‘Bon Appétit’ Brawl Continues: In Defense of Home Cooking
Grub Street pal Adam Roberts, known to the world as the Amateur Gourmet, penned a defense of home cooks today, pegged on our recent “incendiary” remarks about Bon Appétit. (Has that phrase ever been written before?) Roberts stands up for the home cook: “You may not find us in the glossy pages of New York Magazine, but you will find us at our kitchen table, laughing with friends, and digging into a slice of homemade apple pie.” Don’t get us wrong: New York is devoted to home cooking, and in fact, we have a pretty sizable recipe database which you can draw from. As far as our position here on Grub Street, though, we think we’re being misunderstood.
Mediavore
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]
NewsFeed
Amateur Gourmet: Real Book, Virtual TourAdam Roberts, the self-styled “Amateur Gourmet,” has been getting so much play lately that he may have to get a new sobriquet. First came his elevation into the Serious Eats family, then an appearance in the New York Times, and his book, The Amateur Gourmet, drops today. Like his counterpart Danyelle Freeman, Roberts is riding the blog gravy train straight to the top. But unlike Freeman, whose new gig at the Daily News is strictly old media, Roberts is promoting his new book with a “virtual book tour” that will bring him to practically every food blog you can think of, and not a few that you can’t think of. “I’m doing a Q&A with Ruhlman, and visiting Orangette, David Leibovitz, Gluten Free Girl, and The Girl Who Ate Everything over the next few weeks,” he tells us. Gluten Free Girl? There will be one real-world reading, at the Park Slope Barnes & Noble on September 24. For the rest of the tour, Roberts is dancing with the one that brung him. We can’t say we would argue with that plan.
Amateur Gourmet [Official Site]
Back of the House
Read All About Restaurant Bloggers; Everybody Loves GnudiThe Amateur Gourmet interviews Mario Batali, but he’s too starstruck to get tough with the chef (like he did with Sirio). One highlight: Batali insists that you can in fact drink a whole case of wine in one sitting. [Serious Eats]
It’s not an official review or anything, but Bruni ate at Maremma and wasn’t crazy about it. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
There are apparently a number of New York City “food bloggers” who have some influence on the restaurant business. [NYT]
The Other Critics
The Amateur Gourmet Goes Power Mad
Everyone likes a free meal, and bloggers are especially adept at schnorring them from restaurants who hope for good publicity in return. But no one does it with quite the audacity of the Amateur Gourmet, the world-class mooch whose Wellfed food-blog award we recently lauded. In a new post on Serious Eats, the Gourmet treats us to an especially shocking dose of his trademark hubris.
Back of the House
Levine Gets Serious; Playbill Plays Dirty; Automat Could Be OutEd Levine launches food portal in cooperation with A Hamburger Today, Amateur Gourmet, Slice, and others. [Ed Levine Eats]
Feud between Bamn! owners could mean end of automat renaissance. [NYS]
Actors reportedly bribed to recommend advertiser restaurants in Playbill. [Amateur Gourmet]
Club crackdowns continue after Sean Bell shooting. [NYDN]
State Liquor Authority to perform background checks on bar employees. [NYP]
