Intel 11/4: Cubs’ Win Makes David Chang Extra Generous, Aziz Invests in Ando & TripAdvisor Heads to Cuba
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After Historic World Series Win, David Chang Pardons Cubs’ Unluckiest Fan Ever, Steve Bartman
The Cubs’ joyous World Series win on Tuesday was a huge deal for the city of Chicago, which has waited more than a lifetime (108 years) for this historic day. But perhaps no one was more ecstatic to cheer the Cubs to victory than Steve Bartman, the infamous Chicago resident and lifelong fan whose now-legendary attempt to catch a foul ball during the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series (against the Florida Marlins) was widely blamed for having cost the Cubs a chance at the World Series that year. In the aftermath of the incident, Bartman was pelted with food as he left the stadium under police protection and was repeatedly harassed after his identity was made public in the press. At the time, then-Governor Rod Blagojevich even suggested Bartman join a witness protection program.
But! 13 years later, and now that the Cubs have won their first championship in over a century — all is forgiven. In the spirit of clemency, New York’s own David Chang has offered an olive branch to Bartman: A lifetime of free food from Momofuku. Whether or not it’s legally binding, here’s hoping Steve takes Dave up on this offer.
This American Food Blogger Is Prince Harry’s New Girlfriend
By now, perhaps your Facebook feed has alerted to you to the fact that Prince Harry has a new girlfriend, Meghan Markle. And not to make you feel terrible about yourself or anything, but she’s a beautiful actress (Suits, Fringe, Get Him to the Greek) and humanitarian whose work tackles gender inequality and the abolition of modern-day slavery. She also runs a food and lifestyle blog called The Tig where she’s interviewed chefs like Dan Kluger (Loring Place), Nick Morgenstern (Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream), and Greg Baxtrom (Olmsted) — so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for the royal couple at any future industry events.
Uber Updates App, Adds Surge Charging to UberEATS
In an update released this week, Uber rolled out new app features including up-front pricing, syncing capabilities with your calendar and contacts, and on-the-go access to UberEATS. Unfortunately, the company has also decided to implement surge charging for EATS customers in select cities where “demand is high but delivery partners are scarce.” Currently, surge charging for UberEATS is being tested in Houston, Miami, Atlanta, DC, Dallas, and Phoenix — but it’s hard to imagine that customers facing higher delivery fees won’t just close the app and rely on Seamless.
Postmates Raises $141 Million in ‘Super, Super Difficult’ Funding Round, Hints at Potential Merger
Faced with increasing competition from companies like Uber and a recently food-focused Amazon.com, Postmates has just raised $141 million during its latest fundraising round, an effort CEO Bastian Lehmann called “super, super difficult.” The company is now valued at $600 million, just below DoorDash, but will still have to fight not to be overtaken by competing delivery options. In an interview with Bloomberg, Lehmann also hinted that his company might eventually merge with one of its opponents.
“We have a desire to build a large, big, successful company that does a lot of good for local economies,” Lehmann said. “There are many ways to get there. If you draw the odds on how to get there the fastest, you have to entertain the thought that multiple companies or a few companies in this space could join forces.”
TripAdvisor to Begin Booking Flights to Cuba
TripAdvisor, one of the largest travel websites in the world, will soon offer access to flights to and accommodations in Cuba. “TripAdvisor looks forward to helping travelers all over the world discover Cuba’s vibrant history, people, and culture as we begin the important work to make these trips possible,” Stephen Kaufer, the president and chief executive of TripAdvisor, said in a statement. Until this year, US citizens were unable to visit Cuba without government permission. Though travel regulations have relaxed significantly, visits to Cuba by Americans must still fall under one of 12 categories, including academic or professional research, religious activities, and family visits. A proposed bill to allow unrestricted travel to Cuba has not yet passed into law.
Two of Your Favorite Comedians Just Invested in Ando
Two major celebrities you’ve seen on television quite a lot are the newest angel investors in Ando, David Chang’s delivery-only restaurant whose lunch boxes feature fried chicken and La Croix. Ando recently raised $7 million during its first round of fundraising, thanks in part to two funny fans of the chef: Aziz Ansari, whose girlfriend, Courtney McBroom, worked at Milk Bar when they met; and Jimmy Fallon, who won a hot wing-eating contest against Chang in 2014.
Openings and Menu Updates
Augustine is the latest restaurant from New York restaurateur Keith McNally, whose portfolio includes Balthazar, Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and The Odeon. It’s his 14th restaurant, and to celebrate, McNally wrote a piece in The New York Times about his love-hate relationship with it all, especially the reviews:
Reviews are almost always disappointing, even the good ones. But they’re the way of things, and one must accept them. And I do. Usually by praying for the reviewer to be pulverized by a hit-and-run driver who is possibly my cousin. Then I become more philosophical, and realize he doesn’t have to be my cousin.
For the first time since coming to NYC, Ippudo has unveiled a new menu. There’s a new sesame-based ramen broth for vegetarians, an entire section for tofu, okonomi, garlic shrimp, and shoyu-simmered chicken wings.
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken has a Thanksgiving sandwich called the Chicken Gobbler: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and housemade gravy. It’s available throughout November and looks like this:
Steve Hill / Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken
Racines NY (two stars from The New York Times) has a new fall menu that highlights wild game, earthy mushrooms, and rich sweetbreads. There’s also uni with squid ink spaghetti, spiny lobster with delicata squash, short ribs with honey butternut squash, and prawn tartare.
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