Michael Stipe Becomes Restaurant Reviewer for Gwyneth Paltrow

Michael Stipe has revealed an unlikely sideline as a restaurant reviewer -- by listing his favourite New Orleans eateries as guest editor of Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle e-newsletter Goop.

The R.E.M. frontman lists a total of 22 favourite places in the city, where the band recorded some of its new album.

Paltrow gushed, "Aside from being the frontman in one of the most innovative and brilliant bands of all time, R.E.M., Michael is an obsessed foodie like the rest of us here at Goop."

She added, "Michael recently spent a good chunk of time in the Big Easy recording the band's next album, and true to form, discovered his favorite culinary gems, which he has so graciously shared with us."

Stipe is named by Paltrow in her introduction as Goop's first ever guest editor and she describes him as "a dear friend."

In his review, he goes on to explain why he's chosen the establishments listed, which include Pravda, Buffa's and Tipitina's.

He concludes with a spot called Cochon, which he describes as "the apex of New Orleans cool."

Stipe explains, "Cochon is Peter Buck's favorite restaurant in New Orleans, and he eats there pretty much every night that he can.

"The food, service, drinks, and freshness are unparalleled. Cochon was, in my short stay there, the gathering place for Alex Chilton; Ana Matronix (sic) from Scissor Sisters; Nicolas Cage, Eddie Vedder, Tim Robbins; Mario Batali, Dermot Mulroney, Parker Posey, various local and international writers, and of course, Peter Buck."

As previously reported by Spinner, R.E.M. finished off their as-yet-untitled new record in Berlin.

Their 15th studio album and follow-up to 2008's Accelerator, it's being produced by Jacknife Lee.

The band's manager Bertis Downs has said of it, "I will not report on the sound or the dimension of the recordings so far, to my ears it all sounds like quite a wonderful set of songs."

The album is due out in spring 2011.