When Tom Colicchio announced in September that he would cook in an open kitchen at a temporary restaurant called TOM: Tuesday Dinner, a commenter noted: "A chef will be cooking at his eponymous restaurant. Sad this is news." Today, a Missouri chef named Bryan Carr takes Frank Bruni to task for praising Colicchio's project. "The alleged news in this article is that the celebrity chef Tom Colicchio cooked dinner for his restaurant patrons one recent evening," he complained. If Colicchio were any old TV-land chef, we'd concur with Carr. But we're not talking about a Ted Allen tasting menu or a 30-minute meal. Colicchio earned his place as a New York cooking legend more than a decade ago at Gramercy Tavern. TOM gives a new generation of diners a chance to try the food behind the franchise, and that's big news even if Colicchio's fame feeds his press hits. Colicchio's quirky, egocentric restaurant concept flies here for local foodies and celeb stalkers alike.

Unimpressed [NYT]

Related: TOM BOMB