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The term "branding" has become the haute restaurateur's euphemism for "franchising." The latter is Applebee's and Bennigan's; the former Nobu, Craft, and BLT. Both sets have multiple locations, in multiple cities, but those who brand also have celebrity chefs, cookbooks for sale by the hostess stand, and $92 rib-eyes. Case in point: the "bistros" of Laurent Tourondel (hence BLT) will soon number fifteen, among them BLT Prime, BLT Fish, and BLT Burger; with outlets already established in Washington and Puerto Rico, next month Tourondel will plant a BLT Steak in White Plains. The way this trend is curving, look for BLT Frozen in your neighborhood grocery by New Year's.
How Tourondel, a Frenchman who began his career as chef to an admiral in the Marine Nationale, became an arbiter of American steak and fish houses remains something of a mystery. His newest venture, BLT Market, aims to institutionalize the ever more popular locally produced/organically grown/seasonally available food fetish. The restaurant, in the Ritz-Carlton (another fine franchise), off Central Park, is adorned with antique farm tools and, at this time of year, buckets of McIntosh and ...