Best celebrity chef restaurant you ever tried.

DSmith21

Heisman
Mar 27, 2012
8,297
13,024
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For me, K-Paul's in New Orleans (chef Paul Prudomme) made the greatest impression on me. Best Cajun/Creole I ever tried. He was the head chef at the famous Commander's Palace in the 70" s before starting his own restaurants. Emeril Lagasse and Aaron Sanchez both studied under him. Many of his best recipes are still available online.


 
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Aug 10, 2021
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Went to a Mario Batali joint in NYC with some buddies circa 2005. It was everything I hoped. We were broke graduate students so we all went with the tasting menu with wine pairings and it was a great choice -- especially for broke 20-somethings.

I still crave that monkfish.
 

It'saDoneDeal

All-Conference
Jul 24, 2007
19,242
4,409
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I once dined at Chef Boyardee’s exquisite Beefaroni establishment. When we started, there was a large popping noise followed by an odd suction-like sound that was a bit unsettling, but the aroma that followed was to die for, pulling us right on in. The space itself was on the small side and a little cold and metallic, but perhaps they were going for a more modern and industrial vibe? The food was seemingly all around us and the portion sizes were ample to say the least. 5 stars.
 

JDHoss

Heisman
Jan 1, 2003
16,472
40,059
113
Went to Robert Irvine's place in Hilton Head probably 15 years ago. It's closed now, but it was damn good the night we went. Went to Paula Deen's place in Tunica once. It was like a little higher end version of a Golden Corral. Wanted to go to her place in Savannah once, but it was over a 2 hour wait, so we passed. Had a friend who ate there and basically said the same thing I did about her place in Tunica. Said it was really disappointing after a long wait
 

Boogie Fan

Junior
Jun 6, 2010
653
224
43

This dude has brought Flavor Town to Pigeon Forge.....I bet it's awesome
 

DSmith21

Heisman
Mar 27, 2012
8,297
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Went to Gordon Ramsey in London about 20 years ago. I had never heard of him as he only had two restaurants at the time. It was good, not great. It was the first time that I ever paid over $500 for a meal for two (we had 3 courses and a $100 bottle of wine). The only thing that stood out was the service which was impeccable. I couldn't take a sip of water or wine without someone rushing to refill my glass within seconds.
 

PhDcat2018

Heisman
Jun 26, 2017
17,915
26,320
113
I dined at Emeril Lagasse's place in Atlanta several years ago. It was good but over priced in my opinion. I knew it would be as soon as they asked for my drink order and when I said water they wanted to know if I wanted sparkling or non sparkling. I just wanted wet water and didn't care if it sparkled or not.😂
Same here at his place in Vegas. It was good, but I can get just as good, or better, in places on the coast.
 
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Get Buckets

All-Conference
Nov 4, 2007
4,546
3,381
92
Went to one of Emerill’s restaurants in New Orleans, Acme I believe. Doesn’t appear to be open anymore. Had the stuffed chicken wing appetizer which was phenomenal.
 

cole854

Heisman
Sep 11, 2012
10,156
22,638
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Wolfgang Puck has a restaurant at Four Seasons Maui. Bone in pork chop was de-vine

This Spago is awesome. Top 5 of all places I have been to. Weird that the Spago in Bellagio is light years below this one, imo.
 

WildcatFan1982

Heisman
Dec 4, 2011
21,375
17,682
81
We had one in East TN probably 20+ years ago. It was terrible and went under in less than a year.

We had one in Owensboro on Frederica. Never ate there but also when I was 13 Kenny Rogers wasn’t really in my world back then. It closed right around the same time as that Seinfeld episode, if not a little before.
 

cole854

Heisman
Sep 11, 2012
10,156
22,638
0
^^^they're all over priced if you're comparing them to your everyday joint. There is no set value on a 16 oz. Wagyu ribeye, but you also can't compare it to a ribeye at your "nice" local restaurant. I hit my fav's in Vegas, and I know my bill is going to be 3 digits on food alone.
 
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BBdK

Heisman
Sep 21, 2003
159,783
74,127
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3 stand out above endless others I've enjoyed:

Thomas Keller - The French Laundry

Mario Batali, Lydia/Joe Bastianich - Del Posto

Savoy Grill - Gordon Ramsay (London)
 

trueblujr

Heisman
Dec 14, 2005
30,649
96,961
113
I once dined at Chef Boyardee’s exquisite Beefaroni establishment. When we started, there was a large popping noise followed by an odd suction-like sound that was a bit unsettling, but the aroma that followed was to die for, pulling us right on in. The space itself was on the small side and a little cold and metallic, but perhaps they were going for a more modern and industrial vibe? The food was seemingly all around us and the portion sizes were ample to say the least. 5 stars.
I once dined at his Rav E Ole' establishment. They had an amazing appetizer where they applied a schmear of butter made from peanuts onto a soda cracker, then placed a ravioli filled with spiced beef upon the top, then finished with a drizzle of their savory marinara. It was positively exquisite.
 
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Tinker Dan

Heisman
Jan 31, 2006
3,620
11,068
113
I once dined at Chef Boyardee’s exquisite Beefaroni establishment. When we started, there was a large popping noise followed by an odd suction-like sound that was a bit unsettling, but the aroma that followed was to die for, pulling us right on in. The space itself was on the small side and a little cold and metallic, but perhaps they were going for a more modern and industrial vibe? The food was seemingly all around us and the portion sizes were ample to say the least. 5 stars.
Bravissimo!
 
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Nov 14, 2002
40,458
53,107
113
Got treated to Edward Lee's 610 Magnolia years ago and it was incredible.

Also a *huge* fan of Commander's Palace, which has produced a lot of celebrity chefs. It's easily the best service I've ever had at a restaurant, and their Friday lunch is probably the toughest time to get a table. They do $0.10 martinis and a fairly inexpensive menu, so you can easily walk about of there completely wasted for $60-70 or so. It's a huge hit with locals and tourists alike.
 

rudd1

Heisman
Oct 3, 2007
14,419
21,101
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-les halles. I'm a sucker for simple French food.

-eaten at some really nice spots, not sure what constitutes a "celebrity" chef.
 
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wildcatadam6

All-Conference
Mar 28, 2005
26,522
1,746
83
Robert Irvine used to have a place called eat! in Hilton Head. I had a very excellent meal there. Also, Husk was great. Best meal experience of my life was Curaté in Asheville. Not sure Katie Button is a celebrity chef, but everyone should eat there at least once.
 

JDHoss

Heisman
Jan 1, 2003
16,472
40,059
113
Robert Irvine used to have a place called eat! in Hilton Head. I had a very excellent meal there. Also, Husk was great. Best meal experience of my life was Curaté in Asheville. Not sure Katie Button is a celebrity chef, but everyone should eat there at least once.
Yeah, Eat! was the name of it. It was indeed excellent.
 

trueblujr

Heisman
Dec 14, 2005
30,649
96,961
113
Got treated to Edward Lee's 610 Magnolia years ago and it was incredible.

Also a *huge* fan of Commander's Palace, which has produced a lot of celebrity chefs. It's easily the best service I've ever had at a restaurant, and their Friday lunch is probably the toughest time to get a table. They do $0.10 martinis and a fairly inexpensive menu, so you can easily walk about of there completely wasted for $60-70 or so. It's a huge hit with locals and tourists alike.
I got treated there once as well. Was pretty amazing. We did the Prix Fixe menu and he actually served a couple of the courses himself. I'm anxious to try his new Korean Barbecue place.