Comic Patrice O’Neal Considers Himself a Big Buffet Dude
Patrice O’Neal became a comic after he decided he wasn’t really into football and has since gone on to host VH1’s Web Junk, as well as make appearances on HBO’s Def Jam Comedy Jam, Comedy Central, and The Office. If you catch his Valentine’s gig at Stand-Up NY tonight, you might hear him riff about his diabetes — “Why couldn’t the doctor tell me, ‘Patrice, you can never eat Brussels sprouts again’?” — and, sure enough, he’s taking measures to control his weight: “When you get close to 40, you start to feel those years of ham hocks.” Nevertheless, his eating philosophy flies in the face of Mireille Guiliano’s. He tells us, “I don’t go to any sexy places to eat where they give you half a lamb chop and one bean. I like going, ‘Uhhh, I’m done’ when I eat.” And where can a man find that experience?
Mediavore
No Rest for the Red Hook Vendors; Bourdain Considers ‘Top Chef’ Episode a WasteCan the Red Hook Vendors never rest? Now Cesar Fuentes is causing concern for resigning and threatening to sue the same people he represented. [NYT]
Bourdain considers Wednesday’s Top Chef a waste, as the producers snagged Eric Ripert only to “shoehorn him into a Scout jamboree” when “it would have been nice, given the all-too-rare presence of a distinguished specialist, to see what the kids could REALLY do with fish.” And why won’t Hung cook Vietnamese? [Bourdain’s Blog/Bravo]
Discrimination lawyer Marc Rapaport is surprised by his own defense of O’Reilly in a Times op-ed about the Sylvia’s incident, saying “it is apparent from [his comments’] context that O’Reilly was actually attempting to dispel racial stereotypes regarding African-Americans.” [PR Web]
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O’Reilly on Defense Over Sylvia’s; Osso Buco Owner Won’t Take Clinton DownBill O’Reilly says his comments at Sylvia’s were “cherry-picked” from a conversation about racial stereotypes. [AP]
Nino “thousand-dollar-pizza” Selimaj tells the Post that he won’t take down a photo taken of him with Chelsea Clinton from one of his restaurants even though Bill Clinton’s lawyer wants him to since that would set a bad precedent for the other photos he’s taken with boldfaced names: “We have Derek Jeter, we have Regis Philbin, we have Rudolph Giuliani, Danny Glover, Mariah Carey [and] Sopranos [castmates].” [NYP]
Related: We Try a $1,000 Pizza, Maintain That We Aren’t Publicity Tools
Tom Colicchio takes over Top Chef blogging duties from Bourdain and trades caustic commentary for a more scientific synopsis of what the contestants did wrong. [Tom’s Blog/Bravo]
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O’Reilly Amazed at Politeness of Black Diners; Insieme’s Paul Grieco Gets HisBill O’Reilly amazed upon dining at Sylvia’s in Harlem: “It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun.” [NYP]
Related: Black People, They’re Just Like Us! [Daily Intel]
Insieme co-owner Paul Grieco seamlessly manages both the front and back of the house, a talent often overlooked in restaurants. [NYT]
The Post’s top ten overrated restaurants include Nobu, the Corner Bistro, and the Carnegie Deli. [NYP]
The New York Diet
Minister and Hip-Hop Pioneer Kurtis Blow Downs Burgers Two at a Time
Harlem-born Kurtis Blow was one of the first rappers to hit the mainstream when he worked with Grandmaster Flash, Reverend Run, and Russell Simmons in the early eighties. Indeed his bio describes him as “rap’s first millionaire.” These days he’s a hip-hop minister (he has churches in New York, L.A., and Miami) and tours the country performing his groundbreaking hits as well as new cuts such as “God Bless Ya Ma.” So what does the author of “The Breaks” eat on his snack breaks? “I love my Nutter Butters,” he says, “and candy bars like PayDay and Butterfingers.” We asked him what else he ate during the week leading up to a rare hometown club appearance tonight.
Neighborhood Watch
Mysterious Note Leads to a Revelation in Brooklyn HeightsAstoria: Netteria Internet café, just opened, already slashing prices. [Joey in Astoria]
Brooklyn Heights: Mysterious notes in the window of the former Aficionada space lead to the revelation, after a cursory Web search, that the owners of Corner on Cranberry will open Busy Chef bakery there in April. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Clinton Hill: The old bodega spot on Waverly and Green may become a “place for nice dinners,” judging by the fact that someone has put in an application for a liquor license. And yes, we do believe that those are allowed near schools. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: Butter boys Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva will fill the club space on Fourth Avenue and 14th Street. [Down by the Hipster]
Harlem: The BBC has come all the way to Sylvia’s for “World Have Your Say,” a radio chat show happening at 1 p.m. tomorrow. [Uptown Flavor]
Lower East Side: Freemans now serves lunch. [Eater] Introducing the Bowery Whole Foods floor plan. [Curbed]
Midwood: The dirty, dirty truth behind DiFara’s closing exposed. [Gawker]
Soho: The coffee shop conspicuously called Local will open Friday on Sullivan and Houston. [A Test of Will]
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A Thanksgiving Planner for Which You Should Truly Be Grateful
We’ve pulled out all the stops on our Thanksgiving Planner, with recipes from the city’s top toques, an authoritative overview of takeout catering, and, in our favorite feature, recommendations for where to book tables. If only we’d had this earlier, it might’ve saved us dozens of disappointing turkey days. You can find restaurants, from Sylvia’s to Blaue Gans, in your neighborhood (or your in-laws’), peruse their menus, and read our mini-reviews. If you plan on eating out, delve into our guide and book right away. In the meantime, here are three general Thanksgiving tips.
