Restaurants

Doughnuts and Wine Pair Up on New Reality Show

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Apr 26th 2011 @ 2:30PM

Psycho Donuts Photo: happyfunpaul, Flickr

Doughnuts and wine go together like... wait, that's insane, right? Not at a place called Psycho Donuts in San Jose, California owned by former techy Jordan Zwegoron. Set up like a "light-hearted" asylum, it's complete with lab coat-clad employees, a padded booth, straitjacket and group therapy area where customers are given plastic bubble wrap (for popping, natch) and donuts named "Cereal Killer," "Kooky Monster" and "Massive Head Trauma."

"When you walk in, you're our patient, and we make you better with doughnuts," Zwegoron told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. That all may not spell 'family friendly' but it's TV gold for producer Nicole Block of LA-based Highlighting Entertainment, who's shooting a sample episode of a doughnut-and-wine pairing reality show to pitch to TLC, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel, reports the Sentinel.

"There's a lot of cupcake and cake reality shows, but we haven't seen a doughnut show," says Block. "Zwegoron is a good character and the doughnuts are unique, so we think Psycho Donuts will be a good candidate." She's decided to match up the crazy confectionist with wine from Poetic Cellars on the hills of Soquel, CA. The cellar's shtick? Each bottle is labeled with a poem. We can't say what's in the paired-up doughnut, but it's four-pronged and goes by "the poetic psycho," like any good reality TV star.

Filed under: Television/Film, Restaurants

Jon Bon Jovi To Open "Pay What You Can" Restaurant

COMMENTS 17

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 25th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Jon Bon Jovi Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

If you've ever listened to the lyrics of Bon Jovi's 1986 signature anthem, "Livin' on a Prayer," you know Jon Bon Jovi sympathizes with those down on their luck. (Remember? Poor Tommy used to work on the docks, but union's been on strike...).

Now the singer, already well-known for his philanthropic works through his non-profit Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, plans to open a community restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey. Soul Kitchen, which is slated to open this spring, isn't just any restaurant, though. The eatery will serve low-cost or no-cost meals to diners and ask they they volunteer at the restaurant in return. (If this model sounds familiar, it's because a similar restaurant exists in Denver.)

It's a feel-good model that works for everyone. And if the food's good, it might just start a trend.

Filed under: Celebrities, Restaurants

Flavor Flav Ditches His Fried Chicken Restaurant

COMMENTS 4

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 25th 2011 @ 12:00PM

Flava Flav Photo: Jeff Kravitz / WireImage

After a turbulent four months of bounced checks and low staff retention, Clinton, Iowa-based Flav's Fried Chicken has shuttered, reports WQAD. Flav claims that restaurant manager Nick Cimino wasn't running the business right, while Cimino believes that Flav is a "fraud" and he is glad to be "free of somebody like Flavor Flav." TMZ learns that Flav also had issues with the food itself, after discovering potato salad on April 2 that was being served, despite being expired since February 28. Flav is still looking into pursuing other restaurant ventures, including a Las Vegas place called "Flavor Flav's House of Flavor," expected to open May 30, and perhaps another restaurant in Davenport, Iowa as well.

Filed under: Celebrities, Restaurants

Green-Certified Restaurants for Earth Day Dining

COMMENTS 0

by Jessie Cacciola, Posted Apr 22nd 2011 @ 2:00PM

Brasserie Jo restaurant (Boston) Brasserie Jo, Boston. Photo: colonnade, Flickr

If you're not celebrating Earth Day by dining at one of the many Earth Dinners we offered to you earlier this week, take comfort in one of these green-certified spots approved by the only non-profit that can: the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). This 20-year-old, nationally recognized program is backed by Energy Star and the Environmental Defense Fund. To get an approval from this group, your establishment needs to be Stryfoam-free, recycle-friendly (and compost, if available) and use sustainable food and water.

"The Green Restaurant Association is proud to have attracted scores of highly esteemed restaurants from across the United States," said Michael Oshman, founder and executive director of the GRA, in a statement. Most recognizable: Le Bernardin, Mario Batali's empire, Microsoft corporate cafés, Hyatt hotels, Panera and Jamba Juice. Not to leave anyone out, here's the full list.

Filed under: Restaurants, Eco-Friendly

E la Carte: Restaurants' Electronic Menus Revolutionize Ordering

COMMENTS 2

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 21st 2011 @ 4:00PM

Photo: E la Carte

Technology has managed to make all manner of service employees practically obsolete -- bank tellers, travel agents, grocery store checkers. Are waiters next?

When you think about it, the newfangled gadget that tech startup E la Carte released this week has been sort of a long time coming. It's basically a more rugged version of an iPad that allows you to touch-screen your way through a restaurant menu, order and even pay.

The crotchety misanthrope might ask, "How is it that I've been able to scan and bag my own groceries for years, but still I have to make chit-chat with the waiter at Applebee's?"

Right now, reports our our sister site TechCrunch, only about 20 eateries have the device, mostly in San Francisco and Boston. But E la Carte says it has a long waiting list of restaurant owners eager to try the thing. One reason is because restaurants that have tested it have reported a 10 to 12 percent spike in overall revenue, since E la Carte is great at up-selling. ("Would you like a side salad with that for only $3 more?" Here's a lovely picture of the side salad. All you have to do is press this button.)

Filed under: Trends, Restaurants, Gadgets

A Peek at Restaurant Salaries

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 14th 2011 @ 4:00PM

chef salaries revealed Photo: Jupiterimages

Ever wondered what an executive chef rakes in for creating your four-star meal? Zagat has a list of salary ranges for different restaurant jobs, and it may surprise you. A server at a high-end spot can bank more than the pastry chef (yes, really). And new culinary school grads may be in for a bit of a disappointment, as it's evident that no one in the kitchen is going to turn into Donald Trump -- most jobs top out under $60,000.

Want to see what the staff at your favorite restaurant is taking home? Check out the full list.

Filed under: Restaurants, Chefs

10 Hidden Restaurant Calorie Traps

COMMENTS 4

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 11th 2011 @ 2:00PM

club sandwich with fries Photo: Steve Snodgrass, Flickr

You already know to order the salad dressing on the side if you want to cut calories, but fat-laden sauces aren't the only calorie bombs lurking in restaurant dishes. The Daily Meal's got a list of 10 restaurant saboteurs to avoid if you're trying to squeeze into a pair of skinny jeans. Heavy cream hides in sauces you wouldn't expect (bolognese, for example) and certain sandwich spreads can contain almost as many calories as the rest of the sandwich. And -- yuck -- did you know some eateries slip poultry skin into turkey burgers to keep them moist?

Read the full list of restaurant saboteurs at The Daily Meal.

Filed under: Restaurants, Online

Tickets to Grant Achatz' Next Restaurant Selling for Up to $3000

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 11th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Photo: Next Restaurant

Need proof that Chicago diners have bought into the hype surrounding Grant Achatz' new Chicago restaurant, Next? Check Craigslist. Fans of Achatz' brand of avant-garde cooking are literally paying thousands of dollars for the privilege of eating at his newest outpost. The restaurant operates on a ticket system -- secure a ticket and you're in for a meal. But demand drives up prices, and since the seats are limited, scalpers are having a field day. Recent Craigslist postings have the coveted tickets listed for as much as $3,000. Achatz proved his cooking chops at Alinea, but he's going to have to put out some pretty impressive food to satisfy diners who ponied up that much dough.

Read the full story at The Huffington Post.

Filed under: Restaurants, Chefs

OpenTable Names the 10 Hottest Restaurants in the U.S.

COMMENTS 20

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 8th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Hurricane Club Restaurant Bar Photo: Michael Weber for Hurricane Club

OpenTable users aren't just logging on to the site to make reservations anymore -- they're coming back to tell others what they think. What are diners loving this year? The website's Diners' Choice awards tell all.

The company's list of 50 "2011 Hot Spot Winners" was fun to read, but many of the picks are perennial favorites. We were most interested in what's new on the scene. Lucky, the site delivered -- after compiling 7 million reviews, OpenTable has come up with a list of the 10 hottest restaurants to open in the past year.

Get the full list after the jump.

Filed under: Restaurants, Online

Times Square to Become a Restaurant?

COMMENTS 13

by Bill Sertl, Posted Mar 30th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Times Square, New York City Photo: snorpey, Flickr

Grab a seat in the open-air restaurant, unfold your napkin and take a leisurely look at the specials on the menu the waiter has just handed you. But be careful not to get sideswiped by the M7 bus as it zips down Broadway on its way through Times Square. No kidding, folks, New York's famous Crossroads of the World-the scene of so many ball-dropping New Year's Eve parties-might sport a 100-seat restaurant by summer, complete with waiter service.

According the New York Daily News, the idea comes from the Times Square Alliance, an association of local businesses, and the plan is to seek out interested parties, perhaps from restaurants in the immediate neighborhood. If the idea sounds extreme at first, consider that much of Times Square-at least three full blocks-is now mostly closed to cars, thanks to efforts, not always popular (especially with cab drivers), by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also pushing hard for more bike lanes in the city. By the time you're ready to dine, though, traffic won't be the major problem. But August heat and humidity might be, that is, if the plan gets off the ground by then. (Our advice? Don't hold your polluted breath.)

Filed under: Food News, Restaurants