# We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 10, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822 "2021-12-10T04:24:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/21 "2021-12-10T16:12:55Z")
That’s my guess too. Plenty of high-end restaurants do that sort of molecular gastronomy, and plenty do the tasting menu approach as well. And there are a lot that combine them and do both very well. However, this chef seems to have forgotten that the diners are there to _eat_, not to be part of some sort of weird culinary performance art. He’s also forgotten that ultimately it’s about the customers, not themselves. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/22 "2021-12-10T16:13:47Z")
Olive flavored Ice cream? 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/23 "2021-12-10T16:15:41Z")
I wonder if the restaurant got wind of who they were serving, and (mistakenly) thought that high pretentiousness would be the right way to go for a good review. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/24 "2021-12-10T16:33:51Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Olive flavored Ice cream? - > 🤮 Maybe a martini sauce as a topping? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/25 "2021-12-10T16:42:41Z")
Hmm. This review left me with my head cocked to the side, but for different reasons than others commenting here. I fully acknowledge that a chef/restaurant can miss the mark, and produce a meal that isn’t good. But I gotta say, I’ve done this Michelin-starred tasting menu type experience a couple of times (not this place), and what the writer describes is right in line with what I have seen. A large number of small portions - check, very novel ingredients, preparation and presentation - check, challenging - check, artistic expression forward - check, expensive - check, not getting gut-busting, loosen-the-belt full - check, etc. It _almost_ sounds like the writer is not experienced at this kind of dining, and is reacting to the format as much as the actual meal. I could imagine many of my more conventional friends and relatives having a similar reaction as the writer to similar meals that I have experienced and enjoyed thoroughly. Again, I’m not automatically defending all of the chef/restaurant’s choices, but I’m also not band-wagoning with the writer on, “Har har! What a bunch of goofy sh\*t!” ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/26 "2021-12-10T16:57:55Z")
There was a place near us that opened with much fanfare as being the greatest artisanal pizza place evar. We went with our four year old in tow. We ordered mains sized pizzas. What we were served were these… things that were about six inches across, had a base that resembled edible card (ie greeting card thickness) and had toppings that were basically nominal (ie two artfully arranged slices of pepperoni). If it gives you some idea, our four year old ate his whole supposedly adult sized pizza within a couple of seconds then complained he was hungry. And no these were not sold (and definitely not priced) as appetizers. We complained and the waiter stated in a formulaic way (no doubt he’d had to say it quite often) “it’s the chef’s choice as to the style of pizza he serves”. Needless to say it was the chef’s choice to go out of fuckin’ business shortly thereafter. And I sure hope the door didn’t hit his ass on the way out. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/27 "2021-12-10T17:05:25Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > That’s pretty much what I’d expect a Michelin-starred restaurant to be like. Hmmm, I’ve eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant and it was one of the best dinners I’ve ever had. > [@Icarus](#): > > But I gotta say, I’ve done this Michelin-starred tasting menu type experience a couple of times (not this place), and what the writer describes is right in line with what I have seen. A large number of small portions - check, very novel ingredients, preparation and presentation - check, challenging - check, artistic expression forward - check, expensive - check, not getting gut-busting, loosen-the-belt full - check, etc. I’ve also done a pretention tasting menu at a place that wasn’t in an area Michelin covers. It was fabulous. Yes, we had a couple of courses of foam. But we also had a few courses that were recognizably the “main” appetizer and the “main” course and the “main” dessert, and while none was large, they were a lot more generous than what was shown there. And while I wasn’t stuffed as I left, they handed us a little box of cookies on the way out, and I ate them the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/28 "2021-12-10T19:53:21Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > It _almost_ sounds like the writer is not experienced at this kind of dining, and is reacting to the format as much as the actual meal. I could imagine many of my more conventional friends and relatives having a similar reaction as the writer to similar meals that I have experienced and enjoyed thoroughly. Yeah, I mean how do you get a dozen courses into an obviously molecular menu, then ask what is the main course going to be? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/29 "2021-12-10T19:59:21Z")
For contrast, here’s a review of the same general concept, but done in a way that most customers (who went in with their eyes open) found to be an enjoyable and stimulating experience: > **[El Bulli — A Life Worth Eating](http://www.alifewortheating.com/posts/spain/elbulli)** > > It's an understatement to say that getting a reservation at El Bulli is difficult. During the two and a half years that I lived in Paris, I emailed the restaurant on a nearly weekly basis during season asking for last-minute openings. And everytime... ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/30 "2021-12-11T04:32:59Z")
It reminds me of Jon Favreau’s movie [Chef](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2883512/), where he gets a bad review (because the food was pedestrian, not non-existent) and starts a viral flame war with the critic. StG ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/31 "2021-12-11T05:12:12Z")
“Another course – a citrus foam – was served in a plaster cast of the chef’s mouth. Absent utensils, we were told to lick it out of the chef’s mouth in a scene that I’m pretty sure was stolen from an eastern European horror film.” I’ve seen part of this movie, not pleasant. I’m guessing "The Human Centipede\* ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/32 "2021-12-11T05:40:25Z")
I’ve followed Geraldine’s blog on and off for years. It was interesting a few years ago when they were doing a lot of travelling around the world. Here’s another excellent food-related one. In 2017 chef Mario Batali was accused of sexual misconduct. He wrote a brief and insincere apology… that included a bad recipe for cinnamon rolls. Geraldine has some angry fun with it. > **[I Made the Pizza Cinnamon Rolls from Mario Batali's Sexual Misconduct Apology...](https://www.everywhereist.com/2018/01/i-made-the-pizza-cinnamon-rolls-from-mario-batalis-sexual-misconduct-apology-letter/)** > > Last night, I made cinnamon rolls. I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon rolls, per se, but this recipe was included in Mario Batali’s sexual misconduct apology letter, and so I feel compelled to make them. Batali is not the first powerful man to... ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/33 "2021-12-11T06:23:48Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Meat molecules? Must be Bf2, though it looks like they reacted with Goo as well: In case anyone wonders, that’s a part of the [periodic table](https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/lookaroundyou/series1/periodic.shtml) provided by the brains behind “[look around you](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_Around_You)”. I highly recommend it (and top marks to Dr. S for the reference) And following on from woflpup’s recommendation I give you Jay Rayner’s wonderful review of “[Le Cinq](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/09/le-cinq-paris-restaurant-review-jay-rayner)” here’s a snippet > The dining room, deep in the hotel, is a broad space of high ceilings and coving, with thick carpets to muffle the screams. It is decorated in various shades of taupe, biscuit and fuck you ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/34 "2021-12-11T06:26:20Z")
I was pretty much thinking the same thing! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/35 "2021-12-11T10:17:01Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > (and top marks to Dr. S for the reference) I’m glad someone got the reference! It’s one of my favorite series. Thanks, ants. Thants. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/36 "2021-12-11T12:31:00Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I’m glad someone got the reference! It’s one of my favorite series. Thanks, ants. Thants. in our house, whenever we need to point at something, a pencil is used. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/37 "2021-12-11T15:57:19Z")
Hari-Kiri, by overprice slop. And, unless I miss my guess, “belly-rip” is the right word, or at least it will be in the WC, then next day. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/38 "2021-12-11T16:10:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Extremely pretentious, overpriced, chef that thinks very highly of himself, pushy and uninformative waitstaff, an inability to accommodate dietary restrictions, and an emphasis on presentation and innovation at the expense of actually serving a satisfying meal? > > That’s pretty much what I’d expect a Michelin-starred restaurant to be like. About 25 years ago I ate at a Michelin 3-star\*\* restaurant in southeastern France which was the polar opposite of what you describe. The food was amazing, and the service was off-the-scale excellent - not the smallest hint of snootiness or condescension. The message was: we are artists in food & its presentation; we’ll put before you a dining performance that you’ll remember fondly for the rest of your life. It was simultaneously the most expensive meal I’ve ever had, and the best dining bargain. \*\* Making it at the time one of the 28 best restaurants in France. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/39 "2021-12-11T16:19:42Z")
I’m not sure where it is written that “uncoventional” and “challenging” equate to being bad.\* As for the foaming-at-the-mouth dish, it might be OK if attending a performance of The Rabid Chef, but not as a component of dinner. \*wonder how many patrons came away from that experience feeling guilty because they were unable to appreciate cutting-edge gastronomy. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822/40 "2021-12-11T16:48:59Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > I’ve followed Geraldine’s blog on and off for years. It was interesting a few years ago when they were doing a lot of travelling around the world. > > Here’s another excellent food-related one. > > In 2017 chef Mario Batali was accused of sexual misconduct. He wrote a brief and insincere apology… that included a bad recipe for cinnamon rolls. > > Geraldine has some angry fun with it. > > [I Made the Pizza Cinnamon Rolls from Mario Batali's Sexual Misconduct Apology Letter](https://everywhereist.com/2018/01/i-made-the-pizza-cinnamon-rolls-from-mario-batalis-sexual-misconduct-apology-letter/) I used to work with Geraldine. She was wickedly funny and smart. And for those with long memories, this is not her first brush with viral internet fame. Back in the late 90s, her now-husband Rand made an attempt to crowd fund a proposal via Super Bowl ad. A failed attempt that was later successful when he ran the ad during Veronica Mars. I still have the celebratory cigar he gave me when he dropped by the office. > **[Very public proposal will be something to “tell the kids about”](https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/very-public-proposal-will-be-something-to-tell-the-kids-about/)** > > There's been no time to plan a wedding, according to Mr. Superproposal — Rand Fishkin of Seattle — who fielded interview requests Wednesday. > **[One Man's Romantic $10,000 Super Proposal](https://www.oprah.com/own-oprahshow/this-man-bought-ad-time-to-propose-during-veronica-mars-video)** > > In 2007, Rand, a young bachelor from Seattle, wanted to give his girlfriend, Geraldine, a Valentine's Day shockaroo. Determined to pop the question on national television, Rand tried to raise $2.5 million to buy ad time during the Super Bowl,... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/955822.md?page=3)