Hung to Cook in Midtown Kitchen; Chirico Pleads Not Guilty to ExtortionTop Chef winner Hung Huynh will begin a one-month stint at kosher restaurant Solo on March 2; Justin Smillie, formerly of Barbuto, has replaced Akhtar Nawab at the E.U. [NYT]
Related: Akhtar Nawab to *NOT* Leave E.U., Will Open New Restaurant
If you’re clamoring for a Valentine’s Day tablecloth dinner at White Castle, you still might be able to get one. [Eater]
Master Purveyors will live on: The fire destroyed the offices, but the meat is still safe and sound in the warehouse. [Crain’s NY]
Related: Venerable Meat Purveyor Struck By Fire
Mediavore
Joe Chirico Allegedly Served As Mob Extortionist; Femme Fatale’s Clubhouse to BeBrooklyn Restaurant Association president Joe Chirico, indicted last week along with the Gambino clan, allegedly lived a secret life in which he served as an extortionist for the mob. [NYP]
Related: New York Restaurant Association Big Netted in Gambino Roundup
Foodies all over the country are willing to drop serious money to sit at chefs’ tables, but is it worth the hefty price tag at a place like Café Gray? [WSJ]
If insects aren’t dirty or disease-ridden and they are packed with protein, then why aren’t we eating them? [NYT]
Related: What’s It Take to Get a Decent Grasshopper Around Here?
Back of the House
New York Restaurant Association Big Netted in Gambino RoundupTime Out’s blog has some interesting news: Apparently Brooklyn Restaurant Association President Joe Chirico was among those indicted in the huge mob roundup yesterday. Chirico owns Marco Polo Ristorante in Carroll Gardens but, according to the government, that’s not his only transgression.
Brooklyn Restaurant Association president Joseph Chirico indicted in Gambino investigation [TONY / The Feed]