Tony Bourdain Is His Own Forum TrollA new post is up on the Bourdain blog, but there’s no need to comment yet. Bourdain, in looking back at having wrapped up the latest season of No Reservations, decided to anticipate the response by giving “a few helpful advance reviews — to save food nerds time when the shows actually air.” These prereviews (“I found the civitos at San Marco, a tiny place next to the mercado, far superior to the place Bourdain went. And the morcillas he ate are nowhere near as good as the ones at…….”) are the work of someone who has read quite a few forum posts. And, we suspect, even written a few.
Past Imperfect/Future Shock [Anthony Bourdain’s Blog/Travel Channel]
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Win a Date With Thomas Keller; Year-end Lists AboundMix up your holiday charitable giving by entering a raffle for a coffee date with Per Se’s Thomas Keller or Ferran Adrià of Spain’s El Bulli. [NYT]
Related: Ferran Adrià, Molecular Gastronomist—Who, Me? [NYM]
On his No Reservations holiday special, Anthony Bourdain spoke with a veterinarian who explained that foie gras production is not the demonic act it has been portrayed as by animal-rights groups, so eat up! [Eat for Victory/VV]
If Amy Sacco didn’t convince you of the growing synergy between restaurants and real estate, consider that Centovini has just struck a deal with luxe condo Soho Mews that offers not only delivery to the building but also the option to have executive chef Patti Jackson provide in-home cooking. [NYP]
Back of the House
Stars Sate Our Curiosity at the ‘No Reservations’ PremiereNo Reservations, the new movie where Catherine Zeta-Jones plays (history’s most gorgeous) chef, had a prescreening last night, and Justin Ravitz was there to take down the red-carpet thoughts of the principals and attendees. The movie’s stew of rom-com clichés, from the hard-talking but vulnerable lady boss to the brash young hunk who breaks down her defenses, was tired when the Automat opened, so our questions ranged far outside of the kitchen, and so did the answers (Abigail Breslin? Just too cute). Aaron Eckhart said that he doesn’t know about the “cool and popular” new restaurants, citing Raoul’s as his favorite place to eat. Now there’s a sentiment we have “no reservations” about.
See pictures and quotes from Catherine Zeta-Jones, Katie Lee Joel, Aaron Eckhart, Alto chef Michael White, and others from the No Reservations premiere in Party Lines [NYM]
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NYC’s Top-Rated Cupcake; Zeta-Jones Doesn’t Care About CookingSugar Sweet Sunshine comes out on top of Zagat’s new survey of the city’s top cupcakes. [NYP]
No Reservations had a $10,000-a-week food budget and in Catherine Zeta-Jones a star with zero interest in cooking: “I mean, if I was playing a brain surgeon, could I actually do brain surgery?” [Entertainment Weekly]
There are now the same number of Dallas cooks as New Yorkers on Top Chef. [Dallas Morning News]
Related: ‘Top Chef’ Non-Winner Lia on What Went Wrong
