Sour Economy Continues to Inspire Food JournalistsOne tries to bargain down the price of a slice, another suggests knockoff restaurants, and Flo Fab tells us, again, how restaurants are dealing with the these troubled times.
ByDaniel Maurer
Late-Night Bites
After MidnightJosh Eden is working on a late-night dim sum menu at Shorty’s.32.
Is STK Hamburglarizing the Big Mac?Does the steakhouse’s new $20 burger constitute copyright infringement, or does it fall under the category of satire?
Chef Counters on the Rise; Chefs Put in Their Time on the LineAs chefs and cooks take on more roles of service, they cut out more costs and create a more intimate dining experience, especially at restaurants with counters overlooking the food preparation. [NYT]
Related: Ringside Seats at the Chef’s Counter
Apparently, restaurants’ hanging of red velvet curtains in colder months signals metaphors of birth and womblike spaces for diners. Ew. [NYO]
Chefs like Akhtar Nawab of Elettaria and Josh Eden of Shorty’s.32 both spent years cooking on the line before being able to fly solo. [TONY]
Back of the House
Josh Eden: Dead HeadMetromix’s “Kitchen Radio” feature on Shorty’s.32 chef Josh Eden is a fine spin on a tired gimmick. The most believable bit? The Dead Head chef claims that the multicolored sea bass with beets and green oil is a psychedelic tribute to his favorite band. But forcing Jean-Georges to listen to bootlegs from 1968? Torture.
Kitchen Radio: Josh Eden [Metromix NY]
Related: Chefs Continue to Rock, and We Reach for the Earplugs
Mediavore
Eric Ripert Defends Escolar; Ed Koch: Bib WearerRadar ran a story on escolar’s tendency to cause leaky bowel movements and mentioned that the fish was served at Le Bernardin. This, in turn, prompted a response from Eric Ripert himself, which prompted the author of the article to respond, “I’m sure Eric Ripert serves his escolar in such a way that it doesn’t make people shit orange oil. He’s good like that.” [Fresh Intelligence/Radar]
Chef Craig Hopson says the ghost of Aaron Burr haunts the kitchen of One if by Land, Two if by Sea and has a tendency to steal batches of brioche. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Related: One if by Land Breaks Out a Bar Menu, and Not a Minute Too Soon
Katrina Markoff, founder of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, likes to pair her company’s bacon-laden chocolate bar with pieces of Gruyère and a glass of Shiraz. [WSJ]
Related: A Bacon Tribute Product We Can Get Behind
Mediavore
DOA Makes You Wait Longer to Eat Frankenbeef; Find Dinner on FoodTubeThough the FDA approved the sale of meat and dairy from cloned animals, the Department of Agriculture is asking farmers to postpone introducing cloned animals into the food supply until they can calm retailers and overseas trading partners. [NYT]
Related: FDA to Beef Industry: Send in the Clones
The list of restaurateurs interested in snatching up Tavern on the Green when its lease expires at the end of the year has expanded to include heavyweights such as Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent, and the Ciprianis. [NYP]
The Great Restaurant Critic Notebook Caper of 2008 continues! With confirmation that it belongs to neither Frank Bruni nor Danyelle “Restaurant Girl” Freeman, the search for its owner goes on. [Eater]
Related: So the Critic Left Her (?) Notes. So What?
House Mix
Everybody Must Get Stoned at Shorty’s.32
Shorty’s.32, the new Soho spot named after chef-partner Josh “Shorty” Eden, who worked with Jean Georges for twelve years, may bill its cuisine as New American (word to the wise: They have an off-the-menu brunch sandwich called the McShorty, though it remains to be seen whether it will be available during lunch when that starts next week), but the small dining room’s playlist is classic American and Brit. In fact, one might even call it stoner music. Here are ten songs we heard during a recent visit.
The Other Critics
Ilili Makes An Enemy in Steve Cuozzo; Bruni Picks on GrayzThough the food sounded pretty good at Ilili, the place treated Steve Cuozzo so badly that the Cuozz was forced to pay them back with an atomic review — one that sounds richly deserved. [NYP]
In one of his silliest reviews, Frank Bruni goes on for half the article complaining that restaurants don’t always fit in neat categories, then punishes Grayz for it with a blistering one-star review. Odd. [NYT]
Bruni’s mini-review in Dining Briefs is much more logical and succinct: “That’s Belcourt: the predictable made surprising; comfort with a wink.” Meanwhile, on the undercard, Peter Meehan was mostly pleased with Graffiti, despite its minute size, and Marian Burros not so happy with Lucy of Gramercy. [NYT]
VideoFeed
In Season: Josh Eden’s Pan-Roasted Chicken
What’s the best way to pan-roast a four-pound chicken? First you have cut it into four manageable pieces. If tearing through tendons makes you want to order in, we have the video for you. Chef Josh Eden of Shorty’s.32 demonstrates how you can make his roasted chicken and chilled green-bean salad at home. All you need is a frying pan, an oven, and a few sharp knives. Read the recipe in this week’s New York and then watch the video for a quick cooking lesson.
In Season: Pasture-Raised Chicken [NYM]
Video: Josh Eden’s Pan-Roasted Chicken
Food Video Archives
