I've been staying away on purpose. Could barely contain myself the past few days with all that I was hearing from Floridian writer Ben Montgomery's cubicle. He thinks I'm stalking him, I'm sure. The result of all his efforts was the incredible piece about chef Robert Irvine in the paper today.

Ben's thoughtful, balanced story enumerated so many ways in which Irvine twisted facts or wholesale invented a past for himself. In a phone interview with me last March, he emphatically stated that he'd put $9 million of his own money into Ooze and Schmooze. Doesn't seem like that was the case.

I could dish about his shenanigans all day long--it's galling to be lied to. Delicious though it might be, there are bigger issues to focus on. As a celebrity chef on the Food Network, Irvine would have brought national attention to St. Petersburg with the launch of his two restaurants. Bon Appetit, Gourmet et al would have turned their sights on our town, albeit briefly. But that's how cities get on the culinary map. Having a notable and flashy restaurant unveiled and celebrated often has the effect of drawing the attention of other chefs and investors. Good (or at least buzz-worthy) restaurants beget other good restaurants.

If Ooze and Schmooze don't open it will be a loss for St. Petersburg, not to mention the condos at 400 Beach Drive.