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- Fans of Taco Bell’s naked egg taco, the odd breakfast item that is made of fillings stuffed inside a fried egg that takes the place of a hard shell, must be thrilled to learn it’s coming back next week. The chain is also testing a breakfast chalupa that features a shell made with “crispy aged cheddar cheese.”
- Restaurateur Joe Bastianich allegedly helped to create an abusive work environment for employees at restaurants he co-owns with disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali. This hasn’t cost him his spot as a judge on MasterChef Junior, Fox’s culinary competition for children that is hosted by Gordon Ramsay.
This #MasterChefJunior premiere is going to be gouda. Join us Friday at 8/7c for two hours of fun! pic.twitter.com/YynzxPl0ys
— MasterChef Junior (@MasterChefJrFOX) February 28, 2018
- In an era when abusive chefs are finally being held accountable, the role of public relations professionals is coming under a microscope. “Successful relationships between PR and restaurants are built on an inherent level of trust,” Priya Krishna writes. “That trust flows between both parties — the publicists must feel that the chefs they pitch do good, honest work, and chefs must trust that the publicists have their backs. So to what extent should publicists be blamed, or even expected to defend their clients, when harassment allegations come out?”
- Gigantic food hall Eataly, of which Bastianich and Batali are investors, has confirmed it will open a location in London.
- Bookings for Noma’s next season open Monday, March 5. The famed Copenhagen restaurant from chef René Redzepi will showcase all things vegetal this time around.
- Thickburger purveyor Carl’s Jr. is conducting a faux Oscars ceremony called “The Thickies,” which, :nauseated_face_emoji:.
- KFC locations in the United Kingdom have come back from the Great Chicken Shortage of 2018, but now there’s a new problem: The restaurants are running out of gravy. KFC’s marketing team is going to have to draft another cheeky letter of apology.
- Former NYT food critic Mimi Sheraton says there’s no such thing as good poutine. Can the opinion of someone who doesn’t enjoy french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds really be trusted?
- Disneyland is an awful place to work. The LA Times reports that 85 percent of the theme park’s food service employees and other staff reportedly make less than $15 an hour, hardly a living wage in Southern California. More than one in 10 employees say they have been homeless within the past two years.
- A Rubik’s cube made out of cheddar cheese is the perfect way to impress your brainiac friends and eliminate those hunger pangs.
- Eighties rocker Jon Bon Jovi is the newest celebrity vintner. His “Diving Into Hampton Water” rosé is arriving just in time for the return of warm weather.
- Chrissy Teigen, the face of McDonald’s revamped dollar menu, explains the best way to eat a cheeseburger from the Golden Arches: “Nothing reheats better than a McDonald’s cheeseburger. I put it in for 35 seconds, still in the paper, and it comes out like a soft, delicious, warm pillow. It’s perfect. I swear, anytime I order them, I get four at a time and keep them in the fridge and then just heat them up, and it is truly the perfect snack. I get it with hot mustard because hot mustard is my favorite McDonald’s dipping sauce.”
- McDonald’s enthusiasts have already hounded the chain into bringing back its beloved — well, not by everyone — Szechuan sauce. Next on the agenda is Hi-C. Mickey D’s removed the soft drink from its menu in August in favor of something called Sprite TropicBerry.
- Among Foodgod Jonathan Cheban’s personal 10 commandments: never actually cook food. “Chefs cook, I eat out. In this day and age, people want to know where to go, what to eat, what to do, more than how to make stuff. Who cares about recipes anymore? It’s a different era.” Okay.
- Someone has figured out how to make wine in an Instant Pot. The key is the slow cooker’s low-heat yogurt function.
- Sorry, frugal lushes, Applebee’s is bumping up its booze from $1 to $2 per drink.
- Finally, it’s Throwback Thursday. Here are Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick at Katz’s Deli way back when.
