If you were hoping you might read an exclusive interview here with superstar British chef Gordon Ramsay, you might as well known my chances of landing one are about as good as “Hell’s Kitchen” freezing over. But that doesn’t mean I can’t talk his new downtown restaurant and the food we enjoyed there.
Ramsay’s Kitchen, now open on West Jefferson Street, is only the third of its kind, the other two being located in Boston and Las Vegas. And honestly, I haven’t seen as much excitement about a restaurant opening in Naperville since the Starbucks Reserve started percolating in 2021. Sadly, we all know how that turned out. Hopefully this will fare better.
I’d like to thank Mr. Ramsay for helping to dispel the myth that all British food sucks, even the kind that doesn’t have bones. It may take a three-time Michelin-starred chef to prove it, but I would argue our Welsh rarebit (fancy cheese on toast) could beat a Chicago deep dish pizza any day.
It’s interesting Ramsay has made a career out of being mean when most Brits are even more polite than Canadians (wildfire smoke notwithstanding). While it’s unlikely he’s never going to visit his new restaurant, they should broadcast intermittent “bleeps” from the kitchen just to give diners that authentic Ramsay expletive-filled experience.
Although I’ve never met him, we did get a small personal experience when we lived in England and he was one of the celebrity chefs demonstrating his cooking skills at the Taste of London back in the ’90s. For those who don’t know, this event’s much like Taste of Chicago but without the giant turkey legs. Anyhow, during the demo he asked if there were any vegetarians in the crowd. When our daughter called out she was, he responded by calling her a silly cow.
We began our visit to Ramsay’s Kitchen by surveying the cocktail list. Our server, Nico, thoughtfully highlighted some of the choices. I was leaning toward The Penicillin (Glenlivet Speyside malt whisky, Laphroaig Islay malt whisky, honey and lemon juice) until I remembered my antibiotic allergy, prompting me to settle for a delicious glass of Spiced Pear, which didn’t come with a side of hives.
Since I’m not writing a restaurant review (but open to the opportunity, speak to my agent), I won’t list everything we tried but it was all delicious. Not every dish originates from Britain, but I suppose Ramsay is trying to break Americans in gently. I was tempted to order the Beef Wellington (classy meat pie) until I saw it is was served medium rare and worried I’d be ejected from the building if I asked for it well done.
It’s not unusual to see fish and chips on menus in this country, but in my experience they’re not worth the paper they’re hardly ever wrapped in. While it’s not a dish I really thought much about when I lived in England, nowadays it’s one of the first things I want to eat when I visit.
Generally, the American version consists of three small pieces of deep-fried fish set on a bed of French fries. Over the years I’ve been presented with versions ranging from the barely cooked to the wildly overcooked, the latter being so dried out they’d make a fine substitute for shoes were I were ever stranded on a desert island.
Although the Ramsay’s Kitchen version is a little lighter than a traditional English chippie, the fish was so fresh I couldn’t help but wonder if they hadn’t taken it from the aquarium in the window of Costello’s Jewelry next door.
Even if you haven’t saved room for it, I urge you to give the sticky toffee pudding a try. It’s one of the most English desserts you can have, and always a surprise to Americans expecting to be served pudding.
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What it actually is is a rich, fluffy sponge cake with more dates than The Bachelor dressed in a cape of gooey toffee sauce and topped with a hat of sweet cream ice cream. The only way they could improve upon the experience of what’s served at Ramsay’s would be to offer a flight of them as a meal.
If you really can’t manage to eat even one because it’s just too rich, I can also recommend the Eton mess, which is lighter but almost as good. Named for the English town that’s home to the famous boys boarding school (princes William and Harry both attended back in the days they were still speaking), it’s a delicious pairing of cream, fruit and meringue. Ramsay’s version includes a rich helping of luscious strawberry jam.
I think, quite wisely, Ramsay’s Kitchen is not what you would call a fine dining restaurant. Although pricy, it has a more casual vibe that makes it feel like you needn’t visit only on special occasions.
Of course, if you find it a little pretentious to serve chips, by which I mean fries, with truffle butter, it may not be the place for you, but personally, I found it a tasty treat.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.