Oprah's Vegan Chef at Sublime

Dude comes with a price tag.

Deconstructed Press Release:
Ft. Lauderdale—Fresh from his stint as Oprah Winfrey's chef for her 21-Day Cleanse...

um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of a "cleanse" to stop eating for a while? Don't you drink a lot of juice and warm water with lemon? And doesn't that sort of preclude the idea of having a chef...?

Sublime's Guest Chef Dinner featuring Chef Tal Ronnen will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 10th. The price is $150.00 per person not including tax and gratuity...

OK, stop right there. Let's add this up. Dinner for two, with tax and gratuity, which we can figure right now, comes to $381.60 if you toss them a 20 percent tip. That's $20 per course and $50 for the wine, per person.

Chef Tal Ronnen will offer his innovative vegan dishes to South Floridians by preparing a five-course dinner and mingling with guests at Sublime Restaurant on October 10, 2008.

"He had one of the nicest, calmest, sweetest spirits I've ever encountered in a man," remarks Winfey. "His loving energy came through his food. I think that's why we were all so soothed and nurtured by it and looked forward to every meal."

Let's hope Tal's tableside manner is soothing and sweet enough to to heal his guests' sticker shock at Sublime...

Chef Tal has designed a phenomenal menu for his night at Sublime, sure to enchant vegan purists and novices alike. Dinner begins with Celery Root Soup with Granny Smith Apples [mmm, sounds good, here's Wolfgang Puck's recipe, if you want to make it at home] along with Endive, Orange and Quinoa Salad [here's Elizabeth Luard's recipe]. Next, guests will enjoy Artichoke "Ricotta" Tortellini with Arugula and Roasted Garlic in Saffron "Cream" Sauce [sounds like this is one of Ronnen's standards: too much of a pain to make yourself, so worth having him do it] as well as "Chicken" Scaloppini with Madeira Peppercorn Sauce, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes [kitchen's cost per serving, 45 cents], Caramelized Cipollini Onions [cost per serving, 86 cents] and Grilled Asparagus [cost per serving, 81 cents]. Each course will be paired with specially chosen wines and the meal will be capped with a delectable dessert.

Wow, sounds delicious. On a per-course basis, the price of Tal's menu is equivalent to the Vegetable Tasting Menu at Thomas Keller's French Laundry. Say again, What charity are the proceeds going to? Does this mean the recession is officially over?

For reservations please call (954) 539-9000 or visit www.SublimeRestaurant.com.

-- Gail Shepherd