- The New York Daily News gives us something to chew on for V-day -- Hotties in the Kitchen. We call Dave Lieberman.
- Andrea Strong checks out Tocqueville's new space. We saw it too (and would have shared the pictures if they hadn't come out horribly), but you can go see it yourself later this month.

- Slashfood drools over 5 Ninth's Banh Mi, but at $12 we think it's a bit steep.
- NY Metro visits Gilt, which gets three stars worth of shine.
- We join Slice in mourning the passing of Arturo's Pizzeria founder Arturo Giunta.
photo from Slashfood





$12 for bahn mi? Could a sandwich ever really be that much better to justify paying 3-4 times what you would pay in Chinatown?
Yeah, like, would there be 4 banh mi for the price of one (at $12)?
And re: the Daily News on Food TV hotties, there is no way Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee should be on that list. Hell, Tyler Florence, Warren Brown and Cat Cora are also questionable. But I did not realize Giada was Dino's granddaughter.
Perhaps they kill a pig just for you when you order a sandwich? That would be worth $12.
Otherwise, I stick with Mott St, and Nikki's in a pinch.
Giada tops the list, deservedly. Sandra Lee is host of a show with a decent premise, but still not a fan. A pretty face, not much in way of creative talent. Rachel Ray needs to have an accident with the grinder while making sausage from scratch. Or get some chili oil into her eye. Cat Cora's physical beauty doesn't register on the radar, but her food is the real attention-getter.
I don't care much for the guys, so there will be no critique.