Gordon Ramsey

We were excited just to be able to get in for reservations at Gordon Ramsey's Dining Room at the London. Michelin stars are nothing to scoff at, so we were expecting some serious food. And serious service to back this up.

I ordered the scallops, which if you notice closely, appear to have been 2 scallops - not 4 - cut in half. That's a big pet peeve of mine. I like my scallops huge, juicy, tender, and slightly seared. These were so thin, that they were very easily overcooked. The presentation was very good and the crispy rice was a nice crunchy complement to the mild scallops.


Eric ordered the foie gras, served warm over sauteed slices of sweet plum. This was an amazing combination and I was beginning to doubt my appetizer choice for sure.

Eric ordered the filet and short rib for dinner. Both were cooked fabulous and tender. But the complaint being the meat was not easily cut with the dull standard knife provided. A steak knife... anyone?....

Squab...can you believe it? It was truly amazing meat. Had I been blindfolded, I'd swear it was a rich pork loin. The gamey taste was complemented well with golden raisins and pieces of foie gras tucked into little crevices between the boneless pieces.

Unfortunately, the cuisine couldn't overcome the missed timing with service. My wine service began shotty, but the head sommelier gave some relief by the time of the entrees. And refills on table water were rare. The cheese cart had been sitting by us the entire night, so we were anxious to arrive at that course and choose from 30 or so offerings. Problem is, the gentlemen in charge of serving the cheese didn't know a whole lot about them. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination on cheese, but he really didn't know these. Or what to pair with my pinot noir. And lastly, he didn't change knives between cuts. Meaning, my goat cheese was overwhelmed by bits of Eric's stinky cheese choices.

Am I being too picky? Perhaps. But I expected first class service. And we almost got it, but not quite.