Gordon Ramsay

Tonight we embarked on a culinary journey that made me realize I had never truly tasted food before. You know that feeling you get at the end of Field of Dreams? It was like that, with every dish. It was restaurant Gordon Ramsay, the flagship eatery of Britain's top chef. You yanks might know him from his Hell's Kitchen TV series, and I he has restaurants in LA, Florida, and NYC.

A night with Gordon Ramsay starts 2 months out. When you decide you want to dine here, you call them and get a reservation 2 months from that date. And if you call after noon, you may as well wait until the next day because you're too late. We arrived about 30 minutes early, and found they hadn't quite opened to the public. We strolled around the block before coming back, still 15 minutes early. They let us in, and thus began our 3 hour dinner odyssey.

You basically have two options: the 3 course a la carte menu, or the 7 course prestige. Being very prestigious people, we obviously went for the latter. Over the next two and half hours, we were served:

-Pate with duck confit
-Lobster and salmon ravioli
-Grilled turbot with citrus sauce
-Grilled lamb (duck for Lori)
-Tiny pear creme brulee (surprisingly the weakest part of the meal)
-Strawberry and champagne soup (think orange julius with pop rocks...yeah, awesome)
-Chocolate tower with hazelnut and ginger (best dessert ever)

Even before dinner they gave us two tiny appetizers (they called them "amoosh boosh", or something): lobster and salmon crispy roll, and scallop with brocolli puree. Both excellent. And even after the cous de gras, the chocolate tower of awesomeness, they brought over some strawberry ice cream on dried ice, chocoloate truffles, and turkish delight (which was not as delightful as the name would suggest, but still tasty).

Overall, the experience was fantastic. The staff was incredibly attentive, perhaps too much so when we were the only ones in the restraurant. And no trip would be complete without a visit from the man, the myth...GR himself. He popped in for about 30 minutes, and walked through the dining room and talked to some of the guests. Not us however, but it was probably because he was intimidated by our blinding bueaty. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, and he sure knows his way around the kitchen.

So if you're ever in London, and want to blow a week's pay on a single meal, book yourself a table. My advice is don't look at the prices, just go for it. It's more than dinner, it really is an experience. Like looking into the face of God and having him say, "You are my most wonderous creation."