Two ‘Iron Chef’ Contestants Eliminated; Michelin-Zagat Wars Rage OnAfter all the woman got canned from The Next Iron Chef, Aaron Sanchez was overheard warning Morou Ouattara, “Next they’ll be going after the brown people.” [Ruhlman] And last night Morou was one of two chefs booted. [Serious Eats]
Related: Who Will Be Cut Next on ‘The Next Iron Chef’?
One classic New York deli is fighting the good fight against history, the Zeitgeist, and its own storied past. 2nd Avenue Deli reopens next month with the same name and a new location on East 33rd Street near Lexington Avenue. [NYT]
Now that his guides are competing with Zagat in New York, Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret says he’s also eyeing Boston, Miami, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.[AP]
Related: Michelin’s Madness Drives Ed Levine (and Us) Up a Wall
Mediavore
Bourdain’s Reaction to ‘Top Chef’; Goldfarb and Cluizel Sittin’ in aBourdain considers “Hung’s well deserved victory … a nice, stiff middle finger to all those boneheads who’ve been predicting that ‘The producers are setting it up so Casey will win,’ as well as the poor, deluded souls who feel they can somehow taste food through the television screen.” Are you listening, Adam Platt? [Bourdain’s Blog/Bravo]
Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret wants chefs on their toes: “One thing you have to understand is that stars are not engraved in marble, but crystal, and that they can break easily.” [Metromix NY]
Will Goldfarb is officially shacking up with Michel Cluizel at ABC on a dessert café, and Patricia Yeo has abandoned Monkey Bar after leaving Sapa to work on the project in March. [NYT]
Related: Cluizel, Goldfarb to Join Forces in Dessert Pact
Patricia Yeo Leaving Sapa, Opening Rib House; Something About a Monkey
Back of the House
Rachael Ray Gets Into the Burger Business; Graydon Carter Parts Seas of TrafficThe latest from inside the industry: Rachael Ray does burgers, a Long Island burger joint does iPods, and Graydon Carter doesn’t want you honking if you’re hungry.
• Rachael Ray opening a joint serving swordfish and 189 other types of burgers. [Fishbowl]
• Mickey D’s gets a makeover and American Burger Company in Hicksville debuts individual iPod jukeboxes. Plus, a new Chipotle and trackside chili delivery in Grand Central Terminal. [NYS]
• In search of beauty rest, Graydon Carter tries to reverse the laws of traffic near his Ye Waverly Inn. [Eater]
• Michelin editor Jean-Luc Naret tells of his favorite cities for dining (none of them French) and the best pickup restaurant in NYC. [UrbanDaddy]
• Chef Akhtar Nawab gets the boot two weeks before the opening of Allen and Delancey; Eric Lind takes over at Flatbush Farm. [NYT]
• Newly relocated Mekong and others throw open their doors. [Eater]
• Some outer-borough openings, including a bistro on Bedford. [Eater]
• Izakayas are blowing up. [Nation’s Restaurant News]
