grub street

The other day, Party asked me how I feel about eating foods that I can't identify. Since I've often found myself at food events that serve an overwhelming number of complicated bites, I do it all the time. But despite the fact that I've eaten lots of random (and unidentified) foods, there are still scores of foods I've always wanted to try but have never gotten around to sampling. Although some New York gourmands claim poutine is becoming routine, I've never had a chance to try it, so it's at the top of my list. And I've also always wanted to try belon oysters, black pudding, blowfish, boudin sausage, and wagyu beef from Kobe, Japan.

I'm sure you've got a running tab, too — so I'd love to hear it! What's on your must-try list?

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In this week's issue of New York magazine, singer, songwriter, and actress Mandy Moore not only discusses her upcoming album and newlywed life, but she also rolls up her sleeves to learn how to make ricotta gnudi and deviled eggs in the kitchen of West Village gastropub The Spotted Pig.

While there, Moore shares the dishes that she grew up on, her goal to throw a dinner party with friends, and her love for the Sham Wow. Although a slideshow of action shots reveal her unfamiliarity with cooking, she admits to enjoying food.

I like eating. I admire people with that talent, you know, someone that can walk in, take ingredients out of the fridge and just sort of whip something up. Or just to innately know, like, how you hard-boil an egg. That's something I would have to Google.

Despite Mandy's lack of kitchen knowledge, there's something endearing about her earnest attempt to make gnudi from scratch. Are you surprised that she's trying to learn how to cook?

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It seems that Tyler Florence and Andrew Zimmern aren't the only ones to have a public feud. They're in the company of Mario Batali and Gordon Ramsay, who reportedly aren't getting along. According to Page Six, Batali banned the Hell's Kitchen host from entering any of his restaurants after Ramsay began calling him "Fanta Pants" behind his back to make fun of the orange shorts that Batali often sports. The Italian chef told the Guardian, "I've banned him from my restaurants. Ramsay's people call, trying to book tables, and I say no. I won't have him in there." The feud allegedly goes back more than a year, when Batali first dissed Ramsay's food as dull and outdated and declared that the UK chef didn't get New York.

Here's the catch: New York magazine's Grub Street, skeptical of the feud, recently put Batali's claims to the test and discovered that Ramsay isn't exactly getting turned away from Batali's restaurants after all. A magazine intern, posing as an assistant for Ramsay, managed to get reservations for at least three of Batali's restaurants right away.

What do you think of this brouhaha? Are you on Team Mario or Team Gordon? And did Batali really ban Ramsay, or do you simply think this feud is one huge publicity stunt?

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Have you ever wondered what a star chef eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Recently New York Magazine had star chef Eric Ripert keep a food diary for six days. — Grub Street