"mario batali" news and stories

Nothing quite spoils a $35 plate of lobster risotto like the specter of revolution.

A kind of proletariat fever appears to be sweeping through some of New York's finest restaurants. Forget picket lines, though. These workers are dragging their celebrity-chef bosses to court.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, famed Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is the latest in a string of prominent restaurateurs to face lawsuits alleging violations of state and federal labor laws. A former employee of his New York City restaurant, Morimoto, is filing suit for depriving him of tip money.

Related: Mario Batali's Eataly Opens Next Week

Remember when we sat down with Mario Batali last month? Among candid talk of his many, many projects, he gave us a little insight into the much-awaited, many-times-delayed Eataly, which is now set to officially open August 31.

This is the first U.S. outpost of the gargantuan flagship market in Turin, Italy, which combines the feel of an outdoor market with the finest restaurants in the country. Batali -- along with partners Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich and Oscar Farinetti (the franchise's founder) -- gave the New York press a sneak preview of the 50,000-square-foot, bi-level mecca on Tuesday.

Time Out New York calls it a "gastro-playground" and advises food nerds to start their engines; the New York Post describes it as "ambitious, sprawling"; while the Gothamist imagines it's a "haven for Italian ex-pats."

"This is the Italy of Vespas and stilettos," the Gothamist says, while Batali tells them: "It could be the cornerstone of Italian gastronomic culture."

In this frank interview with Slashfood, Mario Batali discusses his forthcoming vegetarian restaurant (yes, this from the man known for his love of lardo and other meat products), admits that his Italian food megacomplex in New York, Eataly, is delayed yet again, and reveals details about a new TV show he's pitching.

Batali also answered questions about his future with Iron Chef America and the "carnival" his life has become -- "dancing with Katy Perry on a Jetta was fun." Perhaps most surprising of all, the chef who has become a pop-culture celebrity as well as a celebrity chef said he dreams of one day letting others run his American restaurants while he moves to an out-of-the-way Roman neighborhood and runs a little eatery with 35 seats open only three days a week.

Sounds nice – when can we make a reservation?

"Behind The Apron," is a video series featuring news-breaking conversations between the journalist Allen Salkin and the biggest names in the culinary world. The series goes beyond the plate and into the lives of those in the food world who have become mainstream cultural icons. In a turnaround from his TV role as head judge on Top Chef, Tom Colicchio talks about his struggle to rise to the expectations of judges at the James Beard Foundation; Jose Andres gets political; and Jacques Pepin laughs about the social ascendance of chefs over the past two decades from blue collar workers into "geniuses." Much more is to come in this groundbreaking series.

• Bursting with attitude unparalleled by vodka, gin cocktails dominate the bold new face of mixology.
• Renowned for his gluttonous appetite -- and portly physique -- Mario Batali reveals a transformed outlook on food in his new cookbook Molto Gusto, which trades rich decadence for simple, healthy, everyday Italian fare.
• "The love for regional food chains burns hottest of all," a reality largely due to local community pride and further strengthened by the recession.
• Find out which whites pair best with the other white meat.
• Even President Obama is eager to roll up his sleeves for a burger, returning to Ray's Hell Burger with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev after his burger venture with Joe Biden in May 2009.