Chili by Ruth Reichl and Nancy Silverton Catapluts To #1 in World Ratings; Critics, Chefs Hail As "Greatest Chili in Recorded History"

The RNC. It wasn't planned. It was happenstance. It was as simple as this; "Put some of that on that."

The first "that" was a pimento cheese dip chef Nancy Silverton had painstakingly made Sunday afternoon and brought to an Oscar party at the temporary Los Angeles residence of writer Ruth Reichl. The second "that" was a bison chili made by Reichl.

So, as instructed, a spoonful of the dip, which, only an hour earlier, had been proclaimed the McLaren P1 of cheese dips, was upended onto the chili. 

One bite and that was it. There have been hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of bowls of chili devoured throughout history, but never has chili that scored more than 600. Never until yesterday when this concoction by Ruth and Nancy - already known in cyberspace as  "Rucy Chili"  - scored an astounding 714. 

Chefs around the country hailed the chili as Homeric.

Renowned San Francisco based chef Dominique Crenn simply said "Wow! I want some."

"Seven 1 4? Is that a typo?" Tweeted Briana "Breezy"Valdez, owner of East Hollywood's HomeState and a Texas native. 

Even Nancy Silverton seemed surprised how delicious the "Rucy" was. "Now I know how the folks at Reese's felt when they mixed that peanut butter into the chocolate cup ."

The recipe of the chili only is available in Reichl's recently published book. "My Kitchen Year" on page 45. It needs to be noted, however, this "Rucy Chili" - a term coined by using the first and last syllables of the two living legends first names- was on the fly and several modifications were made by Ruth, including, reportedly, the addition of "chicken goo" from the leftover of a dinner at  Silverton's Chi Spacca and "I forgot the name" beans from the Sunday farmer's market in Hollywood. 

As for the recipe for pimento cheese dip - a dish once described by noted foodie Jeanine K Ash as "the bottom of the barrel" - it will be available in the fall when Silverton's "Mozza at Home" cookbook arrives in bookstores.  That too was modified to a degree, with a particular Gouda and Cheddar that Silverton could not remember.

Some objected to the seemingly "secretive" nature of the chili.  

"I find it difficult to believe Ruth conveniently forgot the name of the beans she bought at the farmer's market and Nancy can't recall exactly what brand of cheeses were used in a cheese dip," said Duke Feldmeier, a private investigator hired to get the chili's secrets. "I mean, if the chili is really that good, shouldn't everyone get a chance to enjoy it?".

The Rucy, along with La Brea Tar Pits chicken wings and burritos from Burritos La Palma on Peck Road in El Monte were savored at the home Ruth and her husband Michael Singer are renting. It is the former home of Wallace Berry who won an Oscar in 1932 at the 5th Academy Awards for "The Champ". 

 Eighty six years later, there's a new champ and it's called Rucy Chili.

The Rucy chili scored an unheard of 675

Oregon's Governor Declares State of Emergency As Verona Masongsong's Arrival Nears; Hoarders Flock To Supermarkets

Widespread hoarding was reported at several Portland, Oregon area supermarkets Saturday morning as concerned residents prepared for the arrival of legendary eater Verona Masongsong and, in response, Oregon's governor Katherine Brown declared a State of Emergency, reassuring the public there is currently enough food stockpiled "to last at least two weeks".

As shoppers frantically stocked-up on essential food items, six people were injured at a Food4Less in the downtown area, four others at a organic market in the Pearl District  and three more at the Whole Foods near Reed College, authorities said. Most were treated and released at local hospitals, but two suffered so-called "trample" injuries and were listed in serious, but jittery condition at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center.

In addition, Powell's City of Books reported record sales of survival guides Friday afternoon as rumors spread Masongsong could arrive as early as Sunday night. 

"I want to tell the people of Oregon, and those in the Portland metropolitan area in particular, that we have alerted both the federal authorities and the World Food Bank of the situation and we will have food for almost everybody", said Gov. Brown in a statement broadcast on the Emergency Public Radio.   Brown added though schools were let out early Friday, they are expected to be reopened on a normal schedule as early as Tuesday.

Masongsong - who has led the nation in most food consumed and least food shared for the last three years -  attempted to diffuse the crisis earlier this week when she  - to the shock of all who witnessed - actually refused some food. 

Masongsong said "No, thank you" when offered a tuna pepper Thursday afternoon by a local reporter who was at Pizzeria Mozza.  As the Pizzeria's maitre D' Eva Gallner looked on in disbelief, the reporter asked Verona,  "Are you okay?" 

"I don't share my food, so why should I expect you to share yours?", Masongsong answered. However, when offered again, Masongsong took a tuna pepper.

Verona Masongsong first gathered local news in 2010 at a Pizzeria Mozza anniversary celebration. As more than 100 Mozza employees mingled, Silverton spotted Verona sitting alone and quietly relishing a Double Double. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that a stack of empty Double Double wrappers were piled on a nearby chair. At that very moment, Hall of Fame Osteria Mozza server Ralph Waxman exclaimed "What the fuck happened to all the In-N-Out burgers?"

Masongsong originally denied any association with the missing burgers, but a review of the security footage showed otherwise. Like many legends, the actual number of In-N-Out Double Doubles Verona Masongsong ate that night is in dispute. Der Spiegel, Germany's premiere weekly news magazine, has put the total as high as 17, while the New York Times, in a recent editorial, listed the total at 11. 

Not long after that, Masongsong was in the news again when Silverton threatened to fire her for coming to work sober all the time, a condition - unlike in the past -  no longer considered acceptable. A quick learner, Verona took to the bottle. 

And she took the plate. With gusto. She garnered a  reputation for being first in line at a buffet and first to grab a to-go box.

Recently, at the farewell celebration for OG Pizzeria Mozza bartender Sean "Big Tasty"  Philbin, Masongsong was reported to have taken away four of the seven trays of Phillips BBQ ribs purchased for the party. The haul was so large that Masongsong allegedly enlisted the help of two Samoan men to carry the ribs to her waiting - and already idling - car. 

Though the Oregon presidential primary is not until May 17th,  candidates on the stump for next Saturday's South Carolina primary turned  the Masongsong food crisis into an political issue as they campaigned Saturday. 

Speaking to a crowd at a junior college in Myrtle Beach, front runner Donald A. Trump said "When I am president, America will be so great and so abundant we will have enough food for 40 Veronas."

At a rally in Hilton Head, Jeb Bush called that statement "Typical bombastic Trump stupidity and an impossibility". The Jebster vowed if he won the presidency, he would introduce legislation banning Masongsong from any HomeTown Buffet in the states that voted for him. (That could be as many as one state.)

Not surprisingly, Marco "The Robot" Rubio blamed the Masongsong crisis on President Barack Obama and ISIS. "When this is all said and done, we will find out this Verona situation was an elaborate Obama slash ISIS plan to induce wide spread hunger across America so the black flag of ISIS can fly over the White House," Rubio said. "I just hope the food shortage extends to Chris Christie."

On the democratic side, Hillary Clinton, eager to earn the young female vote simply said "Verona, you go, girl."

Masongsong will be moving to Oregon to be with recently-retired PIzzeria Mozza chef de cuisine Nikko Jerrel Marquez. Sources told Krikorian Writes that Nikko lured her to Oregon by promising to cook for her "three times a day".  Masongsong reportedly replied  "Three? What am I supposed to do in the afternoon and evening? Starve?"

Still, pro-Masongson advocates insist that her love of food is not only an inspiration to millions of people around the planet, but a testimony to the greatness of "The Corner", the street name for  Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza, Mozza 2Go and Chi Spacca.

"Who works best for Nancy - and The Corner - is the worker who loves great food so much that she -or he - might occasionally lose their mind in pursuit of that food," said Moruno chef Chris Feldmeier, former chef de cuisine of Osteria Mozza and himself a formidable eater.   "Why do you think they got rid of Arielle Chernin? It wasn't because she was drunk all the time and getting into bar fights. It was because she only ate tiny raw carrots. Verona? Verona can put it away. Up, up and away." 

Nancy Silverton said she was sad to see Verona - and Nikko - go. "They can come back whenever they like. And I'm sure they will be back. Big deal if our food costs soared when Verona was working.  She was worth it. "

Federal Probe Launched Into Pizzeria Mozza's Calamari-Stuffed Potato With Green Goddess; Might Exceed Legal Flavor Limits

The United States Attorney General said Monday that a newly-added daily special offered at Los Angeles' Pizzeria Mozza might actually pose a mental health issue because it  "may exceed legal flavor limits and is so delicious it could delude diners into believing 'all is right in the world'." 

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch made the surprising announcement after meeting with two assistants who had tried the calamari-stuffed potato drenched in Green Goddess dressing during Friday's lunch service at the establishment on the fabled corner of Highland and Melrose avenues in the city's Hancock Park district. 

"They seemed almost giddy after lunch," Lynch told reporters at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building downtown., "No, not 'seemed'. They were giddy. My aide-de-camp Francisco Boroquois went so far as to comment on international matters, something he is not authorized to do."  

When Lynch didn't elaborate, several reporters pressed her and she somewhat reluctantly revealed that Boroquois had said "Syrian peace talks in Geneva would be a bigger, more smashing success than  [the Broadway musical] 'Pal Joey.'"  At that point, Lynch said she "became concerned".

When humans experience above-the-legal- limit flavor, they tend to become delusional and think irrationally, albeit in a positive, borderline euphoric manner that results in extremely low level of productivity. 

Legal limits on food flavor are virtually unknown to the public because they are so high and very seldom exceeded. The only known modern-day successful prosecution of exceeding the flavor limit occurred in 1996 in Switzerland, when authorities were able to prove that famed chef Fredy Girardet was regularly passing the 15,000 flavor (brain) waves per minute, aka  FWPM, at his temple of gastronomy in Crissier, near Lausanne.  Girardet was ordered to tone it down. He opted to retire on Nov. 30, 1996.  

Though numerical conversion of brain wave rotations derived from food flavor is difficult for most to even comprehend, professor of biodynamics Malcolm P Widdles of Stanford University said the simplest way to grasp the concept is to think of a high-revving Formula One engine, whose legal limits are strikingly similar to legal flavor limit, numerically speaking.  

"Currently, a Formula One race car engine - McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes -can revolve up to 15,000 times a minute," Widdles said  "This is known as RPMs. It just so happens  that the current legal flavor limits, agreed to by both the United States government and the United Nations General Assembly, is also 15,000, but in this case,  FWPM. which produces excessive euphoria.  If the car exceeds the limit, it could blow up. If the human brain does, it loses track of reality and is focuses solely on pleasure. Now, that may sound like a good thing - and it is for periods up to seven hours -  but. ultimately, it isn't. The world would stop functioning properly if everyone was above the flavor limits. (Not that it is functioning entirely properly now.) 

That, said  Attorney General Lynch,  was the problem with Mozza co-owner and chef Nancy Silverton's calamari-stuffed potato with Green Goddess dressing  "People eat it and they kind of go haywire."

A Mozza, maitre D', Eva Gallner ate just a little bit of the special and just kept mumbling, "Too much flavor. Too much flavor. Too much flavor." The restaurant's general manager,Christine Larroucau, had to remove Gallner from the floor. She is expected to return Wednesday, though sources said she will not be allowed to work on Fridays when the potato is expected to return.

As of press time, no charges have been filed against Silverton and most legal experts don't think she will be charged with a crime since she is technically not cooking the potato herself. . However, Pizzeria Mozza chefs Tiffany Fox, Maika Rothfuss, Nikko Marquez,  Jeremy Barnett and Scott Brandaw could face legal actions if the flavor of the calamari stuffed potato with Green Goddess dressing is not limited to 15,000 FWPM..

UPDATE - After this story broke, the Israeli government lodged a formal complaint with the United States Ambassador to Israel claiming that Silverton and Mozza staff members Dahlia Narvaez and Elizabeth "Go Go" Hong stole this recipe from the Tel Aviv restaurant North Abraxas.

The government believes this dish is legally too delicious

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La Magnifica Saga di Farina di Franco Pepe

Wednesday afternoon in the kitchen of Chi Spacca in Los Angeles, Franco Pepe, Italy's greatest pizzaiola, asked the staff where was his flour. Chef Ryan DeNicola, chef Joe Tagorda, and general manager Kim "G" Trac, all looked at each other and said "What flour?"

The saga of Franco Pepe's flour - aka farina  - was on. 

(For some background, Franco Pepe who we met at his Pepe in Grani pizzeria in Caiazzo, Campagna, was in California to do four pizza cooking demonstrations, two at A16 in San Francisco, two at Mozza,  This guy is a fanatic, I mean an absolute nut, about his flour. It's his life. Thirteen hours before he cooks pizzas,  he needs to work the flour into dough. The Mozza event, an instant  sellout, was set for 1 p.m. Thursday in Chi Spacca. )

Ok, back to our saga .  

About twenty minutes later, Nancy Silverton texted me.  "Where are you', followed quickly by a "Call me Urgent"  Now, in my interpretation of "Urgent" it's a shooting, an accident. an overdose, a death or at least something bad is about to happen.  But, having been with Nancy Silverton for so long, her meaning of urgent and mine vary quite a bit.  ( Here's my point. less than two minutes ago, she called the house,, this time she said "I've got a bigger problem than yesterday's". - dramatic pause - "I left my lipstick at home.")

So I call her.  "We have a problem," Nancy says. "We might not be able to do the event. Franco Pepe is nauseous."

"Like sick?" What do you mean? Like nervous?"

"I need you to go to Rite Aid and get medication."

"What kind? What do I know about nauseous medication?" ( Of my many faults, nausea is not one of them.).

"Ask the pharmacist." She hangs up. 

I go to Rite Aid, ask the pharmacist and get some Emetrol.

At Mozza I park in the alley and see Franco and his confidant Luigi. Franco is rubbing his stomach. I hand him the medication . He says. "They have lost my farina. I can't go on with this. We must go back to the Caiazzo. Back to Italy. Everything starts with the knowlege of flour."

Luigi, who speak fluent English. explains.somewhat. but is just as grave. "This is bad, We came to America for this." 

I go up in the office. and the tension there is a like a command center for a Delta Force raid on ISIS in Ramadi. The voices are low in decibels, but high in urgency. The man who was supposed to pick up the specially delivered Italian flours at A16 had not picked it up. The flours,  the farina. the only flour Franco Pepe would knead, two 25-kilogram bags, was 400 miles away and it was 5 p.m.,  The mission was clear, get 110.22 pounds of flour to Mozza by midnight.

Kate Green, Liz  "Go Go"  Hong, Nicole White,  Sarah Clarke, and others i'm sure, go into action. with Nancy orchestrating. They find a delivery company that "might" be able to . but at $2,000 up front,  "might"  don't cut it. Go Go finds a company on line that will do it for $500. That turns out to be misleading. We think of who we know in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nicole says "Call you girlfriend Dominique." I do, in the long shot hope she is about to fly down, but she's at Atelier Crenn. We try storied former Pizzeria Manager Arielle Chernin, but she's out partying somewhere.  

Meanwhile, in the Chi Spacca dining room, Franco's stomach has worsened.  Everyone confers. "Go to you hotel and relax," I say. Nancy had arranged for him to stay at the W in Hollywood, while his two assistants and trip arranger Jonathan Goldsmith would stay at her house. But, Franco doesn't want to be apart from his team. . 

He says something to Luigi. "We all need to be together now."

Kim get them an Uber and l meet them to the house.  They sit nervously, refusing my offer of vino rosso. aqua frizzante, and Fritos (Original).  They fidget. They tap their feet like their Philly Joe Jones backboning Coltrane. 

Then, I turned on CNN. The Italians become riveted by the coverage of the latest ISIS shootouts in St. Denis. Paris. Of that woman who reportedly blows herself up. Of threats to Herald Square. Of lost loved ones.  They seem to forget their flour problems in the real problems of the world. 

I text Nancy and Kate Green a photo of them "Nothing like watching Isis to relax people."  More texts, more calls. meanwhile, at A16, owner Shelley Lindgren is on it. She calling friends and employees. She knows the urgency having just seen Franco work his dough at her restaurant. 

She calls a then-un-famous woman who will rise to the occasion. Shelley calls Emily Flannagan, who once worked at Pizzeria Mozza and is now at A16.. 

Emily, who like Brando, is now known by only using one name,  was at home and about to start drinking wine.

"I was just about to have some wine and read a book about wine," said Emily, who clearly seems to have a fixation with wine.. "When Shelley asked me to help her and Franco and Nancy out,  I thought, "Go to Mozza and see Nancy and Franco?  Fuck, yeah."

Back here, we get the word a courier has been recruited. I tell Franco, he stands up and high fives me. 

Still, it was nearing 8 p.m.

At the house, worn out by the ordeal, Franco and his two assistants. go upstairs and pass out. 

At 10 p.m. i gather them up and we go to Osteria Mozza. We eat, but keep checking. "Where's my baby?" Franco asks often, referring to the flour. ."On the way". Who knows though. Maybe with the current state of security getting 110 pound of flour on an airplane will be a problem.   I mean, I  wouldn't let someone on a plane with a 110 pounds of flour.  

Finally Kate Green texts. "The fuckin' flour is on the plane. I need a drink." 

An hour later, Sarah informs us "The Flour has landed", Who is with it, i think. Neal Armstrong?

But, sure enough, just 'bout midnight. Emily Flannagan walks into Osteria Mozza. Franco Pepe gives her the hug of the week.    

The Wrench Laundry, Zultra Exclusive Auto Repair Shop, Opens In San Francisco

The mountain of wealth in the Bay Area reached a new height this week when an auto repair shop opened on San Francisco's elite Nob Hill that requires patrons to reserve two months in advance for tune ups, insists on references and will not work on automobiles valued at less than $200,000.

Dubbed "The Wrench Laundry - an obvious play on words/homage to Napa Valley's revered restaurant The French Laundry - the shop has been already flooded with "reservations" requests and has drawn gawkers - and paparazzi -  up to three deep at its California Street address who are eager to see exotic cars and the celebrities who drive them.

"I saw Jay Leno pull up in his orange McLaren P1," said an excited Doug Zamensky, a Southern California restaurant manager on vacation. "He was very nice."

Other celebrity sightings have included , actor Tom Hanks (Bugatti Type 41 Royale), television journalist Hoda Kotb ( Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing), film mogul George Lucas, (Ferrari F50),  former  NBA great Julius "Dr. J" Erving (Rolls Royce Dawn), painter K.C. "Dutch" Smitherton, (Costin Maserati 450s), and retired British race car driver Mike Hawthorne (D Type Jaguar),   

However, the Wrench Laundry has also drawn several protesters who are decrying that growing gap between the rich and the super rich. "The sheer arrogance of this mechanics shop is just another demoralizing indication of the growing disparity between the super rich and the regular rich," said a lawyer who refused to give his name. "I have a $140,000 Audi R8 and i can't get in." 

Despite the protests, business has been booming since opening Oct. 13. Attempts by our staff to get a reservations (admittedly bogus) were unsuccessful. The Wrench Laundry has taken measure to ensure against such fake attempts, - such as ours  - by requiring potential customers text over a photo of their driver's license along with a photo of themselves in their automobile. 

Approved customers are then emailed a confirmation along with a "menu" . A tune up at the Wrench Laundry can cost $10,000 while a simple alignment run about to $1750. 

Owners and mechanics at the Wrench Laundry refused to be interviewed for this story.

.  

Dominique Crenn's Cookbook "Atelier Crenn Metamorphosis of Taste" Goes On Sale Tuesday, Nov. 3, Foreward Released Today

(The Following is the foreward for acclaimed San Francisco chef Dominique Crenn's first cookbook, "Atelier Crenn  Metamorphosis of Taste" 

DOMINIQUE CRENN is like a Marvel Super Hero.

If you are familiar with Marvel Super-Heroes, you know they lead two lives. They have their superhero lives where they leap or fly or cling to buildings all over town fighting evil people and saving the world from doom.

And then they have their “regular” life where they look like normal folk and you wouldn’t even know they are anything special. The Incredible Hulk, for example, is Dr. Bruce Banner, a physicist. The Amazing Spiderman is Peter Parker, a student and photographer in his normal life. Thor, the Norse god of thunder and lightning, is Dr. Donald Blake, a respected surgeon.     

And Dominque Crenn, the acclaimed super hero chef is, in her regular life, a cook.

I think in her heart, in that very artistic heart of hers, she might have fun being the superhero chef – who wouldn’t? – but, she is most in her element, most in her purest state of bliss when she is being a cook.

Still, like, all superheroes, it is fun to see the transformation. It’s exciting to see her magically transform from cook to superhero chef.  

I have seen superhero Dominique single-handedly take a celebrity chef-studded food event that was heading toward doldrums and transform it into a joyous, free-spirited party with her super powers of unrestrained spontaneity, mischievousness, merrymaking and beauty.

And I have seen “regular” Dominique inconspicuously walked into my restaurant in Los Angeles, dressed casually and quietly take a seat at the Mozzarella Bar. I’ve seen her ask the server about the dishes like she didn’t know foie gras from chopped liver. I’ve seen her quietly study the plate when it arrived, sniff and slowly taste. A cook still learning. Or at least hoping to learn.

And, to me, that is the mark of the great ones. The chefs, the cooks, who after all the acclaim, all the stars and rave reviews, are still leaning, still searching for flavor. That’s Dominique Crenn.

I first met Dominique Crenn two years ago at a food event in downtown Los Angeles She was sitting at a table with a mutual friend, quietly sipping a glass of white wine. We quickly hit it off, talking about our worlds in the kitchen.

I learned she was, like me, deeply influenced by her father, who you will read about in this book’s opening pages. He was an artist, and I think Dominique is an artist, too. A poet, too.

When you go through this book, I think you will agree. Go to one of the opening chapters, Metamorphosis, and read perhaps the loveliest, most poetic menu ever called “Chef’s Grand Tasting Menu”. Poetic Culinary. Read and you will understand.

But, her food, isn’t about words. It isn’t about looks, though it is certainly fun to behold. Her food is about soul. It is about childhood. It is about passions. But, and this is a giant “but”, it is about deliciousness. Front and center, it is about how damn good her food tastes.

Hey, what did I say?  Dominique Creen might be a super hero chef. But, really, Dominique Crenn is a cook.  

- Nancy Silverton

"Metamorphosis of Taste" by Dominique Crenn goes on sale Tuesday, November 3, 2015.  Get it at your local bookstore. Or get it here.

http://www.amazon.com/Atelier-Crenn-Metamorphosis-Taste-Dominique/dp/0544444671/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446404480&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=dominiique+crenn

"The Corner Joins Mickey Mantle, Julius Caesar, Al Green, Michelangelo, Spirit of St. Louis, John F. Kennedy, Many Other Legends as 14th Best, Mozza Staff Ecstatic

Chefs, sous chefs, line cooks, servers, runners, dishwashers, somms and even owners on "The Corner" were thrilled this week when a rating of restaurants in Los Angeles listed the combined efforts of Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca as the 14th best in the entire city. 

 "You can have your Michelin stars, your Pellegrino 50 Best listing. your Gault Millau 19.5s, I'll take being listed the same as Al Green, Michelangelo and Mickey Mantle any day," said Mozza co-owner and chef Nancy Silverton referring to three other legends who too were listed as 14th best in their fields by various "raters".   "Ever heard of Julius Caesar? 14th." 

Although Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza and Chi Spacca are three clearly distinctive restaurants, they are so closely associated with each other that the triumvirate were rated as one.   In celebration, The Corner staff sang "Let's Stay Together",  the soul classic by Al Green who was rated the 14th best singer by Rolling Stone magazine.   As the party grew raucous, toasts were made to other legends who were rated 14th best including undefeated heavyweight champion  Rocky Marciano,  ( greatest boxers of all time list), "Some Like It Hot" ( greatest American movies of all time list ) Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind' ( greatest songs list) and John F. Kennedy, ( greatest presidents list).

"I love that we were rating as one, unlike some, mutual-wall places that were rated separately," said Chi Spacca general manager Kim "Grumpy" Trac, who, in a rare celebratory mood, fire off several rounds from his Barrett  82A1 50 Cal. sniper rifle.  Trac was Chino Valley Rancher's egged on by Pizzeria Mozza server Juile Burrise who yelled "Ernie Banks wore number 14.. Let's shoot two!"

***  The rating may recall a 2014 L.A. restaurant listing that put Melisse as the 32nd best in the city. Check it :  http://www.krikorianwrites.com/blog/2014/4/25/32-is-the-new-1-melisse-given-same-number-as-koufax-magiclisted-as

Check out some of the other notable 14th bests.

Julius Caesar - rated 14th best general by Paradox Plaza https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-top-100-generals-of-history.266934/    (Also spelled as  Cesare)

Mickey Mantle was rated the 14th best baseball player of all time by The Bleacher Report  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1977372-the-100-greatest-mlb-players-of-all-time/page/48

"Some Like It Hot" - rated 14th best American movie of all time by the AFI-  http://www.afi.com/100years/movies.aspx

Rocky Mariciano - rated 14th best boxer of all time by ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/greatest/featureVideo?page=greatest1120

 "Blowin in the Wind" by Bob Dylan rated 14th best song of all time by Rolling Stone - http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/bob-dylan-blowin-in-the-wind-20110517

John F. Kennedy was rated 14th best president by the  American Political Science Association https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/02/16/new-ranking-of-u-s-presidents-puts-lincoln-1-obama-18-kennedy-judged-most-over-rated/

The "Spirit of St. Louis"  was rated 14th most important airplane of all time, ( Charles Lindburgh flew across the Atlantic in this plane ) http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/g2142/the-30-most-important-airplanes-of-all-time/

Al Green     http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/robert-plant-20101202 

Michelangelo Buonarrotti -  rated the 14th greatest painter of all time  http://www.theartwolf.com/articles/most-important-painters.htm

"One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest"  by Ken Kesey was ranked the 14th best novel of all time by Good Reads  http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2681.Time_Magazine_s_All_Time_100_Novels

One?  Shit, we've all flew over that nest at some point . Me ? I'm going over tonight. 

14 best joke,  Some website      " A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Amal". The other goes to a family in Spain, who name him "Juan". Years later Juan sends a picture of himself to his mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wished she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds: "They're twins. If you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal."

Washington D.C. Stunner; Nancy Silverton Awards "5 Nods" To A Chicken Salad By Former White House Sous Chef Frank Ruta

Since its creation during the early Ming Dynasty in 1369 at Emperor Hongwu's temple in Nanjing, no chicken salad - Chinese, Caesar or not - has ever been awarded what is considered to be the "Supreme Royale Accolade". Until now.

Just moments ago , in the Georgetown sector of Washington, D.C., a chicken salad was awarded an unheard of ( for a salad) "5 Nods" from Nancy Silverton, the creator of the now-worldwide used Nodding System. (* For more on the system see below..

Silverton, in a classic act of serendipity, stumbled on The Grill Room, located in the Capella Hotel, an hour ago after being revolted by the two M Street lunch places suggested by this reporter. She turned off of M Street and down 31st Street near a canal and found The Grill Room.

Immediately, she knew she was in the right place when she spotted Larry Stone , one of America's most renowned sommeliers, hosting a wine lunch  Passing on invite to join that lengthy lunch, Silverton opted for a seat at an outside  table along the canal and perused the menu by chef Frank Ruta, a former White House executive sous chef who cooked for Carter, Reagan and the first Bush, (who,  looking back, seems like a titan compared to the second one.)

She ordered the chicken salad and a glass of Tempranillo. "Whenever I go to restaurant I don't know, especially at a hotel, I play it safe and go directly to a chicken Caesar," said Silverton.  "How bad can it be? Though, I'll say, I've had some awful, dried-out, over-dressed versions.  But, still, it is my hotel restaurant 'go to' order."   

This is how it is described on the menu.  Grilled Chicken Breast “Caesar”  -Romaine wedge, crispy fried lemons and capers, reggiano cheese crostini. $20.

Silverton was taken aback by the chicken salad. "It was outstanding.  The chicken was plump and juicy and probably had been in a flavorful brine. The romaine was perfectly dressed  The fried capers and lemons excellent."

Silverton was so impressed she issued the following press release 

"Since eating that salad, I have changed my mind and I'll be voting for Frank Ruta for president and hoping he selects Hillary to be his VP," said Silverton "I'm sure he's a better cook than her."

Here's is the Washington Post review of the Grill by Tom Sietsema  https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-grill-room-review-a-new-reason-to-go-thanks-to-frank-ruta-and-co/2015/04/21/d9f420a2-db07-11e4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html

  * The Nancy Nod was created in the mid 2010s to counter the overuse - and hence watering-down - of superlatives. By "Nodding" instead of talking, Silverton  - and now billions of others - express their satisfaction. A single nod is a polite gesture that acknowledges food is consumed and the eater is grateful for being nourished and kept from hunger. .  Above one nod, indicates a level of satisfaction up until a redline of Five Nods. .(WARNING  Above five nods could indicate an actual "nodding" is occurring and precautions should be taken to avoid said person from falling over )  

A gelato was the first-ever food to be awarded Five Nods. See this story. 

http://www.krikorianwrites.com/blog/2014/1/12/nw6s2jk2qectcua6hpzok65h65cc2n

The sesame loaf at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco once received Five Nods. See here.

http://www.krikorianwrites.com/blog/2014/4/8/nancy-silverton-awards-coveted-5-nods-to-tartine-sesame-loaf

In addition, the 2015 McLaren P1, the 2015 LaFerrari, and the  Krikorian Writes website have all been awarded Five Nods

Editors NOTE - For the record, Somm Stone gave Silverton a second - and free - glass of red wine from Quintessa, one of the properties he manages on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley. The wine had no affect on the 5 Nod rating.  

Nancy Silverton Has A Cold

Nancy Silverton, holding a glass of Aglianico del Vulture  in one hand and IPhone 6 in the other, stood in a dark corner of the owner's parking lot of Complesso Mozza.  Two young chefs - Ryan Vito DeNicola and Tiffany Fox -  waited for her to say something they could understand, her voice a barely audible slur, like Brando toward the end.   But, she said nothing they could grasp. She had been silent during much of the evening, except now where she seemed even more distant speaking than not, staring out through the semidarkness into the alley where idled her midnight blue Porsche from which Coltane and Tyner joyously engulfed "But Not For Me"  The young chefs knew - as did some of Silverton's employees who stood nearby - that it was a bad idea to force conversation upon her when she was in this mood of sullen silence, a mood as rare as a full moonset during her nine-year reign at Mozza. 

Silverton had been working on a book she could not wait to finish;  she was tired of all the publicity attached to her dating a gang reporter; she was weary of traveling - having hours earlier returned from West Carolina - and stressing on an upcoming trip - a day in D.C and three in N. Y. C.  - before heading to somewhere in the Mid East for a pop up; she was tried of being recognized by strangers who saw her on the PBS show "I'll Have What Phil's Having", and was even concerned that very show could overrun her small Umbrian summer getaway with tourists;, she was tired of getting people reservations;, she so worn out that her body was - so very uncharacteristically  - reacting with ache. Silverton was ill. She was the victim of an ailment so common that most people would consider it trivial. But when it gets to Silverton it can plunge her into a state of disbelief, like the state of the confusion a Bengal tiger must have when confined to a cage. 

Nancy Silverton had a cold.

Silverton with a cold is Picasso without paint, LaFerrari without fuel, Seabiscuit without a racetrack-- only worse. For the common cold robs Silverton of that uninsurable jewel, her voice, cutting into the core of her confidence, and it affects not only her own psyche but also seems to cause a kind of psychosomatic nasal drip within dozens of people who work for her, drink with her, worship her, depend on her for their own welfare and stability. 

Silverton with a cold is cause for concern. Mere mortals get colds and are left to fend for themselves to get through the annoyance. Silverton gets visitors like she has just had open heart surgery. Friends and family - bordering on somber -arrive at her house, some - like writer Margy Rochlin - so shaken they retreat to the back yard to escape the strange sight of a docile Silverton. Her daughter Vanessa Silverton-Peel arrives and glares at me with a "What have you done to my mother?" look. They don't stay long. 

For me, however, Silverton with a cold is a wonderful thing. She stays home this past weekend.  I get food from Chi Spacca on Friday night  ( shoulder lamb shouler chops with Jimmy Nardello peppers and broccolini) and from Pizzeria Mozza on Saturday night ( the new Jimmy Nardello pizza, meatballs and a Trecolre salad) and we dine at home.  And, if anyone needed any proof she was actually sick, I can attest that she passes on the red wine and goes for a diet Dr. Pepper. 

We even watched television together. . I had been hooked on Veena Sud's "the Killing" and was 17 episodes in when Nancy got sick. I weakly offer to start from the beginning, but she says no, If you have ever had to explain a complicated story that is a season and a half in to someone, you will know what i went through. Nancy asked so many question that I stopped the show so much that one 42 minute episode took one hour and 15 minutes. Still, I'd like to tell Veena Sud one day that Sunday night. (possible Spoiler ) as we were going to bed, Nancy said "Looks like Gwen did it." 

So. Nancy Silverton has a cold. When she coughs, - and she coughed so much at a visit to Urgent Care ( near Bogie's Liquors) that her Armenian Greek doctor said her throat looked "like a cobblestone street" - it pains me, too. I lie awake with her.  

I hope Nancy Silverton gets over this cold. But, not too quickly .  

###

This story is a straight out robbery of a classic piece of journalism by Gay Talese that ran in Esquire. 

Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" ran in April 1966 and became one of the most celebrated magazine stories ever published, a pioneering example of what came to be called New Journalism -- a work of rigorously faithful fact enlivened with the kind of vivid storytelling that had previously been reserved for fiction.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/esq1003-oct-sinatra-rev/