The Devil Wears A Toque

I don't watch much television, much less reality television -- although the few cooking shows I do watch can properly be classified as "reality," just not reality (or is it reality, just not "reality") -- but I am told there is a show called "Hell's Kitchen" that features a British chef named Gordon Ramsay who is very angry.

I was at Gordon Ramsay at the London the other day for lunch, and not only did the angry chef not come out to yell at us once, the lovely meal ended with selections from a bon bon trolley. Yes, a bon bon trolley. No, the restaurant is apparently not aware that a recession looms. Still, the bon bon trolley was an undeniable delight from the moment the waiter wheeled it over to our table and showed off the temptations inside stainless-steel-topped glass canisters -- cotton candy, nougat, marshmallows, honeycomb, truffles and myriad other chocolate indulgences. It was a pharmacopeia of treats on wheels. And while the bon bon trolley seemed a bit out of place in the gracious dining room, I can't really find fault with a place that makes such a production out of dessert.

As for the food itself, my appetizer -- a "mosaic" of heirloom tomatoes, basil ricotta and mountain caviar (tonburi, an edible seed from Japan), brown butter vinaigrette -- arrived as described, a patchwork of vibrant colors and flavors. My risotto with new baby white asparagus was not very exciting, but between the appetizer and the bon bon trolley, I'd say the devil (or, more likely, his proxy) can really cook.