Rant: My flambé went wrong in front of 40 people last Saturday

I was doing tableside bananas foster at a busy dinner service in Austin. Poured the rum too fast and it flared up way higher than I expected. Singed my forearm hair and almost set a napkin on fire. Manager just stared at me from across the room. Guests actually thought it was part of the show and clapped. Had to redo the whole thing while my arm stung like crazy. Anyone else have a flambé fail that turned into a circus?

3 comments

3 Comments

flores.emma11h ago

At least the crowd liked the show more than expected.

the_sean10h ago

Tableside flambé is already a disaster waiting to happen. Was the rum old or did you just pour too much at once? I've seen bartenders torch off a bad pour and it goes from a little blue flame to a full-on fireball in seconds.

simonk9811h ago

Jumped straight into my own tableside disaster a few years back. The rum lit up like a campfire and I ended up flinging the pan to the side, nearly hitting a customer's expensive handbag. The whole thing looked like a magic trick gone wrong, but the table next to us just laughed and ordered more drinks. @flores.emma hit it right - sometimes the crowd loves the circus more than the actual show. My arm hair has never fully recovered though.