Famous Food

Kane Lim might've been doing more bad than good with his harsh words about Yamashiro -- whether he knew it or not ... this, according to his reality TV costar, Christine Chiu.

We got the "Bling Empire" cast member leaving Craig's in WeHo Friday night, alongside Dorothy Wang -- who's said to be filming for season 2, and should be featured on the show in the future. Of course, our photog had to ask about Kane's drama with Chef Vallerie.

Remember ... Vallerie accused Kane of spreading "Asian hate" when he called her sushi restaurant "disgusting" on camera -- but he pushed back, saying he was just expressing an opinion ... and that he didn't even know Vallerie or her work as head of the new grub.

That's where our camera guy picks things up -- asking CC straight-up ... who's in the right here??? Check it out -- she tries being diplomatic, but clearly sides with the chef ... telling us Asians need to band together and put on a united front, instead of bashing one another.

Dorothy hits that point home with an even more nuanced take -- saying it's fine to have preferences, and to even express those preferences ... but there's a way to say things, especially these days when topics such as this are delicate to talk about. Well said.

She also touches on another angle that rings true as well -- in light of restaurants now opening back up to full capacity on the heels of the pandemic. Watch ... she says Kane should've been mindful of that dynamic as well, before spouting off so recklessly.

One of the stars of Netflix's "Bling Empire" got called out for allegedly spreading Asian hate by dissing a famous sushi joint -- but he's hollering right back ... respectfully, calling BS.

Kane Lim -- a Singaporean real estate developer -- was recently filmed on a pal's IG Story, hyping up the fact they were eating from another sushi restaurant in town, Tadaima, instead of L.A. celeb hot spot Yamashiro ... which they, including KL, openly mocked and called "disgusting."

Yamashiro's head chef, Vallerie Castillo Archer, took the jab personally, and also leveled an allegation against Lim and his buddies ... saying they were helping spread hate against their own race.

She wrote, in part ... "How can we promote Stop Asian Hate when we are the ones publicly hating on Asians?" She added that she found Lim's remarks hurtful to the cause.

Despite how Vallerie interpreted Lim's comments, he tells TMZ she's got this one wrong, and is kinda making a mountain out of a mole hill. Kane says his remarks were simply based on his own eating experience at Yamashiro from a few years back -- and were not aimed at her, her work or her staff directly. He just didn't dig the food there, period.

With that said, Kane adds this ... "It's unfortunate this has escalated to this level. I get how it has been interpreted and am disappointed it's been crafted into an Asian-hate thing."

Kane goes on to clarify that he does NOT hate his own race, and as far as Val ... he's more than willing to make amends and give Yamashiro another shot. In fact, we're told they're making plans to meet up and hash this out in the near future.

The Shake Shack manager will get his day in court, and now one of the NYPD cops wants hers too -- because she's suing the burger joint, and she's sticking to the bleach story!

NYPD officer Genesis Novadiaz just filed a lawsuit against SS, claiming she was one of the 3 officers who thought they were "poisoned" ... and she's pointing the finger at Shake Shack and its employees, including the manager who just filed a lawsuit of his own over the incident.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Novadiaz claims Shake Shack workers at the Manhattan location -- including manager Marcus Gilliam -- were negligent in their duty to maintain equipment in a safe manner for customers ... and, as a result, she alleges she was subjected to harmful cleaning chemicals in her shake, including bleach.

So, she's sticking to her guns, claiming there must've been bleach in those damn shakes. While the theory of intentional poisoning was debunked by an NYPD investigation, Novadiaz is still calling out the restaurant for careless or reckless upkeep on their shake machines.

In the suit, she claims Shake Shack violated a number of New York City and State health code violations -- and oughta be forced to pay for it, because she says she became ill.

Remember, Gilliam himself just sued New York and the officers over the same incident -- claiming they defamed and falsely arrested him by lying about being intentionally poisoned.

The Shake Shack manager accused of poisoning police officers' drinks last summer claims he was treated like a first-rate criminal ... and now he wants someone to pay.

Marcus Gilliam -- the man who was running the Manhattan restaurant when this went down about a year ago -- just sued a number of NYPD cops, a few police unions and the City of New York for what he says was a rush to judgment and a gross overreaction, all based on nothing.

In his suit, obtained by TMZ, Gilliam alleges he was arrested and taken in for questioning that night, and was kept in custody until the wee hours of the morning ... supposedly getting grilled and accused of spiking 3 cops' shakes with bleach, even though he says he actually hadn't.

ICYMI -- 3 NYPD cops rolled up to Shake Shack, said their milkshakes tasted funny ... and before you knew it, had a whole bunch of unions tweeting out accusations that their officers had been intentionally poisoned.

Gilliam points out what we had reported ... that a "thorough investigation" proved that was a bogus allegation. In the interim, Gilliam says he was getting treated like crap by cops, being falsely held against his will for something he clearly hadn't done.

As it turned out ... the "funny taste" in the shakes might've been the machine not being cleaned properly. In any case, Gilliam claims his detainment was BS, because there was a mountain of evidence -- like surveillance video -- that the NYPD should have checked to clear his name before they hauled him into custody.

He alleges he was not only falsely arrested, but defamed as well when the suspicion turned into "fact" and spread like wildfire ... and he's asking for damages.

Shelby Houlihan -- arguably the USA's best female runner -- is insisting she is NOT a cheater despite a recent positive steroid test ... claiming it's all a mixup caused by a pork burrito.

The 28-year-old Olympian spelled it all out in a social media post Monday ... explaining she believes she's been wrongfully hit with a 4-year suspension due to a trip to an "authentic Mexican food truck" in Oregon several months ago.

Shelby says back on Jan. 14, the Athletics Integrity Unit informed her a sample she submitted on Dec. 15, 2020 had contained the banned substance Nandrolone.

The anabolic steroid is considered a performance enhancer, and Shelby says she was immediately suspended for having it in her system.

But, Houlihan says after she did her research ... she found the substance can wrongfully show up in tests if the person consumes pork products prior to giving out their sample.

And, Houlihan says just 10 hours before she gave her December sample ... she had gotten a pork burrito from a local stand near her house in Beaverton.

The problem for Shelby? She says despite a mountain of evidence proving the Mexican food feast was the reason for the positive test -- the World Anti-Doping Agency denied her appeal and formally hit her with a 4-year ban from competitive running last Friday.

Of course, that means Houlihan -- who owns U.S. records in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter runs -- will now be barred from competing in this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

"I feel completely devastated, lost, broken, angry, confused and betrayed by the very sport that I've loved and poured myself into just to see how good I was," Houlihan said.

"I want to be very clear. I have never taken any performance enhancing substances. And that includes that of which I am being accused," Houlihan wrote. "I believe in the sport and pushing your body to the limit just to see where the limit is. I'm not interested in cheating. I don't do this for the accolades, money, or for people to know my name. I do this because I love it. I have so much fun doing it and it's always the best part of my day."

Cristiano Ronaldo HATES processed drinks so much, he removed Coke bottles from his podium Monday ... all while imploring people to drink water instead.

Ronaldo's rejection of the sweet stuff went down just before a meeting with the media ahead of Portugal's UEFA Euro 2020 game with Hungary ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

You can see in the footage, just before reporters fired questions at the soccer star, he noticed Cokes placed in front of him (Coke is a sponsor of Euro 2020) and immediately gave them a look of disdain.

But, rather than just keeping the products there like tournament officials no doubt wanted -- Ronaldo straight-up grabbed the bottles and moved them out of his sight.

He then held up a bottle of water, screamed, "agua!" ... and then appeared to mumble something about the sodas.

Of course, Ronaldo's famous for his perfect body -- one that was built off of eating healthy and limiting processed foods ... and it's clear, the guy takes that all VERY seriously.

In fact, Ronaldo's been on record saying he absolutely HATES when his son drinks Cokes and eats fries!!

'Cause, after all, abs (and apparently great soccer players too) are made in the kitchen.

Matthew Stafford got one of his first tastes of the L.A. nightlife scene this weekend -- and there were paps, autograph seekers ... and even a fun answer about a silly tiff with his old pal, Clayton Kershaw!

It all went down Saturday night at Craig's ... where Matt -- who was just traded from Detroit to L.A. in March -- got in a night out on the town with his wife and friends.

You can see in the clip, the new Rams QB is clearly going to be VERY popular in his new city ... dude didn't even step 3 feet out of the restaurant before people wanted his John Hancock!

Of course, we were also there ... and we had to get his take on his old high school teammate, Kershaw, saying he would NOT wear Stafford's new jersey around L.A.

If you missed it, just a few weeks ago Kershaw went on the 'Dan Patrick Show' and said he's excited for Stafford's L.A. stay, but added he wouldn't be wearing Matt's Rams uni anytime soon.

But, Matt laughed that all off Saturday ... telling us he's got no beef with his friend -- explaining, "That's alright!"

James Corden is catching heat from more than 10,000 critics who say his popular 'Spill Your Guts' segment is racist against Asians ... and he's facing pressure to retire the game.

Here's the deal ... 'Spill Your Guts' is the recurring bit on Corden's 'Late Late Show' where he presents celeb guests with grub he describes as "horrific" or "gross" -- but the menu items are almost always from Asian cultures ... according to the folks who are demanding James kill the segment or change it.

In a petition circulating online, they accuse James of encouraging anti-Asian racism by "continuously mocking" the foods. They already have 11,000 signatures and counting.

The point of the game is to get celebs to answer tough questions, or eat the foods in front of them. The segment's been around since at least 2016, and it's featured the likes of Kendall Jenner, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber and Jimmy Kimmel ... just to name a few.

The folks behind the petition want Corden to drop 'Spill Your Guts' ... or at least to use food not rooted in other cultures. They also want an on-air apology from James and the 'Late Late Show.'

Tyra Myricks believes she has a solution to a notorious L.A. problem -- she's bringing New York-style pizza to the West Coast, and tells us she's making it with the right ingredients.

Tyra -- an entrepreneur and daughter of Jam Master Jay -- has teamed up with T'yanna Wallace, daughter of The Notorious B.I.G., to launch Juicy Pizza ... named after the latter's smash 1994 hit track.

Myricks says she came up with the idea when she was struggling to find good NY-style 'za in L.A. -- a common gripe, especially for transplanted NYers. So, she hit up T'yanna with her plan, because Biggie best represents that Brooklyn vibe she wants for their pizza joint.

Tyra took us through the New York-inspired menu when she was on Thursday's "TMZ Live," and revealed their secret ingredient -- real NY water in their dough. You gotta watch to see how they're getting that agua out west.

If you're still not sold, there's also this -- Juicy's gonna have a members-only cannabis lounge in the back ... to attract celebs and turn the place into a Hollywood hot spot. The fun begins real soon, because Juicy Pizza is opening its doors for dinner Saturday night.

The car that made Justin Bieber cry is now his date night ride ... and it looks like all his tears were worth it.

JB took his wife, Hailey, out for dinner at Matsuhisa in Bev Hills Wednesday night, and he got to show off his futuristic whip -- a custom 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith that was 3 years in the making.

The 2 arrived in style, and ya gotta think the valet driver Justin handed his keys to was pumped to give the RoboCop Rollie a spin. Or maybe he was racked with nerves.

Later, Bieber gave everyone a good look at the car's sick wheel covers and spaceship-looking features as the couple left the restaurant. Note how super careful he was not to bottom out this time!! Live and learn.

As we first told you ... the crew over at West Coast Customs masterminded the Biebs' jaw-dropping ride, and when they first showed him the finished product earlier this year ... he got a little emotional.

'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond's nephew, Caleb, is facing a DWI charge after cops say he was tipsy and fast asleep in his vehicle when they arrested him ... just a month after a nearly fatal wreck.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, cops say they got a call around 5 AM on April 17 about a Ford truck at a dead stop at a traffic light in Osage County, OK -- and it had been that way for at least 3 cycles of the light.

Cops say when they approached they found Caleb sleeping behind the wheel, and even though they knocked on his window numerous times ... he didn't respond.

When cops opened the driver's door they say there was an overwhelming odor of booze coming from Caleb, who finally woke up. Amazingly, cops say his truck was still in drive and he'd dozed off with his foot on the brake.

All of that would have been bad enough, but then cops say they found an open beer, cool to the touch and practically full ... plus a box of ammo and a loaded 9mm handgun.

According to the report, Caleb struggled to get the truck in park, and actually put it in reverse initially. When he stepped out, he lost his balance and cops say he had "thick slurred speech, red bloodshot eyes." When they asked for his driver's license, cops say he handed them a credit card.

Caleb also failed field sobriety testing, and said, "I know I shouldn’t have been driving,” and “I’m glad I wasn’t caught a few hours ago” ... according to cops.

He was arrested and prosecutors have charged him with driving while impaired and open container, both misdemeanors. We're told his BAC was .05. It should be noted, Caleb was not hit with any weapons charges.

Here it is -- college hoops superstar Cade Cunningham's first TMZ moment ... and it's adorable as heck!!

Of course, the 19-year-old point guard is widely projected to be the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft next month ... after averaging more than 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

So, what do you do when you're about to be an instant millionaire?? You hit up one of L.A.'s hottest dinner spots with your cute daughter, of course!!

Cunningham brought along his 2-year-old, Riley, for a fancy dinner at Craig's in West Hollywood ... and even chopped it up for a bit with us as he arrived.

We chatted about how he was handling the hype leading up to the draft ... and Cunningham said, "I feel great, man. It's all blessings, for sure."

We also had to ask if there were any teams, in particular, he was eyeing ... but naturally, he handled the question like a pro.

BTW -- Cunningham was an All-American during his one year in college ... and was voted Freshman of the Year by several outlets.

A woman who dined at a fast-food restaurant says when she ordered some fried chicken, the restaurant threw in the towel.

Alique Perez posted photos and video -- from Jollibee restaurant in the Philippines -- of the "meal" she got ... and it's just gross.

She wrote, "Just something that frustrated me this late. We had Jollibee delivered via grab. Ordered chicken for my son, while I was trying to get him a bite, I found it super hard to even slice. Tried opening it up with my hands and to my surprise a deep fried towel."

She asked the right question ... "How the hell do you get the towel in the batter and even fry it!?!?"

For its part, the restaurant seems to be taking it seriously, saying it closed down the location for 3 days to “thoroughly review its compliance with procedures and retrain its store team.”

It then tried delivering a testimonial ... “Jollibee has carefully developed and complied with food preparation systems to ensure that we deliver excellent quality products and customer satisfaction. We will continue to endeavor to deliver on the high standards we have set for ourselves and franchisees,”

Marilyn Monroe's cookbooks -- the only 2 confirmed to have been owned by the icon -- offer a glimpse into her personal life along with her diet ... and they're expected to fetch up to $75,000.

The books -- "The New Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook Book" and "The New Joy of Cooking" -- were both published in the early 1950s and are in decent shape for being 7 decades old ... but of course, the content of the hardbacks are hardly the attraction.

Instead, it's the fact that several handwritten notes are included in the cookbooks ... including a listing menu for Beef Bourguignon and marrow bone soup, a grocery shopping list, and a deli business card on which she wrote a Doheny Drive address on the back.

There's also a newspaper clipping of a recipe for cheese lasagna that she doodled on, and perhaps most interestingly ... a typed diet with options for all 3 meals.

According to the diet ... Marilyn had either orange juice or stewed prunes to drink daily for her 8 AM breakfast along with toast and cereal. She went pretty carb-heavy for lunch, and had the choice of beef, chicken, lamb, sweetbread, fish or chicken liver for dinner.

She also had 2 scheduled milk and cracker snacks, and capped everything off at the end of the night ... with eggnog at 11 PM!!! It's unclear if the nog was spiked.

The Oakland A's have FIRED the food vendor responsible for serving its minor league players meals that look WORSE than the Fyre Festival, the team announced.

Look at these terrible meals -- this is the crap players, coaches and staffers in the A's minor league system were served up during recent road trips ... and the players couldn't take it anymore!

Photos of the insultingly bad meals were posted on the Twitter page for the Advocates for Minor Leaguers group -- a watchdog group for minor league players.

The group explained, "Players in the Oakland A’s organization shared these photos of their recent post-game meals. No employer would serve these meals to employees they care about. Why are the A’s serving them to their future Major Leaguers?"

Great question, right?!

Enter Dave Kaval, president of the A's ... who claims the team was PISSED when it found out about the food situation -- and insists team honchos took immediate action.

"This was totally unacceptable," Kaval said ... "When we found out several weeks ago we terminated the third party vendor."

"We apologize to our players, staff, and coaches. We will redouble our efforts to provide the best options for our team at every level."

Note to players, if the team ever tries to screw you out of food or bottled water in the future, you know who to call ...

So POTUS, FLOTUS, the VP and the Second Gentleman all walk into a bar ... much to the delight of a bunch of stunned patrons.

President Biden and his wife, Jill -- flanked by Kamala Harris, her husband, Doug, and some Secret Service agents, of course -- hit up the popular D.C. restaurant, Le Diplomate ... in a Memorial Day visit the White House says was unscheduled.

As you can see ... the diners weren't expecting such famous guests to be joining them for lunch, but everyone looked happy as heck about it.

Earlier Monday, Biden and Harris and their spouses attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Biden's Le Diplomate appearance is his first known sit-down visit to a restaurant as Prez, coming not long after the CDC lifted COVID-19 restrictions for those who are vaccinated.

BTW -- the French eatery is a known favorite of the First Lady's ... it even added her favorite dish as a menu special earlier this year after Biden was elected President.