'Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin'
I loved the thread about Shopsin's, and the interesting thing is that every commenter is right on some level. I have known Kenny Shopsin for 25 years, and he is profane, unreasonable, more than occasionally rude, charming, funny, and totally ridiculous—sometimes all simultaneously.
He's also a really good cook who can make me laugh, even while insulting me. Does that make me a masochist? I don't think so. So based on all the above, I was thrilled when we received an advance copy of Kenny's cookbook-memoir-philosophical tome, Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin. I knew it would be like Kenny, endlessly fascinating, sometimes infuriating, and totally engaging.
Kenny Shopsin: Love Him or Can't Stand Him
When it comes to Kenny Shopsin, the world is divided into two camps. Some people think Kenny is an angry, unreasonable jerk who tries to piss off customers and would-be customers. Others think Kenny is an idiosyncratic, prickly, and smart fellow who is an undeniably talented chef and devoted family man.
People of the first camp will find lots in the book to confirm their worst fears. And people like me, who have come to like and respect Kenny—since nobody short of his immediate family can claim to understand him—will find plenty in the book to deepen our appreciation. The weird thing is, both sides might be right.
What Type of Book Is This?
Ostensibly, Eat Me is a cookbook, but it's also equal parts memoir and philosophical tome. We'll be giving it away mid-September (when the book hits stores) in our Cook the Book series, but until then, let me leave you with a few choice quotes from the book, along with an account of my most recent encounter with Kenny.
Classic Kenny Quotes
My approach at Shopsin's is the exact opposite of "the customer is always right." Until I know the people, until they show me that they are worth cultivating as customers, I'm not even sure I want their patronage.
The brilliance of my restaurant is my ability to control my clientele. The thing that makes my restaurant special is my relationships and interactions with my customers—and the way they relate and interact with one another. With the wrong people here, those interactions don't happen, so to keep the wrong people out when I don't like them. I probably axe at least one party every day—and usually more than that.
I enjoy cooking and giving what I can to my customers, and, in turn, my customers don't just enjoy giving me money, they enjoy receiving what I have given them. Once we've established a rapport, we're absolute equals in my restaurant. But I guess I shouldn't expect newcomers to understand this. In all fairness, they're right and I'm the asshole, because my way is hardly the traditional you-give-me-the-money-I-give-you-a-bagel. I want more from them. I want a relationship.
Learning to Love Kenny
See, Kenny just wants to be loved, like the rest of us. He just has a funny way of showing it—a way that can be off-putting to say the least. I think it's worth the effort to get past his irascible facade, his constant shower of expletives, and crude sexual references, and eat at Shopsin's when you can.
My Recent Kenny Encounter: 'F--- You, Ed'
When I visited Shopsin's this weekend to tell Kenny how much I enjoyed the book, he greeted me with an "F--- You, Levine" and a big smile. I wanted to order a cheeseburger and a Jew Boy (a barbecued brisket, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions sandwich) along with an order of Hatch chili cheese fries. True to form, Kenny refused to make me the two sandwiches (the cheeseburger is a sandwich in his opinion). The Jew Boy turned out to be a fabulous choice and the fries had a terrific not-too-spicy tang with a modest cheese coating.
Kenny had followed the talk topic on Serious Eats about the customer he threw out. He seemed to get a kick out of the banter—at least I think he did. I asked him to sign my book. He wrote, "F--- You, Ed. Ken."
Only the blanks were filled in. Now that's what I call a relationship.
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20 Comments:
i REALLY need to get over there sometime. this guy sounds amazing.
sarahlucy at 10:18AM on 08/15/08
Love it. I wish there were more restaurateurs with this approach. The opposite of pandering. How refreshing.
simon at 10:46AM on 08/15/08
I haven't entered any of the Cook the Book contests before.
When this one comes around in September... count me in.
FastFoodCritic at 11:08AM on 08/15/08
I would love to see Simon and Kenny throw down.
Adam Kuban at 11:14AM on 08/15/08
Haha Adam!
FastFoodCritic at 11:28AM on 08/15/08
:) might be all cuddles
simon at 11:32AM on 08/15/08
I've had this on Amazon preorder since May.
I love Kenny's funny, tough, and creative personality and the way it comes through in his food. Can't wait to see the book for myself!
butterface at 12:05PM on 08/15/08
I lived around the corner from the Shopsin's for my first 10 years in NYC. I often ate with my boss who had been going since they opened and it never failed that on the days she was treating me like sh**, he somehow sensed it and gave it right back to her. Revenge was a dish best eaten at Ken's! I came to recognize this as Kenny's finally honed BS-O-Meter. He is truly one of the sweetest guys ever put on this Earth. If he has fk'ed with you, it's because you deserve it. And all of you who want to "pop in" now for some kind of a dog and pony show; look out! He is gonna' smell you a mile away!
Deb07 at 12:20PM on 08/15/08
Has Kenny Shopsin ever interacted with Bourdain? I'd love to just see that meeting, is that weird of me? I grew up in a no bull shit and tell it how it is household so that must explain it.
JacquelineS at 1:02PM on 08/15/08
They should put Shopsin on TVFN...I'd watch it would you????
bessfour at 3:49PM on 08/15/08
have you seen "i like killing flies"? It's a documentary about Shopsin's/ I saw it at the Boston Film Festival a number of years ago. It was terrific. Kenny was terrific.
angrywayne at 8:36PM on 08/15/08
i was there! i remember being jealous of the man sitting at the bar who had the copy of kenny shopsin's book.. i was in the group of 3 girls. i love shopsins.
kifisher45 at 10:24PM on 08/15/08
Forgive me if I don't see how behaving like a spoiled asshole is charming.
I'm sure there are better cooks out there with much better attitudes.. Being a dick doesn't automatically go hand in hand with making good food. Too bad the trendy foodie sheeple fall for this scam.
cambriana at 3:54PM on 08/16/08
@cambriana: you're not allowed to use "dick" and "asshole" in the same post.
Sheesh... read the community rules!
FastFoodCritic at 6:50PM on 08/16/08
I smell an artist's mentality or a giant screaming drama queen. Or maybe a bit of both.
JerzeeTomato at 2:40PM on 08/18/08
Kenny is a complicated fellow, as I have acknowledged. I don't think Kenny Shopsin is running a scam. You may not like everything he says or does, but he is true to himself in his own skewed fashion.
Ed Levine at 4:19PM on 08/19/08
Have been to Shopsin's a few times. Got in, got out, had good to very good meals, was treated well and was left alone, which is how I like it. All the while, Senior Shopsin is holding court to his devoted minions, spouting off assorted nonsense, a lot of it having to do with French and Asians, clearly getting off on the hold he has on some people.
My take on the food is that it's fine, often better than that. And he's definitely a memorable NYC character, admirably serious about and dedicated to good food.
But I refuse to go along with the idea that his acceptance and/or rejection of a specific customer - ie whether or not you merit service - is some kind of litmus test of an individual's character. That notion, to me, is ridiculous. It's as if the people who have survived to pay the check have passed some kind of test. It's his place; he can toss whoever he wants, fine. That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that his BS meter is always on target.
P.
Polecat at 2:17PM on 08/25/08
Just got my copy of the book today from Amazon. Can't wait to read it -- some great pictures, lots of recipes and lots of fun anecdotes -- it looks like a great adventure.
Jilly at 1:28PM on 09/23/08
I've been a long-time fan of Shopsin's and have followed it from location to location. The Shopsin family is incredibly kind to my children, the food is always great, and the place inspires terrific conversations and big laughs every time I go. I was deeply moved by Matt Mahuirn's documentary about the restaurant, and I'm delighted with Kenny's book. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes at home.
rjoskow at 10:55AM on 09/24/08
I like to kill flies.
I just loved this show, this funny fat basterd reminds me of my best friend and they look, and talk, and act just like twins.
But then them Jews all look the same to me.
Hey Kenny, if you ever get down to Texas, I'll put you in a condo on Canyon Lake for 7 days and, I just love hanging around mean Old Basterds. I like your philosophy of realizing that your a piece of shit, Most people never realize it.
Jacob_Rising at 2:50PM on 03/05/09