Last Tuesday, I suggested that certain local chefs have lessened their reputations by affixing their name to projects that they weren't fully participating in. One of the chefs I mentioned was Doug Rodriguez, writing that his new restaurant, De Rodriguez Ocean, was "clearly run without any daily input from [Rodriguez]." I echo that sentiment in the restaurant review of Ocean coming up this week.
Chef Rodriguez contacted me to inform that he was very much (and literally) invested in Ocean's success. He also explained his absence from the property in a manner that one really can't argue with.
It turns out that two different ER room medical emergencies had laid him up to the extent that he couldn't make it to his establishment (he detailed what those emergencies were, but that's not really relevant here). "In the first 8 weeks we were open, I was there maybe 4 whole days."
More pertinently, Doug adds that he has been back on his feet and at Ocean the past couple of weeks, and will continue to be on the premises trying to fix whatever issues have come up. Fair enough. We only hope D-Rod continues to recover so he can be in contention for Short Order's Comeback Chef of the Year award.
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