School Lunches Go Locavore; Ed Brown Goes Fishing

Slow Food lecturers are boring, the cocktails of ‘Mad Men,’ and more, in our morning news roundup.

Posted 09/02/08 in Grub Street : Mediavore

Tags: alice waters, charcuterie, cocktails, ed brown, eighty one, lawsuits, locavore, mad men, mediavore, michael pollan, school lunches, scores, scores east, scott gold, shake shack, slow food, the shameless carnivore

What Gwyneth Ate in Spain; Chodorow No Stranger to Irony

Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't a food snob in Spain, what sells best at Kobe Club, Michael Pollan says people should spend more money on food, and more in our morning roundup of food news and gossip.

Posted 05/09/08 in Grub Street : Mediavore

Tags: gwyneth paltrow, jeffrey chodorow, kobe club, mario batali, mediavore, michael perlman, michael pollan

Naked Chef Returns to Food Network; Starbucks' ‘Skinny’ Issue

At long last, Jamie Oliver is returning to Food Network; catch him battling Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Sunday night, and then stay tuned for a preview of his new show, Jamie at Home. [Eat for Victory/VV] If anyone's going to see mice in your restaurant, food writers are the worst-case scenario. Right, Mermaid Inn? [The Feed/TONY] One man who’s had enough of unsolicited menus showing up under his door has designed a wannabe deterrent. [BoingBoing via Gothamist]

Posted 01/04/08 in Grub Street : Mediavore

Tags: belcourt, food network, in defense of food, iron chef america, jamie at home, jamie oliver, mediavore, mermaid inn, michael pollan, starbucks

Did Michael Pollan Throw the Whole Foods Debate? (Just Asking)

What exactly is up with Michael Pollan? We sat up late into the night waiting for him to put hard questions to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey in the discussion we previewed the other day. Part of Pollan’s bestselling book The Omnivore’s Dilemma was devoted to unmasking Whole Foods’ claims to sustainability and the like, but when the author finally sat down with Mackey, he was as cordial and giving as the publicity-obsessed CEO. Still, the discussion being two hours and all, there were inevitably highlights. (If you prefer to comb through it yourself, you may do that here.)

Posted 03/01/07 in Grub Street : Beef

Tags: beef, john mackey, michael pollan, organic, whole foods

Michael Pollan Versus Whole Foods: The Smackdown

It’s a match made for the ECW: John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods, versus Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, the best-selling critical overview of modern industrial foodways that reveals Whole Foods to be … just another big supermarket chain! In an open letter, Mackey has accused the writer of not doing his research, but this afternoon they will meet face-to-face and finally resolve the question of who’s handier with a folding chair. Actually, they’re just going to debate, after Mackey gives a presentation modestly called “The Past, Present, and Future of Food.” It’s happening at the University of California, Berkeley, at 10 p.m. our time; you can see it Webcast live here — or wait for our breathless take on the proceedings tomorrow.

Posted 02/27/07 in Grub Street : Beef

Tags: beef, john mackey, michael pollan, the omnivore's dilemma, whole foods

Rocket Rod Dances Back Into the River Café; Nobody Likes Ilan

Rod Stewart, banned for life at the River Café for pulling his own “rod” out, gets readmitted after a penitential jig for owner Buzzy O'Keefe. [NYDN] McDonald's coffee "the cheapest and the best," according to Consumer Reports. Of course, it was only going up against Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts, and Starbucks. [NYDN] Frank Bruni also thinks Marcel got the shaft in the Top Chef finale. Does Ilan have any fans in the media at all? [NYT]

Posted 02/02/07 in Grub Street : Back of the House

Tags: alexandra guarnaschelli, Back of the House, burger king, butter, buzzy o'keefe, david chang, dunkin' donuts, frank bruni, frank de carlo, ilan hall, marcel vigneron, michael pollan, peasant, pure food and wine, starbucks, sushisamba, the river cafe

Eating Out With Tim Zagat; the Littlest Feinschmeckers

What's it like to eat dinner with Tim Zagat? Something akin to eating with royalty. [Slate] As Texas and New Haven fight it out for the title of who invented the hamburger, Grub Street's editor weighs in. [LAT] How did eating and diet get so complicated? Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, and one of the guys who helped make it so complicated, sorts it all out. [NYT]

Posted 01/29/07 in Grub Street : Back of the House

Tags: akhtar nawab, andrea strong, Back of the House, izakaya, jane, michael pollan, peter luger, the neptune room, tim zagat