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Josie of ‘Top Chef’ Opens Restaurant; Schumer Opens a Second Front

Josie Malave’s restaurant Speakeasy in Clinton Hill has had its soft opening. [Eat for Victory/VV]

One food editor learned some things from last week’s nose-to-tail feast Fergus Henderson–at–the–Spotted Pig including “Hung Huynh is much sweeter than the series might lead you to believe … Ilan Hall has a project up his sleeve … there’s no graceful way to eat a roasted pig’s head when Heath Ledger is sitting at the next table watching.” [Mouthing Off/Food & Wine]
Related: Fergus Henderson to Cook Tomorrow at Savoy, Wednesday at the Spotted Pig

Chuck Schumer has joined another foodie cause: In response to the recent Topps Meat contaminations, he has accused the USDA as being “toothless tiger” and plans to introduce legislation that would give the Department of Agriculture authority to close down plants that repeatedly fail inspections and order recalls. [NYP]
Related: Senator Schumer Springs to the Red Hook Ball-Fields’ Defense

A 25-year-old was stabbed outside Fusion 215 in Chelsea during a fight that broke out because a group was turned away for not meeting the nightclub’s dress code. [WNBC]

The grandsons of the founder of the Palm are battling their mother in court for a trust that amounts to only $3 million, small change for the successful steakhouse heirs. [NYP]

Michael Ruhlman asks, “Would you rather [Iron Chef] judges gave the ladies special treatment because of their gender?” [Ruhlman]

Fireside chef Sam DeMarco is asked to compare his experience in New York to Las Vegas and responds, “You can build restaurants and have great food in Vegas, but you can’t buy it a soul.” [Restaurant Girl]

In bountiful times it’s common for chefs to take what might be considered cheap preparations and gorge them with luxury ingredients, as in the late nineties when Eric Ripert served a croque monsieur with smoked salmon and caviar at Le Berardin or when Daniel Humm takes an egg and makes it taste like “the purity of the ocean.” [NYT]

Flushing restaurants offer much more variety than Chinese, like Korean fried chicken … and Sichuan. [NYT]
Related: Birds of a Feather [NYM]

Josie of ‘Top Chef’ Opens Restaurant; Schumer Opens a Second Front