Famous Food

Mario Batali will not be charged for 2 alleged sexual assaults in NYC ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the NYPD has closed both cases against Batali after investigators couldn't find any witnesses or evidence supporting claims made by the accusers.

We broke the story ... a woman filed a police report last March claiming she was raped by Batali on Jan. 29, 2004 at his West Village eatery.

NYPD was also investigating Batali for sexual misconduct after a woman came forward on "60 Minutes" claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2005 at his Spotted Pig restaurant.

The U.S. Open fan who caused a collective gag when she dunked her chicken tenders in soda is now making it possible for you to indulge ... and if you think the food combo makes you nauseous, check out her music video.

Alexa Greenfield, tells TMZ ... she's about to launch her new product -- Cola Sauce! She's unveiling her product 2 ways -- with a video that rivals "Thriller," and an appearance at a chicken joint.

Alexa will make a personal appearance at Hill Country Chicken in NYC on January 26 and 27. It's not just any ol' chicken joint ... it the place she bought the tenders that made her famous.

Truth be told ... the video's kinda fun. It instructs the not faint of heart on how to properly tenderize your tenders with the soda of your choice.

Alexa's going full bore ... she's launching Cola Sauce on her website next month.

Gordon Ramsay's wife has somethin' cookin' ... a new baby!!!

Gordon and his brood posted a New Year's Day announcement that his wife, Tana, is pregnant ... very pregnant.

The kids -- 17-year-old Matilda, 19-year-old twins Holly and Jack, and 20-year-old Megan -- were all there for the big reveal. The famous "Hell's Kitchen" chef captioned the video, "Exciting news ! Happy new year from all the Ramsay's."

Gordon announced in 2016 that his family had a "devastating weekend," saying his then 41-year-old wife suffered a miscarriage when she was 5 months into her pregnancy.

Things look good this time around. It's unclear exactly how far along Tana is, but her baby bump is super prominent. BTW ... Gordon and Tana have been married 22 years.

Kevin Spacey tried making peace with paparazzi who've been hounding him ahead of his criminal arraignment next week by breaking bread with them ... or crust, more like.

The disgraced actor was seen delivering a Domino's pizza he'd apparently bought to a photog in Baltimore Sunday, where he's been hiding out as he waits for his court hearing in Massachusetts next week.

In the clip, you hear Spacey tell the pap he appreciates what he's doing ... and goes on to wish him a happy new year and tells him to stay warm. Another camera guy follows him back to his car and asks if he'll be appearing in court himself, but Spacey's mum.

As we reported ... Spacey re-emerged over the weekend in the East Coast, but seems to be lying low and covering up as much as he can. He's been criminally charged for allegedly groping an 18-year-old's genitals in a Nantucket bar a couple years back.

On Christmas Eve, Spacey released a bizarre video of himself doing a monologue as Frank Underwood from 'House of Cards,' which appeared to be an attempt to address the multiple allegations of sexual assault against him.

If wine, cheese, meat and Kenny G is your idea of a great time for New Year's Eve ... keep reading 'cause you're in luck.

The famous saxophonist will headline the Blue Note in Napa Valley this weekend to ring in the New Year. And, just as impressive as Kenny performing is the menu itself for NYE. The joint's bringing in nearly 100 pounds of steak to cover its brunch and dinner ... plus 550 pounds of dessert!!!

There's gonna be 30 pounds of white chocolate alone ... and more than 500 glasses of wine are expected to be guzzled. It's Napa, duh. The Blue Note expects to meat out more than 200 burgers, and 400 of Kenny's special cocktails made with his very own Hana Gin.

There'll be a pre-fixed 3-course dinner ... including a butternut squash soup with fried goat cheese. The main course -- short rib marmalade. For dessert, try the white chocolate mousse with toasted macadamia nuts.

Daniel Cormier is proving why he's the champ in AND out the Octagon -- the UFC star footed a $300 dinner bill for a woman who's battling Stage 4 cancer.

Pete Guzman and his mom, Rosario, were eating dinner at Sapporo Japanese restaurant in Monterey, CA on Thursday when in walks his favorite MMA fighter, Daniel Cormier.

Cormier was with his own family -- and, as fate would have it, they were seated with Pete and Rosario at the hibachi table.

Pete tells TMZ Sports ... Cormier and his fam couldn't have been nicer people. They had a great conversation and even posed for pics afterward.

And, since it was Rosario's birthday, the Cormiers busted out their singing voices for a rendition of "Happy Birthday."

When the time came to pay the check, the wait staff told Pete and Rosario their bill had already been covered ... by the reigning UFC heavyweight champion of the world!

"My mom was loving every second of it," Pete tells us.

Oh, and get this ... Pete says Cormier didn't know Rosario was battling stage 4 cancer (she never mentioned it at the table). But, the gesture provided so much happiness during this difficult time.

To top it all off ... Cormier even gave Rosario a handwritten birthday wish and autograph!!

C'mon ... even Jon Jones has to give Cormier props for this one!!!!

Joe Giudice's last Christmas in America is shaping up to be bittersweet, because it means he's just months away from being deported ... but he also gets to chow down on some fancy fowl.

TMZ's obtained prison menus from across the country, and locked-up celebs are being treated to some pretty decent Christmas cuisine ... including individual Cornish game hens for both Joe and DMX.

Guys like Bill Cosby and Suge Knight aren't so lucky, but will still get their fill of meat, potatoes and dessert. As for Mystikal ... well, his meal's not so merry. Here's a breakdown of their options:

Giudice at Pennsylvania's FCI Allenwood Low prison:

- Cornish game hen or broccoli quiche, cornbread dressing, whole kernel corn, baked sweet potato, chicken gravy, cranberry sauce, salad, dinner rolls and pie.
- Christmas Eve is a bit more downscale ... just chili and cornbread.

The 'Real Housewives of NJ' star is doing time for fraud and will be deported back to his native Italy when he's released in March.

DMX at West Virginia's Gilmer prison:

- Cornish game hen, deli sandwich, PB&J sandwich and chips. Inmates also get a $50 bump in commissary funds for December to use on chocolates, cookies and peanut cluster bars.

X is serving 12 months for tax evasion.

Cosby at Pennsylvania's SCI Phoenix:

- Roast beef, bean burger, whipped potatoes, gravy, green beans, creamy coleslaw, dinner rolls and baked fruit pie. Zero Jell-O.

Cosby got 3 to 10 years for sexual assault.

Suge Knight at California's Wasco State Prison:

- Turkey or chicken, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, veggies, cranberry sauce and ice cream.

Suge struck a plea deal in September in his murder case and started a 28-year sentence.

Mystikal at Louisiana's Caddo Correctional Center:

- 2 turkey dogs, potato salad, greens and cake. In other words, nothing special.

CJ Franco is coming in HOT with this incredibly spicy video, eating Cheetos in the sexiest way possible.

CJ slipped her flaming hot figure into some skimpy lingerie for this shoot with Chris Applebaum ... and she's doing a lot for the snacking industry. Dancing, jiggling and posing -- while wearing this little -- is guaranteed to make everyone hungry.

You probably recognize the model from her Maxim, FHM and GQ features -- or for being the knockout director Len Wiseman rebounded with after breaking up with Kate Beckinsale.

We're told CJ's photo shoot was NOT a Chester Cheetah sponsored event.

Danny Trejo's got a big problem with Donald Trump's master plan to build a big beautiful wall along America's southern border ... he doesn't think it will work.

We got the "Machete" star at Los Angeles Mission Friday helping serve food to the homeless, and asked for his take on the President's demand for border wall funding and the government shutdown.

Danny tells us Trump's wall plan is futile, because no matter how high it is ... he's not accounting for how far below ground it needs to go. The actor also suggests POTUS has delusions of grandeur ... and just wants his name on something rivaling China's famous landmark.

Trejo's not against more border security, though ... he just believes there are much smarter ways to use funding for it.

BTW, Trump revealed an interesting potential design for his border wall Friday ... it definitely doesn't address Danny's concerns.

Even "Aquaman" takes a cheat day ...

Jason Momoa took a break from the superhero diet on Friday to eat delicious human food ... stopping through Joe's Pizza in WeHo to get his face in some pie.

We're told Momoa rolled in with 4 dudes and ordered up a buncha slices including the Grandma Slice ... marinara, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil and topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Question -- if "Aquaman" orders anchovies ... is that like quasi-cannibalism?

Easy to see why Jason was smiling ... pictured here with the owner, Joe.

Abs are overrated anyway ...

Kodak Black got down on one knee and gave a lucky woman a ring ... though it's unclear if he's engaged. Let us explain.

It went down Sunday night at Santa's Enchanted Forest in Miami. The 21-year-old rapper and the chick, Yung Miami from Miami-based rap duo City Girls, were near a concession stand when, out of nowhere, he kneeled ... presumably to ask her to marry him.

You see the crowd congratulate the couple after he puts what appears to be a purple Ring Pop on her digit. Yeah, a candy ring. Another giveaway it's a fake proposal ... Kodak places the ring on Miami's right hand.

Whatever the case ... you know Kodak's really into her.

BTW ... check out Kodak's outfit. Pretty shweet.

Michael J. Snyder -- known for being the first franchisee of the Red Robin restaurant chain, who later became CEO -- has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head ... TMZ has learned.

Yakima County Chief Deputy Coroner Marshall Slight tells us ... Snyder committed suicide with a high-powered gun Sunday in Washington state. We're told he shot himself on a bench in the front yard of his home.

Slight says police responded to a 911 call and found Snyder's body ... no suicide note was left behind.

Michael and his brother became the first Red Robin franchisees in 1979 and went on to open 14 of the burger restaurants in Washington, Colorado and Idaho. Snyder merged his franchise company with the parent company in 2000 ... and took over as CEO and President.

He was ousted in 2005, though, after an internal investigation discovered he had misused funds and charter planes. He reportedly remained the largest individual shareholder of the company.

You know that big ass steer in Australia that went viral for being the biggest freakin' thing you've ever seen?

Major League Eating -- the competitive eating org that brought you food-guzzling superstars like Joey Chestnut, Matt Stonie and Takeru Kobayashi -- wants to eat him.

"Knickers" has become a viral sensation after reports pegged his height and weight at 6'4" and 2,800 pounds. He's a beast.

The MLE says it believes the animal could be too large to handle at a normal meat processing facility ... so they'd like to help out -- but butchering him and serving him themselves at an outdoor BBQ.

"Knickers is an extraordinary Holstein and we hope to pay honor by eating him in historic fashion," MLE Chair George Shea said.

"As a point of clarification, we would not consume the stomach because none of our eaters care for tripe."

So ... how many of the MLE's best eaters would it take to finish off good ole, Knickers??

The org estimates it'll take 20(!!!!) of it's best food fighters -- plus donut eating world champion Badlands Booker.

Robert De Niro was treated to dinner and a show, and the big reveal got very personal for him ... which is why he whipped out his phone to capture the moment.

De Niro was the main attraction at a special event Monday night in Halifax, UK. While Bobby D was eating at a restaurant called Ricci’s Place ... speed artist Dave Sharp performed a dance and paint number that paid tribute to one of the actor's most famous movie roles.

The attendees all seemed pretty wowed by Sharp's artistry -- he first painted a taxicab, but once he added the finishing touches, it revealed a colorful painting of good ol' Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" ... including his menacing mohawk and sunglasses.

Kevin Hart is taking over a gym in Philly for Mountain Dew in what appears to be a new ad for the green pop ... and a peek behind the scenes looks promising for laughs.

TMZ has obtained footage of Kevin at a Philadelphia Sports Clubs gym early Sunday morning, where cameras were rolling as he got a lesson from an employee on how to work the front desk. From the looks of it here, Kev's got it all under control.

He hilariously gives a blow-by-blow of what he plans to be doing behind the desk -- "I'ma get back here, and I'm gonna help people!" -- while the gym worker gives him a quick rundown on how to check first and last names. Simple enough ... go dew you, "Daniel."

Hard to tell if this is part of a bigger ad campaign by MD, but it wouldn't be surprising if it is. Kevin's done plenty of TV spots for Mountain Dew in the past ... most were pretty funny.

Shaq didn't need to throw on a cape to become a hero and comfort a family that had just been involved in a scary car crash, because he had a different superhero outfit -- Broward County Sheriff's issue.

The NBA legend was on his way to give away turkeys in Florida on Thanksgiving when he and members of the Broward County Sheriff's Office witnessed a head-on collision. Shaq and the deputies rushed to their aid ... you can see him comforting the kids.

After cops handled the situation, they all continued on with their plan to hand out turkeys. BTW ... Shaq was on holiday duty. He recently became an "auxiliary deputy" for the Broward Sheriff's Office. See, even NBA Hall of Famers get stuck working the holidays when you're a newbie.