PrintKeith McNally Takes a Groundless Swipe at Bruni
I have profound respect for Keith McNally's abilities as a restaurateur, but his open letter to Eater and the New York Times alleging that Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni is sexist is simply way off base.
McNally notes that Bruni has never given a female chef three stars and is therefore sexist, and furthermore that this alleged sexism is the reason Bruni gave McNally's latest restaurant, Morandi, and its chef, Jody Williams, a bad review.
On a zillion levels this is preposterous.
First, anyone who has ever dined with Bruni (I have had a couple of meals with him in the company of women) would tell you he adores women.
Second, can anyone point to a female chef in New York who has been reviewed by Bruni and given short shrift by him as a result of their gender? Sexism is still a fact of life in restaurant kitchens all over the country. I have written about this topic often while noting that other cities, such as San Francisco and New Orleans, seem more hospitable to women chef-restaurateurs. This doesn't mean, however, that McNally is barking up the right tree.
Third, it is clear that this is a thinly veiled broadside aimed at Bruni and the Times because Bruni had the audacity to give Morandi and Williams, a one-star review. I actually liked Morandi more than Bruni did. But Bruni's negative review had everything to do with the food and service there and nothing to do with sexism. And it seems irresponsible and disingenuous for McNally to suggest otherwise.
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9 Comments:
Something about Bruni must make these restarant-hooers smell blood - meanwhile, the guy's not going anywhere and this recurring animus is probably good for the Gray Lady's business. First, that dumphkamph with the knives scotch-taped to the ceiling, now this guy? Look, your restaurant got a single star - poor you! Grow up already, instead of engaging in attacks on a person's livelihood.
Sandro at 5:23PM on 05/08/07
As a feminist and gay woman I find that open letter to Bruni a travesty and the subtext more than a little homophobic!
Additionally, the underhanded way he served it to eater (a wonderful blog I read multiple times a day but...never-the-less...) was awful. Both of these things seem completely uncharacteristic of Keith McNally--he's a really decent, nice guy! What is he thinking? That Chodorow would pull the stunts he has pulled is predictable but this behavior from McNally is shocking, especially in light of Morandi's painfully glaring shortcomings.
Since it's in my neighborhood I've eaten there several times, including just a few days ago, and frankly that review could have been A LOT worse. In fact, in reading between the lines, it seemed to me that ONLY his respect for Jodi Williams kept him from giving it what it really deserved: o stars. I think that McNally has been very lucky thus far to have the success he has had with Balthazar and Pastis, neither of which serve anywhere near delectable food. I'm shocked that he doesn't see how forgiving the city and the critics have been. Maybe he should just suck it up and do what needs to be done...make the restaurant better!
Deb07 at 5:33PM on 05/08/07
I believe that if a food critic can criticize, the subject can rebuttal. Fair is fair here. All critics have that "power". This is the compromise. They too have to eat it when they themselves are critiqued.
Alan Richman makes Bruni seem very tame and liberal.
Stevie at 8:05PM on 05/08/07
Mr. Bruni gave 2 stars to Charlene Shade at the Morgan. She is African-American and worked with Jean George Vongerichten.
david p cole at 12:55PM on 05/09/07
"First, anyone who has ever dined with Bruni (I have had a couple of meals with him in the company of women) would tell you he adores women."
Ed, Ed, Ed. I can only assume you have been blogging too fast in the last few days to realize what you were typing.
I can make no judgment or assumption about Bruni -- I've certainly never dined with him. And I suspect the charge stems more from percentages than blatant sexism on his part. (After all, when those two dozen Rising Star chefs paraded onstage Monday night at Avery Fisher Hall, the male chefs weren't exactly outnumbered by the female ones.)
But one can be sexist and still "adore women." I've experienced enough professional encounters with men who appeared to have suffered a spinal injury that kept them from raising their eyes higher than the twin protuberances on my chest to know that.
Yes, those men probably "adore" women, too. But the issue isn't adoration. It's respect and the ability to look past male/female expectations (and raise one's eyes high enough) to fairly judge the work.
Kathleen Purvis at 1:13PM on 05/09/07
Kathleen, the point about him adoring women was one of many points I made in the post. Anyone who has ever spent any time with Frank Bruni would tell you he is no sexist, and that in fact he is as fair-minded as anyone I know that does what he does for a living. I agree with you that people who adore women can also be sexist. He just doesn't happen to be one of them.
Ed Levine at 3:00PM on 05/09/07
sandro, restaurant reviewing is itself "engaging in attacks on a person's livlihood."
loulou at 5:05PM on 05/09/07
loulou, beg to differ. What Bruni does is an accepted, longstanding part of journalistic tradition - he tells you whether he thinks a place it worth it. Him getting attacked for that is a bit like judges being sued for, say, the prison sentences they administer with discretion to the criminals that appear before them. Bruni's job is to critique, both good and bad. The restauranteur's job is put out a good eatery, not critique back at established critics who give them mediocre reviews in good faith.
Sandro at 5:27PM on 05/09/07
If the critic sticks to the food, service and decor-this is fine. But Bruni and others do not. They have attacked the people behind the establishments.
Bruni is as guilty of sexism as the rest of the 4 star chefs are guilty of discrimination for not employing non-whites or women in their wait staff. (Jean-George Vongerichten withstanding)
Anything to do with the food industry has a lot of bias against women.
Stevie at 7:06PM on 05/09/07