Marco Pierre White Sets Himself on Fire With Flaming CocktailJust another night at the Spotted Pig: Marco Pierre White, trying to demonstrate a flaming cocktail to Mario Batali, Tony Bourdain, and friends, sets himself on fire, gets doused with wine and Champagne, and stabbed in the hand. [NYP]
Related: Batali, Bourdain, and Ramsay Mentor to Finally Take on America? [Grub Street]
There are so many high-end restaurants looking for good ingredients that the world will literally run out of them, a world-famous Australian chef claims. [Australian News]
Utterly dependent as it is on illegal workers, the restaurant industry is lobbying hard against the new immigration bill in Congress. [Nation’s Restaurant News]
The Other Critics
Sripraphai and DiFara Challenged Close to HomeWill the “aptly-named” Spicy & Tasty be the next Sripraphai? Making a rare trip outside of Manhattan (but somehow missing the signature tea-smoked duck), Bruni hails the pleasure-per-dollar ratio of “some of the most distinctive Sichuan cooking in any of the five boroughs.” [NYT]
Carroll Gardens’ so-new-it’s-not-even-open-yet homegrown pizza spot Lucali: not exactly DiFara, but on its way. [NYT]
Oft-overlooked Escoffier time warp and Capote haunt Le Veau d’Or gets some love. [NYO]