In case you somehow missed it, Marc Vetri took to the virtual op-ed page this week to decry the state of food journalism and restaurant criticism. In doing so, some thought, Vetri sort of glibly threw pal Mike Solomonov to the wolves by saying that "nice hummus at a counter" is undeserving of a three-bell rating from critic Craig LaBan, because it's not comparable to fine-dining experiences given the same ranking.
But hey, looks like they're friends again. The hashtag makes it so.
The initial comment met with mixed reactions, as many commenters took it as uncalled-for swipe — perhaps because Vetri could have avoided the comment altogether by using his own three-bell pizzeria as an example. Others assumed the chef used Solo's restaurant as a safe example precisely because the two are friends with significant history. (In a follow-up interview with Adam Erace, Vetri did add that he doesn't think Pizzeria Vetri should have received a formal, belled review, either.)
[UPDATED]: More important than any of this is that local musician/hero Brad Podray (who, you may recall, previously released a Vetri vs. Solo rap battle) shared a "remix" that turns the original video into an ongoing slapfight set to the Benny Hill theme. It goes on for four and a half minutes straight, and it is glorious:
