Grass Chef Heads For Greener Pastures

Howie Kleinberg and Michael Jacobs have a lot in common. Both chefs are fairly big guys, and have been cooking locally for many a year (Jacobs was originally top toque at Tantra in 1997). Kleinberg started up the kitchen at The Food Gang in Surfside, which for all its glowing PR and critical acclaim (in some quarters) was, gastronomically speaking, overrated. Jacobs helped seed Grass’ regrowth to center stage in the Design District. Although arguably the prettiest outdoor dining space in town, Grass’ cuisine was more solid than superb. Which leads to another similarity between the two: Neither seems capable of holding down a job. Kleinberg quickly abandoned The Food Gang for his fifteen minutes of sweaty fame on Top Chef, and will now attempt to cash in with his own Bulldog BBQ joint. Jacobs recently gave up Grass to seek greener grass with his MediterAsia catering and hospitality industry consulting company. The first advice he might consider offering his restaurant clients is this: Make certain to hire a chef who will skipper the ship for at least a year or two. -- Lee Klein