Gordon Ramsay forced to sell New York restaurant

Further humiliation for Gordon Ramsay who has not been having a happy time during the recession: after jettisoning his restaurants in Los Angeles and Paris earlier this year, the celebrity chef has now been forced to sell off his New York restaurant after three years of failing to make it profitable. The dream of conquering New York is over, for the time being at least.

The Gordon Ramsay at the London NYC will continue to trade under his name, but under the terms of the buy-out by the Blackstone Group, which runs the Manhattan hotel where the restaurant is based, Ramsay's involvement will be reduced to advice on menus and occasional visits.

Whether they give him a free dinner when he visits will presumably depend on how foul-mouthed he is that day.

Although the New York restaurant was given two Michelin stars in 2007, it has proved neither a popular nor critical success. Right from the start, food critics have been lukewarm in their enthusiasm, including Frank Bruni of the New York Times who gave it a disappointing two stars out of four, finding the room too tasteful and the food too tame.

Earlier this year, the New York Post's restaurant critic Steve Cuozzo wrote that Ramsay was "once a great chef. Then he became a great businessman. Today he's more like a great big clown."

It never got into the famous Zagat Guide's top 50 voted by readers. Tim Zagat, the guide's co-founder, said he was always struck by how few people were eating there whenever he visited. "His [Ramsay's] fame put up expectations very high and they were not met," he said. "Whether or not it has two [Michelin] stars, it hasn't really ever been a success with New Yorkers."

Gordon Ramsay Holdings has not disclosed how much was paid by Blackstone. ·