Graham Elliot Tossed Critic Out Of G.e.b.
Well, this happened yesterday: ABC7 food reporter Steve Dolinsky was apparently kicked out of Graham Elliot's newest restaurant g.e.b, after Elliot discovered him and verified his identity.
Dolinsky tweeted yesterday, "Was just kicked out of g.e.b. after eating 3 dishes. Edict from GEB via phone. Weirdest thing ever. Classy."
So why did Elliot boot the critic? It's not because of a policy against critics, but it seems Elliot is still angry about a Twitter mini-scandal last September.
"@stevedolinsky sorry, i can't serve anyone that tweets negative things about a restaurant while eating in that restaurant. #CharlieTrotters," Elliot tweeted.
Grubstreet pulls up the history behind this all, and apparently back in September, Dolinsky dined at Charlie Trotter's with a friend, and tweeted during the meal "After 3 courses (1.5 hrs) at Trotter's, waiting for something, anything to resonate, or even taste good. Not sure what Vettel saw. Bland."
Some other negative tweets spilled out after the meal, with jabs such as "flavors bizarrely muted; restrained; weak," and "Can't believe I'm saying this, but after dropping $500 for 2 at Trotter's, headed to Avec."
And while Grubstreet pointed out that only one tweet was during the meal, and restaurants usually gladly retweet positive customer tweets, Elliot says it's just a matter of principle. "Please understand I'm not trying to be a d-bag or prima donna, but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. #MatterOfPrinciple," he said, before tweeting out an Eater link about Dolinsky's negative review of Trotter's.
Jessica Chou is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @jesschou.