Truffle dislikers: Bourdain, Ripert blow through town
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Ten chef Pei Chang (right) preps the hamachi tartar while his assistant Monty (background) trims the already roasted pork belly for Bourdain and Ripert, as Stu Rifkin looks on.Photo courtesy TEN
Last Sunday, October 30, touring celebrity chefs Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert made a stop at the Paramount Theater and then headed over to an after party/book signing at Ten Japanese restaurant on the Downtown Mall. According to Ten manager Zac King, the night went "swimmingly" for the chef, Pei Chang, though there was a truffle situation that required some quick thinking.
"We got word that neither of them likes truffles," says King, "so we had to quickly change some of the hors d'oeuvres to accommodate them."
King says Bourdain and Ripert sat down and signed books for about two hours at the VIP event, tickets for which went for $100 a pop. According to King, Bourdain drank Japanese beers while Ripert opted for scotch on the rocks.
"They both seemed to like Chef Pei Chang’s food," says King, though he says the duo left as soon as they were finished signing books, which appears to have been a smart move.
"People were buying them tequila shots," King says.