Todd Kliman is still incredulous over Esquire critic John Mariani's decision to name Roberto Donna as Chef of the Year. The topic comes up in his weekly chat, when the critic is asked his thoughts on Donna's restaurant Al Dente. "It was as if I had clicked on a web page from 30 years ago, except that there were no web pages 30 years ago," he says of his reaction. "A very curious, and, I think, indefensible choice, given the great talent around the country and Donna's very clear contempt for his restaurant families and the notion that people who make money are required to give back in the form of taxes." [Washingtonian]
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