Chef Shuffle

Are Le Cirque’s Chef Departure and Wine Auction Bad Omens?

We knew we could count on Gael Greene to have more news on Christophe Bellanca’s departure from Le Cirque: “Sirio Maccioni says he learned Bellanca was flirting with a backer for his own place and … [he was] already unhappy with the chef’s style of running the kitchen,” she reports. Says Maccioni: “He’s a good man. He’s French. He takes everything too personal. He’ll be fine.” Maccioni says Le Cirque will also be fine, but Bret Thorn is a little worried about the fact that the restaurant is auctioning off some prize bottles. He wonders whether they’re fudging the truth when they say they’re just clearing out space in the cellar. “What’s going on at Le Cirque?” he asks. “Is it that strapped for cash? Are its clientele not buying expensive wines anymore because of the economy?”

Fire Sale at Le Cirque? [Food Writer’s Diary/Nation’s Restaurant News]
Short Order [Insatiable Critic]
Earlier: Bellanca Out at Le Cirque

Are Le Cirque’s Chef Departure and Wine Auction Bad Omens?