Tableside Bananas Foster Goes Awry, Flames Burn Four

Four diners were burned at Ozona Blue Grilling Co., a Palm Harbor, Florida restaurant after a waiter accidentally added too much rum to the bananas foster dish he prepared. Two people were flown to Tampa General Hospital for treatment while an additional two guests were slightly burned and refused treatment.

Employees were quick to grab fire extinguishers and help a woman whose dress caught on fire, resulting in first- and second-degree burns. "It's going to be a long time for her to heal," said Palm Harbor Fire Rescue spokeswoman Liz Monforti.

Bananas foster is typically prepared with bananas, butter, cinnamon and sugar in a pan or skillet. Then, rum is added and the dessert is lit. Watch a chef from the Culinary Institute of America prepare the famous dessert below.

Comments

[DSOTM]

01:16 PM on 06/17/2011

That can't be good for the restaurants insurance company.

[CadOps]

01:42 PM on 06/14/2011

Thats what happens when you let a Medium Level IBM Office worker with his new suit cook your food, instead of a Chef.

[johnnygoodwud]

01:13 PM on 06/14/2011

when you are pouring liquior from a bottle with a stopper, always grab the bottle at the top and wrap your second finger around the stopper when you pour, eliminating the stopper from accidently falling out. bartending 101 from my college days.

[BlueZoo]

12:10 PM on 06/14/2011

There are two things in restaurants that I will not abide: 1) anything prepared at my table, and b) a buffet. It's a personal preference based on the fact that if I want to see all of this, I might as well stay home and prepare the meal myself. These flambe dishes can be wonderful to eat but they can be prepared in the kitchen just as well as they can be prepared at my table. Frankly, I've never understood the allure of watching flames arc around the food. As for as buffets are concerned, I don't trust foods that have been sitting out for who knows how long and, again, if I wanted to serve myself, I'd stay home! Dining out is an enjoyable experience that relieves me of cooking. Good food prepared well doesn't have to have any trumpets blaring or fire blazing to announce it. The best chefs and the best restaurants in the world know this and act accordingly.

[DSOTM]

01:15 PM on 06/17/2011

I use to go to a restaurant that made an amazing table-side Caesar Salad but I totally agree with you about Buffets. Food has a small window of opportunity from pan to plate to be perfect.

I recently caught up with some friends that decided to dine at a China Buffet, it was nothing short of vile.

[Alsy77]

09:43 AM on 06/14/2011

b lah blah

[fllady2011]

12:40 AM on 06/14/2011

what really happened is the pour spout on the bottle fell out, so all that liquid that fell out before the waiter had time to react did splash and the flame went into the bottle and blew up thus causing the explosion from the vapors n liquid, so its not like the waiter wasnt careful, it was just a freak accident. Praying for a safe and fast recovery

[ThinkCreeps]

06:15 AM on 06/14/2011

One of those freak accidents that happen when people don't check their stuff properly.

[jsarets]

10:01 PM on 06/13/2011

Flambé adds to the spectacle of old-school classics like Bananas Foster and Steak Diane, but it doesn't add anything to the flavor. In order for the alcohol to ignite, it has to be in the vapor phase, and if it's in the vapor phase, then it's boiling out of the food and will not add any flavor. 

The alcohol itself will dissolve certain flavor compounds, and the other components of the alcoholic spirit will also add flavor, but the flames don't do anything but make a spectacle. It will be just as good if you add the spirit (off the heat) and then briefly cook out the alcohol without tipping the pan over the burner to ignite the vapor.

If you really want to do flambé to impress people, I recommend using an electric hotplate and igniting the vapor with a long butane stick lighter. Don't wear loose sleeves or a brimmed hat, and don't lean over the pan when you light it.

Personally, when I want to make an impression, I start with a nice salad and prepare the dressing table-side in a cocktail shaker with extra-virgin olive oil and dijon mustard poured over frozen red wine vinegar granita and shaken until melted. The ice particles help form the emulsion, plus it's just cool on multiple levels.

[PalaceOfWisdom]

03:49 PM on 06/14/2011

All this time I could have been making bananas foster with no flames? I've never made it because it wasn't worth the hazard, but that will soon change.

[MajorKong]

08:12 PM on 06/13/2011

Note that Bacardi 151 proof rum is probably not the best thing to use for this recipe.

If I'd been standing any closer my eyebrows would just now be growing back.

[ThinkCreeps]

06:14 AM on 06/14/2011

Where's your sense of adventure? Flash hood. Nomex gloves. Good to go.

[Woods-shade]

11:01 AM on 06/14/2011

My uncle's BBQ used to be HAZMAT worthy.

[ksjohnso]

09:52 AM on 06/14/2011

151?! You should have just used lighter fluid. I have a rum cake that calls for that. I tasted before putting it into the cake. It burns when it goes down. Plus, made the cake like it was soaked in rum even after I baked it.

[Wistfulslinking]

07:25 PM on 06/13/2011

For goodness sakes, the recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of rum.

I've made this since I was pre-teen, how on Earth?

[Js2323]

06:27 PM on 06/13/2011

Anybody ever see the Seinfeld episode with the exploding crepes rolled too tight by the Cubans, ring a bell????

[neesee]

06:19 PM on 06/13/2011

Flaming dishes are served every day all over the world without incident. To whoever said, "There ought to be a law against these flaming desserts". Get a grip. Coffee and tea is hot. So is soup. So are the plates. Not everyone gets burned. You can eat YOUR food ice cold, but I like mine prepared properly. I'd hate to go to a barbeque at your house, you probably make everyone wear Hazmat suits and welding helmets!

[mitch55]

05:24 PM on 06/13/2011

that is nasty looking.

[thothnola]

01:18 AM on 06/14/2011

Great...may I have yours?

[ksjohnso]

04:48 PM on 06/13/2011

Eke! A dessert to die for....

[thothnola]

01:24 AM on 06/14/2011

Yup! Get the "Baked Alaska" next time!

[ThinkCreeps]

09:04 AM on 06/14/2011

I'm not sure about that. Who wants dessert to shoot at you from a helicopter?

[thothnola]

04:22 PM on 06/13/2011

Uuuuuuuummmmmm! Bananas Foster!

[agness nutter]

10:50 PM on 06/13/2011

So far I've counted about 15-20 people who joined HP in the past two months who are all using this avatar. Are you members of a cult?

[NoOneElse]

11:36 PM on 06/15/2011

No, not a cult unless AOL is a cult! I think if you check into it a bit, you will find this is a common icon that AOL users have access to. LMAO!!

[brbartle3]

04:16 PM on 06/13/2011

Clicking on the link to "flown to Tampa General Hosptal" brought up the article from NY daily news. Strange part is at the end just one sentence:

"There was no damage to the restaurant because the fire was extinguished quickly"

Who cares about the restaurant? Burns underneath the shirt? Sounds bad. Sounds suspicious, probably the waiter was in a hurry. The other article also said it was an explosion, doesn't sound like that, sounds like oops it spilled!