The “liquid olives” at the Minibar

Them’s the fighting words of Ben Leventhal.

Leventhal is the Eater.com co-founder who has become a darling of the New York foodie blogosphere by opening the flood gates of information to (and I quote from the Eater site) “rumors, conjecture and opinions, as well as accurately reported factual information. The site may contain errors or inaccuracies. We do not guarantee, and no reliance should be placed upon, the correctness or reliability of Eater’s content…”

So maybe I should take Leventhal’s latest piece for New York magazine’s Grub Street blog with a large grain of Himalayan pink salt. Today, Leventhal published a piece about the five toughest reservations in America, a list that didn’t ring many alarm bells for me until Leventhal included a number of honorable mentions. Among them is José Andrés‘ Minibar, of which Leventhal writes:

José Andrés’s tiny restaurant-within-a-restaurant has just six seats and two seatings a night. Seats open up 30 days in advance, at 10 a.m. If it were located in a more food-focused city, it would easily be the hardest reservation in the country.

Read More “Minibar Would Be the Toughest Reservation in America, if D.C. Were a Foodie Town” »

Citing a worsening economy that won’t allow it to employ four food critics, New York magazine confirmed yesterday that it has fired the iconic Gael Greene. Today marks Greene’s last official day at the magazine, ending a 40-year run as a food writer and critic for the publication.

For all the good work Greene did during her four decades, I’m afraid I’ll always remember her most for having sex with Elvis Presley. Greene led off her 2007 memoir, Insatiable, with the anecdote. Here’s the memorable moment in all its sticky, elliptical details:

Read More “End of an Era: Gael Greene Out at New York Magazine” »