John Paonessa has had a day. He arrived at work Tuesday morning to find news vans from every local television station in front of Hamburger Mary’s, the restaurant he owns and operates with his husband, Mike Rogier. He’s been fielding calls for requests for interviews from NPR and CNN and other national news organizations.

“I never thought this would blow up the way it did,” Paonessa told me.

The “this” is the announcement that Paonessa and Rogier, through their business entity HM Florida-Orl, LLC, are suing Ron DeSantis and the State of Florida in federal court claiming that a bill recently signed by the governor forbidding children to attend drag shows is a violation of their First Amendment rights. The downtown restaurant hosts weekly events featuring drag performers, some of which are attended by customers with children. The lawsuit also names Melanie Griffin, secretary of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

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Pizzeria Valdiano has been sold, but it’s still staying in the Liguori family. Founder Joe Liguori, who also has the growing Hangry Bison brand, has sold the Pizzeria Valdiano business to his sister Angela Liguori and two longtime employees, Michael Fiorino of the Winter Park location and Adrian Zumbado in Lakeland. Asked if he was selling to focus on Hangry Bison, Liguori said: “Yes, that is the primary reason, but it is also for Mike and Adrian, my sister, and the Pizzeria Valdiano brand as well. The timing is right that The Hangry Bison needs my full attention, and Pizzeria Valdiano deserves new leadership as well.” Liguori is seeking franchisees for the Hangry Bison concept. Closing date for the Pizzeria Valdiano sale is Sept. 1.

Jason Wolfe, who recently left the kitchens of Tornatore’s, has joined Millenia Catering as chef de cuisine under executive chef and owner Lo Soukahvong. This is a return to the world of catering for Wolfe. Before Tornatore’s and K restaruant, he was chef de cuisine at Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine and Events.

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In celebration of achieving Michelin stardom for the second year in a row, Knife & Spoon, the upscale steak and seafood restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Orlando, is offering a special four-course menu now through June 17.

Tyler Kineman, chef de cuisine for John Tesar, the Dallas-based celebrity chef, has put together a table d’hote with each course offering two choices. And there isn’t a clunker among them, with such favorites as hamachi crudo, fresh local oysters, whole fish and prime New York strip steak. (See the full menu below.) There is an optional wine pairing, as well.

Cost of the four-course dinner is $180 per person; the wine pairing is $90. My recommendation is for couples to order each alternate choice so you can get a taste of everything, for the win.

Of course the regular menu will be available, too, so you can see why the Michelin inspectors were moved to award Knife & Spoon a star, one of only four Central Florida restaurants so honored.

Knife & Spoon is open for dinner daily. Click here for more information and to make a reservation.

Here’s the full celebratory four-course menu:

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Did you know that every time you say the words “Taco Tuesday” you’re violating a trademark?

It’s true. The phrase is owned by the Wyoming based chain Taco John’s, which trademarked it 34 years ago. (It was originally Taco Twosday because they sold their already-cheap tacos two-for-one on Tuesdays.)

Now everyone says it, because the only thing we like better than tacos is alliteration. (Making a note to see who owns Wine Down Wednesday.)

But now Taco Bell has filed a petition with the US Patent and Trademark office to have the trademark rescinded. Bell is not going after John’s for selfish reasons; it is only thinking of you.

Taco Bell’s filing – which was submitted, cheekily, on Tuesday – states that its petition is on behalf of “anyone else who wants to share tacos with the world to the possibility of legal action or angry letters if they say ‘Taco Tuesday’ without express permission from [Taco John’s] — simply for pursuing happiness on a Tuesday.” Also Taco Bell.

It seems frivolous, but I know that these things are taken seriously. Still, I have a feeling that TB might come out victorious on this one.

Let me tell you a story.

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This article has been updated to include quotes from Norman Van Aken and Ritz-Carlton’s general manager, Jon McGavin.

Yusuf Yildiz, longtime general manager of Norman’s, the upscale restaurant that was originally at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, is leaving the recently reopened version of the Norman Van Aken restaurant just months after it reopened in its new Restaurant Row location – and days before a grand opening benefit dinner.

In an ironic twist, Yildiz is returning to the Ritz and its Michelin-starred restaurant, Knife & Spoon, which occupies the space that was home to the original Orlando Norman’s. He will have the same role there that he did at Norman’s, as general manager, sommelier and maitre d’.

Anyone who has been to Norman’s, either the original or the new restaurant, would recognize Yildiz as the face of the front-of-the-house operations, an ever-present and hands-on manager overseeing a staff he expertly trained.

The timing of the move is curious because Yildiz remained with the Norman’s group following the closing at the Ritz – which came because the luxury hotel did not renew the lease – and stayed on during the extended process of reopening in a new location.

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Le Coq au Vin, one of Orlando’s oldest and most iconic restaurants, has closed.

Current owner and chef Reimund Pitz said that the French restaurant served its last dinner Saturday night, and said in a text message my “wife and I are ready for the next chapter of our lives.” He said the closing was “bittersweet.”

Pitz and his wife, Sandy, bought the restaurant in the A-frame house on South Orange Avenue from longtime owners Louis and Magdelena Perrotte in November of 2008. (The structure was a model for a business selling houses.) In a separate message, Pitz said that he will be selling the property.

This is a developing story.

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MIAMI – Some thoughts on the Michelin Guide “star reveal” ceremony Thursday evening at LoanDepot Park:

For a major international corporation, Michelin, as evidenced by the quality of the ceremony, is pretty amateurish. The production was marred by sound snafus, missing graphics, wrong graphics, nonreponsive teleprompter operators, a mid-presentation stall-for-time by an off-stage host, and long stretches of dead air while the hosts waited for winners to make their way to the stage, take off the sport coats they were wearing to put on a Michelin chef’s jacket, then stand silently for photos. If the ceremony had been a tire it would have been unpatchable.

The concourse overlooking the third base at LoanDepot Park, with its multi-story open-air view of the Miami skyline, is a really cool place to hold an event.

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MIAMI – It was Tampa’s night in Miami Thursday as the Michelin Guide held its star reception at LoanDepot Park to announce the additions to the Florida 2023 edition, which focuses on Miami, Tampa and Orlando. Tampa was the only area that failed to win a star in the inaugural Florida guide last year.

Three restaurants emerged with one star each: Koya, Eric Fralick, chef; Lilac, John Fraser and John Werksman; and Rocca, Bryce Bonsack.

But the real question of the night is: In what world does Victoria & Albert’s, the venerable restaurant at the Grand Floridian with some of the most exquisite food the the Southeast, not rate at least one star? Most people going in to the event were expecting it to come in with at least two stars. In retrospect it was telling that the Michelin organization did not even invite representative from Victoria & Albert’s or Toledo. Neither was Lordfer Lalicon of Kaya.

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Here’s something for anyone who’s ever thought, “Gee, I really like burgers but I sure wish they were shaped like a Lego block.”

It’s also for people who don’t mind buying a ticket for an event that doesn’t yet have a date.

Brick Burger, according to a press release, “brings together the beloved world of LEGO® and the mouth-watering flavours of gourmet burgers…” The release also says that Brick Burger is a new concept coming to Orlando in September. But a closer read makes it look like the whole thing is a popup event rather than a restaurant moving into the area.

And September is the closest the announcement comes to an exact date. The event’s website warns people that they’re buying a ticket to an event that does not yet have a specific day or days. And the cost of that ticket is $47, which gets you a burger and one drink (soft, beer or wine).

And the location? They’ll say only that it will be somewhere on Jeff Fuqua Boulevard, which you probably know is the address of Orlando International Airport.

Maybe the organizers are thinking about a quick getaway after ticket buyers realize they’ve paid forty-seven bucks for a Lego-shaped burger and a drink.

I reached out to Denmark-based Lego to see if the pop-up restaurant is officially approved and received this reply via message: “We can say that this hasn’t been approved by our corporation. Our team has been made aware of the articles going around and will take further action if necessary.”

This one just might be bricked before it even pops up.

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Orlando based Darden announced last week that it would acquire Winter Park based Ruth’s Hospitality Group, owner of the upscale Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain. The purchase price is $715 million, or about what it would cost for steaks for a party of 10 at Ruth’s.

The acquisition of another premium steak brand is an interesting choice for Darden, which already has the Capital Grille in its portfolio. Ruth’s Chris has 154 locations worldwide, 80 of which are company owned or operated.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House was founded in 1965 in New Orleans by Ruth Fertel, who bought an existing restaurant called Chris Steak House (which explains the odd name). Fertel had no restaurant experience; she was a a single mom with two sons and working as a lab technician at Tulane Medical School when she saw the restaurant listed for sale in the newspaper. Not long after Fertel bought the business, a hurricane hit the city and knocked out the power. Faced with losing her inventory of steaks, Fertel had her chefs cook them up and serve them to emergency workers, earning her a loyal base of new customers.

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