THE BAD DEAL

we took advantage of nyc’s open data initiative to build a better restaurant health inspection app. y’all should play around with it. spoiler: it calls out the health department for potential bullshit violations. enjoy.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List has a China problem. And an India problem. And a woman problem. I discuss it all over at EATER!

It’s toon season! Part of my two-star Fung Tu review on EATER!!!!

Alex Atala’s D.O.M., which eschews imported luxuries like caviar and truffles  in favor of indigenous products from the Amazon, was the only Brazilian restaurant awarded two Michelin stars in the first ever Red Guide for South America’s largest country. By comparison, the U.S. has 11 three Michelin-starred restaurants, and France, 26. Click through for the full story on Eater!

Click through for the full review. (Photo: Daniel Krieger/Eater)

Food52's Kenzi Wilbur, meditating on the nature of cookbook, theater, and restaurant criticism (but mostly cookbook criticism). Brilliant read.

So my good colleague at Eater, Bill Addison, flew all across America to tell us where to eat! Here's the list of 38 restaurants he came up with. Enjoy!

Atelier Crenn, one of San Francisco's most critically acclaimed restaurants, has joined the battle against the ridiculous American practice of tipping. Diners will now pay a 20 percent "guest experience" fee so Crenn can better compensate its employees, especially back-of-the-house staffers like cooks who'll see their wages go up substantially! Atelier Crenn is most definitely a GOOD DEAL and a STRONG BUY. (Photo: Patricia Chang/Eater).

THIS IS GOOD NEWS! We at The Bad Deal support the production, sale and consumption of foie gras in America, a humane and delicious delicacy that's primarily sourced from The Great State of New York. Here's hoping that we can send over our ample supplies to California ASAP!

Apparently, Shack-o-nomics is nothing to joke about.

"If Neapolitan pizza, in all its deliciously bastardized forms, is unquestionably one of New York's trademark foodstuffs, the ultra-thin crust pies of Rome could be the next import to achieve citywide fame. This is all thanks to the fine work of Danny Meyer and chef Nick Anderer at Marta. Anderer's best effort involves taking the flavors of Carbonara (pancetta, egg, and black pepper) and throwing them onto a pizza, with soft potatoes substituting in for the spaghetti. The chewy, crispy, fatty, and funky product that results is something you want to eat every single day." There's your dish of the year. Cost: $17. Eat it, now!

From a brilliant New York Times op-ed about the "shame" of blue collar work. The essay is by a Las Vegas college professor who makes more money waiting tables than at her university job.