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Kitchen Confidential?

Ugh. Who saw the new comedy on Fox last night, Kitchen Confidential? It's supposed to be inspired by the life and book by Anthony Bourdain who wrote the expose memoir on his bad boy life in the kitchen. A finger gets cut off (hey what an original gag!) and it winds up in the meal of the restaurant critic (who at the beginning loudly complains when she doesn't get her table--uh huh, critics TRY to draw attention to themselves)who issues a review after what looks like one night of the restaurant being open and after one visit (suspend your disbelief on that count, too). And while her experience was aqful, she still loved the food. Sigh. It could have been good. I hope it will be soon. Until then I'll keep watching Iron Chef

Posted by rforrest at 12:23 PM | Comments (8)

Duck Tongues and Pig's Ears

I ate a duck's tongue. And marinated sliced pig's ears. I was at a 10-course Chinese banquet in San Francisco with the nation's top food journalists and of course you can't refuse something they give you or else you look like a big foodie wimp in front of everyone. Both were actually delicious.

One of my food writer table-mates dared me to ask San Francisco Chronicle editor Phil Bronstien (used to be married to Sharon Stone) how his toe was---it was bitten off by a Komodo dragon in a zoo. I declined.

If you don't have them already, be sure to get your tickets for Friday's big chef's benefit for Katrina victims at the Wentworth---just $195 and all goes to the Red Cross. My co-host from the radio show (WSCA-FM 106.1) and I hope to broadcast live.

And on Tuesday the 27th there's another Dover benefit at Crescent City Bistro...I'll be hosting.

Ok, gotta go get some jellyfish for our salad tonight.

Posted by rforrest at 04:55 PM | Comments (8)

I'm back in High School

I'm out in San Francisco at the annual Association of Food Writers conference and I have to say, it's like being in high school with the cool kids and the nerds. The big guys who write for big city papers and who know all the big chefs and those of us who don't. When we have a dinner everyone hovers around to see who's going to sit where so they can sit with the cool people. This is my third one and I really didn't notice it before now.

But I don't care. Because I met Alice Waters who we probably have to thank for all this local product trend around here and the famous Thomas Keller from The French Laundry who is certainly responsible for much of the new cuisine we finally have in our restaurants. And I like writing for a smaller paper, because we all need to learn about this stuff more than anyone at some elitist paper anyway. Besides, I just barrel through and talk to who I want to anyway. You know me. I'm a schmooze artist. and I'm sitting at the cool table in the lunchroom anyway.

So next up---what some of these big whigs have to say about service. Are you still working on that????

Posted by rforrest at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)