Fieri Fires Back at NYT Critic

Celeb chef Guy Fieri and restaurant critic Pete Wells are in a veritable food fight over the latter's widely read review of the former's Times Square restaurant. In an interview with NBC's Today Show, Fieri says the review wasn't fair, since the establishment had only been open two months. And while he admits the review raised a few points he's considering, he says Wells "came in with a different agenda." He adds, “Great way to make a name for yourself, go after a celebrity chef that's not a New Yorker.”

Fieri is amassing a small army of supporters:

• Diners: In a Today poll, 59% of respondents said the critic was too harsh.
• Other celebrity chefs: "I am planning on visiting Guy Fieri's NYC eatery this weekend because it can't be as bad as all those snooty New Yorkers say. #wishmeluck" tweeted Alton Brown. The Food Network's Eric Greenspan offered this defense: "It's Guy f---ing Fieri. It's not Daniel Boulud. It's almost like they reviewed Hard Rock Cafe."
• The media: In an Atlantic Wire piece titled, "Pete Wells Won the Battle, but Guy Fieri Wins the Review Wars," Dashiell Bennett writes, "America is clearly on his side, and Fieri's decision to show his face and stand up to the bully this morning was a huge marketing coup."

(More Guy Fieri stories.)