With Batali and Emeril out of her way, “homegrown star” Rachael Ray has just inked a two-year deal for a new prime-time series on the Food Network. [Eater]

It’s nothing he hasn’t said before, but the wordiness of some menus gets on the Bruni’s nerves. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

Forget turducken: British chef Phillip Corrick has created a monster that involves at least 48 birds of a dozen different species and feeds 125 people. [Daily Mail]

You can breathe a sigh of relief: Balthazar (and many other places) will be open for brunch on New Year’s Day. [Zagat]

"Page Six" says the doormen at 1 Oak were strict about shunning press at the 1 Model Management party, but we managed to get in anyway. [NYP]
Related: Spoiler Alert: We See the Writing on 1 Oak’s Wall

We still buy our milk at the bodega down the street, but people in other parts of the country have their dairy delivered by a man in a truck. Isn’t that quaint? [NYT]

Still shopping for your favorite foodie? Try picking something from this list of some of the year’s best cookbooks. [Serious Eats]