Bourdain Fends Off Angry Chefs at Batali Dinner
Much was afoot last night here in South Beach, between the evening’s somewhat staid main event, a tribute dinner to Jean-Georges Vongerichten, big after-parties at the chefs-only 212 Access House and Versace Mansion, and a Mario Batali dinner at Danny DeVito’s eponymous South Beach restaurant. There, at close quarters in the kitchen, Batali worked the pasta station; Del Posto and Babbo chefs Mark Ladner and Frank Langello on sauté; Adam Perry Lang cooked immense “103” rib steaks with vast, protruding bones; and Jamie Oliver helped out as needed.
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Food Network to Publish Magazine?; Food-Porn Photos for SaleHearst Publications is supposedly in talks with the Food Network to publish a new food magazine and has been stealing editors from Every Day With Rachael Ray for months. The only problem? The channel’s big stars don’t seem to be a part of the publication. [Mixed Media/Portfolio]
Soto chef Sotohiro Kosugi responds to fears of too much mercury in tuna. “Eat with balance. Balance of meals is the key to a healthy life.” [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Related: Sushi Eaters Face Tuna Fears
Neil Ferguson, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver, and others are leading a full-on British culinary invasion on our shores. [Chicago Tribune]
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Per Se Raises Prices; Shill for Whole Foods, Win FoodYou’re going to regret not going to Per Se the last time you had a chunk of change to burn: Thomas Keller’s luxe restaurant has raised prices for both the regular and vegetarian menus to $275 for nine courses. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Violence continues in the Flatiron club district, as two men were arrested for stabbing a patron and a bouncer at Club Spy after a fight erupted in the VIP room. [NYP]
As part of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Green the Capitol project, the cafeterias are getting a locavore makeover, with the goal to sell as much locally grown, organic food as possible. [WP]
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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?
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Naked Chef Returns to Food Network; Starbucks’ ‘Skinny’ IssueAt long last, Jamie Oliver is returning to Food Network; catch him battling Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Sunday night, and then stay tuned for a preview of his new show, Jamie at Home. [Eat for Victory/VV]
If anyone’s going to see mice in your restaurant, food writers are the worst-case scenario. Right, Mermaid Inn? [The Feed/TONY]
One man who’s had enough of unsolicited menus showing up under his door has designed a wannabe deterrent. [BoingBoing via Gothamist]
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Meyer and Batali Face Off; Gordo’s Advice on the CloserMeyer, Batali, Nieporent, and others compete to see who’ll serve VIPs at the new Jets/Giants stadium. Interesting! And how does this affect Meyer’s rumored plans to take Shea Stadium by ShackStorm? [NYP]
Gordo’s first-date fail-safe: Take your girl to Ducasse’s place in Monaco, then tell her what you really want is roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Wow — the guy’s like something straight out of The Pick-Up Artist! [Forbes]
Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, in town to promote his book, says his feelings are hurt from being slagged by Bourdain: “You rate someone [like Mr. Bourdain] and then they think you’re a bit of a pussy. It’s not very inspiring.” [Globe and Mail]
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Dinner Roll, Please: ‘08 SOBE Honorees Already LeakedRestaurant Girl has dug up the 2008 South Beach Food & Wine Festival honorees. Next year’s special food people will be … Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Jamie Oliver! The ‘07 fest, which won’t even be held until the end of this month, will give props to Maguy Le Coze and Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert; Martha Stewart gets her own tribute brunch. Widely attended by the restaurant elite, if only because it’s an excuse to party in South Beach during the dead of winter, the SOBE event will likely be even more crowded this February — new sponsor the Food Network will be taping its first annual Food Network Awards there.
SOBE’s 2008 Nominees Are… [Restaurant Girl]
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Servers to Strip; Jamie Oliver Wears a Fat Suit; Gordon Ramsay Gross-outHas Halloween come early? Bars disguise themselves to avoid the liquor ban, lettuce may be the new spinach, Gordon Ramsay’s secret sister emerges from the shadows, and more.
• First the trans-fat fighters came for NYC. Then, D.C. Now, if N.J. lawmakers have their way, you won’t even be able to water-taxi your way to the stuff. [Nation’s Restaurant News].
• Having cracked down on spinach, the E. coli police go after green-leaf lettuce. [Los Angeles Times]
• Bars evade the booze freeze by posing as restaurants (and if that doesn’t work, they’ll buy pairs of mustache glasses). [NYP]
• Topping off a recent slew of testosteropenings — Lonesome Dove, Porter House, etc. — Corio promises servers in skivvies. [NYDN]
• Tony Bourdain and other food scribes recall no-can-do assignments; says Peter Elliot, “publicists should have their heads examined.” [Snack]
• Glasgow and (soon) London get a Priceline-style Website for haggling over the dinner bill. Will there come a day when we can ask Daniel, “How does 50 bucks for the prix-fixe sound?” [Sunday Herald]
• Gordon Ramsay tells all, unfortunately, including how the name of his first restaurant was inspired by his penis. (Also, something about a long lost sister.) [Chow]
• Does Jamie Oliver fancy himself the new Ali G? First he gave a sophomoric fake interview on Danish television; now his fat suit causes a stir. [Daily Mirror]
