Ok, so maybe he's being taken out of context, but after reading this, all I could think was "Has he never heard of LTHForum?"
http://boston.eater.com/archives/2013/0 ... achatz.phpPeople get caught up in the ambiance of making it posh, and I was just thinking "this is gritty and awesome." And the guy was yelling at customers. A five-top walked in the guy said, "I don't have a five-top, you gotta wait an hour. And it was awesome! We need that in Chicago. I want that. We have that with hot dogs. But the food that was coming out of that kitchen was delicious. I'm envious of that culture that you guys have here that we don't necessarily have in Chicago. You have these impeccable ingredients.
Is this what happens when chefs get myopic in their own circles, or is this a journalist making a story where there is none?
I mean, when I read this:
(incredulous) Wait wait wait wait. Are you saying that Boston chefs are friends? They're ... collaborative?
Does anyone think Doug Sohn wouldn't cooperate with Eddie Lakin? Food trucks go around sabotaging each other? I seem to have a different opinion of the Chicago food scene (as it is), but as I do not work in it, I've always gotten the impression that things were much more cordial here, at least for the most part. I'm sure Moto & Alinea might have the occasional dust up, but I have a problem believing Paul Kahan is trying to compete with *anyone* other than Paul Kahan. And while the ultra high end restaurants might be fighting tooth and nail, I don't see Paula Haney (a Trio vet, even) or Mindy Segal competing unfriendily [sic] with anyone.
Is there just some streetfighting, West Side Story-esque seedy underbelly to the Chicago food scene that most of us are unaware of that someone would be looking to the East Coast for how to be cordial?