A look at the dark side of fine dining. And a story filled with greed,
lies, and discrimination. We are back in New York City to visit The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. 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? The chef is César Ramirez. Unlike many celebrity chefs, Cesar is self-taught. At 19, he married a French woman
and traveled to France, where he learned the tricks of the trade. He also spent time studying cuisine in Japan
before returning to the US and honing his craft at fine dining restaurants in Chicago and in New York City. By 2008, Chef Ramirez was ready to do his
own thing. Moe Issa is an Israeli-born, Brooklyn-raised
entrepreneur and owner of a gourmet grocery store. It’s called Brooklyn Fare and it specializes
in fresh groceries and prepared foods, with the services of an old-school neighborhood
grocery store. In 2008, Moe was eager to expand into fine
dining but he’s missing one thing - a chef. As luck would have it, he meets Cesar Ramirez. A deal is struck and Moe opens a small restaurant
in the back of his Brooklyn grocery store. He calls it The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn
Fare They open in 2009 serving one-bite dishes in a fusion of French techniques and Japanese
cuisine. The trendy Brooklyn crowd falls in love with
the concept and before long the Michelin guide inspectors
take notice. Making it Brooklyn’s only 3 Michelin
star restaurant. The future is bright for Chef Ramirez and
Moe Issa. Or so it seems. In 2014, five former employees
launch a class-action lawsuit against Chef Ramirez and Moe Issa, for discrimination and unpaid wages and tips. The workers claim they were denied overtime
pay and tips, and when they demanded to be paid, they were
fired. On top of this, Chef Ramirez is accused of
descriminating against Asian employees and guests. In an open letter to the media, Ramirez denies
everything. The case is settled out of
court for an undisclosed amount in May 2015. The restaurant manages to maintain its sterling
reputation and by 2016, Ramirez and Moe Issa are ready to take Manhattan. Brooklyn Fare adds two more grocery locations By 2022, business is booming with the restaurant raking in more than
5 million dollars each year. Moe Issa makes Chef Ramirez partner in the
business. Things seem to be going well, but under the
surface, trouble is brewing. In July 2023, the restaurant suddenly closes, and Chef Ramirez and Moe Issa are back in
court. This time, on opposite sides of the table. Ramirez files a complaint in July claiming 25 million dollars in damages for
breach of contract, unpaid wages and defamation after being fired. He also accuses Moe Issa of embezzling more
than 400,000 dollars. Issa lashes back, claiming his former chef has stolen more than
30,000 dollars worth of rare Burgundy wine, as well as dishware, pots and pans and other
cooking tools totalling almost half a million dollars. Whatever happened, I’m just glad I got to
try this restaurant back in March before it went kaput. We make our way through the grocery store
and into the restaurant. It’s one big, open room. In fine dining, the chef’s table is a table
in the kitchen where guests can watch the staff in action. The concept comes from the tradition of chefs entertaining family and friends
in the kitchen as they worked. The first chef’s table in modern fine dining
was the French restaurant Gaddi’s in Hong Kong in the year 2000. Since then, more and more
Michelin star restaurants have added a chef’s table to their kitchens. In some cases, guests can book the table and
experience their meal as VIP’s. In others, groups from the dining room are
invited to the kitchen to experience one special
course at the chef’s table. And then there are the restaurants that take
the concept and really run with it. Opening the kitchen and making the entire
dining area one big chef’s table. And that’s exactly what we have here. 18 seats and from each one you have a clear
view of the action. After a nice welcome we ask the host if recording
is okay. He says yes, but we are asked not to take
video of Chef Ramirez. I’m not sure how I can manage that but I
agree. For our welcome drink, we choose a 2011 Comtes
de Champagne. Our first bite is Japanese yellow tail with
salmon roe and edible flowers. They cut it to be easier to have in one bite. There is a nice layer of creme fresh on the
bottom. Powerful flavors and nice first impression. Our second bite is A5 wagyu tartar with kelp. It’s luxurious with rich, beefy flavor and
a cream that is really intense. Exceptional. You're going to see many Japanese ingredients
in this episode later. But you can see way more,
on my Instagram. Cause guess what,
I'm currently in Japan. So stay with and follow,
Alexander The Guest on Instagram. Our third bite is a Maine diver scallop on
sushi rice. Look at that gorgeous presentation. The scallop is lightly fried and then grilled. This was brilliant! Three delicious appetisers done, it’s time for the main courses. Our first is Japanese Bluefin tuna with Kaluga
green caviar. The server tells us to go to the bottom of
the dish to make sure we get all the layers on one spoon. This dish was incredibly tasty. The pairing was a 2021 Godello from Spain. Crisp, light and perfect. I’m really starting to like this place. Our second course is sea urchin from Hokkaido, also known as uni on toasted brioche with
black truffle. It’s hard to see but there is a thin layer
of black truffle between the uni and the brioche. The flavors here are beautiful. Buttery and nutty. It’s unreal. I really have to hand it to them - they know how to use truffles. Super thin layer, not dominating but it’s
totally there. I was quite surprised by the wine pairing. It’s a chenin blanc dessert wine from 1994 by French producer Moulin Touchais. I usually don’t see dessert wine with savory
courses and rarely do we see such
vintages in a wine pairing. But somehow it worked. So far the food is great but the atmosphere
is lacking a bit. There is no music playing, it’s chilly in
here and sitting on a bar stool is starting to get uncomfortable. Also from the service side, I find the elegance
is missing. II’s hard to be elegant when serving across
the table. It gives you the feeling like you are at a
lunch counter. Interesting, but somehow they
managed to solve this in Taian Table. Our third course is Japanese sea breem. It’s served alongside cucumber sorbet in
a beautiful yuzu sauce. It reminds me of a gazpacho with its many
ingredients. I love how the flavors compliment each other
and commanded the dish. There was no fishy taste at all. For wine we have a 2021 German riesling from
Clemens Busch. Although it’s young, it’s delicate and
refined. Our fourth course is a mushroom egg custard
with foie gras and jumbo shrimp. I don’t love the look of it and running
my spoon through it doesn’t make it any prettier. It was flavorful but the texture really turned
me off. It was paired with Junmai Ginjo from HeavenSake. This company is cofounded by Regis Camus, one of the best known Cellar Masters in the world, 8 time winner of winemaker of the year. His new brand is a line of Japanese sake with
a French twist. Since its launch in 2017, it has taken the
spirits market by storm and is winning awards hand over fist. It’s really nice. So far, the service team has been attentive
and polite, but I haven’t really connected with any of them. They are friendly and humble, but none of
them are characters and we haven’t heard even an attempt at humor. The staff are quiet and a bit robotic. The fifth course is Norwegian langoustine
with porcini mushrooms in a light foam. Next to it we have Kaluga green caviar. I liked this dish overall, but with a few
reservations. Caviar and mushrooms were a nice combo, but
the langoustine wasn't perfect for me. For the wine pairing we
have a nice Chablis premier cru from 2020. Our sixth course is quail. On the side is a thin slice of speck and under
it we have morel mushroom and black truffle. Speck is a lightly cured and smoked ham from
northern Italy. Nice ingredients and well prepared but this dish wasn’t one of
my favorites for the day. To go with it we have a nice 2018 pinot noir
from the Burgundy region and is well-paired for the course. Our palette cleanser is a yogurt sorbet with
champagne jelly and mandarin. It was fresh and vibrant
and did the job wonderfully. The pairing was a Hungarian dessert wine from
Royal Tokaj. I love to see my country represented at 3
Michelin star restaurants. I never get tired of tasting this wine either. At this point, I’m pretty cold. Even I'm wearing a jacket. There must be a draft coming in somewhere. Or maybe someone left the door open. I’ve never felt as cold as this in a Michelin
star restaurant. Or any restaurant, now that I think of it. I’m kinda glad we are almost done. Our dessert and final course for the day is
a Chef Ramirez signature. Frozen vanilla soufflé, with vanilla powder,
ice cream and butterscotch chips. This thing is huge! Our server give us the instructions how to
eat it. Our first joke of the day. A bit late, but I’ll take it. This dish is a dessert lover’s dream. Amazing taste and a whole range of textures
and temperatures. At this point, I need to use the bathroom. Which is in the back of the grocery store. I find it and there are two people already
in line. I’m standing in the middle of this grocery
store in a suit waiting for the washroom while people
are picking up their groceries. Some of them are dancing. It’s surreal. When I get back, the funny server asked if
we were celebrating anything. I joke and tell him that Yes, we are celebrating. We are celebrating life. He brings out this little cake to help us
celebrate. Another good one! Last are the petit fours. Jasmine chocolate puffs and passion fruit
tarts. The puffs are crispy and fluffy. A nice way to end the meal. Now we can go and finally get warm! After the meal, we exit through the grocery
store and look around a little bit. We notice one thing - they are playing music! There were so many good things about this
dining experience, and unfortunately, some problems. The food was excellent and even amazing at
times, but the bar stools, cold service and
even colder temperature of the room really took away from it. One of the reasons for this has to be the
cold relationship between Chef and Moe. I’m just happy I could try this restaurant
before it closed. Who is right? The celebrity chef or the successful entrepreneur? Former employees say it’s nothing more than
a battle of egos. Since the closing of the restaurant in July, Chef Ramirez has signed a 15 year lease on
a new restaurant space. It’s in Lower Manhattan’s trendy Hudson
Square neighborhood. Issa has just announced two new world-class
chefs who will take over The Chef’s Table with a re-opening scheduled for October. So it seems, there is one clear winner. Fine dining lovers! We have two new restaurants in New York City
to look forward to. And that does it for this episode, thank you for joining me, if you like this video, hit subscribe! see you next time.
