Originally posted Jan. 19, 2004<br />
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By Gregory McNamee. Los Angeles, CA — Years ago, I worked at a newspaper with a restaurant critic who was not content just to review the food he was served; he felt compelled to improve on it. <br />
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He carried a little spice rack in his briefcase so that he could zest up bland fish with tarragon, torque an insipid sauce with crushed red pepper, repurpose a characterless pilaf with bay leaf and chives. It amused his fellow diners to watch the chowhound in action. It infuriated chefs. <br />
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Paul Newman may have similarly irritated the kitchen staff when he did likewise. <br />
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"On one occasion, when the restaurant mistakenly served the salad with its own dressing, Paul took the salad to the men’s room, washed off the dressing, dried it with paper towels and, after returning to the table, anointed it with his own, which he concocted with ingredients brought to him from the kitchen."<br />
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Read the full story at <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/12/02/books.newman.reut/"><strong>CNN.com</strong></a>
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