Saturday, January 02, 2010

Life at Shopsin's

So have you seen "I Like Killing Flies" yet? You can watch it online if you're a Netflix member. It's awesome. despite the terrible title.

It's a documentary about Kenny Shopsin, who runs a restaurant in NYC that's just as eclectic as the best parts of that city. He has a 900-item menu (check it out online) and a ton of crazy rules--no parties of five is one, and he used to forbid people from ordering the same thing as anyone else, because it bored him to make the same thing he already cooked. It's funny, because all the reviews dwell on how foul-mouthed Kenny is, but either I am immune to profanity by now, or the charming way he delivers a line makes me completely forget if he swore at all.


If you like the movie, WHICH YOU WILL, you need to seek out Kenny's book, "Eat Me." It has recipes, but I sat down and read it like a novel. Just awesome.

2 comments:

Kim said...

Oooh, oooh! Me! I read the Calvin Trillin article when it first ran in the New Yorker. On my last visit to NYC, I checked out the Essex Market location, but they weren't done moving in and while I saw Kenny Shopsin sitting there taking a break, I was terrified to approach.

Just saw the movie myself, and promptly bought the book. I'm off to New York in February, and debating how I'll convince my sister to go get yelled at with me.

RayPod said...

This book is great...and the place at essex Market is too