Chef Kevin Kohler of Ramsey's Cafe Panache in "Coffee with the Chef"

If it were up to Café Panache chef and owner Kevin Kohler, his popular Ramsey restaurant would offer only three appetizers and three entrées each night, and the selection would depend entirely on what the freshest fish or best cut of meat was that day.

Although the 56-year-old Mahwah resident and father of four has had to expand the offerings during his 29-year tenure at the eclectic BYOB restaurant, he focuses on creating specials and says he enjoys "changing dishes frequently."

Here, Kohler, who has worked at the Four Seasons in Manhattan, speaks his mind about reality cooking shows, the $10,000-plus meal he once cooked and why he absolutely hates Chilean sea bass.

The most difficult dish to make at my restaurant: Nothing really scares me. It’s like playing music: If you play long enough, you can play everything after a while. Nothing is harder than anything else.

Best part about cooking in this area: It’s close to home. I used to commute to New York, and for 29 years I haven’t had to.

Favorite local restaurant: Arturo’s Restaurant in Midland Park.

My pet peeve: Not cleaning up after yourself. Don’t make a mess, keep it clean.

The most expensive meal I’ve ever had: At Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in Monte Carlo. It was foie gras, black truffles, caviar, wild mushrooms, and zucchini flowers with lobster mousse. It was so expensive that my comment to my wife was that I should trade my car for the check. It was delicious and it was never worth it; there’s not a meal anywhere worth more than $200 a person.

Most expensive meal I’ve ever made: In 1979 I was working at the Palace Restaurant, which was the most expensive in New York City at the time. We cooked a dinner for an oil guy from the Middle East that was in the Guinness Book of World Records because it cost north of $10,000.

It was, like, 12 courses, and it was weird — he wanted things like a birdcage made of spaghetti, that held a quail wrapped in gold.

What I’d never pay for at a restaurant: Expensive cocktails, because I know what a rip-off they are.

Strangest request from a diner: One guy asked for 1 pound of salad with no dressing. And he knew what a pound looked like, so we had to weigh it on the scale, and then put the salad onto a plate. That’s got my record.

My guilty pleasure: Mousse foie gras. It’s buttery and creamy, and really, really good. I love slopping that on bread when I’m cooking. You have that with wine, and it’ll make you happy.

Most overrated food fad: Chilean sea bass. It’s garbage. It’s frozen when it comes over and it’s greasy ... and it smells; you put that next to a good striped or sea bass, and it’s night and day.

Best place to grocery shop in North Jersey: Steve’s Market in Ramsey. Steve always has beautiful vegetables and great meat, and he’s always there making sure the quality is good.

What cooking show I’d like to be on: I really don’t like cooking shows; I think they’re stupid. I don’t think food should ever be a competition. It’s a profession, something that none of us should want to race or make a show out of. It’s pathetic. I like shows that are more culinary, where you get to see great chefs prepare food accurately.

The next food fad: Classic French dishes are going to make a move. They’re due to come back, and I think they’re the ones that have been forgotten and misunderstood. It’s still the mother of all cooking, though, and if you understand French cooking, you can cook anything.

Info: Café Panache, 130 E. Main St, Ramsey 201-934-0030; cafepanachenj.com.

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http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/chef-kevin-kohler-of-ramsey-s-cafe-panache-on-reality-cooking-shows-the-10-000-plus-meal-he-cooked-and-why-he-detests-chilean-sea-bass-1.745490