Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

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.

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.

I smell an artist's mentality or a giant screaming drama queen. Or maybe a bit of both.

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.