What’s The Shanty like after Gordon Ramsay’s makeover?
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The big question since the airing of Gordon Ramsay’s TV show “24 Hours to Hell & Back” featuring Allentown’s Shanty on 19th has been: What’s it like now?
I have had a lot of people ask me and it’s something I’ve been wondering myself.
The show, featuring the fiery British chef ’s efforts to make over the restaurant, aired Jan. 9 on Fox and showed a struggling restaurant that Ramsay seemingly transformed for the better in just 24 hours. I tried several times to reach the restaurant’s owners to ask what impact the show has had, but did not get a response.
So to find out, I went to lunch at the Shanty with two Morning Call friends on Tuesday. We went as anonymous diners, much the way restaurant reviewers do, to evaluate the experience. (I did not wear a beard or a Phantoms jersey as Ramsey did for the show.)
Before we get to the results, there are a few things worth mentioning.
I had not eaten at the Shanty before and I am not the Morning Call’s restaurant reviewer.
I have covered food for five years as well as judged numerous culinary contests, including at the Allentown Fair. I also have spent enough time in restaurants to know what good service is and the importance of a nice atmosphere.
I also watch a lot of restaurant makeover shows. They are fun to watch, like other reality TV shows. Who doesn’t love it when Ramsay fills the air with obscenities after he finds moldy food, mouse poop or rotten chicken in the restaurant’s walk-in, like he said he did at the Shanty?
But these shows all seem to follow a formula — they are similar to Ramsay’s old Food Network show “Restaurant Impossible” and Paramount Network’s current hit “Bar Rescue.”
Most shows, including the Shanty episode, feature owners who are burned out and fighting with their staff. The owners usually have made bad business decisions and are failing financially.
And, like at the Shanty, there’s the restaurant or bar chef who faces the impossible task of serving way-toomany items he or she doesn’t want to serve, and a service staff that is overwhelmed, doesn’t care (or both).
Then the celebrity chef or expert swoops in to save the day in dramatic fashion. There’s usually a lot of profanity-laced screaming about how horrible the place is, how disgusting the kitchen is and how bad the decor is.
After some counseling and heart-toheart talks, the owner’s attitude or outlook is magically transformed. The celebrity chef changes the menu and overhauls the decor. Everything is then perfect (of course). The restaurant is now off to a new start thanks to the show.
I’m quite sure that many restaurants are transformed because the celebrities who do these shows are actual experts. But how much of what you see is true and how much is for dramatic effect? (My theory: The truth is likely somewhere in between).
Here are our findings from our lunch:
Setting and decor: A big part of the show dealt with the decor. Ramsay complains on the show that the restaurant lacked a clear identity and seemed more like a sports bar than a fine dining restaurant befitting its location in Allentown’s West End Theater District. So, in a 24-hour marathon, his team created a new look, one that features art and lighting that recalls the area’s industrial past and makes the restaurant more airy. Now it’s a nice-looking restaurant with a comfortable feel. The music wasn’t playing too loudly (always a plus) and the booths were comfortable. It had a nice atmosphere for a work-week lunch.
Food: My friend Kayla Dwyer and I both ordered Diet Coke and both glasses of soda were flat. Not a good start.
On to the appetizers: We ordered French onion pierogies and Bavarian pretzels. The menu offered a choice of fried or sauteed pierogies and we ordered ours sauteed. Typically that means they should be golden brown and crispy on both sides. Ours came out nearly black on one side, and brown on the other. It’s a shame because the actual pierogie had a nice flavor. The Bavarian pretzels were a different story. They were crispy, buttery and came with a cheese dip. These were a win.
Dwyer ordered the pan-seared scallops. They were burned to a crisp on the show, so how would they be postRamsay? Unfortunately, they were nearly black on both sides, beyond what would be described as “blackened” (plus the menu says “panseared,” which means golden brown and caramelized). Dwyer did not care for how the scallops but did like the celery root puree that came with them.
My other lunch companion, Stephanie Sigafoos, ordered a burger that featured barbecue sauce, cheddar, applewood bacon and argula on a brioche bun. She ordered it medium well. It was was more like well done but she said it had decent flavor. The bun was fresh and the seasoned fries were great.
I ordered the Philly cheesesteak,
Shanty on 19th
which comes with sauteed onions, mushrooms and creamy cheddar sauce. The roll was too toasted (it should be soft) but the meat was seasoned nicely and the cheese sauce was OK. I didn’t find a lot of mushrooms or onions. This sandwich also came with those tasty seasoned fries.
Service: Our server was terrific. Sigafoos and I both are allergic to shellfish and we told our server, who was very good about ensuring our food wasn’t cross-contaminated. She even had us stop before eating the pretzels to double check that they were fried in clean oil. She checked on us through the meal and was attentive without being overbearing.
Worth mentioning: If you want to find out the hours for the Shanty, it’s best to look at the restaurant’s Facebook page or call. Its website lists it being open on Monday, for example, and it’s actually closed. A Google search also shows that the restaurant is open on Monday. Yelp says it’s closed. It is in fact closed on Monday.
Bottom line: Ramsay’s crew definitely designed a nice-looking restaurant with a nice atmosphere. Looking strictly at the food, I still see room for improvement.
jsheehan@mcall.com Twitter @jenwsheehan 610-820-6628