This story begins and ends with this “Chef’s Kiss.”
This was a real dish served at Bros restaurant in Lecce, Italy. A mold of the Chef’s mouth, filled with foam, and you were asked to slurp it out of his lips.
Yes, you were.
So begins the wacky tale of a dining disaster gone viral!
Rand Fishkin, left, dined at Bros’, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Lecce, Italy. His wife, Geraldine DeRuiter, wrote a review panning the experience as a “4-hour hunger induced fever dream” for her travel blog the Everywhereist. This is Geraldine DeRuiter’s photo, used in a Washington Post story that tells the story of her blog post and the viral reaction that resulted.
This story went viral and was seen everywhere – a group of 8 foodies who were served 27 courses over 4+ hours. The most bizarre, uncomfortable meal ever eaten. That’s the “Chef’s Kiss” on the left, and another dish on the right – the review notes that the portions were microscopically small.
As The Washington Post reported:
“But perhaps the most bizarre moment of the “4-hour hunger induced fever dream” came when servers brought out a course called “chef’s kiss” — citrus foam, served in a plaster cast that had been molded in the shape of the chefs’ mouths. On DeRuiter’s cast, some of the foam had escaped the parted lips and dribbled down.”
By the way, on the left was a “main course” of crab, what their review described as a teaspoon of crab.
But, back to the lips:
“We were told that we needed to kiss the mouth of the ramekin in order to slurp out the foam,” she told The Post. She added: “At that point, I was like, ‘Okay … this is a ‘Twilight Zone’ episode. I feel like I’m in a parody of what modernist cuisine is.”
The price for this dining disaster?
The check for the party of eight, which included alcohol, came to about 1,350 euros, or roughly $1,522.
Oh, and as for that “foam in the Chef’s mouth” dish:
Meet The Chefs!
The Washington Post story had the Chef’s reaction to the review – and his wacky lips dish:
Pellegrino addressed “Limoniamo,” the plaster mold that, during DeRuiter’s meal, held the citrus foam. The mold actually comes in the shape of either Pellegrino’s mouth or the mouth of fellow chef Isabella Potì, and you could actually buy one to take home with you for 58 euros – roughly $66.
As the Chef told The Washington Post:
“We thank Mrs. XXX — I don’t remember her name — for making us get to where we had not yet arrived. We are out of stock of ‘Limoniamo’, thank you very much.”
So, what a dining adventure that was! And if you want something even wilder, how about this:
This is “sky high” dining at its finest!
Would you do it? Click here to see more – plus a look at ninja dining!
In order to attract customers, some unique restaurants have adopted unusual and just straight up weird practices to serve up once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Visiting these restaurants will make you forget all about the food.
Like this one, where fish glide underneath your feet as you dine!
Ummm…you have to watch it!
Well then…that reminded me of the time my wife coaxed me into doing this on the Greek island of Santorini:
It was a fun adventure – see it here!
I was ready for a drink after I was done.
“Somebody Feed Phil” had a great idea for drinks – with this view!
I mean, how can you not want a Singapore Sling here?
Check out the world’s longest infinity pool here!
I am fine with expansive views that overlook a city – like this one in Athens:
This is the very top of Athens Greece, and you can see all the way to the Saronic Gulf, part of the Mediterranean Sea!
Yes, you get to see the Acropolis and the Parthenon down below. What makes it even more fun is this is how you get to the top:
I will take a funicular to the top of any town I can!
Click here to see more of the view and the incredible food as well!
If you like these stories, why not sign up to receive emails whenever I post? It’s easy to do, I do NOT collect any information about you at all, there are absolutely NO ads of any kind, just stories about movies, music, books, food, travel and pop culture…
You can sign up by clicking on my blog here and see the note on the right!
Leave a comment, and if you like the story, please share on social media!
Categories: Art, Books / Media, Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Food Review, Funny Pictures, Memoirs, Pop Culture, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Wacky Food, what the Friday
johnrieber 
That overly-pretentious restaurant with the stupidly small portions is the kind of place that gives ‘haute cusine’ a bad name. I would have had to stop on the way home for a burger and fries!
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pete we totally agree and are “over” that sort of “we picked this flower in the shadow of a young fawn during a full moon” type of food! These people sound horrible!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You only live once! Looks crazy and fun all at the same time.
LikeLike
I think you skipped over the best story John. How did your wife convince you into doing the flesh eating pedicure? Something tells me that it’s a story. I’m up for a lot of things — in fact sign me up right now for the sky high dining and even the fish gliding on the floor — but it would take a lot to do the pedicure. All my wife would have to do would be to whisper “piranha” and I would instantly be running out the door. Good for you though. Brave man.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brian, that is indeed the question! Everyone we know said to her “how did you EVER get John to do it?” You know what? Just because I am NOT the person to do it, I did it! She was even surprised how quickly I said “YES!”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reminds me of ‘the menu.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a great point – it does indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person