DRAMA & LAWSUITS at this 3 Michelin Star Restaurant (Located in a Grocery Store)
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2023
- We are back in New York City to visit The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare.
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant located in the back of a grocery store. As of July 2023, the restaurant is closed, and a multi-million dollar lawsuit between the celebrity chef and the entrepreneur. The question is: Where did it all go wrong?
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FOLLOW MY JOURNEY ON INSTAGRAM: / alexandertheguest
My name is Alexander. I’m the co-owner of a ONE Michelin star restaurant, and I’m on a mission - to find inspiration in gastronomy. I love fine dining, good wine and sharing what I know with other people.
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My collar sometimes decides to live it's own life. On behalf of him, please accept my sincere apologies. 🥂
apology accepted, cheers
Accepted 😂😂😂
I have this one shirt that always does that; a metal collar stay helped!
The most adorable apology.
you worry about collars? funny! you should worry of going all the way to shang hai to just eat 3 star western food at taian table. you should try Chinese, shanghainese food of course!
Considering the staff allegedly were getting their tips stolen by the owner and the chef, and that they were forced to work overtime for free, it makes perfect sense that they would not be in the mood to go over and beyond by making jokes and connecting with customers. When I see that the entire staff at any business are stiff and robotic, I know that management is either too strict, or mistreat their staff (financially or otherwise).
Tips are gratification, pure and simple. In high end restaurants, the tips can be bigger than the head chef's income. It's gonna be problematic. You want professionalism, you pay normal wages, no gratifications.
@@djoe331No matter what your view is on tips, the owners are not allowed to take a single penny of it.
Such a great point.
When Gordon Ramsay looks at a front of house staff or servers who don’t warmly greet the guest and smile, he immediately knows something is wrong with the management.
wrgggg
I have been cooking professionally for around 20 years, I became a chef 10 years ago and I have been a yacht chef for 5 years. My last job gave me a panic attack, depression and suicidal thoughts that led me to abandon my career this year with therapy, medication and lots of help me recover. I love gastronomy but we need to talk about the emotional, physical and financial abuses committed in the industry. No chef who abuses, humiliates and mistreats his team should be considered a good chef just for his technique, because without a team beauty is only partial.
Realistically there could be so many explosive stories and lawsuits if people had the bravery to come forward.
I myself could rinse my former employer for unpaid wages and damages, but I really just cannot be bothered to drag everything up and go through the courts.
I’m sure countless others have similar stories and now we can work together to help make the industry healthier and more sustainable for the Staff.
It's easier to find people who has gone through real shit at fine dining that people who has had good experiences, I've had good experiences but there was so much shit too
Yep 👍!!!
wrg
@@zes3813
This is your second comment like this on one of mine. Are you okay?
I tried my first Michelin star restaurant this weekend. I did the wine pairing. I was stuffed and drunk by dessert and I am 6'5" and 257 lbs. I dont know how you manage to eat at all these places lol
if it's many courses, you have to prepare in advance. eat little that day and don't stuff yourself suddenly. don't have wine pairings unless you really want to :D with some experience, you'll get there!
The full glass wine pairings are going to get many people tbh. It usually is too much too quickly and it really shows that the demographic which visits michelin star restaurants often are experienced drinkers, as more affluent crowds tend to be.
The upside is that it'll also make you care less about the bill , and that arm and leg you'll pay should you make the regrettable mistake of trying to add to your buzz by ordering a digestif.
It all depends on where you eat. That’s not consistent with most
bro fr. i got fucked up on half a wine pairing lmfao
I kept thinking the same, I can drink a LOT, but I wouldn't be happy with a wine for every course when you're dining at such a place, I would personally just order it seperately. Thx for the tip
This video deserves an award. At first I thought it was a chef-drama video but the pivot into the review is magnificent. Bravo Alexander
Intersting to see that the Drama and Lawsuit stories match the vibe you were getting in the restaraunt .. Loved your work as always!
Kinda weird accusations (if true) about discrimination against Asian guests considering the Japanese influence in the dishes.
and wife
Yeah he can’t possible be racist if he has that one Asian friend…
Maybe people he was discriminating of were Korean or Chinese? That would make sense since Japan isn’t a fan of them
@@LTDLetsPlaysHe's not Japanese nor are any of the Asian countries historically a fan of the island nation either. But that's a sweeping generalization of all Asian guest.
Maybe it was positive discrimination and they got first dibs on all the fish-based scraps?
I went to a good roadside burger van today.
It was that good, it had 3 Michelin tyres.
😂
The kitchen I work in would be lucky to get Pirelli Moons, let alone Michelin stars.
I hope it pairs good with a glass of coke
Absolutely astonished by the quality of your videos and your approach to reviewing these places. Always trying to be objective, respecting tradition and modernity, knowing what to look out for and your little jokes throughout the video - this channel is a gem.
im always fascinated how anyone in a highend profession balances expectations. as someone who has never eaten at a highend place i would have no idea if something is bad or not. i used to work in the best hairdressing salon in london and it would always be the case that people who had never been to a highend hairdressers before would wildly different expectations, it would be always with new people that had never been to a place like ours that their experience would be based on their expectations and have nothing at all to do with the service or haircut we would give.
I own an extremely high end hair salon, and am also obsessed with fine dining. I’ve always thought the similarities between the two was fascinating!
That is where great service staff are key. The right staff will make you feel welcomed and will be able to explain things to you without being condescending or making you feel dumb.
@@nicholascrow8133come on. Feel dumb for what? Just because there are only embellishments without substance it doesn't mean you have to fall for this bs. Fine dining my ass. I'm embarrassed just looking at these. To me it's like a freak show of being extremely inauthentic and claiming the opposite. The clothes are more important than the wearer, the table than the dishes, the dishes than the food, how food looks that how it tastes. These guys have to spend a lot of money for a personality, that's not even theirs.
An easy criteria you can have simply: Are you enjoying yourself? Are you feeling comfortable? And lastly, are you taken care of?
At the end of the day, if you feel comfortable then the experience is objectively good.
@@jinn194 all experiences are subjective. There's no such thing as an objectively good experience. Maybe with morphine
Damn, how do you steal 500K worth of cooking tools? Just walking out the door everyday with a pan tucked under your shirt?
One japanese handmade honyaki yanagiba
500k is probably 2 teaspoons knowing these knobs
It's just an allegation at this point, but if you have full control of the restaurant, you don't even need to sneak it out. You're probably the last one closing up, and responsible for all ordering and deliveries. Just order extra pans, put them in a box and walk it to your car.
Hell, if he was a partner and had control of the corporate account, you can even cut that part out. Just order a new $20,000 Wolf range and have it delivered to your home, then bury the cost in a big wine order.
Maybe they ordered it and the items did not appear in the inventory
There appears to be a heavy reliance in these dishes on the 'super' ingredients (truffle/caviar etc). Alot of these places mask their cooking shortfalls by hiding in expensive ingredients.
I really like that the videos are branching out into not just restaurant reviews, but also investigative content
I really hope he continues 🙌
i absolutely love this channel ❤
What a great episode with a little touch of drama, and still great insight and perspective at the end.
I love the ending! That cold room was because of the cold relationship between Chef and Moe.
Hi Mr. Alexander.
Im also a beginner in the service industry but I am Loving it. I am from a country called Sri Lanka but I am planning to move to dubai after few days to a Raffles Property. I really have this passion of learning about the food and cultures in different countries. especially about Fine Dining Restaurants. one day for sure I will work in a Michelin Star Restaurants. I would like to thank you for these kind of contents. your videos are amazing and im learning so much out of it. maybe I might meet you one day. Thank You soo much for you amazing content. im wishing you the success for your restaurant business and other endeavors.
cheers!
Excellent. I love how you cover so much ground in such a succinct way....
This abuse goes on in every restaurant. While Alexander the Great sits in the dining room waxing poetic in his glory, horror scenes from "The Menu" play out in hallways, back rooms, and kitchens... "Just remember, your smile is part of your uniform."
Excellent job of weaving in the backstory with all the lawsuits, while still focusing on the food. Very good storytelling on this one and I think it really translated well into your experience with the food. Absolutely loving your channel and will be following on IG to see some no doubt amazing food from Japan!
I ate here in 2012 or 2013 at it's original location, which was equally stark, but maybe worked better than this space in some ways, although I've not been to the current location to compare. My meal back then was hands down the best I'd ever had at the time, and I went to Momofuku Ko, La Bernadin, Jean Georges, and Per Se all within a year or two of that visit. Chef's Table was the one I looked back on most. The Uni dish was the only one I recognized from my visit, but good to see it never went away! Sad to hear the full meal wasn't living up to what I remember. But I look forward to seeing the new version and Chef Ramirez's new place!
Glad you went here and it's great to hear your thoughts on it. I never liked the room there at all. The room was catering to this new school of nyc "foodie" where elegance and atmosphere were not valued and it was hip to not have a luxury experience. All a bit annoying in my opinion. Comparing this a place like Taian Table in your last video and the difference is clear. From the effusive service, the excellent lighting and the playlist. It proves you can have an experience that is connected to chef but is elegant and glamorous at the same time.
i haven't had dinner there, but i know multiple cooks who've worked there. they all tell the same story - the chef is stuck in the era of the 1970s, where it was commonplace to berate / beat / withhold pay from your staff, knowing that you were compensating them with the privilege of working for a star chef.
Food aside, most Michelin Star restaurants are run like a military camp. And very few countries in the world have laws that are in favour of the employees. For example in UK, specifically England, unless you worked or company for more than 2 years you basically have no legal standing and companies can discard of you with such ease. The laws created are completely against the regular employees rights.
Quite sure in England, they can't break discrimination laws or retaliate against any legitimate complaint within the 2 years. England isn't the US and even then there are many things that are protected.
You are at a 3 Michelin and they just let you go to the supermarket to pee without even accompanying you? How did this restaurant get its 2nd star? I thought its mandatory that no guest left unchecked to the bathroom without a wait staff guding them to get the 2nd star. I never experience this at a 3 or 2 star restaurant. Maybe they consider waiting in line with the supermarket goers is the "Experience" that the Brooklyn Fare provides.
It's not mandatory, but I agree, having to go to the grocery store and queue really breaks the atmosphere.
This is New York fellers: If you can stand in line to urinate after a mediocre $15.00 movie, you can stand in line to urinate after a $1,000.00 dinner for two.
@@adamsterling4946 Yes but 3 Michelin stars is as much about the experience as the food. This really breaks the atmosphere and feel of the dining event. And at this level the dining is an event.
How would you feel if during your $15 movie they turned on the house lights for half an hour right before the climax of the movie? It would break the flow of the movie for most people...
I'm sure for most people the toilet situation doesn't seem like a big deal but if you're used to the three star experience this sticks out like a sore thumb, as much as poor service or plates that aren't polished and have fingerprints. 3 Stars is meant to be as close to a perfect dining experience as possible.
Quickly becoming my favourite YT channel! Can’t wait to see Japan vids
I have worked at 3 well known true fine dining restaurants in the US. The most notorious was Charlie Trotter's in Chicago. What a toxic environment that was. The least of it was the time I was called into the GMs office and made to explain (for at least 45 minutes!) why I had the nerve to reenter the dining room and discus the course with a specific guest. When I set the plate before her and described the fingerling potato varietals with shaved truffle, I could see the confusion on her face (I'm good at reading the guests). She was unfamiliar with any kind of truffle besides the chocolate variety. We had a lovely chat and she was thrilled to learn something new. The long, unpaid hours that were demanded of us and the unfair tipping hierarchy made this place intolerable for anyone who actually cared about the guests.
I was recently at Addison where i've heard that Brooklyn Faire is a restaurant no more. I asked the somm and he refused to tell me the reason why. Now I see why haha. Thanks for the video!
Love the channel--I think Arzak was doing the chef's table at the 3* level long before many others.
lol yes! fine dining wins! sometimes people have a collaboration and it goes well. but like anything, it doesn't need to last forever. they were probably holding on to their past success a little too long, maybe for practical reasons, but I am glad there is some resolution and they have both found an avenue to continue their passion.
And here I thought you were talking about Christian Jürgens... I was so ready for that drama.
But as always a fantastic video!!!🎉
I’m so happy that you are currently in Japan Alex! As a Japanese, I must say Please Enjoy Japan! 日本へようこそ！！！
I am currently studying Japanese. 日本は大好きですよ 😊
@@734ch3rso? You want a prize or what?
@@dariusus9870 yes! You are so kind. Thank you!
@@734ch3r 🥇 - first prize in attention seeking
Birthday dinner booked at restaurant 42 later this year.
Cannot wait!
Thank you. ❤ as always. VG
I can't believe they couldn't tell your not comfortable . You can look in the dining room or even look at the cameras I know if somebody's not right or needs something. My feel about your dining experience is the staff knew any day was the last day so they just do the best they can to serve you .
It’s not just a battle of big egos, a huge part of it is both or one of them are mistreating their staff. Withholding pay and tips is a huge thing, that’s people’s livelihoods.
Great video. I also like it when there is an unexpected happy ending in a way.
As always, loved the video !! I missed the (very) special wines, but they used the correct glasses for sure ! And a Dutch guy taking over the restaurant, curious to see how that works out. There were some pretty nice dishes, but definitely lacking atmosphere... although funny to be in line for the restroom in the grocery store 😂😂. By the way, isn't it common in Japan (have not been there myself) to have these kind of setup? I have dined in a 2 Michelin Japanese restaurant in New York, and I was told that was the way in Japan (omakase) ? Cheers !!
I love these videos.
So excited you're in Japan, hoping to see a diverse representaton of Japanese fine dining.
The atmosphere really looks a bit cold. I wonder, how the kitchen staff must have felt while there was trouble going on between the bosses, having to always stay focused and friendly in such a high-profile restaurant...
Charlie trotter had a kitchen table before 2000.
Love the videos.
Wonderful video!!
Your criticisms are so fair and well mannered. “It wasn’t quite perfect” meaning that it could be very close to perfect but not quite is a nice way to say it wasn’t exactly what you hoped for
Loved seeing that bottle of Clemens Busch.. it’s my favorite German winery and I’ve been lucky enough to visit them twice
You should really visit the Librije in Zwolle, Netherlands. I think you’ll really love it.
I worked at a grocery with the same concept. Market on one side, fine restaurant on the other. From day one, drama already started. It lasted 6 months and it was painful.
I feel so fancy and elegant when I'm watching your videos 😄
Just have to say that your suit is awesome!!!
GIven the timing of your visit, I'm not surprised the space and the service was cold. You know yourself, that these closures do not happen "suddenly" 99.99% of the time. It's clear the fallout between Ramirez and Issa had been brewing for quite some time, which was reflected in the space and staff.
We went there on our honeymoon and were treated like absolute royalty. Truly memorable and much better than another well-known Michelin starred restaurant we visited on that trip. Sad to hear it has gone away.
I was looking to book here for my trip to NYC because Per Se is currently closed. Was disappointed but it is what it is!
Great video again! Are you going to the Librije in The Netherlands?
I love your voice! From the comedic standpoint I can't help but think of inspector Clouseau Steve Martin lol.
interesting how you spoke about the not so great service. like at 06:55 the server literally shoves the food towards you instead of actually serving it.
Yes, this place did not look like it needed waiters, it may as well have had the chefs pass the food directly from that kitchen...
That mushroom shrimp thing… I can imagine taste might be exquisite, just like most if not all bites served, but the texture, I completely agree, atrocious, almost borderline lazy. For a restaurant of this level I’d expect them to find solutions for a more refined texture.
Well this is a first. The GG you had in the wine pairing is one I know quite well, probably still have a bottle of that vintage in my small-ish collection.
Another great video, I hope more and more people start to watch this channel, it is an amazing view into fine dining around the world.
The Store owner will not win on an accusation without proof. If he had the proof, this wouldn’t even be in court.
Very interesting!
With regard to this particular experience, I almost feel like the staff may not have been in the best mood considering how things wound up being. It's unfortunate your service was not up to par, but I do hope you will give them a little leeway considering they may have all just lost their jobs in an economic downturn
Now we get fine dining drama? insane content :)))
My favorite line of the year:"Before it went KAPUT." lol
"Whatever happened, I'm just glad I got to try this resteraunt back in March before..... it went kaput"
This sentence alone makes it an instant thumbs up 😂
Whoever designed the original restaurant room must have been to James Knappett’s Kitchen Table in London! It’s an almost uncanny likeness!
Not saying they haven’t redecorated, but Brooklyn Fare opened first.
@@adamg.manning6088 The shop did, obviously. Pretty sure the restaurant didn't. Knappett's gaffe opened in 2012. It's brilliant but, unfortunately, has now become ruinously expensive 😢. I went 3 times in the early days but it's outside what I'm prepared to pay nowadays 💰💰💰💰
The best fine dining CZcams channel! Since I can’t travel to most of these restaurants, can you please describe the dish ingredients in more detail? Example, first taste to tenth, how the flavors dance and recombine after eating in detail?! And the biggest request, can you please tour Japan’s three Michelin starred Universe of restaurants!? Thanks!
I am sure you will find what Robuchon found in the aroma and flavors of Japanese fine dining, and I hope you can describe the sake variety and interaction when eaten with fine Japanese dining!
Delightfully French accent for a Hungarian. Fortuitously timed visit to this restaurant considering the business politics
you seem like such an expert in the culinary field and i was wondering if you have any literature recommendations relating to the area of fine dining, or just relating to the culinary world in general. i'm always taken aback by the quality of your videos, love your work!
This is glorified bs. Content for clicks and views. This channel is certified nonsense.
He’s mentioned Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, of Eleven Madison Park, in the episode for that restaurant. Watch the episode and read the book maybe! The book also makes a cameo appearance in The Bear. I’ve heard that not everyone vibes or agrees with its contents, but it is already regarded as part of the western canon for American fine dining.
There are tons of books by great chefs available, usually published by Phaedon. But classic reads are The French Laundry by Thomas Keller, or El Bulli w/ Ferran Adria (old but an OG).
Great suit you're wearing Alex! Where did you get it, if I may ask?
I would guess custom tailored.
Phenomenal video
CTBF is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC in terms of flavors, so good that it keeps 3 stars despite the poor service and management. Chef Ramirez is the face of the restaurant, not this owner who hires money-hungry somm and puts a 200-dollar Kagoshima wagyu supp on the menu, which should only cost $100, MAX. You can find better service in many one-star restaurants.
Also, just to share some of my perspectives, the soupy texture of the custard dish is actually very commonly seen in Japanese and Asian fine dining, and it's one of his signature dishes as well😉.
I can't believe you didn't mention the comtes de champagne taittinger....amazing wine
Seems the large chef's table experience was pure business strategy rather then the chef's warm heart. The experience is always better meeting talented people who try not to take themselves too seriously.
Another dark side is the mental and physical abuse in the kitchen. The fine dining business calls upon reformation.
great !
please go to aska in newyork or frantzen in stockholm would love for you to try some swedish food
Monsieur Alexander, I would love you to try "Pasture" in Parnell , Auckland , NZ. Only 8 people at the time, amazing. Unique. Never had a menu like this and I have eaten at the best. Dont worry about your collar. keep eating, il faux manger pour vivre bien.
>Dancing people in grocery store
Yea, that's New York, allright hahaha
I thought this was gonna be a documentary until the vid took a left turn into an experience review lmao
If this is 3 star ? My home is the milky way, honestly michelin guide is finished no wonder french chef are sending back theirs.
On the point of stolen wages it is all over the industry but even more at the top mostly in the kitchen sadly
@alexandertheguest Hi Alex, love your content. You are gravely mistaken sadly re: the owner, Mr. Issa. He is 100% Palestinian. He’s not Israeli. He doesn’t call himself that, nor would he. I guess it’s hard to correct now that it’s posted but I would pin a comment. Correcting that. Pretty important detail if you ask me.
No photos of the chef at 4:34 - guess they didn't want you showing hiim making off with pots and pans.
Hey Alex, if you ever get the chance going to China again, check out Fu He Hui from Shanghai. It’s all vegan Chinese cuisine and possibly the best Chinese restaurant in mainland China. Their skills and creation is unmatched and the flavor they are able to create with all vegan ingredients is amazing
Did you not eat at Under when you were in norway?
500k of saucepans! what he's blamed with, selling them on e-bay?
nice one
One of the most overrated and mediocre starred restaurants in NYC imo. Visited November 2022, dining room was pretty empty, not much ambience, staff weren't rude but weren't welcoming either. Food was ok. Nothing bad but pretty much everything was meh. I mean for a 3 star restaurant you shouldn't expect the food to be 'not bad' right? I find the menu had too much influence from Japan, on that day there were multiple sushi or sushi-ish courses and the chefs really weren't trained sushi chefs. The whole meal took quite a long time, not as long as that time we went to Nakaji (4.5 hrs, and it is one of the worst omakase restaurant I've been to), but long. By the time we got to the palette cleanser we were pretty stuffed. My overall experience is that the chefs do their fundamentals well, but the menu had nothing outstanding. For a price as high as theirs, not worth it in a million years.
dunno but to me it sounds basically eatery at Manhattan bodega, word overpriced cannot even do a justice at those neighborhood.
@@jalpat2272 absolutely mate the stake is so high. But the chance of it getting really stunning like rezdora or really sht like nakaji/chefs table are rather low. Most of the time it's just mediocre regardless of the number of stars. What's the same is the shocking prices.
im from indonesia.. , but i never eat michelin star food like this.., just eat my mom cook , but with this mr. alexander video , i can look and know what kind of food and the place
one of the most soulless places i've seen
I just booked a reservation yesterday without knowing. Time to KMS
It’s odd to me how the Chef was accused of discrimination towards Asians when he had lived/worked in Japan. Maybe something happened to him there. That he didn’t like.
A story about the French Michelin chef who committed suicide when he lost a star would be interesting
Anyone know if Mr. The Guest has ever done videos on wine alone? I know he's a conesseur. I would love his break down on fave champagnes.
Fine dining is known for discriminating staff, never paying for overtime 😢
are you in Japan? let's meet up Vido is outstanding as always
Theres a dark side in every fields.
You should really try Julemont** or De Librije*** in the Netherlands
$1.000.00 to eat at a counter, in the cold storage area, in the back of a store, in friggin' Brooklyn!?!?!
I guess, when you're brought up on BigMacs, you learn it's not What you know but Who you know!
🍔🍕🌭 (3-stars) PS: Bio's on the owners are sketchy if non existing
Daniel what do you mean 'in frinkin' Brooklyn' Brooklyn has lots of excellent restaurants.
I think sometimes Michelin's guy rating/evaluation cannot be trusted 100%. For me, this restaurant doesn't deserve 3 star. Contrary, restaurant like Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongiten in Tokyo only gets 2 star, which actually for me it deserves 3 star.