An End of an Era in Coney Island?

Sad news from Deadspin.com. It looks like Kobayashi might be absent from the annual 4th of July Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. His mother recently died and he’s been on sabbatical.

“He’s not even in training,” the hot dog eating champion’s manager tells Shukan Gendai. “I haven’t heard a word from him about whether he’s going to take part in the July contest and there’s no way that I know to get in touch with him.”

And in related news…

American Joey Chestnut broke Kobayashi’s all-time record, and with the Nathan’s competition coming up July 4, amazingly, Kobayashi isn’t the favorite to win this time. And that’s if he even shows up.

In other competitive eating news, did you know that Eric “Badlands” Booker, one of Kobayashi’s top competitors was the matzo ball eating champ? According to Slate…

The man to beat was the record holder (21 baseball-sized balls in 5 minutes, 25 seconds), Eric “Badlands” Booker. He is a New York City subway train conductor and a giant of a man at 420 pounds. I asked his advice, and we went to the small soup bowl displaying a few balls. He picked one up, felt and turned it, like Rodin contemplating a slab of marble. “Wow, these are pretty dense,” he said.

Nathan’s photo from Flickr.

Replate

You may already be doing this and if you’re not you should be.

What does replate mean?

It’s to place unwanted leftovers, typically in a doggie bag, on top of the nearest trash can so that they don’t go to waste. That way someone who’s hungry enough to pick up your leftovers will get something tasty, rather than having to shuffle through the can to find some scraps.

It’s simple enough that everyone can do this, and common enough that everyone should.

Visit replate.org for more info. Good post by NOTCOT.

Breadless Tees

Yet another food related Threadless t-shirt.

This week it’s a reprint of one popular tee. It’s cannibalism at its finest as a piece of bread jellies himself up.

Get yours here. $15 for guys, $17 for gals, $17 for kids, and $20 for the onesie. A hoody is also available for $40.

But act fast…sizes fly out the door.

Customized Chef’s Table

You can attempt to prepare a huge, fresh meal for a bunch of friends at home, or you can go to a farmer’s market with a chef and have him help pick the ingredients and then prepare your meal for you. I’d pick the latter. According to Thrillist…

Conceived by former Four Seasons chef Gabe Gabreski, Chefs Table’s a way for culinary idiots to throw together a masterful kitchen experience, unmarred by their lifelong Boyardee phase. The experience begins in the bowels of a farmer’s market (your choice, though Gabreski prefers Santa Monica’s), where you and the chef’ll comb the stalls to pick your ingredients (arugula, elk, fava beans, gummy worms). If you’ve an eye for the exotic, Gabreski knows which vendors stash forbidden delicacies — like duck eggs, which he can make into pasta so rich it’ll pay the insurance premium hikes you face from eating it. Armed with your picks, Gabreski will repair to blue on blue to create a menu, freeing you to go home to consider why the special features on your Manhunter DVD totally suck.

That evening (or up to three days later), you and six of your friends’ll return to the restaurant, where they’ll enjoy the fruits of your sort-of-labor (plus included paired wine), while you bask in the glory of not eating Spaghetti a la General Mills.

For some ideas on what you might want the chef to prepare, check out blue on blue’s standard dinner menu.

blue on blue at the Avalon Hotel:
9400 W. Olympic Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA
310.407.7791

DeVito Does Steak

Danny DeVito is a pretty funny guy, especially on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but does he know anything about steak? Apparently, so.

Actor Danny DeVito is teaming up with restaurateur David Manero (Gotham City, Shore Restaurant) to debut DeVito South Beach, a posh new Italian steakhouse in Miami Beach, on June 18th. The menu nods to the recent designer steak craze (Craftsteak, Cut, Kobe Club, etc.) with a “global flight” of Kobe cuts from Japan, Nebraska and Australia, served in a vast bilevel space that includes a first-floor dining room with red Venetian chandeliers, exposed brick and an open kitchen, an upstairs lounge with DJ booth and an alfresco area with several outdoor cabanas.

If you missed one of my previous posts, he’s also is starting his own Lemoncello and appeared on The View pretty drunk. See proof here.

DeVito South Beach
150 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL
305-531-0911

Photo from here.

Robert Rodriguez Cooking School

Not only does Robert Rodriguez make movies, but he cooks. And according to yumsugar, he includes 10-minute cooking school videos on most of his DVD’s.

Here’s a couple.

Sin City Breakfast Tacos (homemade tortilla recipe included.)

Puerco Pibil (slow roasted pork)

High ‘n Low Sugar Substitute

It looks like this is just a design concept, but they should without a doubt make these.

They’re little silicone rectangles, made to resemble sugar packets that are usually used to help keep uneven tables stable.

I can’t imagine they’d cost a lot to produce. Every restaurant should have these on hand.

Toronto and Brooklyn-based design studio NYTO has recently developed High ‘n Low, a silicone shim substitute for wobbly tables and chairs. Real-deal sugar packets aren’t the most reliable and certainly aren’t reusable after they bust open. This rubber replica can be used over and over, easily carried in the pocket or purse, readily accessible when your seat or surface is less than stable. (from Core 77)

Beer for Bags

Got a lot of extra beer laying around? Are you in Manhattan and will you be there between June 9 and June 17?

If so, head over to the one of Crumpler’s two stores to barter your beer for a brand new bag. Seems like an awesome deal to me if you don’t mind parting with some hops & barley.

Wondering how much brew you need to get a bag? The company offers some guidance on its Web site. For example, two cases of Asahi and a packet of ramen noodles will get you a Moderate Embarrassment laptop bag that normally sells for $80. Similarly, two cases of Stella Artois earns you a Complete Seed messenger bag. As for me, I think I’ll just wander over with a case of Keegan Ales’ Mother’s Milk Stout and a six-pack of Saranac Black Forest and see how far that’ll get me. I guess, much like Billy Joel, I’m in a New York State of mind.

In case you’re wondering what will happen to all the beer from the sale, Crumpler will use some for a party after the sale, to which participants will be invited. The rest will be donated to art, charity, and sporting events. (from Crave)

Crumpler Bags
45 Spring Street & 49 Eighth Avenue
New York

Dinner with Obama

Whether you’re going to vote for him or not, you gotta admit this is a pretty genius idea out of the Obama camp.

The chance to eat dinner with a presidential nominee and ask anything your heart desires just seems like a great way to really show that you don’t mind talking (and eating) with common folk.

4 lucky supporters will be picked at random to have dinner with Obama somewhere along the campaign trail. Transportation will be provided.

You can donate anywhere between $10 - $4600 (or other) to be eligible.

Four supporters who make a donation between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, June 13, will join Barack for an intimate dinner for five.

Get the kind of treatment other politicians reserve for special interests. Make a donation today and you could share your story and your ideas with Barack in person.

Head over to BarackObama.com for your chance to eat with the nominee.

NYC Restaurant Week - Top Chef Cook-Off

NYC’s Restaurant Week is just around the corner.

Twice a year, some of New York’s finest restaurants offer special menus for a reduced price.

Throughout the city, restaurants participate in “Restaurant Week” where they offer a three-course lunch for $24.07 (& some even offer dinner for $35). Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out a restaurant that may usually be out of your budget, or test some new restaurants with a little less financial risk. (from About.com)

But if you’re a Top Chef fan, head over to Union Square Park in NYC on Tuesday, June 12 at noon for a Restaurant Week Kick-Off Cook-Off. Hosted by Padma Lakshmi and judged by Tom Colicchio and 4 of NY’s premiere restaurateurs, Ilan and Sam from season 2 will square off in a quick-fire competition.

At the June 12 event, the 30-minute quickfire challenge will be staged on the set of an actual kitchen with monitors for onlookers to watch the event. It will be judged by a panel of NYC restaurateurs and chefs, including Tom Colicchio, “Top Chef” 3 Miami head judge and co-founder of Craft Restaurants, and Mr. Nieporent, one of the culinary world’s most celebrated figures. “Top Chef” Season 3 host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi will serve as emcee. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate New York and its best restaurants than with a cook-off between two ‘Top Chefs’ from New York,” said Jason Klarman, EVP Marketing & Digital, Bravo. (from Broadcast Newsroom)

The three-course lunches go for $24.07, and the dinners for $35. Among the participants this year are City Hall, City Lobster, Chin Chin, and new participant
Gordon Ramsay maze.

For more information on NYC Restaurant Week go to nycvisit.com.

Photo from Blogging Top Chef.