snack

hotsnack: allo...it's michelin calling

On Monday, at around 9am Pacific time, Jean Luc Naret, the director of the Michelin Guide, is going to call some chefs in the greater San Francisco area to congratulate them on getting stars in the first ever California Michelin. At 10am, when the results hit the wire...we'll know too. If I were the betting type, I'd say that come Monday morning, Thomas Keller will be the first American chef to hold six Michelin stars.

hotsnack: foie gras fight coming to town?

The ever vigilant gonzo tag team of Tony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman has sounded the alarm (well the email subject said emergency) on a potential foie gras ban coming to New Jersey. The Garden State is also the home of D’Artagnan, the country’s top purveyor of foie gras and things delicious, that supplies many of the fine dining and retail establishments in NYC and beyond. Hit eGullet for Bourdain and Megnut for Ruhlman.

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As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s a ban in effect in Chicago now and said ban is being challenged as unconstitutional. It would seem if the ban is repealed based on constitutionality, that would set a good precedent.

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Coincidentally, this press release came in this afternoon with an update on the Chicago appeal.

With Repeal Ordinance Pending, City of Chicago Asks to Defer Its Response to Constitutional Challenge of City Council Foie Gras Ban

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Complete press release after the jump.

hotsnack: porter house critical 20%

With a grand media flourish (and a lovely fête last night) we're informed of this Friday's opening of Michael Lomonaco's Porter House New York in the Time Warner Center. Why is he running a 20% discount until October 8th? The un-written (yet widely acknowledged) golden rule of restaurant reviewing says that if a restaurant charges full price, it is fair game for critics. While chefs and restaurateurs know this, few can resist the allure of ringing the register on opening day, so many fall victim to early reviews. This is a rare moment.

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It's also apt to mention another industry standard on tipping. Chefs, VIPs, media, et al, are often comped or have discounted checks; the rule is to tip on the dollar value of the meal – not the lower amount of the check.  I'm not sure that this applies at Porter House, but thought it was worth noting.

snackology: le casse-croûte

How do you say snack en Français? Le casse-croûte.

hotsnack: where's paul?

Denizens of the blogosphere are wondering, where's Paul Liebrandt cooking now? He's consulting for Stephen Starr's restaurant group for the next few weeks, popping around to different places. In the meantime, he's also shopping for real estate in Manhattan. Know of a good space below 23rd street? I wish him bonne chance at finding a kitchen soon, because the two meals I had a Gilt are in my top 10 for '06.

hotsnack: michelin – media psa

We are one week away from the results of the first ever Guide Michelin for SF and the Bay Area. It was big fun last year to see who could get the NYC results published first, but this year there’s a different dissemination plan in effect. So if you plan to cover the news, read on and strategize.

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The results of course are in, but only those actually employed by the tire man are privvy. The official press release will come from Michelin’s American office and go directly to PR Newswire at 10AM Pacific Time on Monday October 2nd. My sources say no media or journalist will get the information in advance. There are no exclusives, it’s all very democratic. The logic here is, sending out the results on Monday leaves plenty of time for everyone to get it into the Wednesday food sections. The starred chefs will get the congratulatory phone call from Jean-Luc Naret, monsieur le directeur, that morning as well.

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There’s a fête at the Ferry Building (if you haven’t got your invite already, you’re not on the list) for the bold-faced names and a few events for the public as well. Books are in stores on the 4th. Later that day, M. Naret will host a panel discussion with some local journalists and do some book signings around the bay.

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Details on the events after the jump.

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hotsnack: number one in the nation

Gourmet’s October restaurant issue always generates a buzz. Who’s on the cover? And for this year…who’s the number one restaurant in the country? The issue hits newsstands next Tuesday, but the notorious gossip stream from kitchen to kitchen has proffered some early intel: Homaru Cantu of Moto is on the cover, pictured eating his menu, and Grant Achatz’s Alinea is the number one restaurant in the country.

Here’s the top ten with the rankings from the last Gourmet Top 50 list in 2001.

1. Alinea, Chicago (opened in 2005)
2. Chez Panisse, Berkeley (down from #1)
3. The French Laundry/Per Se, Yountville/New York (French Laundry holding at #3, Per Se opened in 2004)
4. Spago, Beverly Hills (holding at #4)
5. Joël Robuchon at the Mansion, Las Vegas (opened in 2005)
6. Le Rêve, San Antonio (up from #35)
7. Masa, New York (opened in 2004)
8. Alan Wong’s Restaurant, Honolulu (down from #6)
9. Daniel, New York (holding at #9)
10. Le Bernardin, New York (holding at #10)

snackology: money time

Perhaps you’ve noticed snack is a labor of love, sans advertising (though I wonder if Nicolas Ghesquière reads snack and would like to dress my blog?). For those wondering how I bring home the bacon, I’m a pen for hire, hence today’s sunshine.

snackstuff: robu-baby

Pop quiz: What do you get when you cross multi-billionaire Ty Warner with super chef Joël Robuchon?

Answer after the jump.

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hotsnack: what’s mine is yours – part deux

I got some interesting mail on the “what's mine is yours” post from earlier this week. It was not meant to be a definitive list of scenarios, merely a refection of my weekend discussion with some chefs. But there are indeed a few more signature dish provenance scenarios.

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Scenario three: The restaurant, Chez A is famous because of its owner Mr. A. Chef B creates a dish that becomes a signature of the house. Eventually Chef B moves on to open Chez B and puts the dish on to his menu. But it is still a famous part of the repertoire at Chez A so it stays on the menu there as well. Now you have two restaurants with two versions of the same signature dish created by the same chef.

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Scenario four: Chef A creates a dish that is an inspiration/copy of Chef B. Chef A, being secure in his status and talent says outright “this dish came from Chef B” and maybe incorporates Chef B into the name of the dish on the menu.

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Bonus scenario: Though it's not related to dishes it is some dish...

Chef A opens eponymous restaurant, but does not have the lion's share of equity and leaves soon after opening. What happens to the name? Does the owner Mr. B keep Chez A over the door? We'll find out soon.