Bobby Flay VS Gordon Ramsay

[Kuro]

1. Iron chef style
2. Normal cook off, no time limit on what they can make. Their job is to impress the Top Chef judges

[Jcogginsa]

What's the ingredient?

[Kuro]

Steak. Something they both cook well.

[The Drunkard Kid]

I don't know how well their skills compare with each other, but Bobby Flay has a show where the premise is that chefs could theoretically beat him in a cooking contest, while I think that Gordon Ramsay's shows are all about cooks trying their hardest just to meet his standards.

[big_adventure]

I don't know how well their skills compare with each other, but Bobby Flay has a show where the premise is that chefs could theoretically beat him in a cooking contest, while I think that Gordon Ramsay's shows are all about cooks trying their hardest just to meet his standards.

That's mostly because Ramsay is somewhat more arrogant, like Napolean was somewhat more arrogant than Mother Theresa.

Neither of them hold a candle to someone like Pierre Gagnaire or, for all of his arrogance, Thomas Keller.

[Noldere]

If gaining (and maintaining) Michelin Stars count as a feat here, then Bobby Flay's not even in Gordon Ramsay's weight division.

[big_adventure]

If gaining (and maintaining) Michelin Stars count as a feat here, then Bobby Flay's not even in Gordon Ramsay's weight division.

Alain Ducasse laughs riotously, having more than both combined. He's held as many as 19, and currently holds 17. Ramsay has 7.

Number of stars isn't really the best way to go though. I'd rather eat at a table served by Ferran Adria or Heston Blumenthal then any of the above three, and neither of them have held as many stars as Ramsay or certainly Ducasse.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Alain Ducasse laughs riotously, having more than both combined. He's held as many as 19, and currently holds 17. Ramsay has 7.

Number of stars isn't really the best way to go though. I'd rather eat at a table served by Ferran Adria or Heston Blumenthal then any of the above three, and neither of them have held as many stars as Ramsay or certainly Ducasse.

Eh, I mean. Alain has 34 restaurants; Ramsay has 15. Alain having more stars doesn't mean much.

[Little_Mac]

Eh, I mean. Alain has 34 restaurants; Ramsay has 15. Alain having more stars doesn't mean much.

1) Flay wins the Iron Chef cookoff. Ramsey has no feats of cooking 5+ dishes in 60 minutes. Flay experience would serve him well in this format.
2) I lean more towards Ramsey. When in doubt, look at the ratings of the restaurants. Give Ramsey time, and pick of sous-chefs and he should win.

[big_adventure]

Eh, I mean. Alain has 34 restaurants; Ramsay has 15. Alain having more stars doesn't mean much.

Ducasse has multiple 3 star restaurants open at the same time. He currently, and has since 2005, had 3 three-star restaurants open. Ramsay has had a total of never times having 3 3 star restaurants.

BTW, I undersold Ducasse, he currently has 20 stars.

Now, I've eaten at Athenee a few times. It's exquisite, but not even in my top 5 in Paris alone. Paris has a wealth of choices of course...

[big_adventure]

For this Rumble, I tend to thing Ramsay would win the majority of both. His body of work is superior.

[Mider2009]

Eh, I mean. Alain has 34 restaurants; Ramsay has 15. Alain having more stars doesn't mean much.

Um yeah it does...they don’t just hand those out

Having tried Ramsay’s food I think he’d win.

[wjowski]

I feel I have to say this; having a Michelin star doesn't necessarily mean you're a good cook, it means your a good restaurateur.

That being said, if you want to see Gordon Ramsay suck at cooking, just look at any attempt by him to do Asian food.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Um yeah it does...they don’t just hand those out

Having tried Ramsay’s food I think he’d win.

It doesn't mean much insofar as Alain has more of a chance to get a Michelin star due to the sheer amount of restaurants compared to Ramsay.

[big_adventure]

It doesn't mean much insofar as Alain has more of a chance to get a Michelin star due to the sheer amount of restaurants compared to Ramsay.

Eh, it still does. Ducasse isn't trying to get 3 stars out of many of his places (neither is Ramsay). But when he tries to throw down, he succeeds. Having a lot of restaurants doesn't increase the chance of having Michelin stars, ESPECIALLY not 3 of them in one place. That requires things that are almost counter-intuitive: tables separated by meters, not centimeters, comfortable seating, impeccable service and utterly perfect food. Hell, opening more restaurants is one of the reasons that Ramsay lost a double handful of stars: reviewers complain of shoddy service, inconsistent or subpar food, basically, a lack of what it means to eat in a 3 star establishment. Just great food won't do it. Taillevent, a legend of Parisien haute cuisine, lost their 3rd star several years back, after holding it for more than 30 years, because the restaurant was a little bit too crowded. In 3-star land, this doesn't mean ever waiting for a table or being even within arms reach of another guest, it just means that someone might be close enough to overhear you if you talk really loud. Having dined there both before they lost the star and after, I can assure you that the quality of the meal didn't go down at all, they didn't even lower their prices (to be fair there, they were one of the lower-priced 3 star places in Paris, in the range of 120-180 per person for food - most are in the 250-350 per person for food only range), and they were still full each time I have eaten there. the place didn't get worse, it was just judged that the separation was not quite as good as it should be for 3 stars.

Ramsay is less a chef now than a personality. That's not to say that he can't cook - it's just that he's extremely rarely actually at any of his restaurants. Ducasse spends nearly every night working at one of his 3 star showcases. Someone like Pierre Gagnaire or Fernan Adria (when he had a place) spend(s) every open night in their flagship restaurants, and come out and talk to basically every guest.