• The lawyer representing employees at Cafe Gratitude reveals that the lawsuit shuttering the chain’s Northern businesses is about much more than what the company is stating. [Grub Street S.F.]
• L.A.’s taste for Currywurst is getting national attention. Our favorite is Kai Loebach’s Authentic German Currywurst on Fairfax. [Boston Globe]
• Chicago’s Girl and The Goat chef Stephanie Izard will get down with party animal Rick Moonen in Las Vegas on January 9th at The Ricker’s RM Seafood. [Eater]
• Giving new meaning to “fire table eight,” a chef in Lake Conroe, Texas, is suspected of gun smuggling after officials found him “in possession of two loaded semi-automatic pistols along with 1,700 rounds of ammunition,” not to mention gun boxes “hidden in trash cans and food pots.” [Your Houston News]
• While we were watching No Doubt play Disneyland on Grad Night, there’s a good chance Osteria La Buca chef Jason Neroni was peeling potatoes at the restaurant inside of The Pirates of the Caribbean. [HuffPo]
• Here’s hoping you love Popeye’s, as the chicken chain plans to double its presence in SoCal. [Biz Journals]
• Now that the FDA has approved the practice of issuing DNA barcodes for seafood, “restaurants are planning to start using it to prove the provenance of their pricey fish.” [Popular Science]
• Burger King is changing its French fry recipe. The new fries are thicker, less salty, and have “a coating that makes them crisper and keeps them hotter longer.” Mmmm… coating. [MSNBC]
• Forget five-dollar footlongs: Subway will soon offer six-inch subs for a measly two bucks. [USAT]
• The 2011 British Curry Awards went off without a hitch this week. In attendance: “More than 1,500 restaurateurs, VIP guests and celebrities.” Not to mention a video message from Prime Minister David Cameron. [This Is Local London]
• A whole lotta chefs are forgoing fussy restaurant recipes and releasing books about cooking at home. [NYT]
