Rivers Cuomo of Weezer

Lame. According to Cityfile, BMI is suing Pianos for playing the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” and Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me” without permission. (Apparently bars are required to pay nominal fees to music publishing houses in order to be able to drown out your conversation with their music.) They should really be suing for some of the awful Poison renditions we’ve heard at karaoke night. By the way, Rivers Cuomo was also mentioned in the suit, which makes us wonder how BMI feels about a Chicago restaurant’s recent Weezer-inspired menu. [Cityfile]

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Filed Under: lawsuits, pianos

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Man, if you thought the rules at Ward III were a bit much, you have to read Pacific Standard’s spiel about its “frequent drinker” program. Though we just stumbled on it, it’s surely been around for a while — but it’s so McSweeney’s-worthy that we can’t resist sharing. Members are entitled to “free beer cozy rentals” and access to an “in-bar concierge (‘bartender’),” and they can earn a point for every $1 they spend, entitling them to everything from a growler of runoff (10 points) to an “all-expenses paid trip to Williamsburg” including dinner at Fette Sau (2,000 points) to watching one of the owners, Jon Stan, throw a baton (100 points) to watching the other, John Rauschenberg, do his guinea-pig impression (also 100 points). The list is kind of endless, but you have to read it for lines like “At the time of payment, you may choose (1) a drawing of you fighting a whaleshark riding an Abrams tank with nothing but your bulging muscles and a harpoon-like device … ” Just one question: Do people actually use these cards? Apparently. A list of member tallies indicates no fewer than four people have blown over $4,000 at the bar!

Pacific Standard Frequent Drinker Card Membership Guide [Official site]

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Filed Under: bar rules, brooklyn, fette sau, friday follies, nightlife, pacific standard, rewards programs

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We thought the Hot Pocket was the last word on portable pizza, but Eat Me Daily points out that a Spanish company located on the outskirts of Barcelona (just like Ferran Adrià!) brought pizza in a cone to the Fancy Food Show. Let’s be the first to call this “molecular gross-tronomy.” As if the pizza cone weren’t bizarre enough (especially the one that blends Emmental, mozzarella, blue cheese, and cottage cheese), it’s sold in a vending machine that has to be the wackiest thing we’ve seen since that hot-dog vending machine. Love love love.

Coneinn’s Pizza in a Cone [Eat Me Daily]

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Filed Under: blechtachular, coneinn, cones, ferran adria, hot pockets, pizza, spain, vending machines

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OMG. Keith McNally is always good for a quote, but his latest is just one big barrel of laughs. He runs roughshod over Eater’s Gatekeepers column by first dispensing seemingly useful advice (Saturday is easier than Wednesday or Thursday for walk-ins) and then quickly taking a flight into fancy (at least, we’re hoping). On bribes: “I never take gifts, ever. It’s against my principle. I do take cash, however. And as much of it as I can get.” On celebs: “A lot of celebs have been to Minetta Tavern lately but I have an unbendable policy of never mentioning their names. Especially when it’s Woody Allan [sic], Ben Affleck and Madonna a couple of Tuesdays ago. Or Jude Law and a waitress from Pastis on Thursday.” Okay, so he might be going a touch far when he jokes about taking advantage of a drunk female patron (request he couldn’t accommodate? “To leave her apartment when she asked me to. I think the police were called in eventually”), but he quickly makes a save when asked where he likes to eat: “I love Maxwell’s Plum on 64th and 1st. (Is it still open?).”

The Gatekeepers: Minetta Tavern’s Keith McNally [Eater]

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Filed Under: ben affleck, keith mcnally, madonna, minetta tavern, reservations, user’s guide, woody allen

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In recent days, Salon and Slate have explored a couple of interesting carnivorous dilemmas. Salon examines the pros and cons of horse slaughter, a practice that is mostly discontinued here (except for the 72,000 horses per year that are trotted off to be killed in Mexico and Canada) but is only just now at risk of being legally banned. Meanwhile, a Slate piece takes some of the feel-goodism out of free-range pigs by pointing out that they’re often outfitted with nose rings that hurt their snouts when they forage (a measure to protect the forest bed), something that a PETA spokesperson says causes “lifelong depression.” Adding to that, they’re castrated without anesthesia in order to avoid an unpleasant taste called “boar taint.” All very disturbing, but there are a few problems with the piece.

First, the author doesn’t specify which farms, exactly, he’s talking about. Though he quotes no less than three animal-welfare advocates, he doesn’t bother to get any quotes from farmers. When we called Jennifer Small at Flying Pigs Farm (a favorite of Peter Savoy, Il Buco, and others), she assured us she doesn’t employ nose rings and takes pains to reseed damaged turf instead. What’s more, she has no trouble buying piglets from other farms that also refrain from ringing. “I don’t think it’s a common thing in the Northeast,” she says, though she admits she’s speaking only from her own experience. Contrary to the article’s assertion that castration is deeply painful to a pig, Small says, “My husband castrates them and I have to admit I was very surprised that as soon as you put them down they’re running around like nothing happened. They might slow down a little bit for twelve or twenty hours, but it’s surprising how little they seem to be affected.” Which might explain why her vet told her painkillers weren’t necessary. But then why castrate them at all? Small says that aside from “boar taint,” as well as the risk of a female being impregnated shortly before slaughter, uncastrated pigs also tend to fight more often. “Castration may cause them pain when they are young, but if you’ve ever seen boars fight almost to the death, it’s a horrible thing to watch.”

Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time author James E. McWilliams has taken a swipe at free-range pork. Back in April, his Times op-ed piece infuriated the Food, Inc. crowd by raising health concerns about the meat. He cited a study that found 54 percent of free-range pigs carrying salmonella (a higher rate than factory-farmed pigs) and 2 out of 600 free-range pigs carrying trichinella. Marion Nestle and others argued that McWilliams glossed over the fact that just because an antibody like trichinella is found in a pig’s blood doesn’t mean it’s actually infected with trichinosis, and even if it were, it’s nothing proper cooking couldn’t kill. They also reprimanded him for failing to disclose that the study was funded by the National Pork Board, which they said protected the interest of factory farms (the Times later amended the article with disclosure of this). In a rebuttal published on the Atlantic’s food blog, McWilliams admitted to “potential translation errors” but also argued that just because studies are funded by corporations doesn’t mean they’re biased (after all, this one was published in a prestigious journal). He also said he didn’t feel the need to bog his article down with descriptions of what makes an antibody different from a disease.

Anyway, the question is this: If Slate knew McWilliams had already generated so much controversy with his Times piece, why would they let him write a post where he makes broad generalizations about free-range pork without specifying how many farms do or don’t engage in the practices he describes, and where the only quotes come from animal-rights advocates?

By the way, if all this makes you wonder whether McWilliams likes his bacon from Flying Pigs Farm or from Oscar Mayer — dude doesn’t eat meat.

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Filed Under: fact-checking, farming, flying pigs farm, free-range pork, hogs, horses, james e. mcwilliams, national pork board, pigs, slaughter

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It’s 4 p.m., and that means it’s time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don’t guarantee the results.) Today: Haute Barnyard.

Barbuto (Menu)
212-924-9700
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

Blue Hill (Menu)
212-539-1776
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:30 p.m.

Cookshop (Menu)
212-924-4440
Two for eight? No
Best available: 7:45 p.m.

Eighty One (Menu)
212-873-8181
Two for eight? Yes

Esca (Menu)
212-564-7272
Two for eight? No
Best available: 7:45 p.m.

Insieme (Menu)
212-582-1310
Two for eight? Yes

Irving Mill (Menu)
212-254-1600
Two for eight? Yes

Mas (farmhouse) (Menu)
212-255-1790
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:15 p.m.

Park Avenue Summer (Menu)
212-644-1900
Two for eight? Yes

Rose Water (Menu)
718-783-3800
Two for eight? Yes

Telepan (Menu)
212-580-4300
Two for eight? Yes

Filed Under: barbuto, blue hill, cookshop, eighty one, esca, insieme, irving mill, mas (farmhouse), park avenue summer, rose water, telepan, two for eight

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Consumer Reports tested trans-fat-free french fries from Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonald’s, and found that all three are either good (Burger King) or very good (Wendy’s and McDonald’s). But the fries could still use improvement: Wendy’s needs “more browning,” McDonald’s “could be more potato-y,” and Burger King’s textured fries “taste more of oil than potato.” Fry, fry again. [Consumer Reports]

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Filed Under: burger king, fast-food world, mcdonald’s, wendy’s

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I didn’t expect much when my girlfriends and I abandoned an empty and depressing Irving Mill for a more lively scene…

Wildwood Barbeque

225 Park Ave S, New York

(212) 533-2500

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Matsuri introduced a small-plates “Sakana” menu last week, the first menu change since the restaurant opened in the Maritime Hotel six years ago. There’s hot and cold plates starting at $3 (chicken skewer) and rising to $13 (baby back rib with Japanese BBQ sauce).

Matsuri’s Sakana Menu [PDF]

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Filed Under: japanese, matsuri, menus

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July isn’t just National Hot Dog Month, it’s also Good Beer Month, according to an organization formed by Gary Gillis (Burp Castle), Ray Deter (d.b.a.), and Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy’s No. 43). Whether it’s to celebrate this or to ride the coattails of the Times’ beer-cocktails roundup, Boqueria Soho is declaring today Beer Sangria Day! The beer sangria is a relic from Suba — it’s usually available off the menu so long as recipe-keeper Jeff Diesel is on duty (he mixes Kelso pilsner, a shot of triple sec, and some fresh lemon juice, and tops it with fresh fruit). Anyway, good to see it having a moment in the sun.

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Filed Under: beer cocktails, beer sangria, boqueria, burp castle, d.b.a., gary gillis, good beer month, jef diesel, jimmy carbone, jimmy’s no. 43, ray deter, soho, what to drink

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Happy Canada Day, folks, and happy National Hot Dog Month! It just so happens that a Canadian filmmaker who goes by the name of dougieluv is in town filming an upcoming documentary about America’s obsession with the wiener. (The premise: Dougie and his crew cross the country in a minivan in a quest to find the perfect dog.) Planned stops include Papaya King, Willie’s Dawgs, Gray’s Papaya, Crif Dogs, and of course the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Dougie wants your recommendations, too (you can reach him via his website), but he may have blown the goodwill of New Yorkers in releasing a trailer (seen here) that declares L.A. “the hot-dog capital of the United States.” Okay, sure, they have Pink’s and all, but really? Dude, just for saying that, you should be locked in a room and forced to eat every dirty-water dog in the city. In fact, noble though his intentions may be, we wouldn’t cry if Dougie were refused service at Nathan’s (since 1916, and don’t you forget it!).

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Filed Under: canada, crif dogs, documentaries, dougie dog, dougieluv, gray’s papaya, hot dogs, los angeles, new york, papaya king, pink’s, wienerville, willie’s dawgy’s

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Peasant.

Down by the Hipster pokes fun at Bruni for implying that Peasant is on the Lower East Side, in a post that sees Bruni slumming it “out and about” downtown. To be fair, it is right on the fringes, in Nolita (or NoLIta if you prefer — just covering our bases here), and if you’re using the broader historical definition of the Lower East Side, Bruni is in the clear. Then again, it has always been hard to score a walk-in for Peasant’s wonderful basement, despite it being relatively underexposed, so we’re happy if Bruni confuses folks. Now we’d just like to see him visit its newer sister spot, Bacaro, and try to figure out whether it’s in the Lower Lower East Side or Chinatown.

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Filed Under: bacaro, chinatown, clarifications, down by the hipster, frank bruni, lower east side, nolita, peasant

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