I doubt he was talking about Chili's or Fuddruckers. Sounds like he's fed up with posh restaurants charging $50-100 a plate for frozen fruits and veggies. In that sense it does seem kind of criminal to ask your customers pay that much for something they could have picked up in the frozen food section.

I listened to this story last week, when it was first mentioned, and the chef seemed to talk about all restaurants using fresh, local ingredients, but as I argued at the time, it just wont work with certain types of places. England is mainly cold and wet. Imagine going to a Chinese that only serves fresh English vegetables? that would suck...

I'm not convinced there should be laws against out of season fruits and vegetables, however, I don't think most people even KNOW nowadays which ones are in or out of the season, and that is crazy.

I don't mind people paying too much in a restaurant for stuff that has been frozen. But that's not what he's aiming at.
The point is that we're shipping food all over the world, just so we can have them all year round. That's stupid.

seems reasonable to me :)

Is that the douche from Hell's Kitchen? I still don't understand how this guy hasn't gotten shanked with a chef's knife by one of the contestants he berates.

This dude needs an ego check.

He's a perfectionist and one of my personal heroes.

He has an ego because he really is that good.

I'm sorry, but there are plenty of perfectionists who don't treat other people the way he does.

He's a d**k.

I agree, I love watching that show. He's the boss so don't upset him, duh! And if he's going to pay the winner $250,000 and put his name on the restaurant they'd better get it to his specifications. That and by now you know he's going to treat you that way so its your own bad for going on the show.

I agree that one should know what they're in for when they go on the show.

Doesn't make him any less of a prick, though.

Actually, you should watch his other show; "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares." You see how much he actually cares for people to just do a good job. They have one where he does it in the US, but the bests ones are from the UK. (It's on almost always on the BBC.)

I have. And I did notice he's a bit less confrontational (read "abusive") in that show.

I know the guy is good at what he does. I just don't think any normal human being should be treated that way. Now, if he were to be that way with say, convicted rapists, I'd have no problem with it at all.

I recently dined with someone who couldn't tell that the potatoes came from a box. That's pathetic and sad. I won't prepare those in my own kitchen and I'd be pissed off to be served such in a fancy restaurant.

well, the article really doesn't give you a whole lot to go on. Sounds more like he was ranting to someone and it got published.

Nighmares is definitely a more subdued show. I think he's asked to be a "g*D Dam*d DONKAY!" for the US viewers appetite for douchebaggery and jerry springer.

I am with Davbob on this one. :)

Charging $50-$100 a plate for FRESH fruit & veggies is equally criminal.

At least you can hide behind the argument that it is gourmet. As soon as you start serving frozen/preserved stuff I think you have to drop the gourmet moniker.

If people are willing to pay $50-$100 for a plate of food...

Typically, though, it is more than just the food that makes the prices that steep.

Shipping fresh food around the world is an improvement over what we used to have: either frozen or canned during the winter. You just can't freeze some fruits and hope they turn out ok.

I don't know where the hell you guys are eating that's charging over $50 for a fruit plate but you should go somewhere else.

I agree that restaurants should use fresh local food, not just vegetables. Support your local economy, local farmers. It's cheaper to ship, fresher, and helps out the economy and the environment, why wouldn't you? I'm not sure there should be a law to enforce it, but people should consider this a real option simply for its obvious benefits.

I work part time in a restaurant that gets everything locally and the food is amazing, I'm happy to be a part of a place that's concerned with the environment and the economy on a local scale.

All the famous chef's have a restaurant like that. And so do a lot of the not at all famous chefs.

In LA alone:
Average cost $50 - $75 : 103 Restaurants Found
Average cost $75 - $100 : 3 Restaurants Found

There are about 50 that come up for Las Vegas on that same site.

double post

I understand there are places where a plate costs that, but a fruit plate isn't an entree, it's a salad, appetizer, or dessert. It's not a point to argue, just an unreasonable price for a plate of fruit, regardless of where it comes from was all I was saying.