It's hard to be a critic . . .

They arrive cloaked in secrecy, often using fictitious names and sometimes donning disguises.

Restaurant critic Frank Bruni says he used credit cards with pseudonyms to try to keep his anonymity.

They aren't spies. They're restaurant critics, whose mere presence can make even the calmest chef shake in his or her chef whites.

And one critic strikes even more fear than the rest.

"The zenith, the pinnacle is the New York Times restaurant critic," says Jimmy Bradley, owner of The Red Cat restaurant in Manhattan's Chelsea section.

For the past five years, that position has been held by Frank Bruni, a former political reporter whose witty restaurant reviews garnered him a loyal readership.

Restaurant owners do everything in their power to spot a critic in the crowd. And in a cat-and-mouse game, critics try every trick in the book to go unnoticed, so they'll be treated like anyone else.

Bradley has been keeping tabs on Bruni, compiling a dossier that describes Bruni's preferences, his aliases, his usual dining companions, even his clothing.

"He likes to wear pretty funky sneakers," Bradley shares.

Read the full article at CNN.com

World's Top 100 Restaurants

Fire up your skymiles accounts and head overseas to check out the majority of the World's Top 100 Restaurants.

It could be about to get very bitchy again in London’s best kitchens.

Gordon Ramsay suffered fresh ignominy last night when his three-star Michelin restaurant dropped out of the world’s Top 100 eating experiences, while his former protégé made his first appearance only six months after opening his first solo restaurant after a very public falling-out between the pair.

Days after reports that boil-in-the-bag dishes were served at the chef’s gastropubs, Ramsay’s Hospital Road restaurant in London, thirteenth in last year’s list, missed out on a place in the 2009 San Pellegrino world restaurant awards. Yet Marcus Wareing, who opened his restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel after an acrimonious split with his former friend, has made a dramatic entry on the list at No 52.

Read the Full Article & List

Quick Plug for a -Nu- Favorite

If you haven't been to what Cincinnati Magazine rated the "Top New Restaurant" in the area, you should get there quickly. I think we Cincinnatians are so accustomed to reading negative news that a positive review tends to mean long lines at the door or 9:30pm reservations. Perhaps we are starved for new and exciting endeavours by local entrepreneurs? Or maybe someone will just open another chain Scottish/Irish hybrid restaurant on a vacant nearby corner! Yay! Either way, my sarcasm gets the best of me. Chef Mark Bodenstein and his staff do it up right, and on behalf of all Cincinnatians, thank you. This from their website:

Starting March 4, 2009 every Wednesday NuVo will feature tapas night! $20 per person unlimited tapas and $4 by the glass wine features. No reservations will be accepted on Wednesdays.

Leaving a windy city for THE Windy City

A couple days of work in Chicago leads to good food and live blogging! After a bumpy flight in, what better way to dry out and fuel up than some Chicago-style pizza. Gino's East proved to be a solid choice. Through the plethora of toppings, our group of 4 settled on the "Deep Dish Cheese and Our Famous Sausage." These behemoths take 45 minutes to cook, but when our famous sausage arrived, like most famous sausages, was well worth it:


and some on-the-wall suggestions for after dinner activities:

Local culture and flatulence at it's best.

Bootsy's

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Funky Tapas

So, a couple of us went to Bootsy's last Friday to check out Cincy's newest, most cosmopolitan restaurant to open in the past month. The marriage of Bootsy Collins, of P-Funk and Paul Brown Stadium Fame, and Jeff Ruby, of steak, steak and steak fame, led to the city's newest tapas bar.

Overall, I'd have to say, while the company was great, the word that echoed in my head was "overrated." No happy hour specials and fine, but not great, Coca's (Spanish Flatbreads) won't have me rushing back for happy hour. The place was packed with politicians, often not a selling point, who proceeded to take up the whole bar area. Luckily, a member of our group hooked us up with the corner, mirrored table room.

I will have to check out a full meal there and write that up, as the Enquirer seemed to love it

One of the highlights of the menu was the fact that you could buy an entire animal with only 3-days notice.

Cochinillo A La - "Caja China" - Whole Suckling Pig
Slow Roasted Cuban style, carved tableside. Chef selected side dishes and dipping sauces.
Serves 6 or more. 72 Hours Advance Order Required.

Dont' worry, it's a cake, not a real pig, but Bootsy's serves the real deal

Strange But True

Sick of going to those normal restaurants where people sit on chairs, the lights are turned on and there is a floor below you? Well, then you'll need to check out some of these out-of-the-box thinking restaurants.