New Blue Ribbon Chef a Bouchon Bakery Alum; ‘Top Chef’ ReactionsThe chef for Blue Ribbon at Six Columbus will be Bouchon Bakery alum Jose Salazar. [Hotel Chatter via Eater]
By the end of Top Chef, even Frank Bruni got a little sentimental. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Related: Adam Platt Was Right About ‘Top Chef’ All Along
Rocco hearts Hung. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Mediavore
D. Freeman vs. A. Platt; Ditch Your Topps MeatFor the first time Danyelle Freeman is one step behind Adam Platt in her review choice, and she matches his star selection for Accademia di Vino. [NYDN]
Related: Molto Trendy [NYM]
Blue Ribbon at Six Columbus is expected to open in a couple of weeks. [Eater]
Related: Blue Ribbon Sushi at Columbus Circle Will Open in October
Hung offers insight into DiSpirito’s comment that the Top Chef contestant reminds him of himself: “He’s confident, he’s cocky, he’s good looking … his technique is on, his flavor profile is my kind of food. I respect him a lot.” [Eat for Victory/VV]
Saju Just Sneaked Into Midtown
While no one was looking, New York just got another high-end Vietnamese restaurant in Saju, at the Hotel Mela. The place is in what could loosely be called soft-opening mode, largely because they are still ten days away from a liquor license and are still BYOB. But the food, mostly classical versions of Vietnamese dishes, shows the kind of French influence that comes from colonial occupation, rather than “fusion cooking” per se. (The fact that a Frenchman, Osteria al Doge’s Phillipe Bernard, is a co-owner underscores its Gallic pedigree.)