Anthony Bourdain is great at a lot of things, and one of them is getting me thinking. Sometimes it’s about rotten fish from Iceland, and other times it’s about my fantasy meal. When interviewed by the New York Post’s Page Six he was asked what his fantasy meal would be. Bourdain responded: “Chef Marco Pierre White and Keith Richards would be throwing something on the Barbie in a backyard in Red Hook.” more…

In a few hours – I should probably be sleeping as I open the restaurant at around the same time – Jean-Luc Naret will announce the starry winners of the 2009 Michelin Guide for New York City. Star ratings are no mystery to the average internet reader; although how they come to be is as much a mystery to me as they are to you. And here I am putting stars willy nilly on TV shows and video games. more…

Possibly my favorite reality show – no, it definitely is my fav – Top Chef is set to return to Bravo on November 12th. It’ll possibly be the first show we at Munch Monster cover on a weekly basis. Hey, Kitchen Nightmares is fun but it’s more about snappy editing and degrading unknowing restaurateurs. Top Chef, Emmy nominated show that it is, takes reality cooking to a much higher level than you’ll find almost anywhere on television. more…

Sometimes our court system gets it right. We still make jokes about the ignorant woman who burnt herself with McDonald’s coffee. Come on, I am still unable to understand how that ever got to the point of money changing hands. Coffee is hot. So, it’s with great relief that Civil Court Judge Mathew Cooper denies Steve Kaplan’s claim against an Upper Westside Movie theater in NYC to pay his $1,250 dental bill. more…