The curious PBS series Faces of America, which traces the family history of a motley assortment of famous people, delved into the background of one Mario Batali last night. Batali is from Washington state, but his great-great-grandfather worked as a miner in Butte, Montana, for a while. Watch the video, and then be grateful that you are not a turn-of-the-(twentieth)-century miner.

Faces of America [PBS]

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Filed Under: video feed, faces of america, mario batali, video

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Dumbo: Choice Market becomes Stumptown’s latest locavore takeout café. [Dumbo NYC]
Gowanus: Brooklyn Based throws a party at the Bell House for Cathy Erway’s anti-dining-out book, The Art of Eating In; Cathy’s mom will judge in a crostini cook-off. [Brooklyn Based]
Middle Village: Lobsterfest at London Lennie’s in Queens continues through March 7, offering the traditional boiled version as well as Lobster Pot Pie and Lobster Homefries. [Q Note]
Williamsburg: Rachel Coleman, a.k.a. Pop Jew founder and proud winner of the Worst Cooks in America contest, hosts a Purim Party at Death by Audio. March 1, 8 p.m. [AV Club]

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Filed Under: bell house, choice market, death by audio, dumbo, east village, london lennie’s, middle village, Neighborhood Watch, PDT, west village, williamsburg

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At the end of December, the Food Network released a trailer for The Opener, a new show starring one of the hosts of Restaurant Makeover, David Adjey, a.k.a. the “Canadian Gordon Ramsay.” The chef, once a private toque for Dan Aykroyd and now a consultant on the Toronto scene, is seen coaching a couple of New Orleans frat buddies in the art of opening a restaurant, but he needs more strivers and schmucks to enlighten. If you’re planning to open a restaurant sometime this year and wouldn’t mind some free advertising on the Food Network, read the casting call that just came our way.

Are you about to open your first restaurant? Are you overwhelmed? Overworked? Overdrawn? If so, the Food Network wants you.

In this new documentary series Iron Chef and star of Restaurant Makeover, Chef David Adjey helps first-time restaurateurs open their dream restaurant – often with their life’s savings on the line. Dave is a rock star in the restaurant world – untamed, smart and North America’s most sought-after consultant. He’s both an artist and a bottom-line guy and knows that food must be delicious and profitable.

Whether you’re planning to serve Global Fusion Cuisine or gluten-free burgers, nouvelle pub grub or corn-themed desserts, he’ll help clarify your vision and identify problems. With the clock ticking towards opening night it won’t be easy, but for Dave, that’s the fun of it.

We’re looking for variety and creativity-in each episode our resto rookies are utterly different from one another, and so are their dreams. David commits himself to doing whatever it takes to get the doors open, and the business spun for success…..

If you’re a first-time restaurateur opening your place between now and December 2010, contact us at theopener@franticfilms.com or 416-324-8537 ext. 331 or 324.

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Filed Under: casting calls, david adjey, food network, the opener, tv land

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We’ve just gotten word that Ellen DeGeneres is the new spokeswoman for Vitaminwater Zero (the new no-calorie drink will get prominent placement during American Idol), but what’s all the more random is Jenny Garth of Beverly Hills 90210 teaching viewers how to “judge a veggie by its color” and “love a new veggie” in a series of videos that give Hidden Valley ranch dressing a crunchy, green aura. Click on the lettuce tab for “head” puns galore, and don’t miss advice on how to have a “healthy snack time” by mixing a packet of dip mix with sixteen ounces of cream cheese in order to create “glue” for veggie critters. Did you ever think you’d be getting gardening advice from Kelly Taylor?

Garden Party [Hidden Valley]

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Filed Under: badvertising, beverly hills 90210, hidden valley ranch dressing, jenny garth

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Eater brings word that Professor Thom’s is poised to reopen on Monday following a liquor-license snafu, and Kingswood could reopen as soon as tonight after suffering collateral fire damage.

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Filed Under: reopenings, kingswood, professor thom’s

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from Grub Street San Francisco

Fred Eckhardt

A new reason to get a growler: In honor of their 30th anniversary, popular IPA-maker Sierra Nevada Brewery is releasing a series of limited edition beers called The Sierra 30 that are collaborative efforts with other renowned brewers — one of the first releases, Fritz & Ken’s Ale, is a joint brew between Sierra founder Ken Grossman and Fritz Maytag of Anchor Steam fame and home-brewing evangelist Charlie Papazian. Ken also made this little documentary video in which he talks to the living pioneers from “the good old days” of the craft brewing movement, including Fritz and mustachioed beer historian Fred Eckhardt, who wrote the highly influential and oddly academic-sounding 1983 tome A Treatise on Lager Beers.

The Sierra 30 Project [via Bottoms Up]

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Filed Under: video feed, anchor brewery, booze you can use, fred eckhardt, fritz maytag, ken grossman, sierra nevada brewery, videos

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Remember Adam Melonas, the Ferran Adria acolyte who planned to open a “sensory space” and “laboratory” here? Sounds like it’s off, per his conversation with Feast:

I had an investor, then broke it off with the investor as they started to look like a bad fit with my project. I had a location, then I also decided not to use it as they tried to basically use our friendship to rob me ($1.2 million per year in rent + 50% of my business!). This has all unfolded in the last week.

So Melonas won’t be unpacking his beakers anytime soon, and we’ll just have to keep waiting for José Andrés to open a place up here.

El Bulli Chef Adam Melonas Not Coming to New York After All [Feast]

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Filed Under: non-openings, adam melonas, jose andres

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

Adour Alain Ducasse (Menu)
212-710-2277
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9 p.m.

Allegretti (Menu)
212-206-0555
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9 p.m.

Balthazar (Menu)
212-965-1414
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:30 p.m.

Bar Boulud (Menu)
212-595-0303
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

Benoit (Menu)
646-943-7373
Two for eight? Yes

Daniel (Menu)
212-288-0033
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10 p.m.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Menu)
212-350-6658
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:30 p.m.

Le Bernardin (Menu)
212-554-1515
Two for eight? Yes

Le Cirque (Menu)
212-644-0202
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:15 p.m.

Filed Under: two for eight, adour alain ducasse, allegretti, balthazar, bar boulud, benoit, daniel, latelier de joel robuchon, le bernardin, le cirque

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Jean-Georges Vongerichten has already told us that his restaurant at the Mark Hotel will be decidedly downscale (pizza! pasta!), and he has already told readers of his blog that he’ll be preparing “comforting, everyday food”. But we have not seen the menu until now. Flo Fab presents it (sans prices, though she says most main courses are under $30) in her Off the Menu column, and says the restaurant (complete with pony-skin bar) will open sometime between Monday and March 1.

Off the Menu: The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

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Filed Under: openings, jean-georges vongerichten, the mark

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The Feed has released “Our Top Ten: Chinese Restaurants” and it’s 40 percent identical to Fork in the Road’s “Our 10 Best Chinese Restaurants” thanks to Xi’an, Peking Duck House, Spicy & Tasty, and Grand Sichuan. None of the Dongbei restaurants made the list. [Feed/TONY ]

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Filed Under: lists, chinese, grand sichuan, peking duck house, spicy & tasty, xi’an famouse foods

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Yesterday Eater suspected that Olana, which filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in December, finally closed after a staff party on Monday, and today an employee at the restaurant confirms it to them: “We just could not come to any resolution with our landlord, we could not get any help on our rent and with the economy and location we could not pay/justify the rent.” The restaurant, where Adam Platt enjoyed Al Di Meglio’s Italian cooking but objected to a certain stuffiness, was two years old.

The Shutter [Eater NY]

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Filed Under: closings, al di meglio, olana

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We’ve confirmed that Zucco: Le French Diner will soldier on under the wing of the late Zucco’s partner in running the restaurant, Max Fraser. Meanwhile, a regular is putting together a fund-raiser in hopes of covering Zucco’s medical expenses and the cost of flying him back to France so he can be buried next to his mother. Donations will be accepted at 200 Orchard from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m. this Sunday, when local D.J’s will spin. Bowery Boogie attended the memorial service at Angel Orensanz last night and had this to say.

The most poignant tribute to this restaurateur was when a pack of humble, Mexican kitchen workers, all colleagues of Zucco, approached the open casket, aglow in the French blue lights illuminating the floor and eves surrounding the audience, and proceeded to prostrate before him and recite a prayer in Spanish, in voices that were authentic, emotional and empathetic, without any hipster posturing or cool reticence.

Meanwhile, on a less tragic but certainly disturbing note, EV Grieve checks in with the situation at Ray’s Candy Store and finds out, via Scoopy’s Notebook, that his building’s managing agent wants to install a “noodle shop.” That, of course, isn’t flying with Reverend Billy and other local activists who are throwing a fund-raiser on March 8.

Will Ray’s become a noodle shop? (Plus, another Ray’s benefit set for March [EV Grieve]
Zucco Memorial Service at Angel Orensanz [Bowery Boogie]

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Filed Under: endangered, le french diner, max fraser, ray’s candy store, zucco

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