Scoops galore

Ladies, he's single and can cook! Strapping new one sixtyblue executive chef Michael McDonald reportedly turned down an opportunity to be on "The Bachelor." (Photo: one sixtyblue)


There's all kinds of hot tips going down on Dish, from the re-opening of Tiny Lounge (finally!) after a two-year absence to new one sixtyblue exec chef Michael McDonald turning down ABC's "The Bachelor" reality dating show (whoo hoo, he's single!) because he's so swamped in the kitchen.

And speaking of hot bachelors, nightlife/dining impresario Billy Dec (Rockit Bar & Grill, Underground, Sunda) just announced that he got engaged over the weekend. Party girls everywhere are shedding tears . . .

I wanna be like Mike

Hungry Mag head honcho Michael Nagrant gives us a taste of what it was like to experience last night's $1,500-a-head Thomas Keller/Grant Achatz feast at Alinea:

"Tonight, I asked Grant Achatz if I could hug him. Fortunately, he had the foresight to preserve our collective dignity, and he said no. It wasn’t just the glass of Jean Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, Rhone 2000 talking, either. Rather, it was a dish named Chestnut, quince, chocolate, baked potato."

Lucky @#$%^&*()@^!

Ouch, Alpana . . .

Feast of Fools host Fausto Fernós (left) with Alpana Singh (Photo: Feastoffools.net)


Local wine diva Alpana Singh gets called out by MenuPages for over-promoting her real job on her new vino-themed blog:

"FoodLife is owned by LEYE. And Alpana? Is the director of wine and spirits for LEYE. And as such presumably has a hand in selecting these $4.95-per-glass wines and signing off on the signs for the singles-friendly wine tastings.

Don't get us wrong—we know that when a restaurant employee blogs about his or her professional life, the blog serves as an extension of the restaurant brand. No one expects, say, Philip Foss to go on a screed against hotel dining, f'rinstance. But this kind of wide-eyed who-me advertorial gets our undies in a bunch."