Famous Food

If you're going to MLB Opening Day on Thursday ... ya better bring your appetite -- 'cause several teams are rollin' out some new food items for the season -- and most are absolutely massive!!

Nearly every club will kick off 2023 with new and intriguing menu options ... including the Texas Rangers -- who recently unveiled a two-foot-long burger that's topped with onion rings and chili called, "The Boomstick Burger."

Not to be outdone, the Miami Marlins showed this week they'll be offering a 34-inch "Cubano Gigante" -- a huge sandwich that features sliced ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and a secret sauce.

The New York Yankees, meanwhile, chose to honor Aaron Judge yet again with a food item ... after handing out the "62" bacon cheeseburger in last year's playoffs, they're now selling the "99 Burger," which comes with eight ounces of Wagyu beef. There is a caveat, though -- the team says it'll only sell 99 per game!!

The Rays and the White Sox are also hockin' some big dishes for their fans to consume -- Tampa's offering a half-pound pretzel dog, while Chicago's doling out a half-pound weiner called "The Champagne of Dogs."

Plies is taking his ass to Church's ... a declaration arrived at after his latest trip to Chick-fil-A got his blood boiling over what he, obviously, considers ridiculously high prices.

The Florida rapper called out the chicken chain Tuesday right after he ordered three items -- a cobb salad with nuggets, a large fruit cup, and a bottled water ... all of which ran his pockets $18.74.

Plies immediately rethought his decision to hit Chick-fil-A and began to compare its prices to Church's and Applebee's ... and all the value he missed out on.

Chick-fil-A is renowned for its drive-thru speed, but Plies says he's willing to wait a bit if the meal is more reasonably priced.

Jonah Hill was in no chatty mood Tuesday night -- beelining it to his car after dinner ... and ignoring questions about Kanye West.

The actor was in the middle of a brisk walk as he left dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, exiting by himself ... and getting ready to drive away by himself, but photogs were waiting for him outside and ready to flash and talk.

Check it out .... Jonah wasn't having any of it. The dude tells one of the paps to clear the way so he can get to his ride, and then he was asked about Ye.

The photog asked the obvious ... how do you feel about changing KW's POV on Jews -- something the controversial artist said this past weekend on social media. Remember, he insultingly attributed JH's performance in '21 Jump Street' for making him Jew-friendly again.

It would appear Jonah might agree with just about everyone else on the issue ... namely, it's utterly ridiculous -- and not even worthy of a discussion. That's what we can glean, anyway.

We will say this ... Jonah seemed to be somewhat in a good mood -- flashing a big smile as he left Giorgio, which is encouraging. As you may have heard ... the guy's been going through some mental health stuff lately.

LeBron James took a day away from the Lakers to put on his Dad hat and watch his son at the McDonald's All-America Game -- and, by the looks of things, he couldn't have been happier to do it!!

Two days after losing to the Bulls and one day before the two teams play in a rematch in Chicago, LBJ got away from his L.A. teammates for a night to catch Bronny James in the prestigious All-Star game in Houston, Texas.

The King had courtside seats for the 18-year-old's big night ... and you can tell, he was thrilled to watch his son in the event on his night off.

Bron, who himself played in the game in 2003, took selfies with his family in their floor seats -- before celebrating every big bucket that Bronny made.

In fact, after nearly every 3-pointer that Bronny sunk, LeBron stood up and made sure everyone knew it was his kid with the sharp shot.

Bronny gave Dad a ton to cheer about, too ... he hit FIVE 3-pointers, scoring 15 total points in the contest.

The young James ended up losing, but it ain't hard to see none of that mattered to LeBron, who was beaming with his son and the rest of his family after the game.

Robert Downey Jr. fans now have a shot at an interesting piece of history from Jon Favreau's Walk of Fame ceremony ... cause a guy is selling what he claims is Iron Man's chewed-up gum!!!

The gum is currently up for sale on eBay and it has a starting bid of $55,000. According to the listing, the seller attended the ceremony where actor/producer and "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Iron Man himself, RDJ, was on hand for the big event ... and created a moment by taking chewed gum out of his mouth and sticking on Jon's shiny new star. Downey joked it was "just to make it official."

The seller claims he was able to snag the gum, right where RDJ left it. Now, it's apparently up for grabs "in the same condition" he got it 😬

We know what you're thinking ... how in the hell's he gonna authenticate???

Well, the seller is super confident it's the real deal, and says the buyer can even test the gum for RDJ's DNA. Good luck getting Robert to provide a sample for comparison, though.

If used celeb gum is your thing, bidding ends Friday! Also ... ew.

Jhené Aiko's in the market for a new luxury SUV after the worst possible restaurant valet experience -- witnessing a thief make off with her vehicle.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Jhené went out to dinner with family last weekend, grabbing a bite at L.A.'s Tasty Noodle House. She walked away from her white 2020 Range Rover around 8:30 PM Saturday.

We're told when the singer arrived she gave the valet her keys, then went inside to eat. Typical night out up to that point.

But, about 30 minutes later, Jhené saw someone drive away in her Range. We're told she figured the valet staff was just moving it, but it was never returned.

It's unclear who made the clean getaway; it wasn't any of the valet drivers, but cops say there was an extra key inside the SUV --- which, obviously, made things a lot easier for the car thief.

Police are investigating ... no arrests at this point, and no sign of Jhené's Range Rover.

Chaka Khan's celebrating her 70th birthday, and she can still turn up like her heyday in the '70s and '80s ... and she did with an assist from fellow icon, Stevie Wonder!

Chaka held court for her celebration Thursday night at Vortex recording studio in Hollywood, partying with a couple hundred guests who joined Stevie in singing happy birthday -- his version, of course.

Once Stevie got behind the keyboard the party was in full swing -- he and Chaka did her hit, "Tell Me Something Good" ... and then they belted out one of his Motown classics, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."

Looks like Mr. Wonder worked up quite the appetite during the festivities ... we hear from folks inside the event, he brought in Chick-fil-A for his entourage, which he definitely enjoyed.

Joni Mitchell's another legend who came out to honor Chaka ... along with comedian Mike Epps, and later in the night Tiffany Haddish jumped on stage too.

Tiff got the band fired up to play "Proud Mary," as she belted out the lyrics and even attempted some of Tina Turner's moves.

The sous chef son of actor Dylan Walsh cooked up a wild water rescue for people at a Maryland tourist site after a car plunged into the harbor ... and the drama was all caught on video.

Thomas Walsh left a meeting with his boss at Phillips Seafood on Wednesday afternoon when he came across a group of people freaked out about what they had just seen -- a car had careened into the water at Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the driver was stuck inside.

Well, that's all Tom had to see as he dove into the water to save the motorist as The Baltimore Banner reported.

Check out the footage, posted Wednesday on Instagram, showing Tom punching the passenger side window of the car and kicking in the windshield. Tom pulled the driver out through the windshield and swam with him to the edge of the pier. Tom then hoisted the man into the waiting arms of people on the pier before he, too, was helped to safety.

Emergency Service personnel later fished the car out of the water with the help of a tow truck.

Police said Tom and the driver were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The motorist, according to cops, was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the accident.

Have a mess? No stress! Spring cleaning is here, so take a page out of the stars' books and get your pantries clean and lean! Step into the spiffy pantries of top-shelf organizers like Mindy Kaling, Busy Philipps and Chrissy Teigen who know a thing or two about keepin' it freaky fresh!

With the assistance of a little celeb clue, your Saturday chore is to guess the celeb's pantry!

Yes, she may live in a lavish Beverly Hills mansion, but her pantry is just as tidy and meticulous with an assortment of jams and snacks for the kiddos! If this outspoken mom has late-night "cravings" she doesn't fret, because her pantry is "legendary!" Can you guess the star who owns this pantry?

You sure can taste the rainbow in this color-coordinated pantry! From the plethora of perfectly-placed condiments to the calligraphy-labeled bins and baskets, this actress managed to take a break from her 'Busy' life to organize the heck out of her pantry! Any takers?!

Needless to say ... spring cleaning, there's no better feeling! Take inventory of all the stars who love a good cleanse and keep their pantries in check, and while you're at it see if you can guess the celebrity's pantry!

Tyra Banks is hanging up her ballroom outfits, and slipping into serious business attire ... she's calling it quits at "Dancing with the Stars" to pursue her passion as an entrepreneur.

We got the supermodel Thursday on her way out of Whole Foods in Santa Monica when she dropped the bombshell about ending her time at 'DWTS' -- the show she's hosted since 2020.

TB recently launched her SMiZE & Dream ice cream internationally, but now she's focused on bringing it to the U.S. soon -- she says her heart and her soul are in business, and had some proof in her shopping cart.

She showed us the goods she just bought to do some taste testing for future ice cream flavors. Like the woman said, she's dead serious about research and development!

Of course, Tyra's been a fixture on TV for years, from "America's Next Top Model" to "The Tyra Banks Show" and more. She says she'll work on TV in the future, but it'll be more on the side of producing, not hosting.

The Manhattan restaurant where a couple claims they found an entire rodent in their food delivery order has been forced to hit the pause button on serving meals ... the Health Department has closed the joint.

Gammeeok, a Korean restaurant at the center of a recent lawsuit, got shut down Wednesday after an inspection .... according to Fabien Levy, a rep for NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

TMZ broke the story ... a couple filed a lawsuit this week claiming they ordered food from Gammeeok over the weekend and discovered a dead rodent in their soup, an allegation the restaurant disputes.

Levy tells TMZ ... "No New York City restaurant is authorized to have mice or rats on the menu and we are investigating further. Our top priority is protecting the health of New Yorkers and if a restaurant has conditions that threaten our city's diners, they will be shut down."

The restaurant already has signage up on the door showing they've been closed by the Health Department. The eatery also appears to have put up its own sign claiming they are shuttered because of "maintenance."

Our sources say Health Department inspectors found rat droppings at the restaurant, and food was not being stored at the correct temperature. We're also told the eatery did not have a trained supervisor on site.

The restaurant will have to jump through some hoops to open back up ... we're told Gammeeok will need to correct all the violations they got dinged for, plus pay any fines imposed by the city.

Our sources say Gammeeok was also operating without the proper permits, despite multiple warnings from the Health Department to renew their paperwork.

In the lawsuit, the couple also claimed Gammeeok had gotten a C grade from the Health Department in January, the worst possible letter grade.

Rats are a big problem in the Big Apple ... so much so, Mayor Adams wants to hire a "rat czar" to rid the city of rodents.

Ratatouille might have gone a little overboard, after a couple in New York City claims a food delivery order from a Korean restaurant included a dead rodent in their soup ... and now they're suing.

Jason Lee and Eunice Lucero Lee are suing Gammeeok, a restaurant in Manhattan's Koreatown, over what they say was a disgusting delivery.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the Lees claimed they ordered food from Gammeeok on Saturday afternoon and when they got the meal at their home, they started eating and discovered a rodent in what appears to be a bowl of soup.

The Lees claim they became disgusted and violently sick after finding the rodent in their food ... they say they started vomiting and sought medical attention.

The couple claims the alleged incident caused them severe, serious and permanent personal injuries ... plus emotional distress.

In the suit, the Lees claim Gammeeok had gotten a C grade from the NYC Health Department in January, the worst possible letter grade ... but they didn't know about it when they placed their order.

The couple is going after the restaurant for money.

Pedro Pascal likes to go ALL out when it comes to his coffee ... and also when it comes to having a little fun with TikTokers who can't believe how much caffeine he's got coursing through his veins.

Photogs caught up with "The Last of Us" star as he was making a coffee run Wednesday in L.A., and, naturally, they had to ask what's in his cup ... considering there's a viral TikTok going around claiming he gets 6 shots of espresso in his iced coffee!!!

ICYMI, a user zoomed in on a video of Pedro leaving Starbucks and broke down all that goes into his venti cup ... and, sure enough, the label says 6 shots.

We're guessing Pedro's seen the clip, because he told photogs his latest order doubles down on that old one -- dude claims he got 12 espresso shots this time!

Now, unless he's planning to stay up for the next day or so, PP had to be making a funny based on the TikTok. No one needs that much caffeine. Right?

Dr. Fauci helped save the day for a woman who went down during a fancy dinner in D.C. -- and someone caught part of the action on camera.

The nation's most prominent doc -- who was at the forefront during COVID -- was one of many bigwigs at the Gridiron Dinner Saturday ... a black-tie affair where journos, politicos and related company gathered to break bread and talk shop.

At some point, a lady in the crowd collapsed ... injuring herself from the fall, so says speechwriter Chandler Dean -- who detailed the scary incident.

He writes, "Last night at the Gridiron Dinner in DC, maybe 10 feet from me and @sarahagruen, a woman collapsed, hit her head on a table, and was laying on the floor without moving."

He goes on to explain ... "People gather trying to help, but no one is sure what to do. Someone goes to find a doctor. They found one."

That man would be Fauci himself, who's pictured crouching down in his tux and attending to the woman in need. It's not quite clear what exactly he did to treat her, but he was certainly by her side ... and it sounds like she was alright in the end.

Dean later clarified she was able to get to her feet and continued on just fine at the dinner, after a little bit of rest. Another speechwriter, Eric Schnure, chimed in as well ... saying Dr. Fauci even posed with the woman afterward and confirmed she was, in fact, OK.

Two L.A. restaurants connected to Tom Sandoval have seen brutal reviews in the wake of his scandal ... it's gotten so bad, Yelp's put the kibosh on the whole thing.

The negative comments target TomTom and Schwartz & Sandy's -- both co-owned by Tom Schwartz and Sandoval -- with all the gnarly reviews coming after Tom's affair with 'VPR' costar Raquel Leviss went public.

One reviewer shared a pic of a Raquel-inspired cockroach they claim they "found" while dining -- dragging Raquel's looks and Tom's band, which the reviewer says sounds like "Freddy Krueger scratching on a chalkboard."

Critics also talk about patronizing a different eatery -- Something About Her -- AKA Ariana Madix's sandwich shop.

And there's this ... "TomTom's a place for pigs and homewreckers."

It didn't get much better over at Schwartz & Sandy's ... with some again calling out the "cheaters" and saying Tom should live in a cave.

Yelp had to pull the plug on reviews for both restaurants ... telling users there's been an influx of reviews because of public attention, so the site hit the pause button while staffers determine if these are real customer experiences.

Tom Sandoval's business partner, Tom Schwartz, has been mum on the cheating scandal thus far -- but now, he's breaking his silence ... and, boy, is he trying to walk a fine line.

A pap ran into Schwartz at LAX Saturday, where the dude seemed open and willing to talk about everything ... the first time he's spoken publicly on the issue, which has been dragging on for almost 2 weeks now. Interestingly enough, he seems pretty chipper here.

Check it out ... TS says Sandoval is holding up OK all things considered -- but does note his right hand man -- with whom he's invested in both TomTom's and Schwartz & Sandy's Lounge --  is filled with profound sadness and feels like a POS ... rightly so, he adds.

Schwartz says Sandoval knows he screwed up ... and he (Schwartz) feels for everyone involved, saying it's just a bummer of a situation all the way around. That's putting it mildly!

While Schwartz refrains from throwing Sandoval or Raquel Leviss under the bus ... he does seem to show some outward support for Ariana Madix, the one who was cheated on. He says she has a good support system around her, and hopes she goes on a "living spree."

As for whether Schwartz was aware of any of this stuff going on before it became public ... he plays his cards close to the vest -- and, of course, teases the show too, telling people to tune in. One thing he does make clear ... the whole saga has, indeed, hurt business.

There are reports that TomTom's liquor license was yanked this week amid all the drama -- but it's unclear if that has anything to do with what's going on with TomAriana/Raquel. In any case, all of Tom and Tom's businesses have come under major scrutiny in recent days.

Back to Schwartz though. He says he thinks everything's gonna be alright in the long run, and is taking things day by day. Good attitude ... considering he's getting dragged himself.