Gordon Ramsay Suit Tossed; Vendy Nominations OpenIf there’s a halal-chicken guy on your corner whom you think is unappreciated, now’s your chance to do right by him: Nominations have opened up for the Vendy Awards. [Gothamist]
A judge has tossed out the suit against Gordon Ramsay brought by the manager of Dillons for acts committed in the name of reality TV. [NYP]
Simon Oren, the owner of new French bistro Charolais, double-crossed the Insatiable Critic, and she isn’t happy about it. [Insatiable Critic]
Related: New French Bistro Has an Old Soul
Mediavore
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Beard Awards, Iacopo FalaiA primer on the “glamour, rivalries, and after-parties“ of the Beard Awards (not as exciting as it sounds) reveals that if you’re a Kansas City restaurateur, you’re screwed. [NYS]
Iacopo Falai discusses his “love affair” with food, fails to explain why he hires haters for waiters. [Cravings]
The Times launches “Dining Briefs,” which of course is nothing like Diner’s Journal. [NYT]
NewsFeed
Jay McInerney to Pair Fine Wines With Local Vermin
When we got word that Steven Rinella was throwing a dinner party for some friends (presumably to promote his book The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine), we have to admit our interest was piqued. After all, the menu, in addition to the usual fare like pickled goose hearts, contained two rather curious items, to be paired with wines chosen by New York writer Jay McInerney: squirrel hasenpfeffer, for one, and grilled sparrows wrapped in prosciutto, skewered along with zucchini and hot Italian sausage made from a young antelope doe. Unlike the other menu items culled from places like Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the international waters of British Columbia, the squirrels and sparrows were said to have come from “an undisclosed urban locality.” After some prying, we were told that that locality is none other than NYC. “He’s setting up traps in various locales,” Miramax’s publicist confirmed. To which we say —why stop at sparrows and squirrels? How about bringing some of those traps and a bottle of Malbec to the West 4th Street Taco Bell? — Daniel Maurer
Steven Rinella [Official site]