"Hey, is that...? Yes, it is!"
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 | posted by Mike
Hola, everyone. Been busy around here lately, but you know how it is.Anyway, I haven't been going in to work the past two days. Insteady, I've been taking a computer training class in Philly that doesn't start until 10:00, which means I'm heading into the city about an hour and a half later than usual. It's nice...there are fewer commuters at this point so it's pretty relaxing. Plug in the headphones, fire up the This American Life podcast and zone out.
That's what I was up to when I was standing on the PATCO train going over the Delaware River this morning. I casually glanced around the car, looking at a couple of the riders. One of them caught my eye, though, and I immediately thought to myself, "Hey, is that...?"
Yep
That's right...the fellow sitting there in the sunglasses is Aaron McCargo!
(Don't worry -- his companion did actually have a face. I just didn't want to subject her to my staker-azzi photo, so I blurred her out. )
He was obviously in a conversation, so it didn't feel right to swoop in and ask for a photo, hence the surreptitious iPhone picture. But he did see me and I gave him a bit of a "head nod of recognition" that he returned and flashed a quick smile, which was nice.
Labels: Aaron McCargo
My Guess: The Pancetta Cologne Makes Him Irresistible
Monday, September 22, 2008 | posted by Mike
Perhaps in celebration of the debut of his Spanish food show, it appears that Mario Batali is singing a little "Besame Mucho" to rock star/humanitarian Bono in this photo over at Best Week Ever.The show, Spain...on the Road Again (which would probably be even cooler if it featured Willie Nelson) debuts this coming weekend in the Philadelphia market...go here for your locale. The DVR is officially set and ready to go.
Labels: Mario Batali
TV Food Fan Mentioned in Baltimore Sun's Article on Geof Manthorne
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 | posted by Mike
Regular readers of the site know about our man-crush on Ace of Cakes Renaissance man Geof Manthorne, which goes back to the early days of this site. So it was a pleasant surprise when we got a call from Jill Rosen, a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, for our take on what makes Geof so appealing.We were more than happy to weigh in on the topic and you can see the results in the article, 'Ace of Cakes' fans have a thing for bakery artist Geof Manthorne, which is up on the Sun's site. Be sure to check out the whole thing...with special attention to the last couple of paragraphs, of course!
Charm City
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 | posted by Mike
Busy travelling today...I did do a drive by of Baltimore en route to Washington. Sorry, no Duff sighting, but they do have a very colorful bridge. My "iPhone-photo-from-a-moving-train" image doesn't do it justice. I'll just wait for Charm City Cakes to do a pastry version of it. Seriously, though...anyone down there know what the deal is with this thing?
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| From Blog Images |
The Best Feast Yet?
Monday, September 15, 2008 | posted by Mike
It just might be.We really enjoyed the first two shots of Feasting, mostly because of the fact that it really presented a program that looked and felt like nothing else that was on the Network. But, truth be told, Alton and his crew were visiting places that looked somewhat familiar to American audiences. Sure, we may not have deep fried pig brains here in New Jersey, but this wasn't exactly a different world we were talking about. All that is different this year.
I think the real, "hidden" secret to this year is the fact that there seems to be less preperation on the crew's part and that they're also beholden to the winds, so we get the occasional detour.
In past years, the squad went from location to location, visiting real, authentic places that, nonetheless, were probably aware of the Food Network, and possibly even with Alton himself. I don't think that's the case this year, and it feels like more of a discovery...similar to what we see in some of the better food/travel shows.
The real tip-off for this was the fact that, during last night's episode (number 2 on the season), there was a little back-and-forth between Alton and his host about the fact that they knew about Rachael Ray (and Alton play-acted that he'd never heard of her). The fact that they included this episode and that Alton seemed genuinely a little surprised leads me to belive that they didn't hear a lot of, "Hey, you guys are from Food Network!" while making the rounds. Their ability to travel incognito lends the show a level of authenticity we haven't seen before.
Labels: Alton Brown
Marcel Busted for Suspicion of DUI, Hair Only Slightly Less Fantastic in Mug Shot
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 | posted by Mike
OK. Let's be clear. Drunk driving is not funny. Drunk driving mug shots, however, are hysterical.You may remember Marcel Vigneron from Top Chef a couple of years ago. He was the one with the cartoon character-like hair and soul-piercing glare. Now you get to see him in a slightly different light, thanks to the mug shot currently up at Grub Street. The folks over at GS have a very good point when they compare the pokey photo favorably to the publicity shot from TC.
Ahhh...celebrity mug shots. Perhaps no greater treat has been brought to us by the Internet than these schadenfreude-laden glimpses of fame gone wrong. And, although Marcel has not made their hall of shame, the alpha and omega of online celeb mug shot sites is, without a doubt, The Smoking Gun.
I'm guessing that many of you know about the site, but those of you who don't (or anyone who is up for a good chuckle) should swing by the mug shot page. It's hours and hours of fun. Unfortunately, I think they missed a golden opportunity to let visitors rate their faves, but you just can't go wrong when you click around on a list like that. In case you're wondering, my all-time fave is Nick Nolte.
A quick scan doesn't seem to reveal any food TV personalities. So, Marcel, congratulations on your potentially groundbreaking achievement!
Labels: Top Chef
Really? Because He Doesn't Seem the Kind of Guy to Pander or Sell Out.
Monday, August 25, 2008 | posted by Mike
Hey, I bet you're wondering what Rocco DiSpirito has been up to since his Bertolli-pitching appearance on Top Chef. Or maybe you were just hoping he had gone away, never to be heard from again. I know I felt a little bit of each. And now I feel like a sucker.Why? Because Rocco is slated to be a contestant on the next edition of Dancing with the Stars.
Rocco DiSpirito: This 42 year old American chef will have to leave his homebase of New York city to compete in D.W.T.S. Rocco is another product of reality T.V. He stared in the show "The Restaurant" which followed him and his mother during the opening of their restaurant, "Rocco's 22nd Street". He also competed in "the Biggest Loser: Couples" and was a guest judge and sous-chef in "Top Chef". Viewers always like to see people with strong personalities on the show. Rocco may fit right in. His reality T.V. show "Rocco's 22nd Street" ended with disagreements with his financier, Jeffrey Chodorow. Rocco also hosted his own radio show a few years ago, but that too ended due to "creative differences".Great...now I can add "dancing" to my ongoing list ("cooking," "talking," "anything") of things I don't want to watch Rocco DiSpirito doing on my TV.
Hat Tip to Emily for passing this fun bit of info my way.
Labels: Rocco DiSpirito
Video Games + Iron Chef America = Awesome?!?!?
Friday, August 22, 2008 | posted by Mike
I'm not going to lie. It's my secret fantasy to be a video game character at some point. Every year, you'll read an article abou thow jazzed some football rookie is about the fact that he's actually a part of the latest version of Madden. It's funny, because the article usually starts out about how thrilled the player is, and it then quickly moves on to how said player is angry that he did not receive a high enough rating in the game. Such is life.So, does that mean we'll be hearing about Mario Batali complaining that his knife skills aren't up to his standards with the soon-to-be-released Wii version of Iron Chef America?
Alas, the TVFF household does not feature a Wii, and my video game playing is at an all time low these days, so it's unlikely we'll be providing a review. But, we do make a point to swing by the Best Buy and jam on "Guitar Hero" whenever I can (much to Mrs. TVFF's dismay), so I'll be on the lookout in the mall this autumn!
Labels: Iron Chef America
iPhone/Food Network Users - Call for Submissions
Thursday, August 21, 2008 | posted by Mike
Hey...are there any iPhone users out there who have tried out the Food Network iPhone web application?If so, drop me a note at mike@tvfoodfan.com and let me know what you think of it, how useful you find it and any other general impressions you have. Thanks!
Hey, What'd I Tell Ya?!?
Monday, August 18, 2008 | posted by Mike
Philly chef wins on ‘Iron Chef’Good for you, Jose
Labels: Iron Chef America
