By
Clint Rainey
He'll show 'em how it's done.Photo: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX
Looks like kitchen masochist Gordon Ramsay is ready for a new kind of nightmare with the announcement that he's going to Caesars in Atlantic City, where he'll presumably demonstrate how, exactly, one runs a proper casino restaurant. The timing really seems awful — one week after $2.4 billion seaside crown jewel Revel closed entirely, and one week before Trump Plaza announced its own closing date.
He'll be neighbors with Guy Fieri.
By
Hugh Merwin
Talk about gold-plating!Photo: Courtesy of J.B. Prince
If you follow any chefs on Instagram or Twitter, you may have noticed a recent uptick of photos depicting this gold spoon, gleaming in its luxury presentation box like some sort of fairy-tale flatware. The limited-edition Gray Kunz Spoon is a 20th anniversary edition of perhaps one of the most underrated and universally used pieces of cooking equipment deployed by professionals, and now everyone from Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food to Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd seems to be stocking up on the gilded version. It was released last week and retails for $39, and its popularity has a lot to do with the guy who created it.
"All gold everything ..."
By
Clint Rainey
Sparks Steak House, where it all didn't go down.
Back in July, Yelp user "Besfort S." seemingly had some sort of malicious motive when he or she warned prospective Sparks Steak House customers that he'd "personally spit my own saliva into dishes for the passed three weeks now," and smart diners might wanna "double check" their food because the venerated 50-year-old NYC institution actually "condones it to guests who give us attitudes." The outrageous lie — which Yelp soon deleted — "wrongfully defamed and libeled" Sparks, the restaurant's lawsuit argues. As you might imagine, Sparks's legal team is now pretty curious to learn the legal name of "Besfort S.," and you may have already guessed that Yelp isn't telling.
The real Bejfort blames an imposter.
By
Chris Crowley
Duck-filled dumplings from Dumpling GalaxyPhoto: King Yip
Dumplings are one of those foods, like, pizza and burgers, that even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. But when they're good — made with care and high-quality ingredients — they are truly special. And people who have visited Helen You's Tianjin Dumpling, the eight-year-old Golden Shopping Mall stall in Flushing, know that she specializes in filling combinations found nowhere else. Now she's debuted the full-service Dumpling Galaxy at the much roomier Arcadia Mall, offering upwards of 100 different varieties of dumplings.
Sweet and savory, porky and nutty ...
By
Clint Rainey
Sleeves on more than your coffee cup.
Starbucks has what you might call a draconian dress code: black or white polo shirts only, black or tan pants, obligatory-at-all-times green apron, plus no perfumes, no non-ear piercings, and never, ever, under any circumstances, even if it's a tiny little heart on your hand, a tattoo. Top brass in Seattle have been "revisiting" that last rather severe prohibition, though, and it looks like you may start seeing body art on your baristas when you go in to pick up your Oprah Chai.
Balancing "self-expression and professionalism."
By
Sierra Tishgart
The signature dish of poached eggs over avocado with yogurt, lardons, croutons, lime vest, fresh herbs, and housemade chili oil.Photo: Jersey Walz
In Hudson, New York, roughly a two-hour drive from Manhattan, there's a café that more or less embodies everything a person could want from a weekend-retreat coffee shop and bakery. In fact, Bonfiglio & Bread is the kind of place that could hold its own against big-city contemporaries such as Black Seed, in Nolita, or Philly's incredible High Street on Market. Not only does the spot have a commitment to local produce, outstanding homemade bread, fantastic coffee, and the kind of rural, upstate vibe that feels like it's ripped from the pages of Kinfolk — it's also just straight-up cool.
"We run a casual place, but we take our jobs very, very seriously."
By
Hugh Merwin
Wait — these people do not look sweaty at all.Photo: Bloomberg /Contributor/Getty Images
If you're going to quit your job at Chipotle, you probably don't really want to compare working conditions to an actual sweatshop in the process, but that's what some management and crew did today when they resigned from the fast-food outlet's location at Penn State University. The move forced the restaurant to temporarily shut down in the process, and some employees have since met with a regional manager to air their grievances. Chipotle corporate, in the meantime, said it was a "minority of the staff" that actually quit — reports suggest four managers left the restaurant — while a larger number of workers are "enthusiastic to return to work."
"We just felt neglected ..."
By
Clint Rainey
What we're all wondering: Does it taste like regular yellow American?Photo: Burger King Japan
Of all the possible toppings that could be put on top of a hamburger patty that rests upon a jet-black bun made from bamboo charcoal, a single frightful slice of tarry black cheese admittedly makes a lot of sense. There's a dose of squid ink injected into the onion-garlic sauce that slicks this burger, which will be made available (of course) for a limited time only at Burger King''s Japanese locations later this month, and even more bamboo charcoal deployed to stain that black cheese. Here's a better shot of the kuro burger again, just because:
Goes well with Coke Zero.
By
Clint Rainey
Maybe you've heard that fast-food-burger sales are dismal these days, beneath the Golden Arches in particular, and since employees can't very well fold McMuffins in half to make something brand new, the chain clearly needs some ingenuity to wend its way back into the wallets of customers. One clutch idea apparently under consideration over at McDonald's Oak Brook, Illinois, headquarters is a spin on brunch.
Can McMimosas be too far behind?
By
Hugh Merwin
Little Wrinkles also does dehydrated blueberries to order.Photo: Little Raisins/Instagram
About a year ago, an unusual business popped up among the grass-fed jerky specialists and chèvre-makers at New Amsterdam Market. The vendors called themselves Little Wrinkles, and as the name suggests, partners Stephanie Venetsky and Jose Alba were applying a handcrafted, distinctly Brooklyn approach to raisins. They sold varieties made from conventional white and red California grapes, but soon began drying out fruits like sugar plums and tart morellos plucked from upstate trees (almost certainly the city's first locavore raisins). But when New Amsterdam closed down, Little Wrinkles went on hiatus, eventually popping up again at L.I.C. Flea & Food. But now they've moved beyond simply drying the fruits that they want and have begun letting customers commission custom batches — effectively becoming America's premier purveyor of bespoke raisins.
"It sounds crazy, some people don't even realize what raisins are."
By
Clint Rainey
Here's a depressing story: Richard Hunter, an army veteran, was thrown out of a Patterson, New Jersey Subway store when he, his son, and a colleague tried to order a meal. Hunter's German shepherd service dog, Bonner, who was clearly identified, was also with them, but the group was turned away. All this happened despite the store's sign: "Need special assistance? Just ask, we'll help! Service animals are welcome."
"He said he could refuse service to anyone he wanted."
By
Hugh Merwin
Pok Pok L.A.: Andy goes west.Photo: Melissa Hom
Over the weekend, Pok Pok chef and owner Andy Ricker intimated that expansions to Hawaii and L.A. were the next logical steps, following the massive success of his Portland restaurants and growing block of Thai places in Brooklyn, which now include Pok Pok Ny, Whiskey Soda Lounge, and the soon-to-relocate Pok Pok Phat Thai. Yesterday the illustrious restaurateur, who also happens to have two more cookbooks in the pipeline, confirmed that Pok Pok L.A. and a noodle-y branch of Pok Pok Phat Thai will open in Los Angeles's Chinatown.
Phat Thai may open in November.