My daughter and I are in the middle of our ‘Super Chef’ tour this year. So far we have met Batali and now Flay. Lidia in a few weeks and then Emeril next month.
We showed up at the Short Hills mall in NJ to meet and have Flay sign his new burger book. (some interesting stuff in it BTW). I hate waiting for anything and will just as soon move on from some of the better restaurants I regular if they tell me anyhthing more than a 20 minute wait.
Last night I broke that rule. 3 hours on line. When we finally met he seemed tired but friendly. 20 seconds and a few words exchanged later we were out with two books.
I asked the guy at the end of the line who was not letting any more in line : “How many in total?”. His reply: “about 900”.
WOW!
There will be lots of burgers made in New Jersey this weekend…
Bobby Flay seems like a nice enough guy to me. But even if he isn’t, so what? I like his food and that is all that really matters to me. FWIW, Daniel Boulud has the reputation for being a pompous jerk too.
Flay and Boulud are both nice guys and have a nice reputation in the restaurant industry. I see Flay around NYC all the time. Some question his talent but that’s a different discussion.
I know several people who are friends with Boulud, and I’ve known chefs who have worked for him–all seem to like him a lot.
Michael, Some look interesting enough, and with burger cookbooks, its surely not how you grind the meat, but what goes on and to what method they are cooked at. Myself, I like a good old juicy 90% sirloin on the hot grill for abour 4 or 5 minutes per side. Juice running up and down my arm is a good thing. He has some italian examples in the book that look interesting enough and a garlic butter one that looked very good.
I realize a burger list is not a revelation, nor would it receive cookbook of the year. Its a fun book nontheless.
The best part is sharing an interest with your daughter. You will have a life long bond through food and wine like I had with my father. He is the responsible party who ignited the bug in me!
Nancy, very true and I am so appreciative to have the oppurtunity to do so. She’s 15 and have a real love for cooking and baking. Luckily for her her mom is a great baker. I can barely heat my bread or mix a packaged cake.
