Pleasures: Gail Greene, Bon Vivant Restaurant Reviewer

THE WOMAN. THE BRAND. Gael Greene, “seen” at Jean Georges, recently lost her magazine job.For a woman who prides herself on being on her game, I have been “out of the building” regarding Gail Greene, the forever, original New York Magazine food critic and her relationship with sensuality.

I’m very familiar with the hat and her reviews, but had no idea that food columnist Gail Greene had intense passion, for not only haute cuisine and fine wines, but also breathless sexual trysts with lovers such as Elvis, Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds.

Gail Greene has enjoyed essentially the same job her entire forty-year career . .  . food critic, then InsatiableCritic.com website owner, with her column featured at New York Magazine. I don’t mean to sound heartless, but getting sacked could be the best thing for her self-development.

The Cultural Creative side of Greene founded Citymeals-on-Wheels, raising $1.5 million at a recent luncheon.  The Modern side of her personality saw no conflict of interest in accepting a free $1500 ticket to dinner at Per Se last week, and then thinking that she could write as a food critic about the experience.

Regarding more racy conflicts of interest, Ms. Greene said “that she solved — to her own satisfaction — the problem of reviewing chefs she’d had affairs with by sharing that knowledge with readers, as in her enthusiastic 1977 review of Le Cirque, titled “I Love Le Cirque, but Can I Be Trusted?” It revealed her liaison with the chef de cuisine, Jean-Louis Todeschini.”

My relationship with food and sensual eating puts me in the Gail Greene club. How appropriate that I wrote about lobster risotto this week.

Ms. Greene — who once wrote that “the two greatest discoveries of the 20th century were the Cuisinart and the clitoris” — said she has written about food as she has about sex: “How does it feel, how does it taste, and what is it about. If you are a sensuous eater, these things are important.” NY Times

Greene has lived over 20 years with professional photographer Steven Richter. I just checked … a bit younger but no boy toy.

Gail Greene’s demise gives me the opportunity to do some serious blog and magazine hunting this morning. I’ll bring them to you in the coming hours.

For now … Insatiablecritic.com.

And be safe if you’re traveling for Thanksgiving.

Love, Anne