A few weeks ago, I had dinner at Anthos, a Greek restaurant in midtown. All you Iron Chef America fans might recognize the owner, Michael Psilakis, from battle puff pastry. Cat Cora beat him. Don't let that deter you though. According to New York Magazine, he's the "Mario Batali of New Agean cuisine".
I forgot to bring my camera to the meal, so I'll have to warn you that this post isn't really about Anthos. But I will say that my hilopita (braised rabbit nestled on an egg noodle with black truffle and hanouri cheese) and my olive oil poached halibut with morels and ramps in a fava broth were excellent, and the loukoumades -- orange blossom donuts plump with bergamot cream and served with a side of burt honey ice cream -- will surely lure me back to midtown (a part of the city I try my best to avoid).
What I really want to tell you is that I spotted The Amateur Gourmet right as I was leaving the restaurant. For those of you who have no idea who I'm talking about, he's one of New York's most popular food bloggers. I know, I know, what's so exciting about a food blogger any way, but when you've been reading about a stranger's meals for the past year, hearing about their roommate Diana, boyfriend Craig and recent move to Park Slope, it's kind of cool to finally see that person in the flesh. It was hard to keep myself from looking over at his table every now and then, trying to see what he was eating and wondering what he'd say about Anthos on his site. For those of you who are interested, he was having dinner with his Mom and Dad (who I recognized from past posts). Despite my efforts to be discreet, I could tell they noticed that I recognized their son.
On my subway ride home, it got me thinking about food bloggers and how many have become mini-celebrities. There's Clotilde from Chocolate and Zucchini who recently returned from a tour promoting her first book (and gave Jude Law a signed copy!), and Molly, the lovely Seattle blogger who met her fiance Brandon through her blog, Orangette. Molly and Brandon's love story is so sweet that here at Food Network, we featured them in a Power of Food segment. (To watch, click on the lemon cake clip on our Power of Food page).
Ever since discovering Orangette last summer, I've emailed with Molly a few times about her amazing butternut squash puree and espresso-flecked chocolate chip cookies, and I'm sure I'd have no problem spotting her in a restaurant. Then there are some NY food bloggers I've met and whose blogs I read regularly, such as Luisa from The Wednesday Chef and Anne from Good American Wife. Who would have thought a few years ago that so many people writing about the same subject could gain such attentive audiences?
There are thousands of food bloggers out there these days. Which ones (aside from me and Suki, of course) would you like to spot in a restaurant, or actually meet?
Anthos
36 W. 52nd Street (near 5th Avenue)
New York, NY
212-582-6900
Comments (9)
How strange! I've never been blogged about from a distance. I just asked my mom and she didn't notice anyone noticing me: I'm sure if she had, she would've gone right over and said hello. Next time you should do the same--it would have been nice to meet you. Hope you enjoyed your dinner at Anthos!
Adam
Posted by Adam | July 3, 2007 1:03 AM
Posted on July 3, 2007 01:03
I'd love to meet Chubby Hubby (http://tokyoastrogirl.blogspot.com/), although the likelihood of ever running into him is slim since he lives in Singapore and I live in Los Angeles.
I wouldn't mind running into Robyn of The Girl Who Ate Everything (http://www.roboppy.net/food/). She really DOES eat a lot and her photos and funny stories really make my day.
Posted by Anne | July 3, 2007 4:27 AM
Posted on July 3, 2007 04:27
I'd love to meet Smitten Kitchen and I have a crush on Matt Bites...ok, maybe I just have an crush on his food!
Posted by Steamy Kitchen | July 3, 2007 4:06 PM
Posted on July 3, 2007 16:06
Adam: It was actually your Dad who seemed to notice, but maybe I'm just paranoid after too many scoldings from friends for staring at celebrities. I didn't want to interrupt your dinner, but if I spot you again, perhaps in our shared neighborhood of Park Slope, I'll be sure to say hello.
Anne: I know that many food bloggers in NY get together every now and then. In fact, Shuna from Eggbeater just had a meet-up at Veselka and I was bummed that it fell on a night when I couldn't attend. Perhaps you need to set up a really enticing blogger meeting in LA and invite Chubby Hubby to come?
Steamy Kitchen: Thanks for introducing me to Matt Bites. And I think the photos on Smitten Kitchen are so beautiful.
Posted by Lia | July 3, 2007 7:47 PM
Posted on July 3, 2007 19:47
wow it's never occurred to me that food bloggers could become face-recognizable.. what an interesting and rather startling realization!
Posted by The TriniGourmet | July 4, 2007 7:16 AM
Posted on July 4, 2007 07:16
Seattle is so small that even I've been recognized a few times.
I've also had some near-misses thanks to some common connections with people like Gluten Free Girl, and I've met the food stylist Lara Ferroni from Still Life With... and Cook and Eat, and The Robotic Gourmand, thanks to Meetup.com.
It would be fun to meet Obachan when I make it back to West Japan. And Ronald Holden of Cornichon.org.
Posted by Jason Truesdell | July 4, 2007 9:49 PM
Posted on July 4, 2007 21:49
personally i think the idea of celebrity chefs is ridiculous, and food bloggers fit into that whole concept as well. not that i'm not a fan! i'd love to meet another nyc blogger, pinknest, from www.pinknest.blogspot.com.
Posted by Jenni | July 5, 2007 12:12 AM
Posted on July 5, 2007 00:12
I'd love to finally meet Madeline from Everything Rachael Ray. We work together on a number of projects, from opposite coasts ... one of these days, I'll get her to come to the "right" coast. ;)
Posted by Cate O'Malley | July 13, 2007 3:22 PM
Posted on July 13, 2007 15:22
Interesting about Anthos... years back, there was a lovely little Greek resto of the same name on 2nd Ave. between 52nd and 53rd.
It had nowhere near as spectacular a menu as is implied by the dishes listed in the blog, but served excellent, well-prepared Greek food, IMO much better than the "big-name" Greek places were.
I wonder if this new "Anthos" is in some way related... and I'm planning a trip there soon.
Posted by Peter Heinlein | July 16, 2007 2:09 PM
Posted on July 16, 2007 14:09