[Photo: Randall Brodeur, theworlds50best]
One of the most famous chefs in the world wants a table at your restaurant but you have no room. What do you do?
This was the predicament faced by Michele Forgione and Stefano Faita of Impasto yesterday. Andoni Luis Aduriz, the chef in question who helms Mugaritz, the "techno-emotional Spanish" restaurant that currently sits at number four on 'The World's 50 Best Restaurants' list, is in Montreal for a benefit gala with chef Normand Laprise of Toqué!
For Forgione, however, there was no predicament. When Toqué! executive chef Charles-Antoine Crête got in touch to ask for a table of 12 for Aduriz and company for Thursday, Forgione had to decline: "If you're full, you're full. What can you do? We have to treat everyone equally."
Suggestions to reach out to some regular customers with reservations that night and offer gift certificates in order to accommodate the Michelin star chef et al were instantly nixed by the Impasto chef.
"We're totally booked. Thursday's a busy night for us and it's a big group. It would have been nice but we just can't do that to our customers."
One wonders where Aduriz, Crête, Laprise and the Mugaritz and Toqué! brigades will wind up on Thursday.
· Impasto [Official Site]
· Mugaritz [Official Site]
· All Impasto Coverage [EMTL]