Zagat Buzz: Best of the Buzz

Outtake of the Week

BuzzEditor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:24:00 GMT

Why the attitude? No one else is eating here.

Dining News Elsewhere: Obese Americans, Ramsay Loses His Number Two

BuzzEditor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:11:00 GMT

– By 2018, 43% of Americans are expected to be obese. [NYDN]
– Gordon Ramsay has lost his right-hand man. [Bloomberg]
– The Senate is considering requiring beef to be tested for E. coli. [NYT]

– Top Chef contestants aren't being paid for the TV dinners that feature their faces (and recipes). [Time]
– First canned pumpkins, now an Eggo shortage looms. [NYDN]
– The art of complaining to a restaurant. [Guardian]
– A modest proposal for fixing restaurant and bar smoking bans. [Eater]
– Related: the science behind banning smoking outside. [Time]
– Ever wonder what it would be like to cook dinner for Thomas Keller? [Esquire]
– Talking cooking with Coolio. [Fork in the Road]
– NBC's newest cooking show, United Plates of America, will give away a four-restaurant chain. [Reuters]
– Hey, so, while you eat that sushi, this guy here is going to swallow a sword. [WSJ]
– Starbucks continues to roll out its unbranded coffee shops. [Diner's Journal]
– If New York loses its lawsuit, Tavern on the Green will become Tavern in the Park. [Crain's]
– Restaurants embrace Twilight. [NRN]
– Martha Stewart is not a fan of Rachael Ray. [ABC News, via EMD and GS]
– The Rolling Stones, the wine. [Examiner]
– Pork belly and other over-served dishes. [Between Meals]
– Students arrested for not paying their tip. [Philly]
– Plastic wishbones: what will the kids fight over? [SE]

Dining News Elsewhere: Koodies, Samuelsson Goes to Washington

BuzzEditor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:19:00 GMT

– Marcus Samuelsson will be working the kitchen at Obama's first state dinner. [Obama Foodorama]
– The fight for Cadbury intensifies. [WSJ]
– Chipotle sets its sights on London, Europe. [NRN]

– Costco drops Coke. [AP]
– Related: Coke bottles, 1899–1986. [Pixdaus]
– Milk producers wish they could sell their product "raw." [NYT]
– Hooters is having trouble in Vegas. [Eater]
– A canned pumpkin shortage looms. [Diner's Journal]
– Putting things in perspective with the Fat Map. [HP]
– Jamie Oliver wants to help you find a date. [Marketing]
– A Shake Shack in Boston looks increasingly possible. [GS:B]
– What a $20 Thanksgiving feast from Walmart gets you. [The Awl]
– A word we'd like to quickly forget? "Koodie." [SE]
– Foods named after people. [Mental Floss and Cakespy, via SE]
– They found water on the moon...can you drink it? [Slate]
– Making mushrooms with coffee grinds. [Chronicle, via Coldmud]
– Making art with meat, some wires, a videocamera and a stove. [EMD]

Bouchon Goes Beverly Hills

BuzzEditor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:52:00 GMT

Bouchon's roast chicken

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Nearly two decades after he cooked at Checkers in Downtown LA, über-chef Thomas Keller is returning to SoCal, bringing the third edition of his upscale French bistro, Bouchon (the others are in Yountville and Las Vegas), to an elegant Beverly Hills space across from the Montage Hotel; expect high ceilings, ornate wall treatments, a raw seafood bar – and the sort of buzz Keller generates wherever he goes; N.B. this location doesn't have a bakery, though one is planned for the future.

225 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-271-9910

Maialino Makes the NYC Scene

BuzzEditor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Maialino

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

To the revamped New York City Gramercy Park Hotel space that was Wakiya comes Maialino, an Italiano from restaurateur Danny Meyer, which takes its visual and culinary cues from the classic trattorias of Rome and, à la Gramercy Tavern, is divided into a casual (and cheaper) front bar section and a checked tablecloth–equipped rear dining room; connecting the two areas are counters showcasing its housemade bread and salumi, the latter of which stars on the moderately expensive menu that also features pastas, traditional entrees like the eponymous roast pig and an impressive formaggio selection.

2 Lexington Ave., New York City; 212-777-2410

Shindler's Dish: Amy Pressman's Market Burgers

BuzzEditor — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:39:00 GMT

When word spread across the blogosphere that Nancy Silverton was planning to open a hamburger stand in the original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, my reaction was: well, of course she is. Nancy made her bones by redefining (and refining) bread in Los Angeles at her iconic La Brea Bakery. After that, she changed the way we perceive pizza at Pizzeria Mozza. Then, she opted to fool around with mozzarella in its myriad forms at the adjacent Osteria Mozza. That she would focus her seemingly faultless sense of taste on the Great American Burger is natural. Indeed, if anything, she's a bit behind the curve – more than a few boldface names have foie grased and short-ribbed their creations already.

But there's no way that Nancy won't do something unique – it's not in her DNA to do the same old, same old. And so, we called her to find out where the process stands. But since chef Silverton would (famously) rather spend her time in the kitchen pounding bread dough, spinning pizzas and playing with soft cheese than actually talking about what she's doing, she had her partner in the burger project, Amy Pressman, call us back.

Amy, it should be added, may be the most famous chef in Los Angeles that you've never heard of. She's a diminutive sprite of a woman, who was one of Wolfgang Puck's original line cooks at Spago. In the years since, she's created the menu for the much-loved Parkway Grill in Pasadena (along with many of the other restaurants owned by the Smith brothers). For a decade, she ran the outlandishly indulgent Old Town Bakery. She's had her hand in a multitude of other restaurants, always behind the scenes. But when it comes to Nancy Silverton's burger joint, she's the designated spokes-chef. She's also having the time of her life – reinventing the burger is a lot more fun than reinventing the wheel.

Merrill Shindler: Amy! You and Nancy! All these years after you worked together at Spago – you're back together again!

Amy Pressman: Nancy is a partner in the burger place. She's intimately involved with the food. But she's not going to be behind the counter every night, like she is at the Mozzarella Bar at Osteria Mozza. Our arrangement is she'll be there as much as she can, and I'm happy to have her there as much as she can be. But right now, she's deep into it – we're figuring out every aspect of burger. The meat, the bun, the toppings, the cheese – there are lots of parts.

MS: Where in the market will it be?

AP: It's in the old Du-Par's Bakery. It's a two-story building – a stand downstairs, sit-down upstairs. The upstairs will open up, so it's sort of a crow's nest. You'll be able to look over the market, not just into it. At the moment, we call it Market Burger. We were thinking of Grass Burger, but Market Burger is what we're calling it right now.

MS: How did you and Nancy come together on burgers?

AP: We did a burger night at a small restaurant called Canelé. It was really fun. And we both share the same passion, always searching for the best of everything, and making it ourselves if we can't find it.

MS: Have you had fun researching burgers?

AP: I'll tell you, I've probably eaten more in the past six months than in the five years before it. It never ends. We've tried every component we could get our hands on. I'm extremely passionate about the possibilities of using grass-fed beef from Sonoma Direct. And Nancy has come up with a blend of Harris Ranch beef that's fabulous. We're dealing with some really juicy, delicious hamburgers.

MS: Where have you been going to taste burgers? You've got to do research after all...

AP: I grew up in Pennsylvania, eating at a place called Charlie's. It doesn't exist anymore. But I can still remember what it tasted like. It was the best. I've gone to every place that people recommended – and especially to taste the Daniel Boulud burger in New York. He started the upscale burger trend. It's an amazing thing – foie gras and ribeye in a burger. You'd be hard-pressed to finish it, and feel good afterward.

MS: What's feeling good afterward got to do with it?

AP: I'm much more into feeling good after you eat something than Nancy is. That's been a point of disagreement for us. But then, Nancy never finishes what's on her plate. She's a taster, just eating a bite. So, it's not an issue for her. It is for me – I finish everything. I used to eat the double cheeseburger with chili, bacon and a fried egg at Fatburger after a night of working at Spago. The whole burger.

MS: What makes a great burger?

AP: It's all about the proportions. The meat, the cheese, the bun, the crunchiness of the bun, the toppings – everything has to work together. Get one element out of whack, and it falls apart. I was at a place the other day, the burger was really good. But the bun was so over-toasted it cracked when you bit into it. That ruined the experience. It's all got to work.

MS: And when do you open?

AP: Not till next summer. The building is a tear-down. We're building it like a burger – from the ground up.

– Merrill Shindler

Nick Anderer: Meyer’s New Star at Maialino

BuzzEditor — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:15:00 GMT

Maialino

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Danny Meyer certainly knows how to pick ‘em. Chefs that is. The restaurants within his Union Square Hospitality Group have produced a good share of mega-stars: Michael Romano, Tom Colicchio, Marco Canora, Daniel Humm and Floyd Cardoz to name a few. Meet Meyer’s new rising star, Nick Anderer, who makes his debut as an executive chef at New York's Maialino within the Gramercy Park Hotel. Plucked from the kitchen of Gramercy Tavern, Anderer comes with a pedigree, having worked for Colicchio, Michael Anthony, Mario Batali and Larry Forgione. The Buzz chatted with the chef the morning after his first night of service.

Zagat Buzz: So we heard that Anna Wintour, Ruth Reichl, Dana Cowin and Alain Ducasse were all in the house on opening night? How did that go?

Nick Anderer: Yes, it’s true, they were all there. It went very well. It was all good to have that vibe in the house.

ZB: How do you know when a restaurant is ready to go when you’re opening it?

NA: It takes time. Any restaurant is a living organism that is going to grow over time. For me, I’ll know it’s there when I look up and see the big picture. Right now my head is focused on lots of small details trying to make that big picture come together. But the day where I can walk out of the kitchen comfortably and sit in that dining room and experience a meal is the day that I’ll say, “OK, this vision is at least getting there.” But the short answer is that you’re never going to be there, it’s something that’s going to continue to grow. There’s always a lot of unfinished business. And that’s the beauty of restaurants, and of Danny’s restaurants, because they stick around and you always have opportunity to improve on things.

ZB: Were there any special considerations opening within a hotel?

NA: Absolutely. It was something we had to think long and hard about. It is a situation that is unique and we were given the opportunity that a lot of hotel restaurants haven’t been given in the sense that we can function Maialino pretty autonomously. There’s a room service kitchen that is separate from the regular kitchen. I have basically transplanted a team of new chefs that are all people that I have worked with in restaurants, so my entire management team has a restaurant-geared mentality. Of course, opening a hotel restaurant comes with a certain amount of hesitation from a chef, I think that all those fears go away with the fact that we do pretty much function as a free-standing restaurant.

ZB: So what is your approach to the menu at Maialino?

NA: We’re doing hearty Italian food inspired by Roman trattorias. Every single neighborhood in Rome has had an impact on the menu. Danny and I spent several weeks there researching for the menu and this is kind of a greatest hits of all the things that we tried. And Danny and I both have a shared love affair for Rome that goes way back. Danny spent a lot of time there and I spent a full year my junior year of college studying art history there. That time was the spark for my culinary career – I came back to New York and started cooking. So it was that shared love of Rome that inspired this restaurant.

ZB: What are some of the signature dishes?

NA: I don’t like to say “signature dish” because there are so many things that we pride ourselves on. But some of the things that stand out in my mind are the bucatini all’amatriciana, coda alla vaccinara (oxtails with tomato and celery) and spigola al forno (baked whole sea bass). But despite the fact that we are sticking to the Roman canon the areas where we stray are in choosing the best ingredients. In any Roman trattoria the call is to what is really thriving at the market on that particular day. We’re not in Rome, we’re in New York, so we can’t make everything to the T. As a result we’re not going to have carciofi alla Romana every day. The things that we are coming up with on a daily basis are very market driven.

ZB: With so many Italian restaurants in New York, how do you feel that Maialino is going to stand out?

NA: Hopefully it will stand out because everyone who comes in will feel that they are getting a little slice of homeyness. I think the challenge for me as a chef is to try to make a pretty big restaurant feel smaller than it is. There’s love in each plate. I encourage all my cooks, with every single movement that they make throughout the day, to think about who they are cooking for. And we really take a lot of pride in the sourcing of our ingredients. That attention to detail will make us stand out.

ZB: This is the first kitchen that you have been in charge of as an executive chef. What have you learned from your years within the Union Square Hospitality Group that helps you to be a good leader in the kitchen?

NA: I have learned so much about building a cohesive unit and about putting together the perfect team. Danny Meyer really creates a great sense of family in all of his restaurants and makes every single person feel that their job is the most important job in the entire space. And every person takes pride in what they do because they feel valued. I have learned to make sure that every person realizes how important their job is. I think Danny is the master of making sure that each individual part of this big unit is functioning at a high level at all times.

– Kathleen Squires

Dining News Elsewhere: Buzzy Booze, Subway in the Sky

BuzzEditor — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:48:00 GMT

– The FDA is targeting caffeinated booze. [WSJ]
– Meanwhile, its efforts to ban eating raw oysters didn't work out so well. [NYT]
– Burger King franchisees lose 10¢ for every $1 double cheeseburger sold. [NRN]

– A special Subway franchise is set to rise up with the Freedom Tower in New York. [NYP]
– U.S. chicken production is set to fall for the first time in 36 years. [Reuters]
– Champagne sales are a bit flat these days. [NYT]
– Musicians do covers of other bands' hits, why shouldn't chefs cover other toques' recipes? [Guardian]
– Pinkberry's further expansion plans include Boston, DC, New Orleans and Mexico. [Eater]
– Why we read cookbooks. [The New Yorker]
– Want a new drug? Synthetic alcohol isn't out of the question. [Scotsman, via ColdMud]
– Just when we've gotten used to twist-off tops, get ready for wine in a plastic bottle. [Stuff]
– Things a restaurant patron should never do. [Applesauce]
– Related, 10 dirty restaurant tricks. [Slashfood]
– Peace through hummus. [Economist]
– Hard to turn down a "love dessert" made with passion fruit and...Viagra. [NYDN]

Outtake of the Week

BuzzEditor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:44:00 GMT

Authenticity has never been more perfectly faked.

NYC Restaurant Week Returns in January

BuzzEditor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:18:00 GMT

Fans of affordable dining, mark your calendars. New York City Restaurant Week returns for its winter engagement January 25–February 7, 2010. For those days, once again hundreds of local restaurants will be offering $24.07 three-course lunches and $35 three-course dinners. If you don't have your calendar handy though, don't worry. We'll remind you!

Dining News Elsewhere: Drink Preferences, Raw Oyster Brouhahah

BuzzEditor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:02:00 GMT

– A whole lot of info on what diners like to drink. [R&I]
– Should the FDA try to prevent you from eating raw oysters? [NYT, Slate]
– Burger King franchisees are suing over $1 double cheeseburgers. [Miami Herald]

– Meanwhile, McDonald's plans for the future. [CNN]
– The backlash to the list of waiter no-nos is on. [XX, Server not Servant]
– How to act around a celebrity chef. [Atlantic]
– The U.K. now has its own version of the Food Network. [Eater]
– Related: Emeril Lagasse is planning a prime-time variety show not on the Food Network. [ABC]
– Mario Batali makes his film debut in The Fantastic Mr. Fox. [WSJ]
– Heston Blumenthal plans a wildly expensive Christmas dinner for a TV special featuring ambergris, aka whale vomit. [Sun]
– Jamie Oliver has seen a backlash for the salt content of his pasta sauces. [Guardian]
– Cooking With Coolio, the cookbook, is now on sale. [EMD]
– Remembering New York City's 1935 ban on baby artichokes. [Diner's Journal]
– Don't be embarrassed to dine out alone. [Between Meals]
– Raising a vegetarian child without the conflict. [LAT]
– Can drunken fruit flies help cure alcoholism? [Wired]
– Looking to find free grub for the rug rats? Try here. [Kids Eat For, via SE]
– Deep-fried turkey disasters. On video. [EMD]

Outtakes: Cruise Lines Edition

BuzzEditor — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:20:00 GMT

Each time we perform a survey here at Zagat we inevitably find ourselves with a slew of amusing outtakes that aren't quite fit for print. Which doesn't mean they aren't entertaining. Here are a few of our favorites from our just completed Cruise Lines survey:

A conga line is not conducive to good digestion.

No activities for anyone who isn't an alcoholic seeking random sex.

They cater to the newly wed and nearly dead.

Great if you like hairy chest contests.

A rust bucket filled with rowdy people.

The more you booze, the better you cruise.

Bathrooms so small you have to sit on the toilet sideways.

It does attract a crowd – it's called ‘God's floating waiting room.'

Zagat's First Cruise Lines Survey Sets Sail

BuzzEditor — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:17:00 GMT

If you’re thinking of taking to the seas in the near future, you’ll want to check out the just-released results of Zagat's first-ever Cruise Lines survey. Drawing on the insights of 2,379 cruisegoers, the survey names favorites in three different ship sizes – large (Royal Caribbean), mid-size (Crystal Cruises) and small (Windstar Cruises) – and also offers rankings in everything from cabins and service to dining and activities. Looking for a deal in these lean times? The "Best for Budget Cruises" winners are Carnival, Costa and Norwegian. For the full results, click here.

Talking High Stakes With Michael Mina

BuzzEditor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Michael Mina

Photo: Hernan F. Rodriguez

With an award-winning cookbook, accolades including a James Beard Foundation Best Chef award and 17 restaurants across the country, chef Michael Mina is a household name in the industry. During the the Savor Borgata event in Atlantic City, where Mina was cooking for 700 people, the Buzz sat down with the chef to find out, among other things, what he considers to be his biggest gamble of his career.

Zagat Buzz: Welcome to the East Coast! What are you preparing for tonight’s event?

Michael Mina: I’ll be making a Nantucket bay scallop ceviche with horseradish panna cotta and tomato gelee, and a butter-poached lobster with sweet-potato crepe and coconut curry broth.

ZB: Your restaurants are a popular draw in Las Vegas and here in Atlantic City. Did you open restaurants in these spots because you like to gamble?

MM: (Laughs). No, no, I don’t gamble at all. I enjoy it, but I have too many restaurants in casinos that I would end up writing them a check every month!

ZB: What do you consider as the biggest gamble you’ve taken in your career?

MM: Probably when I left Aqua in San Francisco and ventured out on my own to open Michael Mina. I put a lot of money and time in the establishment, and that was a big gamble. Thankfully, it worked out.

ZB: Why haven’t you placed your bets on a restaurant in New York City yet?

MM: I absolutely love New York, but there are a couple of reasons that I'm not there. The main reason is that I enjoy NY too much. My best friend lives there, and when I go I really enjoy myself. I'm not saying that I wouldn't enjoy myself if I opened a restaurant there, but it would be different and I would feel a lot more pressure. Plus, there are just so many big chefs in New York, so if I am going to open there, I will have to put in an enormous amount of effort. I have two young boys right now so the timing isn’t right for the focus and effort required.

ZB: How much do you feel that dining guides affect your business?

MM: All of the guides affect business. Zagat especially has an enormous impact on the restaurant business here in the U.S. But dining guides are important for the restaurant business around the world.

ZB: How many restaurants are you planning on opening in 2010?

MM: The only restaurant we have planned to do right now is American Fish in Las Vegas’ CityCenter. I am really excited about it, as the opening is really right around the corner. I did a walk through of the building last week and it is beautiful, really spectacularly designed. I have a lot to live up to there.

–Kathleen Squires

Dining News Elsewhere: Arby's Troubles, Food-Fight Arrests

BuzzEditor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:56:00 GMT

– Trying to save New Orleans' po' boys. [NYT]
– 25 children were recently arrested in Chicago for...a food fight. [NYT]
– The recession has been especially hard on Arby's. [Slate]

– Meanwhile, Uno Express has opened 160 locations in the past 15 months. [BG]
– Consumers expect to spend less on dining out next year. [NRN]
– Starbucks tries a new look out in London. [BrandRepublic, via Eater]
– Obama's pastry chef, the "Crustmaster." [AP]
– Top Chef contestant Dale Levitski takes over Chicago newcomer Sprout. [GS: C]
– Despite being an international restaurateur himself, Gordon Ramsay blasts international restaurant chains. [Daily Record]
– The Food Network seeks America's worst cooks. [Variety]
– Related: What Would Brian Boitano Make? gets picked up for a second season. [EMD]
– Health-wise, is chocolate milk the new red wine? [NYT]
– Related: finally, a scientific reason why red wines (mostly) don't go well with fish. [Economist]
– Actually? French women do get fat. [Reuters]
– Why must restaurant websites be so terrible? [Between Meals]
– An undrinkable beer from the Hindenburg disaster is up for sale. [NYP]
– A tofurky-flavored soda? [SE]

V Is for Valentino

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:02:00 GMT

Valentino

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Piero Selvaggio has opened this latest branch of his venerable Santa Monica–born Italian Valentino in Houston’s sleek Hotel Derek, occupying the former home of Bistro Moderne; extravagant multicourse meals are dished out in a modern yet cushy setting done up in dark tones and crimson, while the adjacent less-formal space is home to the stylish Vin Bar spotlighting a wide range of small plates, crudo and wines.

2525A W. Loop S., Houston; 713-850-9200

Turkey Time: Thanksgiving '09

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:54:00 GMT

Photo: Ion Sokhos

A Thanksgiving dinner where you don't have to clean up afterward is truly something to be thankful about. Find out which restaurants are offering meals for gobbling on November 26 in the following cities:

Jean-Georges Goes to Market

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:01:00 GMT

Market

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

For his first Boston venture, the New American Market in the Theater District’s W hotel, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has put together a moderately priced menu of ‘greatest hits’ from his other restaurants, featuring dishes peppered with French, Pan-Asian and Italian influences and served in sexy white-and-brown environs overlooking Tremont Street; N.B. the adjacent Living Room lounge serves small plates and boxed lunches from the restaurant.

100 Stuart St., Boston; 617-310-6790

Zagat To Go, Now On Android

BuzzEditor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:21:00 GMT

Finally, something that both the iPhone and the Droid does: Zagat To Go, our popular smartphone application for finding ratings and reviews of over 40,000 restaurants, hotels, nightlife and shopping worldwide, has come to Google's Android phone OS. And not only can you search for your favorite spots, the home-screen widget will offer you a randomly selected nearby restaurant for you to try. To get the app, which costs just $9.99, point your finger to the Android Marketplace.

Chefs Place Their Bets at the Borgata

BuzzEditor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:22:00 GMT

Photos: Hernan F. Rodriguez

Celeb chefs and 700 food fans gathered at The Water Club in Atlantic City this weekend for the second-annual Savor Borgata event. Wolfgang Puck worked his station for over four hours straight, serving up pad Thai, grilled shrimp, steak and scallop skewers, and Chinese chicken salad. When the Buzz asked the super chef if he was a gambling man, he responded that he used to be but since opening restaurants, he rarely gambles: “Opening a restaurant is a gamble in itself because of the investment of time and money. But unlike blackjack, if people sit at our table at least they get something for their money!” Puck also responded to rumors of opening an NYC spot, “It hasn’t happened yet, because I am very difficult, but it may finally happen.”

Bobby Flay took some time between assembling surf ‘n’ turf skewers to tell the Buzz about his recent visit to the White House to film an episode of Iron Chef America. “No matter what your politics are, I just found the Obamas so impressive as people. And the White House seemed to be a house in every sense of the word. The first lady can go from being as professional as she could possibly be as first lady, then spin on her heels and become mom two seconds later. The President made me feel so comfortable, he made me feel like I knew him 30 seconds into it.” When Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming came by to introduce herself, Flay was so awestruck he asked the Buzz to take a picture of him with the famous figure skater-turned-winemaker (her label Fleming-Jenkins provided wine for the event).

Geoffrey Zakarian, who is the culinary consultant for the hotel, served beef tartare with mostarda and pickled chanterelles. The chef said even though he’s not by nature a gambling man, his biggest gamble in life was leaving business school for cooking school. He confided to the Buzz about being a Chopped judge, saying, “There is certainly a lot of nonsense in reality TV because everyone wants to be a star, and everyone wants to think they are a chef. But in the real world, in a restaurant, we have to find competent people who understand what's on TV is not real. You can cook in 30 minutes but can you run a kitchen day after day? Can you make your money back to investors? The people who can't cut it get ground to the dust very quickly.” Zakarian also confirmed that his new NYC spot, The Lamb’s Club, his “luxury bar and grill” in Midtown’s Chatwal Hotel, is on target for a spring opening.

Other chefs in the house: Fornelletto's Stephen Kalt, who said that his recent opening in Atlantic City foreshadows a return to NYC; izakaya’s Michael Schulson; and SeaBlue’s Michael Mina.

– Kathleen Squires

Dining News Elsewhere: Kraft Goes Hostile, Food Cart Love

BuzzEditor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:55:00 GMT

– Cadbury has rejected Kraft's hostile £9.8 billion bid. [WSJ]
– McDonald's is set to launch a $1 breakfast menu. [WSJ]
– How did food carts become media darlings? [BlackBook]

– Related: a clever Pratt student comes up with a way to eat street food on the street. [Midtown Lunch]
– Ruby Tuesday has spent upwards of $100 million to upgrade its brand. [NYT]
– The birth of Subway's $5 foot-long. [Bussiness Week]
– Celebrating Veteran's Day with restaurant deals. [NRN]
– It had to happen: a Twitter-based reservation service launches in SF. [GS:SF]
– Frank Bruni's Born Round, the TV show?. [GS:NY]
– David Chang blogs his book tour for GQ. [GQ]
– Did Gossip Girl stop the "speakeasy" trend in its tracks? [The Atlantic]
– Foods that can cause headaches. [Divine Caroline]
– One angry diner. [NYP]
– American fast food you can't get in the U.S. [SquidInk, via Eater]

Outtake of the Week

BuzzEditor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:00 GMT

It was good, but not nearly as good as the employees kept telling me.

Dining News Elsewhere: Obesity and Cancer, Bacon-Wrapped Matzoh Balls

BuzzEditor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:53:00 GMT

– A baguette dropped by a bird stopped the Large Hadron Collider. [Times]
– Linking obesity and cancer. [MSNBC]
– Scripps (which owns the Food Network) sets its sights on the Travel Channel. [EMD]

– Jamie Oliver, upholder of justice. [Telegraph]
– How wine became a "fast food." [Daily Beast]
– Daniel Boulud sets his sights on London. [Bloomberg]
– LA's Orso prepares for a final bow. [NYT]
– A long chat with Gordon Ramsay. [Telegraph]
– Not kosher: Ilan Hall's bacon-wrapped matzoh balls. [Jewish Journal]
– 7-Eleven gets ready to roll out its own wine. [MSNBC]
– Why Guinness can taste different in Ireland (and elsewhere). [Accidental Hedonist]
– Will laser etchings replace fruit and vegetable stickers? [Gizmodo]
– Portion sizes, then and now. [DivineCaroline]
– How exactly does Jell-O work? [BG]
– Meat, the fabric. [EMD]
– Cookie monster cupcakes love cookies. [Leila Cohan]

Shake Shack Flies South

BuzzEditor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:36:00 GMT

Hear that? That's the sound of a squeal of joy coming from Florida. Why? Because Danny Meyer's New York institution Shake Shack has set its sights on Miami for its first operation outside of New York. Opening sometime in spring/summer 2010, the new Shack will be located in a new development at 11 11 Lincoln Road on Lenox Avenue. The only real question is, will Miami flip for the same Shackburgers, concretes and long lines that New Yorkers have grown to love so much?

Ricardo Cardona: Chef to the Champions

BuzzEditor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:42:00 GMT

Ricardo Cardona, chef to the Yankees

Last night the Yankees clinched the World Series for the first time in nine years. Some chalk it up to good coaching, a brand-new stadium or a roster of players dedicated to teamwork. But something else happened within the past year that might have fueled the victorious season: a new chef at the stadium. Chef Ricardo Cardona stepped in to cook for the Bronx Bombers at home games. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Manhattan, Cardona has emerged as one of the city’s eminent Latino chefs with his restaurants Sazon, Sofrito, Hudson River Café and Mamajuana Cafe. What is he feeding these champs? We caught Cardona between games to talk about the team’s favorite eats.

Zagat Buzz: Were you always a Yankee fan?

Ricardo Cardona: I became a Yankee fan while cooking for them, because I really didn’t care much about baseball before that. Once I started cooking for them, I became friends with them. I became a Yankee fan, and now I feel I am part of the family.

ZB: How did you become the chef for the New York Yankees?

RC: I used to work in a restaurant called Jimmy’s Bronx Café back in 1999–2000. The restaurant was five minutes away from Yankee Stadium. I met a family there called the Cucuzza family, who takes care of the clubhouse. They were regular customers, and we became friends. They would ask me to cater for the Yankees all the time. When Jimmy’s Bronx Café closed, we kept in contact, and they asked me to cater for them still because they liked my food. So I kept catering for them no matter what restaurant I was working at. Last year they asked one of my restaurants, the Hudson River Café, to do the All-Star Game. I cooked for all the players, both the American and National League, three meals each day – and they liked it. After that they asked me about the possibility of helping out right at the stadium instead of catering, because the stadium opened and they weren’t happy with the restaurants there. So they called and told me they needed someone to create a menu every week for the home players and the visiting teams. I pulled one cook out of my restaurants and placed him to be there every day when the Yankees are in town. During the day, he cooks sandwiches or eggs for them, and then I cook the big meal at night. Every day the Yankees have a different theme at the buffet table, so I’ll follow that, and I’ll cook for the visiting team whatever I want.

ZB: Do the players often have special menu requests?

RC: Sometimes if they are doing special training, or are on a special diet, they will ask for something in advance. For example, Mariano Rivera once requested watercress juice. But, really, they are very simple guys. When they’re hungry, they’ll eat anything.

ZB: What was on the menu for the World Series?

RC: Seafood paella, that’s one of their favorites. Grilled shrimp, pork chops. Skirt steak. Rice and beans.

ZB: So what do you take into account when planning a menu for World Champions?

RC: You have to have fiber, vegetable, protein – fish, chicken or meat, and then how it’s prepared is really up to me. I always offer a lot of beans or lentils too.

ZB: What restaurant recommendations do you have for fans near the stadium?

RC: Well, I run a restaurant called Hudson River Café on 135th Street and 12th Avenue in Manhattan, and there’s the steakhouse at the Fairway too. I recommend eating in that area because of the parking. It’s easy to park your car there, then hop in a taxi to the stadium and you are there in five minutes.

ZB: Where do the players like to eat?

RC: The Latino players like to go to Dyckman Street to some of the Dominican restaurants and other Latino spots. I used to see Melky Cabrera all the time at Lua in Hoboken. A lot of them go to my spot Sofrito on 57th Street, one of the few Puerto Rican restaurants in New York. They like it because we do very homey-style Puerto Rican food there. Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera love Sofrito.

ZB: What’s A-Rod’s favorite dish?

RC: He likes lean foods – low-fat, low-butter – and sweet potato and apple purée. He actually taught my cook how to make it.

ZB: Does Derek Jeter have a favorite dish?

RC: Well, he was upset because the reporter who wrote an article in the Daily News recently said he eats pork, and that’s not true. He does not eat pork. I don’t know why that reporter wrote that. But Jeter likes grilled chicken breast. Grilled chicken on whole wheat bread is one dish he eats a lot. He is very self-disciplined. He is the captain and you’ve got to lead by example, so he eats very healthy.

ZB: Do you feel your menu affects whether the Yankees win?

RC: I wish I could say that! But I think it’s their playing.

– Kathleen Squires

Dining News Elsewhere: An Illy Invasion, Iron Chef in the White House

BuzzEditor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:08:00 GMT

– Illy is making inroads into U.S. coffee shops. [WSJ]
– Gordon Ramsay is planning to bring the popular MasterChef to the U.S. [THR]
– Sam Kass: assistant White House chef, policy wonk. [NYT]

– Related: Iron Chef America heads to the White House. [NYT]
– After 17 years, Jean-Georges is shutting down Vong. Though maybe not for long? [Eater]
– Learning to compost in Chicago's public schools. [Chicago Tribune]
– More on the affect of calorie counts on menus. [NYT]
– The Kogi Truck folks in LA have their own custom car now. [Mouthing Off]
– Kids menus should grow up. [BG]
– What does your beer choice say about you? [AdAge]
– Yellow Tail isn't the only Aussie wine, y'know. [WSJ]
– One 225,000-ton ship, more than 24 dining options. [EMD]
– Grant Achatz stands sternly in front of an airplane. [GS:C]
– Is it a steak house or a gay bar? [SteakHouseorGayBar]

Life in the Slow Lane

BuzzEditor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:35:00 GMT

Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town

Photo: courtesy of Welcome Books

The Slow Food Movement shows no signs of, well, slowing down, as evidenced by the release of Welcome Books’ Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town. Written by Douglas Gayeton, the book combines gorgeous photo illustrations and essays to tell the story of slow food through the lives of farmers, mushroom hunters, bakers and butchers in the small town of Pistoia in Tuscany, Italy. Legendary chef Alice Waters provides the intro, while the movement’s founder, Carlo Petrini, pens the preface. To celebrate the release of the book, restaurants across the country are hosting special dinners on November 18, with Gayeton appearing at Waters’ Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkeley, CA. Other participants include Yountville’s Bardessono, Washington DC’s Dino, Brooklyn’s the Good Fork, LA’s Grace and many more. For more information about the events, visit www.welcomebooks.com/slow/11-18.

Fabio Wants To Whip You Into a Firenze

BuzzEditor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Fabio Viviani

Photo: courtesy of Bravo TV

Linguistically challenged Top Chef veteran Fabio Viviani has taken over North Hollywood’s old Barsac Brasserie space and made it into Firenze Osteria, where he’s hoping to draw foodies from nearby Universal Studios hungry for a taste of dishes from Florence, Italy; the well-aged art adorning the walls of the warm space looks as if it were lifted directly from the Arno.

4212 Lankershim Blvd., Los Angeles; 818-760-7081

Walking (and Tasting) the Town

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:30:00 GMT

In cities as foodie-friendly as New York and Philadelphia, sometimes even locals need a guide for eating adventures. Enter City Food Tours, run by Joyce and Robert Weinberg (who owned Beyond Measure in Philly), which leads walking tasting tours seven days a week in both cities. The tours themselves vary dramatically, with everything from a Top Chef tour to an ethnic-food trip around NoLita to a craft beer and artisanal cheese tasting in Philly. All include access to good food, good company and a touch of exercise. Interested? Book now and mention Zagat to get 20% off two or more tickets (prices vary; call 215-360-1996 for Philadelphia tickets; 212-535-8687 for New York tickets; for more information click here).

Keep on Truckin' ... With Lists!

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:14:00 GMT

Green Truck on the Go

Photo: courtesy of the truck

With so many food trucks using Twitter these days, keeping track of all those tweets can make your head spin. But by utilizing Twitter's new lists feature, we've made the truckin' life a little easier. With a combined 63 food trucks and counting, our Food Truck lists for NYC, LA and Austin are your one-stop shops for street-meat tweets.

Dining News Elsewhere: PBR For Sale, Wading Into the Tip Pool

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:41:00 GMT

– Talking with the troubled Ciprianis. [Vanity Fair]
– The brewery behind PBR and Schlitz is for sale. [NYP]
– Restaurants seek to better manage tip pools. [NRN]

– Western foods are gaining in China. [ABC]
– Where have all the Angostura bitters gone? [Bostonist]
– Who gets all of those 7 PM reservations, anyway? [Between Meals]
– The last days of Gourmet. [Last Days of Gourmet]
– Nation's Restaurant News to go biweekly. [Food Writer's Diary]
– Who needs to tip when you can buy the chef a beer? [GS:C]
– 222.5 pounds? Now that's a big meatball. [MSNBC]
– Could you eat 78 pieces of cutlery? Would you? [Daily Mail, via EMD]
– The manually operated hamburger vending machine. [JapanProbe]

Cooking With Coco

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:03:00 GMT

David Chang's pork neck with succotash

Photo and recipe: courtesy of Phaidon Press

For its latest cookbook, Coco, Phaidon Press turned to 10 world-leading chefs – Ferran Adrià, Mario Batali, Shannon Bennett, Alain Ducasse, Fergus Henderson, Yoshihiro Murata, Gordon Ramsay, René Redzepi, Alice Waters and Jacky Yu – to each pick 10 contemporary chefs from around the world. In turn, each of those chefs then wrote a menu and recipes for the book. The final product is more than 400 pages of gorgeous photographs, mouthwatering recipes and interesting tidbits from kitchens around the world. Want a taste? After the jump, get the recipe for pork neck with succotash from New York chef David Chang (of the Momofuku empire).

Pork Neck with Succotash
Serves 4
Recipe by David Chang

For the pork neck
300 g kosher salt
270 g sugar
6 liters hot water
2 bay leaves
25 g black peppercorns
6 liters cold water
10 g pink salt
1 pork neck

Mix the salt, sugar, hot water, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.
Mix the cold water with the pink salt.
Add the pork neck and confit 5 hours at 300°F (150°C) covered.
When tender, press between 2 sheet trays. Portion into serving size pieces.
Crisp on a griddle or pan to heat through.

For the succotash
100 g ground (minced) smoked, think-cut pork belly
12 g chanterelle mushrooms
250 g lima (butter) beans
175 g corn (sweetcorn) kernels
Butter for sautéing
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
4 ml buttermilk
120 g butter
130 g arugula (rocket)

Sauté the pork belly, chanterelles, lima beans, and corn in a pan.
Finish with a pinch of salt and pepper, chopped tarragon, buttermilk, butter, and arugula.

Outtake of the Week

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:57:00 GMT

A bit out of the way and not worth finding.

Dining News Elsewhere: Menu Labeling Goes National, No More Kitchen Nightmares

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:49:00 GMT

– Menu labeling hops onto health-care reform. [NRN]
– 2009 had the worst honey crop on record. [Daily Green, via GS:C]
– Not with a bang, but a whimper. Ramsay kills Kitchen Nightmares. [The Sun]

– The return of the milkman. [WSJ]
– Restaurants look to Halloween for a boost. [NRN]
– The White House garden, by the numbers. [Obama Foodorama]
– Europe's eel population is slipping away. [WSJ]
– Costco is getting ready to accept food stamps. [CityRoom]
– Hooters is facing a lawsuit for making its waitresses buy their uniforms. [NYP]
– Just try and top this Halloween dish. [Not Martha]
– 100-year-old whiskey, anyone? [GlobalPost]
– In Illinois, 100 hours of community service or...a tray of jerk chicken? [Chicago Tribune]

ZAGAT.mobi, Now With Your Tweets

BuzzEditor — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Read the latest Twitter entries on ZAGAT.mobi

ZAGAT.mobi just got Twitter-fied. Now when you look up restaurants on our award-winning mobile website, not only can you access our trusted ratings and reviews, you can also read up-to-the-minute comments about the restaurant on Twitter. You don't have to download or install anything to get in on the fun – simply visit ZAGAT.mobi on any web-enabled phone, be it an iPhone, a BlackBerry or a Pre, and see what people are saying about your favorite spot. Now that's something to tweet about.