Bruni!

Those who know me, know I love erstwhile NY Times food critic Frank Bruni. Frank wrote for the Times from 2004-2009. He covered the rise of the restaurants that would be come name brands for me during my first few years in New York: Per Se, Masa, Babbo. He also anointed new destinations, including the polemic Ssam Bar, Minetta Tavern, and Eleven Madison Park.

His reviews were so fun to read, I could not pass up an opportunity to hear him chat at the Tishman Auditorium as part of the NY Food and Wine Festival. The convo was moderated by Ben Leventhal, the founder of Eater.com.

Ben could have done a much better job facilitating the conversation to cover a wider variety of topics. Ben was fixated on the star-system and understandably so. We got several questions about the scope of the star-system, how a restaurant like Ssam Bar could earn 3-stars yet not offer a formal coffee service. We also got entertaining anecdotes about the lengths people would go to to please Frank. My favorite was a story of an incident when Frank spilled soap on himself at Nobu 57 and the restaurant bent over backwards to correct Frank's clumsy mistake.

The key message that Frank conveyed was that he judged restaurants solely on the merits of their cuisine and service: the true mission of any food critic. Despite these entertaining stories about people recognized the most feared man in food, Frank was quick to point out they had no bearing on his reviews. He also noted that these he wants to be remembered for his integrity and honesty in reviews. Despite having a very public feud with the infamous Keith McNally, he bestowed 3-stars on Minetta Tavern, and the restaurant has been impossible to crack since.

Frank was charismatic per usual and a master of words. He speaks just like he writes: fluidly, melodically, and cleverly. The conversation was short and Frank was a little too diplomatic, but all and all a perfect way to start a 3-day weekend.