“What’s that thing with the fire?”

November 29, 2023 1:22 AM

A perfectly executed Bananas Foster takes about three to four minutes to prepare. But a restaurant flambé requires additional time to allow the person who orders it to overshare about the one other time they ordered a flambé at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the south of France. Someone at the table will also invariably ask, “Have you ever burned anyone before?” (Thankfully, I have not — but I’ve definitely sent errant chunks of flaming banana out of the pan a couple of times like rogue fruit meteors, causing momentary bouts of panic and a few singed linens.) Every time a pan spiked with sugar and alcohol combusts, flambé sales go viral. One order and the entire restaurant goes up in flames. from Confessions of a Tableside Flambéur
posted by chavenet (37 comments total)

I live in a new city, designed to attract foreign investment, and one of the oldest restaurants here is a regular Korean meat place that uses a stone grill, and their gimmick is shooting alcohol (or something flammable) over the grill and setting the whole thing on fire. The food is fine and the price is reasonable, so I have eaten there a few times, but it definitely caters to the tourist crowd.

Another restaurant chain that recently opened here (called The Place, of all things) literally has banners out front advertising their most Instagrammable dishes. I went there once due to them having a grand opening event. I was unimpressed.

I find this whole social media based dining thing to generally be the pits. Fortunately some places are fighting back by trying to be deliberately unphotogenic. Of course that's just another gimmick, and I feel like I'm trapped in a never ending spiral of restaurants marketing themselves based on everything other than food quality.
posted by Literaryhero at 4:33 AM on November 29, 2023 [12 favorites]

Opa!
posted by Foosnark at 5:04 AM on November 29, 2023 [12 favorites]

Tableside Flambeur is a good Metafilter handle. But Bedside Flambeur est magnifique.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 5:52 AM on November 29, 2023 [12 favorites]

Wait until you learn that your sizzlin' fajitas are a marketing trick, too.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:10 AM on November 29, 2023 [10 favorites]

Earlier this year, two people were killed, including an employee, when a waiter flambéed a pizza in an Italian restaurant in Madrid.

What? I have questions.
posted by AndrewInDC at 6:15 AM on November 29, 2023 [12 favorites]

Why is that font?
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 6:19 AM on November 29, 2023 [4 favorites]

Papi Steak make lextex fume. Fume mean. Fume mad. Fume sad.
posted by lextex at 6:28 AM on November 29, 2023 [2 favorites]

That Madrid fire sounds like the Cocoanut Grove fire -- no flaming dishes involved in that, but fake plants caught fire, IIRC.

As a kid, I loved bananas Foster, but it certainly didn't show up at any local restaurants. It was a trick my parents learned from books, probably Craig Claiborne or -- what's his name, the New Orleans Creole chef, definitely not Emeril. I have always been too self-conscious to order showy dishes in a restaurant. I don't want people looking at me and deciding whether or not I should be eating it. But at home, burnt sugar and hot fruit are a perfect combination.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:32 AM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

Flaming cocktail garnishes are still the rage in modern tiki bars- lime shells blazing, smoking cinnamon sticks, sparking dustings of spice. It gets attention, but I lean away from the bar, just in case.

I was talking to a bartender at the Tiki Ti in LA about it and he said “Hell no, there’s 60 years of flammable bamboo in here!”
posted by rock swoon has no past at 6:33 AM on November 29, 2023 [9 favorites]

what's his name, the New Orleans Creole chef, definitely not Emeril.

please let it be Justin Wilson
posted by MonsieurPEB at 6:34 AM on November 29, 2023 [7 favorites]

haha no! I remember him. No, this was a big guy who did cookbooks in the 80s. I am pretty sure he did good restaurant work in New Orleans, maybe Commander's Palace.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:36 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

what's his name, the New Orleans Creole chef, definitely not Emeril.

Paul Prudhomme, I'll bet.
posted by briank at 6:46 AM on November 29, 2023 [11 favorites]

briank: that's it! Thank you!
posted by Countess Elena at 6:54 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wait until you learn that your sizzlin' fajitas are a marketing trick, too.

I love that every generation discovers this. Looking forward to VRTok being outraged in 3D in a few years.

I do like the bit in the article about the woman who was so genuinely awed by the Bananas Foster that she accidentally lived in the moment. Pics or it didn't happen, lady.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:57 AM on November 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

Thankfully, I have not — but I’ve definitely sent errant chunks of flaming banana out of the pan a couple of times like rogue fruit meteors, causing momentary bouts of panic and a few singed linens

I just saw The Holdovers last night, and it was very good and funny for its whole running time, but there's a scene involving an illicitly-prepared Cherries Jubilee that made me laugh the loudest of anything in the entire picture.
posted by Strange Interlude at 8:01 AM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

When the article mentioned a $1,000 steak brought out raw in a glowing suitcase, I probably pictured something mysterious and weighty, an arcane ritual for the eyes of only the most elite among us, befitting the finery our wealthiest come to expect, etc., maybe with a wink to indicate everyone's in on the charade.

I would never have predicted this.
posted by nobody at 8:18 AM on November 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

Tableside Flambeur is a good Metafilter handle. But Bedside Flambeur est magnifique.

Flambeur Flaneur
posted by Carillon at 8:20 AM on November 29, 2023 [4 favorites]

MetaFilter: a $1,000 steak brought out raw in a glowing suitcase
posted by chavenet at 8:29 AM on November 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

aside: one time in n.o., i got to eat at paul prudhomme's. my brother was dating a *senior* waitstaff person and we went after hours and had a bite with the closing staff. super fun and tasty. blackened stuff.
posted by j_curiouser at 8:46 AM on November 29, 2023 [4 favorites]

Sabatino's (gone, sad) used to do something tableside, I think shrimp, I loved sitting amongst the largest collection of fake grapes watching other tables light up.
posted by winesong at 8:55 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

I ate at K-Pauls after a few too many Hurricanes down the street, and I put my gold star on this silly painting of a blue dog above the table and didn't realize the horror of what I had done until the next morning.

I'm sorry, New Orleans. Please forgive me.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:27 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

I would never have predicted this.

That was so much stupider than I could have possibly imagined.
posted by mittens at 9:32 AM on November 29, 2023 [5 favorites]

Tableside Flambeur is a good Metafilter handle.

As is Rogue Fruit Meteor
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:40 AM on November 29, 2023 [4 favorites]

I was about to write a withering comment about the decadence of the rich until I remembered how much fun it was to order the flaming tiramisu at L'Ardente, so I'll just slink back under the computer.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:39 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

I finally have a name for that recipe my mom taught us eons ago: Bananas Foster.

Ice cream was optional in her version and it wasn't banana liquer that was used. We just substituted something else flammable from the liquor cabinet but it was always a quick, easy, appreciated dessert.

It's funny, I was thinking of making it just the other day. Except, now if I do, I'll be doing something trendy, instead of just something that we had for a family meal.
posted by sardonyx at 11:02 AM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

I know there have been times that I didn't order the fajitas at a restaurant because I didn't want to deal with the whole sizzling plate thing. It's one thing at a teppenyaki restaurant where they will do that onion volcano thing for everyone but specifically ordering something that'll result in everyone looking my way doesn't seem like a good time to me.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:18 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

sardonyx - try making it ironically.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:18 AM on November 29, 2023 [7 favorites]

O-or sardonically, even
posted by chavenet at 11:24 AM on November 29, 2023 [6 favorites]

Last century, when I worked in a building owned by Saudi Aramco, the guy in charge of the cafeteria would sometimes do bananas foster for display cooking. I'd often order it there. Then they outsourced it, and the fun food stopped.
posted by Spike Glee at 11:32 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

My dad made this for us as kids alot! He liked to show off when we had friends over. I hope they remember this now, we were doing it before it was cool.
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:47 PM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

Confessions of a Tableside Flambéur
(CW:"AI")

Confessions of a Tableside Flambéur: A Wooden Spoon, a Flamethrower, and Dan

Chapter 1: In the Flames' Embrace

As I navigated the labyrinth of culinary artistry, wielding wooden spoons as my secret weapons and a flamethrower as my trusted ally, I discovered the magic of tableside flambé. Each flicker of flame danced in harmony with the sizzle of a pan, weaving tales of taste and spectacle. And in the midst of this fiery theater stood my feline confidant, Dan, ever curious and always present.

Chapter 2: The Culinary Symphony

From the humblest of kitchens to the most opulent dining halls, I wielded flames with the grace of a conductor guiding an orchestra. The wooden spoon became an extension of my being, stirring passions and igniting palates. With Dan at my side, a furry witness to my culinary exploits, each dish became a symphony, composed not just for taste but for the senses.

Chapter 3: Secrets in the Flames

Within the crackling heat of the flambe, secrets were whispered. Behind the façade of spectacle lay the dedication, the precision, and the occasional misstep. Tales of triumphs and failures intertwined, creating a tapestry of experiences that enriched both my craft and my soul. And through it all, Dan remained my steadfast companion, offering silent support amidst the chaos of culinary creation.

Chapter 4: A Whisk of Fate

It was during a serendipitous encounter that the wooden spoon, my trusted tool, met its match in an unexpected twist of fate. As flames leaped from the pan, a new chapter unfolded, revealing unforeseen possibilities and a redefined path forward. With Dan's inquisitive gaze as my guide, I embraced the winds of change, ready to explore uncharted culinary territories.

Chapter 5: Embers of Gratitude

In the quiet moments of reflection, amidst the fading embers of the flambe, I found gratitude. For the artistry that fuels passion, for the flames that dance with fervor, for the wooden spoon that served as a humble yet powerful instrument, and for Dan, whose silent companionship added warmth to every endeavor.

Epilogue: Beyond the Flambe's Glow

As the curtains closed on my tenure as a tableside flambéur, I carried with me the lessons learned, the flavors savored, and the bonds forged. Dan, my ever-faithful companion, trotted alongside, a constant reminder that amidst the flames and the culinary chaos, there existed moments of quiet companionship that transcended the sizzle of the pan and the crackle of fire.

Fin.

posted by clavdivs at 2:27 PM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Opa!

Saganaki! Flaming cheese we used to get in Chicago -- in Greektown at The Parthenon. Sad to learn they closed several years ago. I have had it here in San Jose, but it's not the same...
posted by UhOhChongo! at 3:28 PM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Nice kitchen confidential energy -- I was waiting for advice on the correct amount of blow to do beforehand :p

Unfortunately, flambé'd (or cooked in any way) bananas have have an intensely unpleasant flavor for me, and I've never worked at a place that was ritzy (or pretentious) enough to give me a chance to do it for anybody else. Too late now I guess, and I'll definitely never order it.

Burning alcohol off of things is fun though! I'll just stick with, like, cognac and mushrooms. Or grappa and literally anything. The secret is in the soulful wail of the smoke detector.
posted by kleinsteradikaleminderheit at 4:05 PM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

Except, now if I do, I'll be doing something trendy, instead of just something that we had for a family meal.

No, no, no! Don't think of it like that. Because it's not trendy! It's actually deeply old fashioned and classic! Classic is a good thing!

One extra thing I loved about this article is discovering what became of The Four Seasons in NYC. I was super sad to hear of it closing years ago, before I ever got to go, because it was such an icon of Mid Century Modern in so many ways. I never followed up to see what happened to it, but it seems the new owners have turned it into pretty much exactly what I would have dreamed of - an homage to Mad Men-era classic dining.
posted by dnash at 4:57 PM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

Bananas Foster at the long-gone DC-area Luau Hut, so delicious! In the restaurants on a recent cruise, both Bananas Foster and Cherries Jubilee on the menu, so exciting! But then crushing disappointment when both desserts served sans flame, without even an apology.
posted by Rash at 4:59 PM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

I was out with some friends recently at a fairly well-known restaurant where they served dramatic desserts. An adept server flambéed my friend's Christmas pudding right there: brought out a little copper pot of brandy, heated it up with the blowtorch, lit it and poured, producing a brief plateful of blue flames.

Meanwhile, my dessert was a sphere of white chocolate. After the flambeuse left, I cracked it with a spoon and began discovering what was inside (a beautifully sharp preserved clementine, a scoop of clementine sorbet and a vanilla mousse).

Then a server turned up and discreetly murmured to me that he was sorry, someone should have poured hot chocolate sauce on my sphere to melt it. He left me a warm pitcher of sauce to apply myself, which turned out to be caramel, not chocolate. I thanked him and told him everything was excellent.

So both desserts were dramatic, but mine turned out to be sort of Brechtian. Which I guess I appreciate.

In all my years in London, I'd never eaten at that fancy place before (in part because a former flatmate, who'd worked there, made me promise not to go because it had been such a terrible workplace. "They put ketchup in the sauces!" he said in tones of Shakespearean foreboding. But that was about ten years ago, so I hope they've improved since then-- as employers, at least).
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:03 PM on November 29, 2023 [2 favorites]

Saganaki! Flaming cheese we used to get in Chicago -- in Greektown at The Parthenon.

Very OG! That's where it was invented.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:56 PM on November 29, 2023 [3 favorites]