Michelin Names First Chinese 3-Star Chef

Fritos, Cheetos, and donuts, oh my!

(NEWSER) - Even a world-renowned chef sometimes needs a good old-fashioned cheeseburger. Daily Meal got a number of chefs as well as restaurateurs, food critics, and other VIPs in the food world, to admit to their secret food vices. A sampling:

• Mario Batali: "Three things: Really well-made ice cream; really well-made Mexican food—like chips and salsa; and raw shellfish. I could live for weeks on nothing but oysters."
• Bobby Flay: "A cheeseburger with two slices of American, potato chips, and chipotle ketchup." (Another chef even admitted to loving McDonald's cheeseburgers; a third said he likes burgers "if I'm drunk.")

Local cuisine is ranked

(NEWSER) - Paris is for lovers—food lovers. The city came in first on a Forbes list of the world’s best cities for eating well, based on a 2009 survey ranking 50 cities. Notably absent from the top 10 are New York and London, which don’t boast much of a “local” cuisine. A sampling, along with some favorite regional dishes:

1. Paris: Steak frites; sourdough; chocolate tarts
2. Rome: Square slices of pizza with zucchini; gelato; Caprese sandwiches

(NEWSER) - If you want white truffle shavings sprinkled over your Thanksgiving leftovers, the biggest specimen found in Italy this year is up for auction tomorrow. You'll need some big bucks—and perhaps the moxie to outbid David and Victoria Beckham. The delectable fungus weighs about 2½ pounds and is expected to spark a bidding war, ANSA reports. More»

Star-powered road trip will air on PBS next fall

(NEWSER) - While one usually associates road-trip cuisine with a 7-Eleven, two foodies and two actresses today embark on a four-month culinary tour of Spain. Gwyneth Paltrow, chef Mario Batali, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman, and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols will sample traditional cuisine for a 13-part PBS series called "Spain ... on the road again" due next fall. More»

New York restaurateur sues, claiming copycat ripped her off

(NEWSER) - Rebecca Charles, chef/owner of the famed Pearl Oyster Bar in Manhattan, is taking her former sous-chef to court, claiming he knocked off her menu and decor for his own New York eatery. Lawyers for Charles, who is seeking unspecified financial damages, said that the owner of Ed's Lobster Bar had stolen her intellectual property, the New York Times reports. More»