Joey, Latest ‘Top Chef’ Non-Winner, on Why Rocco Is a Douche BagTop Chef contestant Joey Paulino may have been a victim of casting last night when he was eliminated instead of Howie or Hung, who both made bigger mistakes but also seem to be the show’s emerging villains. Still, the native Long Islander and executive chef of Café des Artistes saved his ire for guest judge Rocco DiSpirito. He talked to us about why his fellow Long Islander is a “douche bag”.
‘Top Chef’ Leak! Café des Artistes’ Paulino to CompeteWe’ve heard that mixed in with the usual assortment of line cooks, caterers, and wannabes on Top Chef’s next season will be a bona fide NYC cook: Joe Paulino, top banana at Café des Artistes. A restaurant manager claimed to be “in shock” when we asked him to confirm that Paulino will be a contestant — Bravo no doubt swears everyone to secrecy — but he admitted that executive sous-chef Kelvin Fernandez is running the kitchen while Paulino is on “vacation”; meanwhile, a lower-level employee told us he knew all about Paulino’s being on Top Chef. (The Bravo publicist we spoke to asked if she could call us back later.) Looks like we’ve already got a favorite.
Three Blocks
Docs and Journos Get the Greenmarket and Kosher Classics Around 70th andThe micro-micro-neighborhood centered around 70th Street and Columbus Avenue boasts upscale haunts and casual wine bars for private-practice doctors, ABC staffers, and Apple Bank employees, while the area’s cozy cafés cater to freelancers and thirtysomething stroller-pushers.
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Mr. Chow, Dojo, and Other Biggies So Flunked Their Health Inspections
Taking an active interest as we do in hygiene, we keep an eye on the New York Health Department’s restaurant-inspection site. Usually, it’s outer-borough taco joints and the like that flunk their tests. We were surprised today, however, to find a few big names cited for everything from suspect shellfish to — something worse than supect — rats.
