"Eataly with Griffin Newman and David Sims " is Episode 376 of Doughboys, hosted by Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell. "Eataly with Griffin Newman and David Sims" was released on November 17, 2022.
"Tomorrow… with Griffin Newman and David Sims of Blank Check" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Griffin Newman and David Sims of Blank Check join the 'boys to discuss Disney's Disenchanted, being recognized in public, and train encounters before a review of Eataly. Plus, the boys try Pandora Flakes in Cereal: A Segment Told One Bowl at a Time.
Nick's intro[]
Mario Batali
While Jared Fogle is the affable, living mascot turned reviled pervert pariah of fast food, Mario Batali may be the same for fine dining. A ginger Santa with the balding ponytail of a KIϟϟ roadie, Batali came to fame in the '90s New York dining scene with a series of smash sit-down Italian concepts created with partner Joe Bastianich. Batali’s rapid rise thrust him into the early-Aughts wave of telegenic celebrity chefs alongside Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio, and the late Anthony Bourdain, and the spherical Crocs enthusiast went on to land a Food Network series, a coveted slot as an Iron Chef, and his own lines of food and cookware, slinging sauces and saucepans branded with his likeness.
For many, Batali was the face of Italian-American cuisine, more so than even luminaries like Chef Boyardee, Mama Celeste, and Tony the Pizza Chef. And so, in 2010, when an Italian food hall followed in the footsteps of countless prior Italians and moved to New York City, Batali and Bastianich’s group seemed like a natural fit. The partnership was fruitful at first; the duo’s massive, upscale grocery store/food court was as well-trafficked in the Big Apple as an Apple Store, and in short order the brand expanded nationally.
But in 2017, just as the Los Angeles outlet of the chain was set to open, Batali was hit with a series of egregious sexual-assault allegations that resulted in his near immediate exile from not just the restaurant business, but from public life altogether. Criminal charges and massive settlements followed — nothing new for Batali, who’d once paid five and a quarter million dollars to settle allegations of tip theft from his own wait staff. Today, like Fogel, Batali’s presence has been retconned out of the corporate history of the Italian megamart, and the once A-list chef has been forced to ride his Vespa scooter into oblivion.
And while this thieving, predatory 3D-render of Comic Book Guy caused a marinara stain of shame on the food-hall chain he helped establish with Bastianich, it continues to thrive among moneyed big-city elites.
This week on Doughboys… Eataly.
Fork rating[]
Spoonman and Griffin at Eataly
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
4 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
5 forks |
| Griffin Newman |
|
4.5 forks |
| David Sims |
|
4 forks |
| Nick, Mitch, Griffin shared |
|
Nick, Mitch, and Griffin went to the Capri restaurant in the Eataly in Los Angeles. David went with a friend to SERRA by Birreria, which is one of the restaurants in the NYC Flatiron Eataly. (Though should be noted, their respective menus are pretty similar, though Capri has more lemony California touches.)
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Bistecca Di Manzo.
With these scores, Eataly joins the Golden Plate Club!
Cereal[]
Pandora Flakes
In Cereal, the Doughboys try different varieties of cereal, one bowl at a time.
Today with the Blank Check podcast, they try the Avatar-branded Kellogg's Frosted Flakes called Pandora Flakes.
The four of them seem pretty split on the taste (might be Griffin's favorite cereal ever; David and Mitch didn't like it), but all agree that Tony the Tiger should be blue on the box too.
Roast Spoonman[]
Richie Rich
| “ | Richie Mitch aka. The Silver Spoon Man | ” |
–Josh | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | I've put [Batali's] Crocs away in the deepest, darkest part of my closet. Sure, they're comfortable, but I won't wear them ever again. I won't get rid of them! | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
| “ | Mitch just walking around with one loose banana... just asking to be called 'Donkey Kong.' | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | Would you believe that Last Jedi was litigated for fifteen minutes over Limoncello last night? | ” |
–Blank Dough at dinner | ||
| “ | Milk me, Spoonman. | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
The Feedbag[]
| “ | Have you ever liked a restaurant, but then they start fucking up and every time you go, something seems different? How many chances do you give it? | ” |
–Greg | ||
| guest / host | when to forgive a restaurant screwing up |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | bad politics can lead to no extra chances |
| Mike Mitchell | depends on a lot of factors |
| Griffin Newman | will always give another chance at some point |
Photos[]
