Celebrity Chef Archives
Celebrity Chef Blog Status Report
[Jean Georges Vongerichten's very active blog]
In honor of the launch of ex Gilt chef Paul Liebrant's new blog, we thought we'd check in on it and on some of the other notorious chef sites launched within the last year for a Celebrity Chef Blog Status Report. Do the toques remain committed to the world of blogging or have they left them for dead?
Blog: Paul Liebrant Journal
Status: Active
Launched: January 28, 2008
Days Since Last Post: None (four hours)
Assessment: So far, we're going to have to agree with Cutlets on this one: blog is boring.
Hightlights: Cloverfield
Blog: Chod-o-blog
Status: Long Dead
Launched: 3/1/2007
Days Since Last Post: 187
Assessment: The story of Chodorow's blog is an epic one and he is a bit of a trailblazer in this category. Chod-o-blog launched after El Chod got a negative review from Frank Bruni in the Times, and he vowed to follow Bruni to every place he wrote up and review it himself. This did not happen, natch. He wrote four lengthy posts over five months and left the blog dormant.
Highlights: The last post, where El Chod pens a rewrite to Bruni's Wild Salmon review.
Mario Batali Will Not Be Held Accoutable for Time
On the current episode of Unclogged, Mario Batali's regular—and horrendously titled—video series for Serious Eats, the pasta king answers the question of why restaurants don't have clocks. There are two reasons, see. The first reason is so that diners are in no way reminded of the passing of time while enjoying a meal. The second is that no clocks allows him and his staff to interpret time in any way they wish. Say you think you've been waiting 20 minutes; actually, per the restaurant without clocks, it's only been 10. It's fun when Mario says such things himself, so that he can't blame us if this kind of jackass answer gives customers the wrong idea.
· Mario Unclogged: Clocks in Restaurants [SE]
Three Days of Offal: Fergus Henderson Comes to NY
Kalina On Assignment: Fergus Henderson, in chef's uniform, middle, at the Spotted Pig
The livers of New York's foodtelligensia are thanking their lucky stars this morning, the day after Fergus Henderson's three-day promo-blitz for his new book, Beyond Nose to Tail, has come to a close. For the uninitiated, Fergus Henderson is the legendary UK chef, whose first book From Nose to Tail put offal on menus all over the world. Here now, a look at the week that was:
1) Monday: Things were civil enough on Monday night, when the offal-obsessed Brit hosted a launch party for his new book "Beyond Nose to Tail Eating" at the Spotted Pig. Camapari cocktails were served, April Bloomfield doled out portions of suckling pig from a table in the dining room and Fergus signed books and chatted amiably. From there, as all chefs visiting NY are sworn to do, he went to sup late-night at Momofuku Ssam Bar.
Eater EXCLUSIVE Preview: Top Chef Finale
Published here courtesy of our colleagues on the West Coast.
You didn't think you could squeak by without some Top Chef rambling this week, did you? It's the finale people. The end is near. In fact, it's tomorrow and 'tis a doozy. Thanks to the kind folks at Bravo, Eater LA has this EXCLUSIVE clip of the finale. We admit, we watched it a few times to look for signs of the outcome, and we've got nothing. Damn them. But here's what we have: Casey, Hung and Dale get into the kitchen and start prepping for their final competition, the last supper, the one that takes it all. But if it really is the final meal, where are all the sous chefs?
BataliWatch: Mario on Kimmel, Holding Court at Mozza
If Mario Batali has only 10 minutes to talk on national TV, be sure he'll hawk everything with his name on it. Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he talked the Mozzas, B&B Ristorante in Vegas, Ernst Benz watches, panini pans and his private label Italian wines. When he dished on traveling around Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow for upcoming PBS show, Kimmel asked if Chris Martin knew about it. Batali said "He is the jealous type, but knows I'm benign." With Danny DeVito by their side, the trio make a big meatball mess and down some limoncello. You see who held their liquor best.
LATER: Mario holds court at Osteria Mozza >>Rocco Dispirito Making His Condé Nast (Cafeteria) Debut Tomorrow!
Condé Nast Cafe Menu: Chef's Table "Bertoli Rocco Dispirito Guest Chef". Courtesy of a top-level informant, at the moment embedded at Condé.
By special engagement, Rocco Dispirito, the once-celebrated, once-three-starred chef and current Bertoli spokesman will be cooking at the world famous Condé Nast cafeteria tomorrow. In related news, the soup at Condé, to match, will be Italian Wedding. It's hard to know what's worse: that he's agreed to do the gig or that it seems like a step in the right direction for him. Get your very own Rocco Edition Condé menu here!
Diddy to Daniel's Truffle Man: 'shave this bitch'
LX.TV, ne Code TV, drops the first of a four-part interview with Daniel Boulud today and we'd be lying if we said it wasn't worth watching. Among several choice sound bytes that SuChin Pak is able to coax out of the chef is one about Daniel's close friends P-Diddy and Jay-Z, who quite enjoy white truffle season. Restaurant Daniel servers know when the Diddy wants more truffle because he'll say, "shave this bitch" to indicate as such. Also worth hearing about is the booby-trap that Boulud's staff sets for celebrities who accept private tours of the kitchen.
· Daniel Boulud, Part I [lx.tv]
BREAKING: Ramsay's Two Hour Time Limit Returns?
Just before its grand NY debut, Gordon Ramsay took some flack regarding an alledged two hour time limit that was to be imposed on diners. Ramsay denied said charge, said his guests were welcome to sit as long as they wished, and all seemed well in the world again. But today, as part of our unexpectedly Ramsay afternoon, Eater has received some information to the contrary:
So after Ramey was quoted in the NY Post saying that the 2 hour time limit in his dining room was rubbish and "a mistake by a reservation agent" it appears the 'mistake' continues. My husband booked a table today for his sister and her boyfriend who will be in town in february from the UK. He was told specifically to tell them that there was a 2 hour time limit for dinner before you relinquish your table and move to a lounge to finish your drinks, etc. So I dont know if it was always the case for the London Bar (vs. the formal dining room) and he just failed to fess up to that or what....but according to the restaurant, the rule is definitely in place. Personally I have no interest in going to the London Bar or the formal dining room with that sort of nonsense in place.If true, this is going to leave a mark. There is no good reason why two hours need be a cut off, especially at a restaurant that promises a luxurious dining experience. The only real way to see what is happening, obvs, is to do a field inspection. Ramsay, you are on notice--and on the clock.
· Dining by Stopwatch [BruniBlog]
Katy Sparks Sells Soul, Takes Kitchen Post at Comix
1998 Food & Wine Best New Chef and Friend of The Buzz Katy Sparks has agreed to join Comix, an in-the-works comedy club coming soon to a Meatpacking District near you. Though neither Katy nor Comix has provided an official confirmation of the news, this story has been quietly percolating for several weeks now.
There is, for example, the job listing that appeared on the FCI jobs board:
Chef-CateringNo word yet on menus, opening particulars, or the specific terms of the deal that sent Sparks' soul straight to the MePa devil.
NYC restaurant/catering group, under the culinary leadership of award-winning Chef Katy Sparks, is looking for an ambitious and talented Chef to join this growing team. The company is committed to using only the highest quality ingredients in season, and they have recently purchased a farm upstate to supply the company with the freshest fruits and vegetables. The Chef would be part of a brand new comedy club setting featuring high-end regional American cuisine. This venue is in construction and is located in downtown Manhattan with a large, well-designed kitchen capable of creating high- end food at high volume. It is anticipated that the club will serve up to 300 covers a night , 7 nights a week, with additional private parties and catering.
· Intelligencer: Funny Business [NYM]
Bistro Du Vent Up for Sale (Deathwatch Special Report)
Mario Batali and Co. have put their two-star theatre district French, Bistro Du Vent, on the market, according to real estate firms Walker Malloy and Picken, who share the listing. For $400K in Batali Turn Key and $13.5K a month, it can be yours. We understand, however, that Chef Laurent Gras will likely not come with the space, though he'll keep his team in the kitchen right up until the sale.
Shocking as it is to find a Mario Batali restaurant less than immune to the laws of nature and economics, it isn't totally surprising to see that Mario is done trying to make a terribly located, perhaps ill-conceived, venue sing. He has clearly decided, not unreasonably, that his time is better spent focusing on the planned westward expansion and, say, keeping Del Posto afloat.
As we speak, official Deathwatch paperwork is being prepared.
· Commercial Properties: Bistro Du Vent [Walker Malloy]
· Bistro Du Vent [Picken Real Estate]
· Defying Trends with Meat and Potatoes [NYT]
Per Se's Benno and Momofuku's Chang F&W Best New Chefs
David Chang of Momofuku and Jonathan Benno of Per Se are among Food & Wine's best new chefs of 2006. The press release in full:
FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE NAMES PER SE'SContinue reading "Per Se's Benno and Momofuku's Chang F&W Best New Chefs"JONATHAN BENNO AND MOMOFUKU'S DAVID CHANG AMONG ITS 2006 BEST NEW CHEFS
— 18th Annual List Surprises Epicurean Enthusiasts with Unexpected Picks—
New York, NY (April 4, 2006) – Per Se's Jonathan Benno and Momofuku’s David Chang have earned the coveted Food & Wine Best New Chef title with eight other up-and-coming chefs nationwide, revealed Food & Wine Editor in Chief Dana Cowin today. The 2006 Food & Wine Best New Chefs will be celebrated at a party this evening at the Battery Maritime Building in New York, and will be featured in the annual chef issue available on newsstands June 15.
"I believe Food & Wine readers will agree that we're seeing amazing talent and innovation at all kinds of restaurants—from haute dining to noodle bars," explains Cowin. “Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2006 are testing the boundaries of culinary arts everywhere and succeeding at the highest levels.”
2006 F&W Best New Chefs:
Molto Mario: Selling Pans, Selling... Out?
Just in time (wait for it...) to accompany the impending Molto Mario Madness, as the man in clogs takes over as NASCAR's official chef and goes on the television circuit to promote it, comes today's Mario Batali profile, in Time (...zing!) Magazine.
It's a little bit skeptical, a little bit arch, and just a little bit flattering. Mostly, though, it's thorough. See Mario at the Chicago Home and Housewares Show. See him taking his kids to work. See him riding his Vespa to one of his thirteen Manhattan restaurants (let's just gloss over Bistro du Vent, shall we?). See him throwing the green flag at the NASCAR Pocono Raceway. See him, across the table from former New Yorker editor and pasta-making-apprentice Bill Buford, saying to his wife: "You will eat the pasta -- or I will rub the shrimp across your breasts."
If it sounds all fun and games, it isn't. Apparently (who knew?), running restaurants is serious business, as is making a bazillion dollars a year on sales of duck testicle pasta and grilled bladder, which brings us, of course, to sales and money-making. And after delivering 517 episodes of Molto Mario! to the Food Network (filmed eight a day, back-to-back, with nine-minute breaks in between), Batali's moved on to pots, pans, and opening up in Vegas. And while the piece is quick to point out he's not quite selling out at the level of Lagasse or Puck, it all just seems a little bit...excessive.
Then again, from the man who says (and could believe) that "wretched excess is just barely enough," it all makes perfect sense. Do we understand Batali better from this article? Yes. Do we like him better? Undecided.
· Super Mario! [Time]
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