Food Fight: GQ's food columnist has New Orleanians gagging

A lot of people have been talking about GQ food columnist Alan Richman's recent obnoxious evisceration of the New Orleans restaurant scene. Many restaurants here have recovered admirably from Katrina's ravages -- no doubt they'll sustain Richman's hackwork as well.

But Times-Picayune food critic Brett Anderson (like Richman, he too is a James Beard Award winner for his writings) admirably offered his retort here.

"Richman climbs on a high horse to imply that a glitch in the wine service -- they brought him the right wine, but the wrong vintage -- at Restaurant August ("I tried not to be too distressed") is somehow relevant to the "tough decision" to spend "Iraq-magnitude money" rebuilding New Orleans," writes Anderson. "I'm not making this up. Has Richman's self-involvement morphed into brain damage? Did it spread to his editors? That is like saying Americans need to consider the soured sautéed skate I was served at Balthazar before supporting the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site."