Frank Bruni, the former restaurant critic for The New York Times, is still terrorizing restaurant employees.
For the January 2010 issue of Food & Wine, Bruni pays a visit to Le Bernardin to see if he can make sommelier Aldo Sohm crack under the pressure of a cantankerous diner making ridiculous beverage pairing requests.
The article notes that chef Ripert and a few other employees were in on the game, but that they hadn’t informed Aldo. Sounds like a great plan, though I’d be really surprised if Aldo didn’t know who Bruni was. Recognizing critics (especially those from the NYT) and working at top NYC restaurants go hand in hand. Nevertheless, World’s Best Sommelier vs. World’s Worst Customer is worth checking out.
A Thirsty Spirit 