Thornton's Restaurant
Encyclopedia
Thornton's is a restaurant
situated in the Fitzwilliam Hotel since 2002. The present address is St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, County Dublin
, Republic of Ireland
, before this the location was on Portobello Road since 1989.
It is a quality restaurant
that was awarded one Michelin star in the period 1996-2000 and 2006 up until now. In the period 2001-2005 it was awarded two stars.
Headchef Kevin Thornton
was the first Irish chef to achieve two Michelin stars. Patrick Guilbaud
received his second star first but was born in France
.
chef Gordon Ramsay
. One customer requested the food but, upon receiving it, he changed his mind and sent them back to the kitchen. Thornton then allegedly emerged from the kitchen with the chips and slammed them down on the man's table, with the remark: “They were cooked specially for you, so you eat them, you dickhead”. He later is alleged to have called them "wankers" before removing them from his restaurant. Asked about the incident by broadcaster Joe Duffy
on his RTÉ Radio 1
Liveline
programme, Thornton stressed that he had not so much been infuriated by the request of chips (he supposedly provides them for younger customers on a regular basis) but that he had been aggravated by the attitude of this particular customer. The incident has since seen Thornton become associated with a dislike of chips and, as recently as 2009, has been crafted as a pun
by the Irish media for any other outlet which does not serve the food. Thornton has also spoken out against serving food such as pizza in his restaurant.
alight.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
situated in the Fitzwilliam Hotel since 2002. The present address is St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, before this the location was on Portobello Road since 1989.
It is a quality restaurant
Restaurant rating
Restaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...
that was awarded one Michelin star in the period 1996-2000 and 2006 up until now. In the period 2001-2005 it was awarded two stars.
Headchef Kevin Thornton
Kevin Thornton (chef)
Kevin Thornton is an Irish celebrity chef, radio and television personality and author, known for featuring on television series such as Guerrilla Gourmet and Heat and characterised by a supposed dislike of chips and confirmed dislike of pizza. He has written the book Food for Life and had his...
was the first Irish chef to achieve two Michelin stars. Patrick Guilbaud
Patrick Guilbaud
Patrick Guilbaud is a French professional chef residing in Ireland and the proprietor of that country's most award winning restaurant, the self-titled Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud...
received his second star first but was born in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Origin
Thornton's Restaurant was opened in the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen's Green in 2002.Controversy
Thornton's Restaurant was famously embroiled in a controversy in 2007 surrounding Thornton's alleged refusal to sell chips to his restaurant customers, sparking comparisons to the hot-headed BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chef Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
. One customer requested the food but, upon receiving it, he changed his mind and sent them back to the kitchen. Thornton then allegedly emerged from the kitchen with the chips and slammed them down on the man's table, with the remark: “They were cooked specially for you, so you eat them, you dickhead”. He later is alleged to have called them "wankers" before removing them from his restaurant. Asked about the incident by broadcaster Joe Duffy
Joe Duffy
Joseph "Joe" Duffy is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann . A Jacob's Award winner, he is the current presenter of Liveline, which is broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, Monday - Fridays between 13:45 and 15:00.Duffy has a history as a student activist; he was President of the Union of...
on his RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
Liveline
LiveLine
Liveline is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the public's opinion on various questions, normally one or more...
programme, Thornton stressed that he had not so much been infuriated by the request of chips (he supposedly provides them for younger customers on a regular basis) but that he had been aggravated by the attitude of this particular customer. The incident has since seen Thornton become associated with a dislike of chips and, as recently as 2009, has been crafted as a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
by the Irish media for any other outlet which does not serve the food. Thornton has also spoken out against serving food such as pizza in his restaurant.
Awards
Thornton was named Food & Wine Magazines Chef of the Year for Ireland in 2007. His restaurant had two Michelin stars but it lost one of them; one newspaper at the time portrayed a cartoon of Thornton setting the Michelin GuideMichelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
alight.
Trivia
- Kevin Thornton bought the former Michelin starred restaurant Peacock AlleyPeacock Alley (restaurant)Peacock Alley is a former restaurant, that since 1999 was housed in the Fitzwilliam Hotel at St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland...
in 2002 after the Fitzwilliam Hotel had cancelled the lease with Conrad GallagherConrad GallagherConrad Gallagher is an award-winning Irish chef from Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland. He was educated at Scoil Colmcille and St. Eunan's College.-Early life:...
.