Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Aw, man! I totally need to learn how to deglaze plans! In Poland we're too lazy to butter four sides of bread, so we just make grzanki - an open faced grilled cheese toasted in the oven, then slathered with mayonnaise (ew) and ketchup (double ew). American grilled cheese is WAY better. Especially with Sriracha.

World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey - she's never failed me
(but if the veg thing puts you off you can get one of her meat friendly books)

Croissant bread pudding? Why has such a thing never entered my mouth!

Hahahahaha. Once, when I was thirteen, I made one of these for fun, and it was two or three typed pages of food items. The only thing I can remember from it - big fat hoagies.

I'm going to have nightmares of eggs and sausages chasing me and trying to kill me tonight.

@ Karen - LOL.
Why else would he want to keep you there for so long? ;)

All that aside, your experience sounds pretty bizarre. It's good that the chef was eager to correct his flop, though if he accosts everyone that way I'm not sure he should come to the front of the house...you can't please everyone.

I can see this happening in a place where the chef thinks he's got a really big toque, wookie (not excusable but understandable for when believes one has a big toque one wants to be sure everyone else thinks so too) - but for a serving of coleslaw?

Preposterous. Was my first thought.

The whole thing reminds of J. Alfred Prufrock, measuring his life out with coffeespoons.

First of all, having a bunch of restaurants does not make someone a chef. Second, taking criticism comes with the territory. Third, I hate being lectured to when I am paying to dine in an establishment. Sounds like the chef is essentially telling you that there is nothing wrong with the coleslaw. Your experience reminds me of the time I ate at the restaurant of a chef who was named one of Food & Wine Magazine's best new chefs. The potato soup needed salt. I asked for salt. I was denied salt and instead received a lecture on the philosophy of the chef, the restaurant, and the service. Then I saw an ant crawling on the lettuce leaf of my sister's sandwich. We pointed it out to the server, who then told the chef who said "We don't have an infestation problem." Needless to say, I've never been back and I've told everyone about the experience.

First of all, it was not exactly Chateaubriand you didn't eat. The guy should have been asking you a) What you didn't like about the slaw and b) How he could improve it. I know egos run big amongst those who cook and/or run kitchens ("chefs") but he picked a fight when he should have been looking for constructive criticism. He could have processed your feedback and decided to a) Change the current coleslaw (which I wouldn't recommend); or b) Offer more than one type. (Bingo.)

PS - Cole Slaw is one of those things for which there are zillions of recipes and techniques. Chopped? Shredded? Mayo? Vinaigrette? Carrots? No carrots? Taking it personal didn't do him any good - nor you.

He clearly doesn't cotton to the old adage: "You can't please everyone."

This happened to me when I got a watery and warm creme brulee that the kitchen help had torched so that it was melted. Also there was not a speck of any vanilla in it. It was egg custard milk. I told the waitress after one bite to take it away and who shows up the chef. I showed him the creme brulee and he proceeded to tell me he had lots of successful restaurants and I being me said you are only as good as the smallest plate you make and that was not up to my standards and I am not a chef.
After watching Top Chef and Kitchen Nightmares, I now realize chef's often make mistakes, they have what we all have competiting objectives. Get the food out hot, tasting good and correct. This cannot be easy when people are as diverse as grains of sand. Now you know why chef's love tasting menus. They make what they want the way they want it and your supposed to love it and pay $$$ for it.
If a chef cannot manage to get some coleslaw out correct then that is all I would have to know. That would be all they would get out of me. Everyone gets one chance with me. I take into account lots of things. Arguing over cole slaw would be a deal breaker. You were not rude. You spoke your mind. Just because his game is off doesn't reflect you at all. He is there to prepare your food. You are not there to massage his ego. I do not know why people pander and cater to people who are chefs. They have a job to do same as anyone else. If they put out junk then someone needs to call them on it before they lose their shirt. That was a wake up call for him. Let us hope he takes it seriously.