Biggest takeaway of the talk - I love Frank Bruni about as much as I dislike Ben Leventhal. Which is a lot. He just came off very down to earth - someone you wish you could be friends with.
Ben on the other hand came off a little surly, a little impressed with himself, exactly the kind of person you hope you aren't placed next to at a dinner party...
Was it just me, or did Leventhal seem a little stoned? Maybe I shouldn't be saying that - it's just that he seemed so out of it for most of the conversation. Thus, unlike the exciting pace of the Chang/Bourdain talk, the Bruni talk moved at an almost unbearably slow pace.
I think the only thing they talked about was the fact that Bruni awarded Momofuku Ssam bar, "a place with no white tablecloths!!!" 3 stars. This apparently DID NOT sit well with Leventhal - who seemingly must have some beef with David Chang.
After every comment resulting in a pause in the conversation, Leventhal without fail would bring the conversation once again back to the question of how a place like Ssam bar could get 3 stars from the New York Times. As if annointing Ssam Bar 3 stars meant the death of fine dining? Have an open mind!!!
Other tid bits from Bruni -
- Brooklyn will not likely have a 4 star restaurant in the near future due to the socioeconomic climate/environment. He stepped back to say that a business lunch/dinner climate is necessary for an expensive extravaganza to be profitable. Oh so politically correct, Bruni!
- Restaurants need to focus on their phone etiquette and host greeting. First impressions MATTER
- 3 stars go to restaurants that he continuously feels like recommending to friends/out of town guests. White tablecloth not necessary
- Anonymity is meaningless in the Internet age
- He still hates Ninja
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