This week the Times's interim chief dining critic Pete Wells takes a hammer to deservedly acclaimed chef Michael Psilakis, whose latest venture, Gus & Gabriel, is inspired by the culinary tastes of his son, TGI Friday's, and whiskey. Wells's review is disastrous, which means it's a fun read: "When three children under age 10 leave their milkshakes almost untouched, you know there’s trouble." The restaurant's "colossal misfires are almost impossible to believe and harder still to explain." Specifically: "Almost every chef in town is experimenting with techniques for building a better burger. Mr. Psilakis may be the only one to have perfected a new technology that magically strips out all the taste. The skin on what is advertised as 'crispy chicken' was as crisp as a balloon, and the biscuits on the plate were wet and doughy, as if the cook had decided halfway through that he would rather make dumplings." more ›

Before he had ever spent any substantial time in restaurant kitchens, the chef Michael Psilakis went to college and earned an accounting degree. Oddly, it was a fluke, part-time post-graduation waitering gig at a T.G.I. Fridays that first convinced him that he should be a chef and restaurateur. His father Gus had always been a generous culinary daredevil, having built a spit in the backyard for roasting whole lamb, and he imparted a strong love of home cooked food. At the same time, Psilakis' mom taught him the basics of classic Greek cuisine, so it's not unusual that his new restaurant—just opened in the original Kefi space—combines comfort food like homemade potato chips and choices like smokey tomato soup with made-from-scratch versions of riblets and tater tots. more ›