• In Brief

    Bad Restaurants Despair

    A judge in Ireland has decided that newspapers there do have the right to publish negative restaurant reviews, overturning an earlier ruling that awarded a Belfast pizzeria $50,000 for a bad review. The ruling pleased champions of press freedom, but it also means that there is now no reason for NYC restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow to move to Ireland. [Breitbart]
    03/11/08
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    Comment by Calraigh: @James Tiberius Quirk: Ah yes.Nothing beats Zaytoon's on Saturday night though for an actually quite delicious(after 8 pints)kebab and row-induced indigestion.Really... more » | Other threads

  • mutatis mutandis

    Chodorow To Replace Ono With Maxim Steakhouse

    Bizarro unicorn-slaying restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow is closing down his horrendous restaurant at the Gansevoort Hotel and replacing it with another horrendous restaurant at the Gansevoort Hotel! In March, reports FloFab, Ono, that weird fusion place that never made sense, is going to be replaced by a steakhouse called Maxim Steak, a partnership with Maxim magazine. It's a magabrand made edible! Also probably a bad idea. More »
    01/02/08
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    Comment by The Cajun Boy: sadly, this could actually be a smart business move on his part. can you imagine the flocks of guidos that... more » | Other threads

  • fish tales

    Wealthy unicorn-loving rainbow-surfer Jeffrey Chodorow is closing his fishtastic venture WIld Salmon at the end of the month. Why? Well, it was swimming upstream from the start. (Zing!) Though the fish actually wasn't all that bad, the concept was fatally flawed. Like Chodorow, the restaurant was oversized, lacked nuance and ultimately was unpalatable. [Eater]
    12/03/07
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    Comment by IndianSlipper: unicorn-loving rainbow-surfer VS. rainbow-loving butthole-surfing unicorn. discuss. more » | Other threads

  • a sad day for freshmen

    Vegan temple of soy mediocrity Zen Palate on Union Square is being replaced by a Jeffrey Chodorow backed Fatty Crab offshoot. NYU kids living in Carlyle, U-Hall and the Palladium will have to find some other place to get gooey overly sweet chunks of seitan to quench their munchies after smoking copious amounts of pot even though what they really want is a cheeseburger from Veselka but this cute hippie girl from Bethesda, MD who they're trying to get with and who is the whole reason they're smoking pot in the first place—though it makes them horribly paranoid and they have a ConWest paper due tomorrow—is, duh, also a vegan. [NYT] More »
    11/21/07
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    Comment by City_Dater: Judging by how long I've had to wait for a table recently, the artfully unbathed little shits found Curly's Lunch... more » | Other threads

  • hyperbole

    Jeffrey Chodorow Plans World Domination, One Gimmicky Restaurant At A Time

    Jeffrey Chodorow, the owner of Kobe Club, China Grill, Wild Salmon, Borough and many other so-so restaurants, has divulged his five-year plan to grow his gimmicky restaurant empire to the Observer's Doree Shafrir. Soon, it seems, New Yorkers will be wandering past whole blocks full of restaurants that Jeffrey Chodorow—and perhaps he alone—thinks are good ideas. A Maxim steakhouse, a Malaysian-themed coffeehouse, and yet another "American steakhouse concept" at the Empire Hotel are all in the works. And there's more! Woah! Also: Yipes! More »
    11/14/07
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    Comment by IdleHands...: Maxim steakhouse? How about a sushi/raw bar-concept called "Stuff!" Or maybe a memphis bbq-concept called "Guns & Ammo" more » | Other threads

  • if i were a rich man

    What Will Jeffrey Chodorow's New Restaurant Be?

    Jeffrey Chodorow, the insane Tevye of the New York restaurant scene, is opening another of his overwrought hyperbolic restaurants. Chodorow is close to signing a lease in the Empire Hotel (up at Broadway and 63rd) for his newest restaurant. We already have half-assed ninja shtick at Kobe Club, golden sperm gestalt at Wild Salmon and the nostalgic outer boroughs idyll of Borough. What odd theme will Chodorow tap next? We bet it has to do with unicorns but it's really up to you. More »
    10/23/07
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    Comment by dlduncan2: Cannibalism. Frank Bruni may be fat, but he's still only going to feed 25 or 30, so get on the... more » | Other threads

  • rebuttals

    Jeffrey Chodorow: I Am Not Cheap!

    Yesterday we reported on an overheard conversation starring peculiar restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow—he was figuring out the cheap way to fix up some of the falling-apart areas of Kobe Club. Later, Eater was on the receiving end of a personal call from Chodorow. In the words of the man himself, "Kobe is not closing, ever." He then called 9/11 an inside job, claimed the Moon landing was a hoax, said that gravity was a Kurdish conspiracy, and quickly excused himself, saying he had a meeting with Hexlor VII, the Supreme Commander of Flexicor MI9. Also he's opening up a Kobe Club in Miami! More »
    10/02/07
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    Comment by hypocriteoath: Well, I guess Hexlor VII is better than Xenu but still... on to the other Kobe... Kobe Bryant is a... more » | Other threads

  • secrets of success

    Jeffrey Chodorow Needs To Fix Up Kobe Club On The Cheap

    How did borderline crazy restaurant mogul Jeffrey Chodorow accumulate so much cash? And why are the lights kept so low at Kobe Club? Both questions can be answered in one fell swoop: he's cheap! The Choad was brunching at Sarabeth's recently, where he was overheard discussing Kobe Club, his much-maligned midtown steakhouse whose ceiling is covered in dangling swords. He was with some sort of interior design woman—and from what could be overheard, apparently Kobe Club is not at all holding up well. Among the complaints, the banquettes are threadbare and there's an "area of concern" near the raw bar. In what manner should all this be fixed? Said Chodorow: "Just do it as cheaply as possible. I don't care, just make it happen cheap."
    10/01/07
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    Comment by Trackback: Oh, Kobe Club. Sweet, sweet Kobe Club. On the Deathwatch since February; the restaurant that Jeffery Chodorow promised... more » | Other threads

  • still crazy after all these years

    Jeffrey Chodorow To Donate Some Or Zero Dollars To Conservation International

    Today Jeffrey Chodorow, the priapic owner of many a poorly reviewed restaurant, placed another ad in the New York Times Dining section. (He had previously taken out a full pager impugning critic Frank Bruni's motives in panning Kobe Club.) Today's ad was in response to Bruni's one-star review of Wild Salmon. It was written on "letterhead" in a generic "handwriting" font. More »
    08/15/07
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    Comment by Mark 51: @slinkimalinki: A dessert featured a little chocolate penguin on the side, and then it wasn't there on Bruni's next visit,... more » | Other threads

  • sic transit gloria

    China Grill, zillionaire restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow's first Manhattan venture, was shut down by the Department of Health today. Too many insects, not enough refrigeration. And now it seems the website is down too. Is this the beginning of the end for the Choad? [Update: The China Grill website is now back online though its IRL version is still closed.] [Eater]
    08/07/07
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    Comment by GothamTomato: But truthfully, what would you rather look at while dining; an insect or a Jeffrey Chodorow?? more » | Other threads

  • restaurants

    Jeffrey Chodorow Exoticizes The Locals

    Jeffrey Chodorow's Borough opens tonight. After a peek last night, we're convinced it's by far the most restrained of his recent restaurants. No ninja swords, as at Kobe Club, no golden spermy fish hanging from the ceiling, as at Wild Salmon. That's not to say the place doesn't have a gimmick. The idea behind the menu (by Zak Pelaccio, late of 5 Ninth) is that it represents the food stuffs from the ethnic communities that can be found in New York's 5 Boroughs. Borough, get it? There were fried pickles for the Jews, fried chicken for the Blacks, and clam casino flatbreads for the Itals. This is the restaurant version of Joseph Sitt's Coney Island: There's something for everyone. Except the Asians. More »
    06/21/07
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    Comment by Trackback: · Borough Feels a Little "Meh" [Gawker] · Borough "Needs Time" [Snack] · Mickie D's Nicer to Fish Population Than... more » | Other threads

  • good evidence

    Even Chodorow's PR People Don't Eat At Kobe Club

    Last night at Daisy May's BBQ (in our humble opinion, some of the best in the city), we spotted a large and gregarious party in the back room. Upon closer inspection it turned out to include none other than Krazy Karine Bakhoum who reps the constantly embattled Jeffrey Chodorow. Bakhoum was there with Pascal Riffaud, her husband and the constantly embattled founder of pay-to-eat service Primetime Tables; Penny Glazier president of the Glazier Group and restaurant critic Gael Greene. There was also some mustachioed dude cheering for the Red Sox. Note to that guy: In your face. Note to Pascal: Happy birthday. Now to unpack what this gathering means. More »
    05/24/07
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    Comment by Pope John Peeps II: Does nobody nail shit to doors no more? Luther would have totally been all up in here with his "95... more » | Other threads

  • end of days

    Is Jeffrey Chodorow The Antichrist?

    The best part of today's profile of David Chang in the Times isn't that the reporter notices Pearl Jam playing on the stereo (no big deal, I have a limited edition of Ten!) or the news (unconfirmed) that Chang will be opening a Vegas Momofuku. No, the best part comes from Chang himself. Apropros entrepreneurs, Chang asserts that restaurateur "Jeffrey Chodorow is the antichrist." A quick marshaling of the evidence proves that Chang is factually correct. More »
    05/18/07
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    Comment by Sara Benincasa: Josh D. S., this post made me indescribably happy for reasons I can't quite pinpoint. Thank you for giving me... more » | Other threads

  • the trouble with critics

    Join The Bruni Cause—Or The Bruni Effect

    A whorl of unanswerable questions have been encircling the hardbody of New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni. Keith McNally accused him of lady-hating. Phallic restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow accused him of pettiness. Now The Observer's Chris Shott accuses him of influence. Shott claims restaurants live or die by the Bruni review, a charge which Bruni accurately denies. More »
    05/09/07
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    Comment by TedSez: I think it's time for a moratorium on the use of "negging" as an ironic way of indicating criticism. According... more » | Other threads

  • jeffrey chodorow

    Jeffrey Chodorow Is Thinking Of Your Death

    When Jeffrey Chodorow stopped by our table at his newly opened Wild Salmon, he proudly pointed heavenly to the shoal of golden salmon swimming, as noted, semenly upstream on the ceiling. Choad, like a proud father, told us the fishes were injection-molded copper. His eyes shining under the reflection of 249 fish, Chodorow confessed the fish had cost more than Kobe Club's Damocles-like swords. So imagine our sense of betrayal when we read the Choad has "assured" New York's Gael Greene that "They're plastic, so you can't possibly be killed if one falls on your head." Well, which is it, Chodorow? A quick call to the restaurant confirms our worst fears. The fish are extruded plastic finished in metallic copper. But there's more perfidy than we thought. After four hours of calling nearly every medical examiner on the Eastern seaboard, we're pretty sure a four pound fish falling 22 ft would indeed kill somebody. So, j'accuse, Chodorow. You SO CAN possibly be killed. —josh
    04/09/07
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    Comment by benmaimon: Salmon of injected plastic molding. Sounds like the nova at Zabar's. more » | Other threads

  • wild salmon

    Wild Salmon: Chodorow Does Fish

    In the same cavernous space that held the inappropriately named English is Italian (turns out English is the New Failure), Jeffrey Chodorow's newest restaurant Wild Salmon opens to the public today, Good Friday. Last night, So-So Thursday, we tried it out. It seems to be a Chodorow signature these days to have weird whatnots hanging from the ceiling. Instead of Kobe Club's swords, Wild Salmon features a school of 249 copper injection-mold salmon hanging by fishing line from the ceiling. Caught in the wild race upstream, the mildly abstracted fish bring to mind gilded spermatazoa. One is surprised not to find a giant ovum on one end of the restaurant. More »
    04/06/07
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    Comment by chameleonz: looking at the menu I would guess that 90% of the fish is being shipped from the west coast and... more » | Other threads

  • restaurants

    Chodorow v. Bruni: The Rematch

    Restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow and Times food critic Frank Bruni have mad cow beef. Think of it as Suge Knight v. P. Diddy without guns or any sort of street cred. Ever since Bruni flayed Choad's Kobe Club, the two have been in a cat fight—well, mostly it's been Choad on Brundle, with the latter disdaining the former. But Chodorow is opening up Wild Salmon on April 6th, the latest avatar in the space where English is Italian died the death of a thousand cuts. There's a new (unheard of) chef from Seattle, Charles Ramseyer—and a chance for the feud to dissolve! On the other hand, there's the chance for it to escalate, something we would love to see. Bruni has three options: love it, hate it, ignore it. Each action has its own opposite and not at all equal reaction. Here's our quick flow chart explaining. More »
    03/30/07
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    Comment by firebrand: Karion - Ray's is pretty touristy, but granted, where the fruits of the sea are concerned it's not half bad.... more » | Other threads

  • frank bruni

    Frank Bruni Does It In Hotels

    Today's Dining section of the Times stars food critic Frank Bruni's review of room service during a week spent in hotels. There are questions, and there are answers. There are answers that look like questions. There are also significant references to Bruni-hating chef Jeffrey Chodorow, which remind us that the chef is implicated in the McNally-Gansevoort Meatpacking wars. We retreated into the warm confusion of a group IM chat to get to the bottom of it all. More »
    03/14/07
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    By Choire

    Comment by whiskeybaby: The name of the server in the top photo with the story is Bryan Woody. Snigger. more » | Other threads

  • jeffrey chodorow

    Jeffrey Chodorow's Current Mood: Frazzled

    You know, it's only been a week since his vow to destroy Frank Bruni, but restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow has already proven that he can blog like the pros. More »
    03/01/07
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    By abalk2

    Comment by KarenUhOh: Well, Sasquatch, he has: he's posting entries on his blog now; his blockage has apparently cleared. He agrees with Frank... more » | Other threads

  • frank bruni

    Bounty On Bruni Continues To Grow

    In covering the recent Jeffrey Chodorow-Frank Bruni feud, The New Yorker's Lauren Collins reported that "Chodorow said that his next restaurant will have a Pacific Northwest theme, and added that he was offering a trip to Seattle to any employee who blocks Bruni from its premises." Today's Post ups the ante, as Braden Keil quotes the disgruntled restaurateur:"I'm telling my staff that the first person to recognize Bruni at any of my restaurants will be given a free trip for two to the Caribbean." Whether this change of prize is a result of confused reporting or merely bluster on Chodorow's part (calls to all parties involved were unmade as of our post time) we look forward to the inevitable moment when Jeffrey declares that "I will buy a villa in Tuscany for the first person who brings me Frank Bruni's giant midsection on a platter." More »
    02/27/07
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    By abalk2

    Comment by Greasy Thumb Guzik: Frank should consult with the Kucz on the best plastic surgeons in town so he can visit anonymously. more » | Other threads

  • remainders

    Remainders: The Bruni-Chodorow Feud Smolders

  • Steven Johnson deconstructs David Brooks' insane, insane, insane Sunday Times column on hipster parents. (Insane!) He thinks Brooks has never listened to Sufjan Stevens. [StevenBerlinJohnson] More »
02/26/07
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By Doree Shafrir

Comment by sidhudgens: You know what is also "an utterly honest assesment?" The fact that Frank Bruni doesn't take the Times at home,... more » | Other threads

  • media

    Media Bubble: Who's The Next Tiny Keller?

  • Who will succeed Bill Keller as Times executive editor: Jill Abramson or Dean Baquet? Get set for the inevitable Hillary-Obama comparisons. Either way, oddly, the real job worth having seven years from now will be digital fella Jon Landman's. [WWD] More »
    • 02/22/07
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    By abalk2

    Comment by Seeräuber Jenny: @JupiterPluvius: Thank you, JP. I figured the lawsuit went nowhere. But I have to go look up his... more » | Other threads

  • remainders

    Remainders: Jeffrey Chodorow Will Destroy You

  • The beef (sorry) between Jeffrey Chodorow and the NYT's Frank Bruni claims another victim, and gets even weirder. [Eater] More »
    02/21/07
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    By Doree Shafrir

    Comment by prc: those cats are kreepie... look at these hands: http://www.guidodani... more » | Other threads

  • dining

    Jeffrey Chodorow Declares War On Frank Bruni

    Two weeks ago Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni reviewed Kobe Club, the newest highly-contrived chowhouse from restaurateur/felon/Rocco DiSpirito co-star Jeffrey Chodorow. The Brunster did not find favor with the place, granting it zero stars and noting that "it presents too many insipid or insulting dishes at prices that draw blood from anyone without a trust fund or an expense account." Today Chodorow strikes back, taking out a full-page ad in the back of the Dining section (click to enlarge) that rambles on in crazy-person tiny type about how Bruni is out to get him and ends with this inevitable warning:
    In the interest of fairness, I am introducing my personal blog, which will be a compilation of my food-related experiences and musings and a special section entitled Following Frank and After Adam, in which I will make a follow-up visit to the restaurants they write about for the purpose of reviewing their reviews. My blog will appear at www.chinagrillmgt.com/blog/. My friends in the restaurant business have warned me that there will be further retaliation against me for speaking up. So be it.
    Wow, could this get any more fun? Watch yourself, Frank; Jeffrey's been in the joint. They handle things differently there. More »
    02/21/07
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    By abalk2

    Comment by phil anderson: Because Momofuku is, or sorry, was, Chinese. more » | Other threads

  • jeffrey chodorow

    Kobe Club Enters Douchebag Restaurant Hall of Fame

    The supercool dudes at UrbanDaddy, who totally get just as much play now as they did in their Psi Upsilon days — you better believe it, bra! —hipped us to the opening of a new restaurant from noted felon/reality show character Jeffrey Chodorow. Like many things that UrbanDaddy hips us to, it's kind of a perfect storm of bankery douche clich s. Checklist: More »
    11/30/06
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    By Emily Gould

    Comment by Doctor Barnett: Please, never stop making fun of UrbanDouchy. I intended to lead this charge myself, but got distracted. And would have... more » | Other threads