In your beefy Tuesday media column: Jim VandeHei doesn't even read his old newspaper because it is so stupid, the NYT's most badass old dude passes away, Reuters now non-poisonous, and a smackdown of Michael Kinsley.
Eeesh. The New York Times is celebrating black history month! How? Why, with a special culinary theme in their fancy new cafeteria! An in-house flyer promises appropriately festive spreads each Tuesday in February at the café's International Station. So what kinds of foreign and exotic delicacies awaited hungry Timesers today? Watermelon slices, for starters, according to one. Also! Pulled pork, ribs, coleslaw, corn bread and hickory baked beans. Sweet tooth? Wait until Thursday, when the weekly February Chocolate Festival gears up again. We couldn't make this shit up if we tried. Menu after the jump.
You're pretty glad you work at a newspaper or a network that doesn't have mice running every which way, like the New York Times does, aren't you? Not so fast! We took a look at Department of Health inspection records available for employee cafeterias at media companies over the last year, and some of you better lift up your feet, quick. The chart above shows the combined number of violation points each organization earned in 2007. Time, CBS and NBC all earned a failing score of over 28 on one inspection, which triggered at least one additional inspection, which they all passed. Eventually. Interestingly enough, though the Bloomberg cafeteria reportedly earned a disgusting 55 on its February inspection, the record available through the DOH's website says it landed itself a flying-colors score of 2! Now we wouldn't accuse Mayor Bloomberg of screwing with statistics on the city's website to favor his own ginormous company. Nor would we suggest it might be easy to get a mulligan on that nasty inspection if the company's CEO happened to also be the city's mayor. Someone else might suggest that, but certainly not us.
Better start brown-bagging it if you're a New York Times employee; starting February 4, the cost-cutting newspaper will increase cafeteria prices by 3.9%, according to an email announcement to staffers today. But don't worry! Management would like you to know that coffee prices won't change-hungry employees hopped up on caffeine are both prettier and more industrious! Wonder if those catered lunches for masthead-occupiers are going to get a price-jump? Oh wait, they're already free! To be fair, prices will still be "8% to 10% below the average for the neighborhood," according to the memo. The Times cafeteria is run by Restaurant Associates, which also manages the eateries at Conde Nast, Hearst and Google-anyone know if those companies are also bumping up their prices? Let us know. Memo after the jump.
The new 'Times' building, while rather impressive-looking and generally happy-making, has nonetheless been experiencing some growing pains—faulty elevators, mice, maggots, and complainers. But how's the most vital component of the new HQ working? We've seen the floorplan, but now we've got a full report from someone who visited the other day. Pros: it's fancy, huge, and has lots of cheese. No one is going hungry! Cons: it's red, and they offer a special sushi roll called the "News Room." Oh, and some of the cafeteria staff hates it. Not that that's of any concern to the paper!
We have to admit more than a pang of envy at seeing photos and the menu of the new Google cafeteria, at the new Google Batcave at 111 Eighth Ave. Roast butternut squash with cinnamon and sage! Grilled chicken with roast apples and curried cashews! Curried organic fingerling potatoes! Wait ... fingerling potatoes? We didn't know Mario Batali's penis was involved in this venture!
If you haven't been able to wrangle an invitation to the new Hearst cafeteria from your friend at Popular Mechanics yet, have no fear. New York magazine restaurant critic Adam Platt paid a visit to the shiny new Hearst cafeteria recently, and seemed unimpressed with the "chewy skirt steak" from the Hearst ranch in California, though he allowed that the fried chicken was "not entirely horrible." Still, we're more inclined to hit up one of the editors at Vanity Fair online for our corporate dining needs. Conde may not have sushi every day, but at least it doesn't have what a Hearstie told Platt was a "slight fishy taste."
While you burn your tongue on loveless Sanka and nibble your stale Otis Spunkmeyer muffin, let your eyes drool over the inaugural menu for the latest feat of Conde Nast, their new Star Trek cafeteria located at the former Fairchild offices at 750 Third Avenue. Today employees will be treated to food from the Dominican Republic, like chicken chicharron, or the more timid may enjoy grilled swordfish with graffita and eggplant caponata. Since the joint is wrapping up its first week of operation, it's okay to eat a little, just this once, in honor of the occasion. But don't even think about touching the fried calamari and chipotle mayo. That's just there to test your fat ass.
