider of the Day" -- and it's crab and brie -- ugh.
To be fair, I've never ventured inside and it may very well be the best restaurant in the city. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it past that slider.
And if I ever see a venison, scallop and white chocolate slider on that chalkboard, I'm going to have to change my route.
Labels: Gordon Ramsay
