Private Tasting at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill

As far as YEE’s go, this was probably in the top 5% that I’ve ever attended. The atmosphere in the bar was so intimate and private that I felt close to the other Unilocalers without feeling like I was on top of them. Add the cozy seating and you have yourself the makings of a great dinner.
I started off with the old favorite – a G&T. I drank a few and I thought the application of the lime juice was a little inconsistent, but it was a great way to oil the gears for the dinner portion of the night.
Of the four courses, it’s hard for me to choose a favorite. All of the options looked Jared and I chose looked and tasted great. I especially loved my lobster roll, which came with a buttered roll and pickles. Another highlight was the beef wellington, which was everything that British food should be.
This event was absolutely the right way to start out the whirlwind weekend of Unilocaling in AC and I was so happy that I got to go. Kudos to all of the CMs involved!

I’ve been staring at this blank box for nearly two weeks straight (yes, doing absolutely nothing else with my life for two weeks straight other than staring at this blank box.) as I’ve tried to decide on the correct words to use to explain how much I loved this meal.
How about this: I really loved this meal. Like, a lot. A whole bunch. Ranked among my top-​meals-​of-​all-​time. At the top? Possibly at the top. Still staring at Instagram and wishing I could rewind to this dinner.
Seriously — biggest thank you ever to the Unilocal team, Chef Latasha McCutchen, and the awesome servers and staff at Gordon Ramsay’s for this one.
HOLY crap. Every single dish (scotch egg, caesar salad, beef wellington, sticky toffee chocolate pudding) was excellent. The complimentary Ramsay Gin & Tonic and God Save the Queen cocktails were also great (though I passed off the Crunch Time. I just can’t do bourbon as much as I try!).
I definitely recommend visiting Mr. Ramsay’s pub. If that wasn’t already obvious.

Starting weekend right. That what it was all about.
We did not expect this. Being invited for bites and drinks at Private tasting in newly open Gordon Ramsay place was pretty spectacular on it’s own — but they went above and beyond of our expectations.
Still a bit out of it after crazy work day and two hr drive to AC, we were greeted by well-​trained staff and ushered into private dining room. The tables were set for dinner and we grabbed best spot at the back corner. Those tall chairs — man, I can comfortably sit in those all evening sipping my drink! The décor, atmosphere — very British, very comfortable — just lead to leisurely convos and good times.
To our amazement, we were presented with full drinks menu and 4 course dinner choices. Wait, what??? We were in shock already, but there were more surprises to come… Guess who came to greet us and talk about the menu? The winner of Season 13, LaTasha McCutchen herself. Yep.
Now, to the food and drinks. Gin & Tonic was perfect. (Yes, I know, it is hard to screw up, but trust me, many bars do).
Lobster Roll was quite spectacular, I may say one of the best I tried. Surprisingly, I loved the salad — and take is from the person who is not a salad fan. Beautiful presentation, with cheese crisp and anchovy — loved it.
Beef Wellington was good. I will say it was executed well — personally was not my wow point.
Now, wait! We also had dessert to end dinner on great note (and to stuff us to the point we could not eat nothing else for entire evening). Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding — O.M.G. To die for. Trust me. Yum.
Amazing event. Thank you, YoSteph, Jando, LaTasha and our wonderful waiters!

In the week leading up to the Unilocal event in Atlantic City, the last thing I expected to get was an invitation to a private tasting at the newly opened Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill. The restaurant, which is located in Caesars Hotel, is an homage to the traditional British pubs located across the pond, featuring a spacious bar area and plenty of dining booths and tables for guests. While the food may be inspired by the typical bar fare, it’s clear even at first glance that the restaurant has taken it a step further, giving each dish a modern and refined twist.
My +1 and I were able to find our way into the dining room, and after being greeted by Jando, Michelle, and Steph, found our seats at one of the tables. After an introduction from the GM of the GR Pub & Grill as well as Chef La Tasha McCutchen (the Season 13 winner of Hell’s Kitchen), we started off on our four-​course tasting menu. I was able to try one of their signature cocktails that night, aptly named God Save the Queen. It was a well-​blended drink, made with Bombay London Dry Gin, Saint Germain, a hint of grapefruit juice, and Peychaud’s Bitters.
First to arrive was the Scotch Egg, one of the quintessential British dishes. A soft-​boiled egg is encased in a layer of sausage before being deep-​fried; it’s a tricky dish to execute successfully as the sausage needs to be cooked through, but the egg can’t be overcooked. The iteration I had here was executed to the tee; a soft egg yolk, a well-​seasoned sausage encircling it, and smartly paired with pickled onions and mustard to help cut through the savoriness. I also tried the Mini Lobster Roll, which had plenty of juicy lobster and a well-​toasted buttered house roll to support it. I would have liked a little more lemon juice in the lemon-​garlic mayo, but I have to caveat this with the fact that I like my food more acidic than most.
Our second course was the Pub Caesar, a unique take on the basic Caesar Salad. I really appreciated the attention given to the presentation in this dish, as the romaine leaves were plated upright, with a parmesan and croûton crisps, a drizzle of roasted garlic dressing, and sliver of white anchovy. The lettuce was crisp and fresh, and utilized a tried-​and-​true combination of ingredients that I have a fondness for.
I had to go with the Beef Wellington for my third course; how could any Gordon Ramsay fan not? It’s an impressive dish at first glance, a portion of Filet Mignon encased in prosciutto, a wild mushroom duxelle, an herbed crêpe, and puff pastry. The difficulty and delight of this dish is baking it so the outer puff pastry crisps up to a crackling shell, but not to the point where the beef gets overcooked. As a whole, I was very happy with mine; the beef was clearly of good quality, the creamy duxelle imparted just the right earthy flavor, and the mashed potatoes and peas were natural complements to the dish. I did find that my filet had been cooked past my requested medium rare, although other members at my table didn’t seem to have a similar occurrence, and I missed the punch of mustard that’s need to help counter the richness of the protein. Nonetheless, I completely cleared my plate.
And for dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding. I’m not much of a chocolate fan to begin with, but when it’s presented in the form of a warm, almost molten, chocolate cake topped with a Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel Sauce and paired with a side of Vanilla Ice Cream… Can anyone really say no? I have to admit, I really enjoyed the contrasts in this dish with the juxtaposition of savory and sweet with warm and cold.
Many many thanks to the staff at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill for being willing to debut their menu with a group of us and taking care of us throughout the entire evening. I noted later that weekend that the venue was packed almost every instance I walked past it, so it seems that they’re doing very well with their guests — and for good reason. And, of course, many thanks to the Unilocal Crew (YoSteph, Michelle, and Jando!) that somehow made sure to integrate this event into an already crazy AC event. It was a great opportunity to try out a new place and get to meet a few new faces from across the East Coast, and just the right start for the weekend.

What a way to kick off a weekend in AC!
So incredibly thankful to Stephanie for the invitation to this private tasting, for not only myself, but got to bring the bf along as well!
Checking out the restaurant prior to coming to this event, I thought the open plan of the restaurant might be awkward as diners may feel like they’re on display, but it totally works with the space. The décor is stunning. From the display of wines by the bar area that soars to the ceiling only accessible via wooden ladder, the antiqued mirrors along the wall, and the wood and leather place mats.
Our tasting event took place in the private room area which I believe sits about 40 guests?
Impeccable service, a 4-​course dinner which included an appetizer, salad, entrée and dessert, an awesome group of Unilocal elites and +1’s, along with an endless amount of drinks made this night perfection! Shout outs to Philly Unilocalers Lauren, Paris and Nando!
Appetizer: Scotch Egg
Soft boiled egg contained in sausage, with braised cabbage and English mustard. The combination of all the components of this dish made my taste buds do a happy dance! Egg was cooked perfectly, sausage wasn’t bland, the cabbage added crunch and texture, and the mustard gave just the right amount of kick. I could eat this every day!
Salad: Pub Caesar
I’m not a fan of caeasr dressing so they kindly substituted a raspberry vinaigrette dressing for me, which was nice. Salad was a nice palate cleanser, but I was ready for my entrée!
Entrée: BEEF WELLINGTON!!!
Yes I put that all in caps and am screaming it as I write this review! BECAUSE!!! … I have been dying to try this since I first saw it on Hell’s Kitchen!!! My first beef wellington from Gordon Ramsay and won’t be my last! Have you seen my pic of this beautifully prepared dish?! Filet cooked medium rare inside, beautifully wrapped in flaky pastry shell, on top of the most flavorful mash. DROOOOL!
Dessert: Sticky Toffee Chocolate Pudding
Warm soft cake encased in what can only be described as the most decadent and heavenly chocolate sauce I’ve ever had. As this dessert was placed in front of me, the chocolate aroma from the sauce took over my senses and I couldn’t wait to dig in! The ice cream cut the richness but overall the dish wasn’t overly sweet.
Drinks: I won’t go into too much detail about these, but any of these specialty cocktails need to be had! JUST TRY ONE! CAN’T GO WRONG!
Ramsay Gin & Tonic — for the gin lover
Giddey Up You Donkey — for the tequila lover
God Save the Queen — for those who need things a lil’ sweet
Bartender’s Breakfast — for those that are up for a challenge — Jameson shot, pale ale beer, and a piece of fried pork belly. In that order, and consumed one right after the other. DO IT!
Flawless execution from start to end. Big big thanks to Stephanie, Michelle, all the staff at Gordon Ramsay’s Pub & Grill, and chef La Tasha Mccutchen!!!
You all rock!!!

Wow so excited I got an invite to this exclusive tasting it was amazing. The private dinning room had a very high end British Pub feel to it. The chairs were comfortable, although I could of done without the arm rest they got in the way a little.
The drink were tasty and not weak at all which maybe why I didn’t last much past the third event of the night. Loved God Save The Queen, very drinkable. And they weren’t joking when they said you could order anything off the drink menu which was awesome. Our table order all sorts of drink from beer to wine I think we sampled a good portion of the menu.
The food was fabulous. I started with the lobster roll it melted in my mouth. The salad I’m not a huge Caesar Dressing fan, I was able to get it on the side which was great. The pan seared Scottish salmon was cooked just right, very moist not dry at all and super tasty. I barely had room for dessert. Which maybe why I don’t remember the toffee pudding.
Service was great, company was awesome, food was tasty. An amazing event, thanks for the invite Michelle!