Food (Writer) Fight!

"Get a life," emailed Chicago Sun-Times restaurant critic Pat Bruno to Chicagoist dining writer Chuck Sudo in response to this post Monday calling out his "re-review" of Cafe Bionda:

"We still read newspapers, oh yes we do, indeed. So we were happy to find, while reading last Friday's Sun-Times, that restaurant critic Pat Bruno had an opinion of Café Bionda much in line with ours. We also have a good memory and thought, 'Hadn't Bruno reviewed Bionda before?'

Turned out he had. Only it was Bionda's Wicker Park location, and it was only last February that Bruno raved about that one. Helen Rosner at MenuPages Chicago compares the similarities between the reviews. For us, the issue is one of simple laziness. One of the knocks on Bruno's recent work is that it's, let's say, by the numbers. Far be it from us to criticize someone for writing about what he knows best, which in Bruno's case is Italian dining. But two reviews of what is essentially the same restaurant seems like laziness."

Oh, and this gets even better when the Chicagoist writer gets Bruno on the phone, but you gotta read his response—and diss—here.

Drama!

Seriously, what is going on with DC?!

Please, please, please tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me!

Here's today's headline for Daily Candy:

"Slutting Her Stuff"

And then it just gets better from there:

"There are two kinds of hos.

Cheap ones (Ashley — or is it Kirsten?) and hos who make dough.

Jessica Volpe is the latter. Her alter ego, the Pasta Puttana (“pasta whore” in Italian), makes the silkiest, freshest macaroni in the land."

Woot?!

Food Network star looking for fresh faces

Celeb chef David Adjey (Photo: Red Apple Productions)


We cannot get enough of chef-driven reality shows, from Tom Colicchio's "Top Chef" to Marco Pierre White's "Chopping Block."

So now comes Canadian superstar David Adjey ("Restaurant Makeover," "Ready, Set, Cook," "Iron Chef America"), who's doing a nationwide casting call for a brand-new show. Each episode of "David Adjey's Restaurant 101" follows a first-time restaurant owner as he/she gets ready to open to the public.

They're looking for new owners who are launching local restaurants (no chains, franchises) with at least 50 seats and a full-service bar. Potential candidates must also allow cameras to shoot in the restaurant for 10 days.

If a Chicago-area restaurateur is selected for the show, portions of the shoot will take place at the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, happening May 16-19 at McCormick Place.

Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill) and Marcus Samuelsson (C-House) (who are both confirmed to attend) as well as Art Smith (Table Fifty-Two), Tony Mantuano (Spiaggia), Thomas Keller, Gale Gand (Tru), Cat Cora, Mario Batali and other star chefs have attended the show in the past.

For more info on "David Adjey's Restaurant 101", go here.