Archive for the ‘Fun Stuff’ Category
Weiner tells teen in message: ‘I came back strong. Large. Tights and cape.’ . . . but ‘nothing inappropriate’
U.K. DAILY MAIL: Weiner used a similar superhero reference in messages to the teenage girl and 40-year-old blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss.
In a reply to message sent by the 17-year-old girl saying ‘My true love’ in reference to a speech he gave, Weiner wrote in a private message: ‘I came back strong. Large. Tights and cape’.
When Weiss emailed him, asking if he was ‘busy saving my country from this f***in tea baggers’, he replied: ‘Yep. Cape. Tights. Looking for my sidekick’.
The link was established by RadarOnline.com.
Weiner can’t afford to quit his Congressional job
NEW YORK POST: Even if scandal-stained Rep. Anthony Weiner didn’t want to stay in office, he needs to stay in office.
Unlike many of his peers in the House, Weiner doesn’t have a business or even a law degree to fall back on.
Weiner, 46, took home $156,117 in 2010, according to his federal tax returns released by his staff.
His humiliated wife, Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, earned $154,000 in 2009, federal records show.
He owes between $10,000 and $15,000 on his American Express card, according to his most recent financial-disclosure forms.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Here is the actual photo of Anthony Weiner’s penis that Breitbart showed on the Anthony and Opie show
So Congressman Athony Weiner (who has been married for one year) spends a lot of time at his Congressional office sending graphic photos and lewd text messages across the Internet to women he doesn’t know.
I debated with myself whether to post this because I really don’t want Weiner to resign. He does us more good if he stays – as the face of the Democratic Party.
But the fact is: Weiner is engaging in these activities from his Congressional office. He represents the United States of America. He has disgraced the country. Taxpayers are paying this man’s salary. He is in position to become the next Mayor of New York City. So there’s a national interest in showing exactly what kind of a man Anthony Weiner really is.
But here’s what’s truly incredible and sick.
Weiner actually sent this photo out to women across the Internet as a way to, well, impress them. Is anyone impressed?
Think about this for a moment. How much trouble did Weiner go through to to get this photo from this angle?
I don’t think he clicked his camera with his toes, so he must have put it on a timer.
How many attempts must it have taken for him to get the shot he was happy with?
This project must have taken half the day.
Apparently, there’s a reason he spent this much time on this.
In order to make his member look at big as possible (to the woman he’s chatting with) this, evidently, is the ideal perspective.
A photo from above would make his member look short and puny.
Weiner must have studied this subject in depth, must have read books about it, with titles like: “How to Make Your ________ Look as Big as Possible.”
Reports say he was engaging in much of this activity at his Congressional office. So he must have locked the door to prevent staffers from bursting in on scenes such as this unannounced.
And here’s Andrew Breitbart discussing this photo on the Anthony and Opie radio show
Weiner: That’s my wiener too!
MIAMI HERALD: Embattled New York Rep. Anthony Weiner’s prospects for political survival dimmed precipitously on Wednesday with the appearance on the Internet of an X-rated photo said to be of the congressman – and the first calls from fellow Democrats for him to step down.
“In light of Anthony Weiner’s offensive behavior online, he should resign,” Pennsylvania Rep. Allyson Schwartz, a member of the party campaign committee’s leadership, said in a statement that was quickly followed by similar expressions from other Democrats.
DENNIS MILLER: Weiner is “a Nasty Piece of Work”
Weiner’s wife pregnant
NEW YORK TIMES: Their marriage has become the subject of intense speculation
and scrutiny amid an embarrassing online sex scandal.
Now, Representative Anthony D. Weiner and Huma Abedin are about to make news of a different kind they are expecting their first child.
Ms. Abedin, 35, is in the early stages of pregnancy, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.
The pregnancy, which the couple has disclosed to close friends and family, adds a new dimension to questions about the future of their marriage.
Huma in Africa with Hillary. Says She’s Sticking with Weiner.
WALL STREET JOURNAL: She is married to one of the most bombastic, sociable and now scandal-
tarred politicians in the country. But Huma Abedin is an intensely private person whose quiet commitment to her husband, Rep. Anthony Weiner, has resulted in the two having rarely spent a weekend apart since their wedding last summer, friends say.
Now for some historical perspective . . .
Let’s Start With this FLASHBACK to Check Out Weiner’s Truthfulness . . .
He’s sending these pics from his Congressional office
Weiner target Meagan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mom
Weiner identifying himself with photo on Internet to Meagan Broussard
Used taxpayer money to engage in sexcapades
RADAR: The woman who carried on a nine-month sexting relationship with Rep. Anthony Weiner is a 40-year-old Las Vegas blackjack dealer named Lisa Weiss.
Following a bombshell joint investigation by RadarOnline.com and Star magazine, Weiss agreed to come forward and be the first woman named of the six who the congressman admitted to sending lewd messages and photos.
What’s more, the blonde woman has revealed details that show the liberal congressman lied during his tear-jerking confession Monday at a press conference in New York and that he DID use government resources for his extra-marital activities.
Weiner says he had six inappropriate relationships
NBC NEW YORK: Rep. Anthony Weiner admitted he sent a photo of his bulging underwear to a female Twitter follower and says he has had inappropriate conversations with as many as six women on Facebook and Twitter over the past three years.
During a tearful news conference on Monday, Weiner apologized to his wife, family, constituents and friends, and said he is “deeply ashamed” but does not plan to resign. He said he does not believe he broke the law.
Here’s how Weiner spends his time while working for taxpayers
NEW YORK POST: He told her he was a “caped crusader . . . looking for my sidekick.”
“[I'm] dying of boredom over here. Plus my tights really itch, I need a distraction,” the hot, bothered — and very married — Rep. Anthony Weiner shot off to sexy Vegas blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss in one of more than lewd 220 sexts and Facebook messages between the revved-up pair since Aug. 13.
Weiner — who’d been married less than a month when he started heavily flirting with Weiss online — soon got down and plenty dirtier, according to Weiss’ explosive interview yesterday with RadarOnline.
“He admitted to “jerking off” to her Facebook photos, said Weiss, 40, a former Democratic Party worker.
At one point, the sex-crazed congressman wrote, “ridiculous bulge in my shorts now. wanna see?”
She replied, “Yea! can you send a pic?”
Weiner was happy to oblige.
“you give good head?” the pervy politician asked her.
“ive been told really good . . . and i love doing it,” Weiss purred.
“wow a jewish girl who sucks [bleep]!” Weiner replied. “this thing is ready to do damage.”
Weiss told the Web site that most of the duo’s sexed-up exchanges occurred during his work hours — and that Weiner used his office phone for at least some of them. She said they fired back and forth 69 messages during just one sleazy exchange.
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DUDE! Hilarious new Weiner photos. Weiner admits he sent lewd photos and texts to many women.
Let’s Start With this FLASHBACK to Show What a Liar Weiner Is . . .
BIG GOVERNMENT: A new woman has come forward with what she claims are photographs, chats, and emails with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). These appear to undermine severely Rep. Weiner’s explanations that he was the victim of a “prank” or a “hack.”
The detailed new information suggests that the Brooklyn- and Queens-based representative and the young woman in question were involved in an online, consensual relationship involving the mutual exchange of intimate photographs.
BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com were approached regarding this information more than a week prior to the separate, independent event of Friday, May 27, 2011, when a link to the now-infamous “gray underwear” photograph appeared publicly on Rep. Weiner’s Twitter feed.
RADAR: Another woman has come forward to RadarOnline.com and Star magazine and provided a sexting exchange with embattled New York Representative Anthony Weiner.
The woman says she has 200 sexually explicit messages from Weiner from a Facebook account the Democratic politician no longer uses. …
He told the woman he had a “ridiculous bulge” in his shorts and asked if she “wanna see” it — almost three months before a photo of an erect penis in tight fitting briefs appeared in the pol’s Twitter stream.
It’s a sensational twist to the scandal plaguing the embattled New York congressman. This new woman is middle-aged and from Nevada.
Weiner target Meagan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mom
Weiner identifying himself with photo on Internet to Meagan Broussard
Used taxpayer money to engage in sexcapades
RADAR: The woman who carried on a nine-month sexting relationship with Rep. Anthony Weiner is a 40-year-old Las Vegas blackjack dealer named Lisa Weiss.
Following a bombshell joint investigation by RadarOnline.com and Star magazine, Weiss agreed to come forward and be the first woman named of the six who the congressman admitted to sending lewd messages and photos.
What’s more, the blonde woman has revealed details that show the liberal congressman lied during his tear-jerking confession Monday at a press conference in New York and that he DID use government resources for his extra-marital activities.
Weiner says he had six inappropriate relationships
NBC NEW YORK: Rep. Anthony Weiner admitted he sent a photo of his bulging underwear to a female Twitter follower and says he has had inappropriate conversations with as many as six women on Facebook and Twitter over the past three years.
During a tearful news conference on Monday, Weiner apologized to his wife, family, constituents and friends, and said he is “deeply ashamed” but does not plan to resign. He said he does not believe he broke the law.
Here’s how Weiner spends his time while working for taxpayers
NEW YORK POST: He told her he was a “caped crusader . . . looking for my sidekick.”
“[I'm] dying of boredom over here. Plus my tights really itch, I need a distraction,” the hot, bothered — and very married — Rep. Anthony Weiner shot off to sexy Vegas blackjack dealer Lisa Weiss in one of more than lewd 220 sexts and Facebook messages between the revved-up pair since Aug. 13.
Weiner — who’d been married less than a month when he started heavily flirting with Weiss online — soon got down and plenty dirtier, according to Weiss’ explosive interview yesterday with RadarOnline.
“He admitted to “jerking off” to her Facebook photos, said Weiss, 40, a former Democratic Party worker.
At one point, the sex-crazed congressman wrote, “ridiculous bulge in my shorts now. wanna see?”
She replied, “Yea! can you send a pic?”
Weiner was happy to oblige.
“you give good head?” the pervy politician asked her.
“ive been told really good . . . and i love doing it,” Weiss purred.
“wow a jewish girl who sucks [bleep]!” Weiner replied. “this thing is ready to do damage.”
Weiss told the Web site that most of the duo’s sexed-up exchanges occurred during his work hours — and that Weiner used his office phone for at least some of them. She said they fired back and forth 69 messages during just one sleazy exchange.
Weiner’s account of how his wiener pic showed up on Twitter unravels
The Daily learns tweet originated from app that pol used the night pic was posted
DANIEL LIBIT- THE DAILY: As the world has attempted to make sense of Rep. Anthony Weiner’s claim that his Twitter account was hacked, a key clue has been missing: exactly how the notorious groin pic was posted online.
But according to data provided exclusively to The Daily from TweetCongress.org, a nonprofit website that captures each member of Congress’s Twitter feeds in real time, the shot seen round the world was transmitted using TweetDeck — a popular Adobe desktop application that links up with social networking sites. A review of Weiner’s Twitter stream from May 27, the day of the crotch pic, shows that Weiner had been posting only from TweetDeck — one of many ways to post messages to Twitter — that entire night.
Chet Wisniewski, a senior security adviser at security software company SophosLabs, said the TweetDeck stamp “does make it more plausible that it did come from him.”
Weiner used TweetDeck frequently, but he often also posted from the Web directly or from his BlackBerry. A widely circulated explanation for how Weiner’s Twitter account could have been hacked by email would also seem to be incompatible with the fact that the message in question originated on TweetDeck. If email had been used, the message probably would have originated via the photosharing site Yfrog, where the infamous picture was posted.
However, this information doesn’t rule out the possibility that the congressman’s Twitter account was infiltrated — as Weiner has publicly suggested. But experts say it adds another hurdle for an alibi that has come under increasing fire.
“The complexity goes up,” said Chris McCroskey, the Texas software developer who founded
TweetCongress.org. The site, which has advocated the increased participation from congressmen on Twitter, aggregates and archives all the feeds of the 112th Congress from Twitter’s application programming interface. It is the only known database to do this other than the Library of Congress, which does not publicly share its data.
Robert Stribley, a senior information architect at Razorfish, a social media strategy agency, reasoned that if Weiner used the TweetDeck app, “it would probably make it less likely his account was hacked.”
When reached by The Daily, TweetDeck’s community manager, Richard Barley, declined to comment.
Experts caution that there are several scenarios in which the congressman’s Twitter account could have been compromised. Wisniewski cautioned that a savvy hacker may have intentionally noted Weiner’s posting platform the night of the offending tweet, and intentionally matched it.
“If I had his password, I could add his account into my TweetDeck and start sending tweets, and it would all say ‘TweetDeck,’” Wisniewski explained.
WEINERGATE: Rep Anthony Weiner refuses to deny lewd Twitter photo is of him
Plus . . . why does he pronounce his name “Weener” when the spelling indicates his name should be pronounced “Whiner”?
Wouldn’t it be better to be a “whiner” than a “wiener”?
NEW YORK POST: We won’t pretend to know the truth behind Weinergate — whether Weiner was the victim of a hacker or prankster or conservative conspiracy, or whether he was personally responsible for sending a college girl a photo of a man’s bulge over Twitter. But what’s clear is that Weiner is only inviting more suspicion on himself by the way he’s handling the attention. During an encounter with reporters earlier today, Weiner refused to answer any questions about the incident, including whether that was his own package in the photo, why he contacted a lawyer instead of law enforcement, and why he was following the college student on Twitter in the first place. Instead, he pointed reporters to his previous statements (which don’t actually address those questions) and expressed his desire to move on to more important business.
No doubt, Weiner’s wife will know the answer to this mystery. So watch for divorce court proceedings.
WASHINGTON POST: I never thought I would spend my Tuesday afternoon squinting at an obscene image of grey Hanes boxers trying to decide if I thought their occupant looked like a part of Anthony Weiner. But there are many things about my present life that I did not visualize.
This is a family newspaper, so I can only tell you that the trouser weasel resident in the aforementioned boxers seemed to be fairly alert.
It’s called “Weinergate.” It began Friday night, when Andrew Breitbart’s blog Big Government posted that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) had tweeted a lewd image of his underwear-clad crotch to a 21-year-old college student.
The tweet was deleted. The college student, who had tweeted, “I wonder what my boyfriend @RepWeiner is up to right now” and received, in response, the offensive picture, deleted her account and told the New York Daily News that she’d been harassed by conservative tweeters before the photo was sent. Weiner stated that his account had been hacked. Since the first person to retweet the picture had been claiming for days that a sex scandal of Chris-Lee-esque proportions was about to fall and smite the Democratic party, this didn’t seem entirely incredible.
IMPORTANT . . .
The answer as to whether Anthony Weiner is lying can be found in the Internet cache >>>
Here’s what Weiner says . . .
Here in a longer Q&A with reporters, Weiner continued to refuse to answer questions about the Twitter photo – refused even to deny the photo was of him.
Weiner sure doesn’t sound like an innocent man here. If he were innocent, he would be going to law enforcement authorities with a criminal complaint. Instead, it’s possible Weiner committed a crime here by sending an unwanted lewd photo to a college student — which may be why he’s now lawyering up and shutting up rather than filing a criminal complaint.
Here Weiner seems to confirm that the photo is of him
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
There are two possibilities for what happened.
A former girlfriend (or angry current girlfriend) of Weiner had access to his Twitter account, had that photo, and posted it.
The other possibility is that Weiner meant to send the photo to that college girl via private Twitter direct message, but in error posted it publicly for the whole world to see. He simply hit the wrong button on his mobile phone app. Easy to do.
Either way, not good for Weiner.
It’s obvious the photo is of Weiner. When he refuses to deny it’s him, that means it’s definitely him. It’s obvious from the angle of the shot that he snapped it with his cell phone camera for the purpose of sending the girl (or some girl) the photo.
Who else could have snapped that photo from that angle, other than Weiner?
So far, no response from Weiner’s wife of one year.
It will be real interesting to hear what she has to say.
As my wife Wanda says: “You’d better not let anything like this happen to you.”
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Weinergate: The curious case of Rep Anthony Weiner’s lewd Twitter photo of his Weiner
BIG GOVERNMENT: Hacked or hung?
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY 9″) finds himself in a late night online pickle.
This evening a photo surfaced on Congressman Weiner’s yfrog account and in his verified Twittertimeline of a man in his underwear with an erection. The photo was reportedly sent to a woman on Twitter. We’ve protected her name and her account, which was at one time verified to be active but has since been deleted after the photo in question was deleted. Coincidentally, the rest of the photos in the congressman’s alleged yfrog account were also deleted around 11 p.m. eastern.
Is this the Tweet in question? Was Weiner hacked?
Weiner, who married Hillary Clinton’s longtime assistant, Huma Abedin, last year, has been Tweeting about hockey this evening. Confusion reigns online as puzzled Weiner followers wonder what occurred to Weiner’s timeline.
The photo, stored at Weiner’s alleged yfrog account, is connected to his verified Twitter account. Were his yfrog and Twitter accounts hacked as well?
Photo in question after the jump. (#NSFMDW Not Safe For Memorial Day Weekend)
Rep. Weiner claims that his Facebook account was hacked. We were unable, at this late hour, to reach anyone at Congressman Weiner’s offices for comment.
Weiner’s explanations contain provable lies
BIG GOVERNMENT: There are at least two demonstrably false statements issued to the New York Post on behalf of Representative Anthony Weiner by his spokesperson, Dave Arnold.
Here’s the first [emphasis mine]:
The tech-savvy congressman saw the picture almost immediately. He had been tweeting about a hockey game just a few minutes earlier.
An analysis of Rep. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter timeline has already been done here at Big Government that clearly shows Weiner’s Twitter account had been publicly silent for 3 hrs. and 24 mins. prior to the Tweeting of the inappropriate image. Consequently, there was no Tweet about a hockey game “just a few minutes earlier.” Therefore, that statement simply isn’t true.
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IMF head arrested for rape. Pulled off plane
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s reputation with women earned him the
nickname “the great seducer,” and not even an affair with a subordinate could knock the International Monetary Fund leader off a political path pointed in the direction of the French presidency. All that changed with charges that he sexually assaulted a maid in his hotel room, a case that generated shock and revulsion, especially in his home country.
Unless the charges are quickly dropped, they could destroy his chances in a presidential race that is just starting to heat up. The IMF, which plays a key role in efforts to control the European debt crisis, named an acting leader and said it remains “fully functioning and operational” despite Saturday’s arrest.
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Chicago’s Alinea Restaurant: How to spend $1,000 on dinner for two . . . and not feel ripped off
By Ben Hart
Here’s what happens when two average Americans stumble into the #1 restaurant in North America (#6 in the world). It’s not just hype. The food really is amazing.
My wife Wanda and I had the good fortune of having dinner the other night at Alinea — rated by both Gourmet magazine and Restaurant magazine as the #1 restaurant in North America. And it’s rated the #6 or #7 restaurant in the world (depending on who’s rating it).
We had to make a reservation two months in advance to get in on a Thursday night for a 9:30 p.m seating.
The meal cost a cool $1,000, but could have easily cost $2,000 (or really just about any price) if we had really gone full hog. We ordered the standard wine medley, for example, rather than the premium wine medley. “Standard” was plenty good enough. Who knows what the “Premium” wine medley would have cost?
Grant Achatz: The genius chef who is Alinea
It would have been tough for a couple to get out of there for less than a grand. Perhaps you could do it by forgoing the wine completely, but then what would be the point?
Clearly, you don’t go to this restaurant if money is any kind of concern.
Fortunately, we had a gift certificate — a Christmas gift from some dear friends. So that was awesome. We got to see how the super rich eat.
Do you remember the restaurant scene in the Steve Martin movie LA Story?
Steve Martin had to fill out a credit application before they would take his reservation, and the restaurant had to put a lien on his house. When Martin’s meal arrived, it was the size of a quarter. It was a satire on the expensive LA restaurant scene. Well, this could have been a satire of the Steve Martin satire, except this is real.
There was one female Asian patron who arrived, sat down by herself, and ate dinner alone. Apparently, she treats this place like McDonald’s.
Wanda and I seemed to be the only ones actually talking at the restaurant. I guess everyone else was just focused on the food. We had a real little party going on in our corner. Some of the patrons did not appear amused.
The couple closest to us said nothing to each other the entire meal. Their age was 40-ish. I wonder how their marriage is going. They spent most of their meal staring at us. I guess we were their entertainment. Only they weren’t smiling . . . at all. Their look was more one of disdain. Perhaps they didn’t like Wanda’s tattoo.
We got quite a few glares when we pulled out the Flip camcorder to record some of the proceedings.
And when Wanda started taking photos with the flash, the staff rushed over and told us no camera flashes — but that it was okay to take photos without the flash.
Except at our table, there wasn’t a lot of laughing going on. Actually, there wasn’t any. These people were deadly serious. This was not a fun crowd.
We really didn’t care much about getting good grades on “deportment” here. For $1,000, we were going to have fun. I always got terrible grades in school for “deportment” anyway. When I was 12, my teacher told my mom: “Your son is doing okay in most of his subjects, but he’s getting a D in deportment.”
“Deportment.” I love that word. Still not 100% sure what it means. It just sounds like a word a teacher would use. How should I deport myself?
Odd Artwork
One of the oddest features of the place is the “art” on the wall. When you first look at the “paintings,” they just look like white canvas.
Here’s what I mean. Take gander at this painting on the wall behind the waiter.
Look at this "art" at Alinea on the wall behind the waiter
But if you look really closely, you can see very faint gray patterns — the kind of patterns I might have made with my spirograph toy when I was seven. You have to look super closely to actually see this art. It would also help to have some kind of high-tech visual aid – perhaps an infrared light gizmo (or something). Then you might be able to see it.
The thought did cross my mind that there’s something not right about spending this much on dinner. There are, after all, people starving in Africa and elsewhere.
Seems a bit over the top. Of course, the value is determined by the laws of economics — supply and demand.
The fact is you have to make a reservation at least two months in advance to get a seat at Alinea. That should tell you something. No doubt, a big reason people go to Alinea is to find out how a meal can be worth $1,000 and why people are willing to wait two months for the privilege of paying the tab.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what George Carlin would say about this place.
Carlin’s response might be something like this . . .
Jokes aside, the food really is amazing and is the creation of the genius chef Grant Achatz, who is just 36 years old.
Ironically, he was diagnosed last year with cancer of the tongue. Some kind of diabolical cosmic joke, no doubt thought up by Satan himself.
Thank God Achatz appears to be okay now.
Achatz is clearly a genius, a perfectionist, who is driven by a passion for his craft.
If you admire and respect excellence, you can’t help but be impressed by Achatz and what he’s achieved here.
The value is always in the eye of the beholder. To some, a Picasso is nothing extraordinary, while another was willing to pay $106,500,000 for this . . .
Clearly, this art patron would have paid less if he could have. He had to pay this, or he would have lost out in the bidding. So that’s what this Picasso is worth.
If you hand a pygmy a bag of gold, he won’t know what to do with it. I felt a bit like a pygmy at Alinea, knowing that I did not know enough to fully appreciate the dishes that were being put before me. But I did know what I was seeing and tasting was great.
We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience Alinea. The experience is well worth the $1,000. Given the choice, I always prefer to spend money on experiences rather than things.
Experiences are priceless. Things can always be replaced. And this was an experience I’ll never forget.
What happens is you are served a 21 course meal. Each course consists of between one and four bites of food. Then it’s onto the next course.
It takes two people to bring each course, each of which arrives with a new glass of wine that is specially suited to that particular course.
Don’t be fooled by the small designer portions. After 21 courses, we felt plenty stuffed. I could not have eaten another bite.
You do not choose your food. There is no menu. They ask if you have any food allergies. You then just accept whatever they bring you. You get a menu at the end of the meal that tells you what you ate.
The meal was not just a meal. It was high art. Achatz is the Picasso of the kitchen. Not only is the food gorgeous, it’s absolutely delicious. I have never experienced tastes like this.
Here’s a review from Gourmet magazine, which (unlike me) actually knows what its talking about when it comes to restaurants and food . . .
GOURMET: You couldn’t believe it when you heard it. The story of Grant Achatz’s health seemed too cruel, too ironic, the stuff of Greek
tragedy, not real life: the brilliant young chef, just reaching the height of his powers, stricken by cancer … of the tongue. Shakespeare would’ve scrapped it, going out for a long walk to clear his head. But it was true, and a year later, Chef Achatz is doing well. I’m glad for him as a person, certainly, but I’m also relieved for us. Achatz and his restaurant, Alinea, are important.
There are restaurants where, after I’ve eaten, I badly want to work in the kitchen. I want to see what goes on in there, to learn the food with my head and my hands. After eating at Alinea, though, what I want to do there is to work as a waiter. Grant Achatz is a genius. I don’t use that word lightly, and I don’t see the point in my trying to learn to be a genius. I want to be a waiter at Alinea simply so that I can see the looks on people’s faces as they eat his food.
CRAIN’S: Lincoln Park’s Alinea has again been named the top North American restaurant on a list of the world’s best, adding yet another
Genius Alinea Chef Grant Achatz. Age 36
accolade to its growing list of awards.
The six-year-old establishment was ranked No. 6 on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The rankings, compiled by U.K.-based Restaurant magazine, were announced Monday at a London ceremony.
Last year the restaurant landed at No. 7, making it the top-rated spot in the United States.
“We are incredibly proud of our staff and appreciative of our patrons,” Nick Kokonas, who co-owns Alinea, said in an email Monday. “What an honor to be No. 1 in the U.S. and North America for the second straight year.”
TIME MAGAZINE: We live by a saying at the French Laundry: Do a little better each day. This lesson Grant Achatz, 36, took to heart very
early on in his career. He got it. You saw it in his intense gaze. This singular purpose allowed him to overcome many adversities and successfully establish Alinea and Next, distinct, thoughtful restaurants that refine the standards of our profession through Grant’s visionary take on modernist cuisine. I have always believed that there are many cooks in the world but not many chefs in the true sense of the word. Grant exemplifies the modern chef — and nothing, not even tongue cancer, has impeded his vision and desire.
The 50 best restaurants in the world, according to Restaurant magazine:
| Rank | Position | Restaurant | Country | Awards |
| 1 | — | Noma | Denmark | The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in the World. The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Europe |
| 2 | Up 2 | El Celler De Can Roca | Spain | |
| 3 | Up 2 | Mugaritz | Spain | |
| 4 | Up 2 | Osteria Francescana | Italy | The Chefs’ Choice sponsored by Electrolux |
| 5 | Down 2 | The Fat Duck | UK | |
| 6 | Up 1 | Alinea | USA | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In North America |
| 7 | Up 11 | D.O.M | Brazil | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In South America |
| 8 | Up 1 | Arzak | Spain | |
| 9 | Up 2 | Le Chateaubriand | France | |
| 10 | — | Per Se | USA | |
| 11 | Down 3 | Daniel | USA | |
| 12 | Up 12 | Les Creations de Narisawa | Japan | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In Asia |
| 13 | Up 3 | L’Astrance | France | |
| 14 | Up 15 | L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon | France | |
| 15 | Up 2 | Hof van Cleve | Belgium | |
| 16 | Down 3 | Pierre Gagnaire | France | |
| 17 | Up 2 | Oud Sluis | Netherlands | |
| 18 | Down 3 | Le Bernardin | USA | |
| 19 | Re-Entry | L’Arpege | France | |
| 20 | Up 28 | Nihonryori RyuGin | Japan | Highest Climber Sponsored by Lavazza |
| 21 | Up 1 | Vendome | Germany | |
| 22 | Down 1 | Steirereck | Austria | |
| 23 | Up 7 | Schloss Schauenstein | Switzerland | |
| 24 | Up 26 | Eleven Madison Park | USA | |
| 25 | Up 9 | Aqua | Germany | |
| 26 | Up 1 | Quay | Australia | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In Australasia |
| 27 | Up 1 | Iggy’s | Singapore | |
| 28 | Up 7 | Combal Zero | Italy | |
| 29 | Up 4 | Martin Berasategui | Spain | |
| 30 | Re-Entry | Bras | France | |
| 31 | Up 15 | Biko | Mexico | |
| 32 | Down 12 | Le Calandre | Italy | |
| 33 | Re-Entry | Cracco | Italy | |
| 34 | New Entry | The Ledbury | UK | Highest New Entry Sponsored by Silestone |
| 35 | Down 12 | Chez Dominique | Finland | |
| 36 | Down 5 | Le Quartier Francais | South Africa | The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant In The Middle East and Africa |
| 37 | New Entry | Amber | Hong Kong | |
| 38 | Down 2 | Dal Pescatore | Italy | |
| 39 | Up 1 | Il Canto | Italy | |
| 40 | Down 14 | Momofuku Ssam Bar | USA | |
| 41 | Up 2 | St John | UK | |
| 42 | New Entry | Astrid Y Gaston | Peru | |
| 43 | Up 6 | Hibiscus | UK | |
| 44 | — | Maison Troisgros | France | |
| 45 | Down 4 | Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee | France | |
| 46 | Down 9 | De Librije | Netherlands | |
| 47 | Down 33 | Restaurant de l’Hotel De Ville | Switzerland | |
| 48 | New Entry | Varvary | Russia | |
| 49 | New Entry | Pujol | Mexico | |
| 50 | Re-Entry | Asador Etxebarri | Spain |
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