Famous Food

George Clooney and Rande Gerber kept a tradition going of celebrating their birthdays, thanks to Amal -- who surprised the hell outta both of 'em over the weekend.

Sources close to the group tell TMZ ... Amal invited Rande and Cindy Crawford to fly to the UK to surprise George, and join them for an intimate Saturday night dinner. We're told it worked ... George was dumbfounded when he saw his bff.

George and Rande -- whose birthdays fall within about a week of each other -- usually celebrate together, but since George and Amal moved to London ... it seemed like that might not happen.

Rande's appearance wasn't the only surprise. We're told Amal brought out a custom Casamigos cake -- featuring mini George and Rande figurines ... which actually kinda does 'em justice.

Chef Curry with the pot!!!

Ayesha Curry -- wife of NBA superstar Steph Curry -- is opening her own own BBQ restaurant in San Francisco with the help of one of the most famous chef/restaurateurs in the world!

Make no mistake about it, Ayesha is a legit cook -- and has been featured on the Food Network a bunch of times over the years.

Now, she's making the leap and opening her own place -- with Michael Mina ... who operates TWO Michelin star rated restaurants.

Ayesha says the restaurant will be called International Smoke -- and will open mid 2017.

The menu will feature ribs, BBQ lobster, slow cooked pork, sausage and more!

Starbucks' pink and blue Unicorn Frappuccino craze has a Brooklyn coffee shop feeling straight-up blue ... and super pissed off.

Owners of The End claim the idea of a brightly colored, multi-flavored drink was theirs, AND they came up with it months before Starbucks. In a lawsuit, The End says its Unicorn Latte features pink and blue colors and ZERO coffee ... just like Starbucks' concoction.

According to the suit ... The End started selling its Unicorn Latte in December 2016 and filed paperwork to own the name in January. Starbucks rolled out their beverage in April, and The End says it's confusing consumers -- Unicorn Frapp, Unicorn Latte ... tomato, tomahto.

The End wants Starbucks to stop using Unicorn on all its drinks and pay up for stealing it. Not fuh nuthin' but ... the Brooklyn shop also wants a public apology.

A Starbucks rep tells us ... the suit is without merit, and its drink was inspired by many unicorn-themed foods and drinks trending on social media.

While Steph Curry and LeBron James make another playoff run, Kobe Bryant is reaping the benefits of retired life -- snappin' pics with beautiful models and eating Reese's Puffs.

Super hot Instagram model Shelley Golden posted the encounter in California with the NBA legend, jokingly saying "Me and bae getting groceries as usual."

In case you were dying to find out what food fuels Retired Mamba in the morning ... it looks like Kobe's all about that PB and chocolate deliciousness.

Who said retirement would be boring?

DJ Khaled's all hyped up to work at Starbucks ... not as a barista (that would be awesome though) ... but as the star of a new ad campaign -- and we got his audition on camera!

The rapper was rolling in a golf cart Tuesday at the Beverly Glen Circle in L.A. -- indulging in some pumpkin cake -- when he breaks down how un-un-un-un-un-un-un-un-un-believable the product is.

If any casting agents are watching ... Khaled's waiting for the MAJOR KEY!!

Liam Neeson's known for hunting down bad guys and making them pay, but he's also skilled at hunting down good guys who want to give him a delicious free sandwich.

The manager at Big Star Sandwich Co. in New Westminster, Canada put up a sign Tuesday morning offering Liam free grub after hearing he was filming in the area. Our sandwich meat sources (yep, we got those) tell us a few hours later ... BOOM ... Mr. "Taken" walked into the shop!

We're told he used his most intimidating voice and simply said, "Where is my free sandwich?"

Liam didn't actually eat because he had to rush back to set, but did snap a pic with employees. The actor's up there shooting "Hard Powder" ... a movie about a snow plow driver seeking revenge against a drug kingpin who he thinks murdered his son.

Instant classic. The photo. Probably not the movie.

The Fyre Festival's now notorious sandwich photo was the staff lunch and guests actually got awesome food ... so claim sources connected to festival organizers.

We're told guests were served chicken, pasta, burgers and fries and salad ... not just a gnarly cheese sandwich. As for breakfast ... donuts, waffles and coffee.

People who attended the festival tell us quite a few people were actually staying in villas near the campsite ... the tents were low-end accommodations. And, we're told, the people who rented villas had access to speedboats.

We're also told Billy McFarland vows to return everyone's money, and he's "devastated."

We haven't gotten any word that anyone has received a refund ... so far.

Sony is pissed at Applebee's for using AC/DC and C+C Music Factory songs without ever paying a dime for them ... according to a new lawsuit.

Sony says it owns the license and copyright on "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and "Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" -- both of which are featured in the restaurant's ad campaign.

According to the suit, Sony was contacted through a third party about using the tracks in TV spots plugging wood-fired beef and the Applebee's to-go service. Sony says it quoted prices -- $250k for the AC/DC tune, and $50k for C+C Music Factory's -- and sent license agreements, but never got paid.

When Sony reached out for their money, Applebee's claimed it already paid the third party. Not good enough for Sony, obviously, which is suing the restaurant for the $300k, plus damages.

1:44 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Applebee's has responded, stating, “Applebee's intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit, which we believe does not have merit. We cannot comment further on pending litigation.”

The Jimmy John's cashier who didn't flinch when a robber put a gun in his face has a simple explanation for his cool reaction -- dude seemed like a total rookie.

We spoke to Tuker Murray -- Assistant GM at the Kansas City, MO shop, and he told us he never feared for his life, despite staring down the barrel of the handgun. Surveillance video of the Wednesday night confrontation went viral when KCPD released it.

Tuker says there was nothing intimidating about the perp. And get this ... when we told him the gun had actually jammed (you can see it in the video), he said his response would have been even ballsier.

The suspect, 54-year-old Terry Rayford, got away with $280. He's since been caught, and turns out he wasn't a rook at all.

Harsh reality here about Dos Equis' new Most Interesting Man in the World -- dude loves him some rosé!

The new guy, whose name is Augustin Legrand, was chilling Thursday at Sant Ambroeus in NYC's West Village. So, let's see ... he has a French name, and he's at a French restaurant ... so maybe the rosé makes sense.

Sure his beer bosses might not be thrilled with the image, but we're guessing his contract doesn't require him to drink Dos Equis 24/7.

As they say in Paris -- Reste soif, mes amis!

Where's the first place you go after getting selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft and becoming a millionaire overnight???

MICKEY D'S, BABY!

That was the plan for ex-USC cornerback Adoree Jackson -- who was so excited after being taken with the 18th pick by the Tennessee Titans, he already had his order planned out!

Jackson was in a great mood -- and told us about his big plans to become an A-list crossover celebrity!

There's an old saying, "No man is an island," but Justin Bieber may have disproved that Thursday during a solo lunch in bustling Bev Hills.

The Biebs was dining alone at Georgie, a restaurant attached to the Montage hotel. He was chillin' with the help of his laptop, oblivious to the ladies who were lunching around him and no doubt noticing someone famous was in their midst.

The second half of the Waffle House empire is no more -- co-founder Tom Forkner has died ... one month after the death of his partner, Joe Rogers Sr.

Waffle House confirmed Forkner's death. Co-founder Joe died in early March.

Waffle House was founded in 1955 in Georgia. It's one of the only restaurant chains that's open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It has more than 1,500 locations across the country.

Tom -- who was 98 years old -- joins Joe, at 97, in the big waffle house in the sky.

RIP

Jay Z and Beyonce have a carefully orchestrated escape plan to hide her baby bump whenever they're in public, and they rolled it out after dinner in Malibu.

The couple slipped out of Nobu Sunday night under heavy cover ... from bodyguards to choreographed SUVs. We'll say this ... their drivers pulled some slick maneuvers during the elaborate game of hide-that-belly.

It's weird though, because Beyonce hasn't been shy about sharing preggo shots ... she just posted a bunch more this weekend.

Guess she only trusts her photographers, and her security will continue playing linemen to shield her until babies #2 and 3 arrive.

The Starbucks barista who blasted his company's glitter-coated sensation -- the Unicorn Frapp -- is NOT getting canned, and is actually getting a promotion of sorts.

Our Starbucks sources say Braden Burson will not be disciplined by bosses at the Colorado shop where he works -- despite his social media bitching about too many people ordering the beverage he calls a nightmare to make.

In fact, a rep for the company told us the brass is interested in hearing more of Braden's feedback to improve the experience for customers and employees. It sounds too good to be true: Trash your employer's product, then get invited to chat with the bosses?

We're a bit skeptical too ... especially since Braden's video has all the markings of a brilliant viral ad campaign. BTW, he's since deleted the vid ... another common viral strategy.

But if people keep ordering the new frapp, and he keeps complaining ... who knows? Kid could make VP before he's 20!

Beyonce is super pregnant, but you gotta have quick eyes to know, because she's definitely not posin' for the paps.

Bey was leaving Beauty & Essex Tuesday in L.A., and made a quick exit to her SUV in under 5 seconds -- while her security scrambled trying to shield the queen.

As you know, Bey is having twins and bailed on Coachella per doctor's orders. But clearly she's not bedridden.

Looks like she's rockin' her "Lemonade" braids again. Then again ... it was all such a blur.