Bye Bye Frank

After 5 long years of questionable restaurant critiquing here in NYC, Mr. Bruni is stepping down this August from the hot seat.
His departure is conveniently timed with his book, "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater".
The book is mostly a recount of his struggles with his weight, his homosexual dating life, and the evils of eating all the time.

here are some highlighted points from the book... clipped from GrubStreet

Cuba – Bruni's displeasure at being called "gordo" by half a dozen waiters while vacationing there – 204

Dating life – announces he's gay during junior year of high school – 66
- starts dating at University of North Carolina – 96
- breaks up with a guy after throwing away a box of Valentine's chocolates that he's scared he'll eat – 140
- puts dates off while trying to reach ideal weight – 147–154, 207
- as a Detroit reporter, is ashamed that a boyfriend let him get to a size 38 waist – 176
- becomes a "practiced, accomplished celibate" as his weight rises, having just "five physically intimate moments across more than four years" – 208

Domino's Pizza – trying to get down from 268 pounds, he treats himself to a weekly binge: A large sausage pizza and Buffalo wings, and then a pint of ice cream and an ice-cream bar and Nutter Butter cookies – 229

Gay bars – Avoids them in D.C. because he didn't want to be rejected – 297
- the first-time thrill of picking up a guy at Therapy – 298
- going to them as much as once a week – 299 ("I liked knowing that the men who approached me or invited my approach did so without any knowledge of my job, which was considered unusually interesting by many people. These men were attracted by the way I looked."

Guacamole – "I suppose there are people who can pass up free guacamole, but they're either allergic to avocado or too joyless to live." – 217
Hamburgers – prefers rare burgers "not out of taste but out of haste," because they come fastest off the grill – 66

Special treatment
- female waiters switched out for attractive males: "The restaurant had done its homework. It wasn't going to leave any trick untried" – 303

Waist size – 33" – 34" as a teenager – 65
- 35" down to 33" after college dalliances with Mexican speed – 123
- 36" while a junior reporter for the Times – 198
- 40" while on the campaign trail with George W. Bush – 210
- 42" shortly after – 227
- 38" during tour for Bush book – 234
- 36" two months after Maureen [Dowd?] starts him off with her personal trainer by writing him a check for two free sessions
- 35.5" while reporting in Rome – 263
- 33" by the end of the book – 328
Weight – 180 pounds as a teenager
- gets from 268 pounds down to 203. "It was a weight I could live with and sometimes even forget about, which was the main thing, the best thing." – 263