The Feedbag (Free subscription) | 24/12/2008
Chefs like Michael Shlow (right) need their underlings. But do they have to actually write the menus? Really? Forbes has a nice feature today about celebrity chefs and the men who actually cook at their restaurants. This is old news, of course — everyone from Alan Richman to the guy at the laundry have pointed it out, [...]
Eat. Drink. Better. (Free subscription) | 18/12/2008
All Champagne is sparkling wine made through the “Methode Champenoise.” But not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Wine writer Alan Richman in the December 2005 issue of Bon Appetit magazine bombastically wrote: Say what you will about California Sparklers - which are to French Champagne what paddlefish eggs are to beluga caviar - they will not transport you to a fantasy world, unless...
Eater (Free subscription) | 17/12/2008
... lighter on the eyes. Our next shock was the food...The kitchen's gotten sharper..." [NYP] Alan Richman , who didn't like the authentic pinxtos joints in San Sebastian, is unimpressed with Alex Raij's New York version : "Is Txikito fun? Except for my ever-patient waitress, not really...There’s barely any music, and the neighborhood crowd is pretty drab, too...I grew weary of food that...
Eater (Free subscription) | 10/12/2008
Ken Friedman and April Bloomfeld's The John Dory is barely two weeks old and already Alan Richman, Ruth Reichl, and half a dozen bloggers and Yelpers have filed reports, while a number of major critics have been spotted in...
Grub Street - New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog (Free subscription) | 10/12/2008
"At Corton [Paul] Liebrandt finds the sweet spot between disciplined cooking and intricate, imaginative leaps," Frank Bruni declares. [ NYT ] Related: Corton's Menu, Illustrated Alan Richman calls April Bloomfield “America’s leading practitioner of the unlikely art of making British-style food taste good.” He is impressed with the John Dory , and with the chef’s skills: “It seems remarkable...
Eater (Free subscription) | 05/12/2008
At a media lunch to celebrate the release of On The Line , a new hardcover that catalogs, chronicles and celebrates the masterpiece that is Le Bernardin , written by Eric Ripert and Chritine Muhlke, a handful of journalists—and us, and blogger Florence Fabricant—were lucky enough to get an extended tour of the facility. How to spot a four star seafood restaurant without tasting the food, as Alan...
Eater (Free subscription) | 10/12/2008
... called an "out-and-out deal" and "heroically less expensive" than its peers right about now. [NYT] Alan Richman files early on The John Dory and is enraptured by April Bloomfeld and her "single handed" attempt to bring excellent British food to the States . But there are some things you need to keep in mind: "At a time when fine dining is becoming more and more casual, The John Dory...
Eater (Free subscription) | 03/12/2008
... Even though his wine is corked, he hates the decor, and his waiter is a white truffle pusher, Alan Richman enjoys his time at A Voce : " Missy Robbins’s food was exceptional , not simply because it tasted good but because it was unusually multifaceted for Italian cuisine...By the end of the meal, my now-jolly friend and I had even forgiven the waiter and the wine guy." [GQ] The Cuozz...
Grub Street - New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog (Free subscription) | 26/11/2008
Frank Bruni is enthusiastic about Double Crown 's colonial conceit, almost in spite of himself. "As kooky and borderline scary as all of this sounds, Double Crown makes it work, and work well, for several reasons," he asserts. [ NYT ] Related: A Photo Tour of Double Crown's Menu Alan Richman visits Center Cut in Lincoln Center and is rightfully wary of any steakhouse that serves better...
