Everyone can agree: times are tough. Just how tough became apparent a short time ago when I learned that the rich don’t eat out that much anymore. Whoa! The rich are being careful. This is a problem, and it’s taking its toll.  What about the average guy who’s trying to figure out how to cut basic expenses?

Look when times are flush, great chefs can thrive. They can buy the most expensive ingredients, create the most beautiful dishes and dazzle diners with preparation. People blink, a small blink, when the check is presented. When times are tough, truffles get replaced by mushrooms, and high-end diners have to consider what is unique about this experience that warrants the hefty price tag. Even when dining concessions such as prix-fixe menus, two-for-one specials, and half-price wine nights do not do the trick, something big has to change. The chef often gets caught in the middle of the tussle.

This is a long-winded way to say that Fiamma the restaurant in New York City is no more. It has become an event space. Washington DC sent one of its top tier chefs, Fabio Trabbocchi to the big city to cook his creative high-end Italian dishes to the glitteri in New York. He was the star of the Ritz Carlton at Tysons Corner in Virginia with his restaurant Maestro, where he was the true conductor, the master. The name continued, but it lost its headliner. He was lured to the food mecca of New York with the promise that his star would shine even brighter. He did well. The economy did well. Then, poof, it was extinguished. He has become a story of the economy, an example of food lore.

Yes, I am sure he will be cooking somewhere else soon. It is just such a shock to have this type of industry casualty. It quickly teaches us that money is tight. That expense accounts are being counted. That people have to consider where they go and how often they can go out. Yesterday Frank Bruni of the New York Times broke the news. I personally feel the restaurant world, especially those who had dined at either Maestro or Fiamma are a little rattled.  I am.

Fabio’s gift was in the details. He mastered the basics and used expensive ingredients to make restaurant magic. He was a serious chef who understood that Americans were interested in fine food, and he was able to bring some of his Italian childhood flavors into the high court of gourmet food. The ever present rumor was that his New York benefactors would let him return to Washington as the star chef at their new hotel. Not so fast.

I will never forget the special dining room smells when he would roast foods over hay. He will cook again. Someone just has to have the money to let him man the stove and find the diners who will once again support his style. Even if he takes it down a notch or two, it will take some time to regain the crown achievement.

I have hope. I can wait.