Category: Travel

Burgers Turn Chic – So Sayeth the New York Times

It must get tiring at the New York Times, always following in ELV’s footsteps. But two days after my sandwich rant, comes not one but two articles in The Paper Of Record about the humble hamburger.

And just when we thought America’s greatest contribution to the food world had taken more hits than Lindsay Lohan on a weekend bender, the Times claims that the American burger is all the rage in Gay* Paree. If you can ignore the mention of Alain Ducasse’s shrimp and squid “burger,” you’ll find the Gallic flouishes to our culinary invention pretty tasty.

In the article, French chefs extol the virtues of hamburgers; one going so far as to call them “…the architecture of taste par excellence,” while expats Daniel Boulud and Laurent Tourondel** laugh when told that they helped the hamburger conquer Paris – admittedly something not that difficult to do.***

Sliding right beside it on the pages of the Times, is this explanation (known to ELV decades ago) about the evolution of the slider, and how every top chef in Manhattan is now on the White Castle bandwagon…..because “…the slider’s appeal is undeniable.” Duh!

Fun Food Fact #1: Vegas was way ahead of New York on this food fad too – because places as diverse as FIX, Simon, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, STACK, Burger Bar, Sierra Gold and Guy Savoy et al have been serving up mini-burgers for years. Fun Food Fact #2: yours truly once ate 22 White Castles in a mano a mano eating contest with a guy who outweighed me by 90 lbs (His name was Pete Schuler and he’s a Public Defender in Louisville, Ky). He ate 24 of the suckers, but I won the symbolic prize by not puking them up as he did.****

Regardless, it’s nice to be lending a hand to those fine folks in New York, and ELV just wants the Food Editors of the NYTimes to know that we will always be here in the High Mojave Desert to show them the way.

And as long as we’re obssessing on New York, hamburgers, and Alan “The Hitman” Richman, you can go here to read about his five favorite burgers in the Big Apple.

One is compelled to ask: When will this summer love-fest of great minds grading grandiose burgers come to an end? Answer: After my next post! Stay tuned.

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* As in: mirthful and joyous

** Two Franco-American faves

*** See: Wars, World I and II

**** Thus was his pyrrhic victory as empty as his stomach.

Eating New York…and Deconstructing Dufresne

Yes food fans, this entry finds me eating my way through the Big Apple. And last weekend I was eating my way through Vancouver – a town that’s as serious about food as any I’ve ever come across – but more on British Columbia later.

For now, I thought I’d give you a taste of the effort and stress and work that yours truly goes through to keep up his street cred as the world’s greatest restaurant critic.*

My New York summer day began late with lunch at La Goulue (746 Madison Ave., 212.988.8169). We were feeling fashionable – decked out as we were in a fetching ensemble of faded Chuck Taylor’s, RL jeans, and a Brooks Brothers seersucker jacket – so we ducked into the most fashionable restaurant we know on the Upper East Side. There we tucked into a superb steak tartare with equally good frites and a demi-bouteille of Gilbert Picque Ses et Filles Chablis.

All seemed right with the world as we strolled down Fifth Avenue (working up a sweat in the process in the 88% humidity and 85 degree heat), and found an outside table at Brasserie Ruhlmann (45 Rockefeller Center, 212.974.2020, www.brasserieruhlman.com) for yet another glass of Premier Cru Chablis (Robert Vocoret ’06) before heading to a business appointment. This being New York, showing up for a meeting with a decent Bourgogne blanc on your breath is quite acceptable.**

Continue reading “Eating New York…and Deconstructing Dufresne”

Eating Las Vegas takes a (brief) sabbatical; the food world mourns.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking: three whole months is an awfully long time to keep up a blog; poor John must just be exhausted; and how am I to get through the week without his witty, insightful and erudite commentaries on the Las Vegas restaurant scene? Well I really don’t know what to say other than seek professional help, take up a non-food related hobby, and holster those credit and debit cards until I get back.

The good news is that, while I’m away, I’ll be bestowing the munificence of mind and spirit that you have come to take for granted on the rest of the world, as I assume my rightful throne (for one episode at least), on the judges stand of Iron Chef America-beginning its seventh season this fall (air dates TBA).

As popular as ICA is, I must confess I remain true to the Japanese original-a show that reveled in badly- dubbed wackiness and its breathless emulsification of haute cusine into high camp.

For a blast from the past, click here to listen to my original “review” of the original Japanese Iron Chef for Nevada Public Radio.* Number Two Son of Food Man (Hugh Alexander Curtas D.O.B. 10-15-84) and the culturally babe-i-licious Ginger Bruner (D.O.B. unknown) supplied the other voices.

*Important historical footnote: Our spoof of the show aired on January 4, 2001, nine days before Saturday Night Live ran a similar (and far inferior) skit….although the mini shark’s head pizzas whipped up by Charlie Sheen looked mighty tasty.