Gordon Ramsay's Staff Caught Partying with Strippers in London NYC Hotel Room
The New Yorker has a behind-the-scenes article in the April 2 issue about the opening of British chef Gordon Ramsay's namesake Manhattan restaurant within the newly renovated London NYC Hotel.
It's extremely long considering it's all about Ramsay and food. But after keeping on and finishing the 11 pages (remember, only little cartoons, no pictures or pullquotes), it was well worth it.
Largely because we learned that one of Ramsay's sommeliers, Gregory Condes, who arrived from Las Vegas and was given $750,000 to start the restaurant's wine collection, was caught partying with strippers in one of the unfinished London NYC hotel rooms at 5 in the morning. Naturally, he supplied the drinks, apparently swiping bottles of the restaurant's Dom Perignon.
What's even more hilarious is Condes' response. The author Bill Buford writes:
Condes had protested his innocence. Most Las Vegas residents have strippers for friends, he told me ("It's really quite normal, although they prefer to be called dancers") and besides, he hadn't taken "bottles" of Dom Perignon. ("That's wrong. I just took one, plus a bottle of Perrier Jouet. Belle Epoque, actually"--the champagne maker's prestige label.)
But just remember--There is no sex in the champagne room.
Ramsay's restaurant, which opened in November, ultimately took a beating from some of the food critics who pretty much said that the entire dining experience was bland.
Also interesting to note is that diners were stealing special dishes from their tables, two of the cooks were mugged on their way home from work, and some of the chefs were confused about what Long Island was (and where it was, too.)
But we do catch a glimpse of Ramsay outside the kitchen, and apparently he likes to dine at the Soho House when he's not at work smacking his sous chefs upside the head.
Related Stories:
· TripAdvisor readers call out London NYC's fake reviews [HotelChatter]
Leave a Comment
Not yet a member? Click here to become a member.
Already a member? Login below: