Food Maps!

Image from verysmallarray.com

very small array (which presents a lot of random information in interesting ways), came out with this map series, portraying the five boroughs by the most common restaurant-type per zip code, based on the Village Voice restaurants guide (Gothamist).

A Nude Painting of Mario Batali?

Soooo a street artist named Sketchy Folk recently unveiled his painting of a naked Mario Batali:

Image from Eater.com

Yup, I meant naked! The Village Voice tells us Sketchy is depicting Mario as Bacchus from the famous Rubens painting:

Image from artinthepicture.com

Poor Mario, that's rough.  Apparently, however, the painting "really has nothing to do with 'Mario B"; Says the artist:

This painting is a sharp stick in the eye of all things decent. It is wrong on all levels and really has nothing to do with Mario B. but rather with our unchecked gluttony for all things cheap and ugly, like contemporary art or reality shows or that trainwreck called Lady Gaga. We are doomed and our culture is like a BP well polluting the ocean of reality with the oil of demonic idiocy.

Whatever his artistic intent, Sketchy Folk basically unclothed Mario in front of the world, without his consent.  It's funny, don't get me wrong.  But incredibly invasive when you really think about it.  Then again, Mario's a strange character, so he might just love it. If I were him, I'd frame it over my dining room table and see who my true friends are.

Another fun fact: I missed this one, but Sketchy Folk's friend, Alex Gardega, did a nude painting of Rachael Ray in a river of EVOO last December (apparently done in earnest).

On a side note, Mario recently shared his Sunday Routine with the NY Times, and I'm very pleased to say I've eaten at his brunch spot, Morandi.  It's yet another gorgeous "rustic trattoria" in the West Village.  I took Gus there for his birthday last year.  "Best chicken he's ever eaten."

Last Supper

Everyone loves playing the last meal game.  For some reason, it's fun to think about food in this morbid context.

I just came across this book, My Last Supper, which reveals how 50 of the world's most famous chefs would answer this question, accompanied by evocative portraits taken by the award-winning photographer Melanie Dunea.

Publisher's Weekly writes "The meals are curiosities, and the few recipes included are pleasant enough; it's the photographs of each chef that make this book so irresistible. One needn't have heard of them, much less dined in their restaurants, to appreciate their portraits."

Indeed, the portraits are captivating. What else would have afforded the opportunity to see an almost nude Anthony Bourdain, save for a strategically placed leg bone, or this amazingly large boar?  Click here for more pictures (and yes, the Bourdain photo is included!)

Photo from www.melaniedunea.com

 But I must say, I find the meals equally intriguing. Yes, pictures are worth a thousand words, but the level of description and detail these chefs put into their last meals is arguably just as revealing.

Take for instance, the Canadian chef Martin Picard, who prefers one kilo of caviar and blini, a Russian pancake, followed by fresh bluefin tuna from Nova Scotia, served raw with a soy sauce and self-hunted snipes (a type of wading bird), prepared classically. Right down to the weight, location, and method of kill. 

Then again, his photo is pretty revealing...or misleading.  Would you have guessed this guy is a world-famous chef?

Photo from Time.com

Check out Time's slideshow of excerpts from the book for more affinities for gooseneck barnacles, dark butter chocolate ice cream, potatoes cooked in ashes, and my favorite, "flower of egg and tartufo in goose fat with chorizo and dates."