Farewell Charlie Trotter's

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DeepCSweede

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I am heading to Chicago tomorrow for a great event. Unfortunately, it is only to buy my wife her birthday gift and not to party the night away with Charlie. I tried talking her into it, but being 8 months pregnant, watching me have multiple cocktails and partake in some unbelievable food all night just didn’t really appeal to her.

Like him or hate him, the man is one of the masters and Chicago will definitely have a hole in its restaurant draw with his departure. Anyone do time under his watch?

From a customer standpoint, I was blessed with only one dinner there and was thoroughly impressed. The Chicago Tribune has a multiple part series this week which has been an interesting read.

Take care Charlie and hope we see you again someday. :aloha:
 
Could anyone point out to the uninformed what's controversial about him? I have 2 cook books by him that I like, but I don't know much about the man himself and why he has people hating him. Thanks,

Stefan
 
He lost a big lawsuit some years back, and had to pay ALL of his ex employees back pay. Rumor was he made threats to ruin anyones career who kept it; most returned it to him, out of fear of course...
 
The food was good (if you like towers with sauce around them) but the man was an *******. He got off on letting people know he was Charlie Trotter. He's the classic example of someone who was picked on as a child and didnt let it go.
 
He lost a big lawsuit some years back, and had to pay ALL of his ex employees back pay. Rumor was he made threats to ruin anyones career who kept it; most returned it to him, out of fear of course...

Apparently he didn't pay any overtime to employees. Also, is known for being a complete bear in the kitchen, very intense and demands silence from his staff while they are working. Personally, if I was working for him, I would probably hate him, but I can appreciate his food and the fact that he is a draw to the Chicago market. If he treated his customers like a D-bag like certain other Chicago restaurants, I don't care how good his food was, I wouldn't step foot in the place.
 
Also, I knew nothing about him when I went there 10-12 years ago, I had a client that wanted to check it out and they had an opening that night. I didn't meet him at dinner, so I don't even know how he treats customers.
 
Dined there twice. Once years ago with my late wife's family. They loved it and I bit my tongue. We got a 'tour' (read whisk through) the kitchen...by then my tongue was full on bleeding. A few years later I went back on business. Truthfully, a good meal, particularly given my negative image of the place. I'd never be a fan, especially given the guy's personality and treatment of staff. But one of my two meals there was darn good.
 

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