June 16, 2009 |
Short Order
"Get Me Rewrite!" Cries Bill Grimes
Looks like Bill Grimes will be rewriting the ending of his upcoming book, Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York scheduled for release this fall. To build up attention, North Point Press sent out early galleys of the former Times critic’s fascinating documentary of the city’s march from a restaurant wilderness in 1820 to the enveloping foodism of today. Caveats of possible corrections don’t lift the sad irony of Grimes’ climactic ending that cites the small, romantic, impassioned chef-run restaurant Fleur de Sel’s survival as a reassuring New York story. Sadly, chef-owner Cyril Renaud closed his much-loved Michelin-starred little flower in late February to focus on his new, less expensive, more casual, Bar Breton. Proof that writing vivid history can be as treacherous as the restaurant business.
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