Yes, I raised my hand when someone else brought up the noise question, but I see the difficulties here. No reason the sandbox can't comment on it, though!

Assigning or commenting on noise is the perfect item for Monday Morning Quaterbacking. The Sandbox will likely have more visits to the subject restaurant than Lady Elizabeth. It can add a dimension to the group review and after a dozen comments, or so, we should have a consensus.

Sounds good to me. EL

As one of the persistent nags about noise, I see EL's point and admit others have different preferences from mine. But we can each choose accordingly. Just as a comment on a restaurant's decor is appropriate in a review, so is one on noise, even if based on only one visit.
My noise expectations differ in different types of restaurants. If I'm spending in the neighborhood of $100 a person, I don't want to have my table conversation drowned out by a party seated two tables away.
It seems to me there is a perceptible difference between very loud conversations and quiet talk that is not hushed but audible only in the immediate surroundings.
Having worked in a newspaper office (starting in the manual typewriter era), I am certainly accustomed to background noise. But there is a time and place for different decibel levels.

I agree about comments. It's the ratings I'm hesitant about. EL

Had lunch at Sanders Corner last Friday. Nice lunch; quiet surroundings except for the young woman seated five tables away having a conversation on her CELL PHONE ( I am channeling Spring1...lol.) I wanted to walk up to her and take it from her. Considering the comments others were making after she left, I was not alone. But I would not expect you to include that kind of information in your review.

EL, you raise an interesting point. A friend of mine works in a NYC restaurant that was recently reviewed in the Times. She told me that the reviewer came 3 times and only then published a review. Of course she knew this because they had a picture of him in the kitchen, known disguises, and known associates so they were well aware of his presence. That said, will the Sun not spring for more than one meal or is time a factor?

The Sun pays for one visit. EL

Noise is subjective. I have "dog ears" (very sensitive), so what literally hurts me doesn't bother my husband at all. I don't think Elizabeth should mention noise unless it's so loud that she literally can't hear her table-mates' conversation. She usually mentions the noise level on those occasions. Works for me.

Dottie, your "dog ears" may be similar to what "super tasters" experience in he realm of taste. When you come right down to it, everything is subjective--I know that my husband doesn't see colors the way I do, and my mother-in-law had a much keener nose than most people. Guess we have to go with averages!

I usually assume that the nosie level is moderate unless the review actually points out that it is very loud or very quiet.

That said, I like RtSO's suggestion that indepth discussion of the noise level should be part of the Monday Morning Quarterback post where space is not an issue.

A sound level reading would be one more piece of information about a given restauratn. Perception and personal opinion of noise level and content may be subjective, but the reading taken by a noise meter on the table (with the people at that table quiet) is an objective measurement of the actual sound level. If comparative readings are available (for example, interstate highway traffic noise is around 65 dBa) and the type of noise (hard rock, noisy crowd, etc.) is given, you can get a feel for whether or not you would like it there.

I like Retired in Elkridge's suggestion very much. Surely The Sun would spring for a noise meter, even these days.

Ummm--wouldn't the presence of a noise meter be a dead giveaway of a reviewer's presence in the restaurant?

I say we all buy noise meters and set them on the table when we go out to eat. That way, we would provide cover for EL.

Rosebud...it is such an obvious solution. Hiding in plain sight. Yet you are the only one who had the clear-thinking ability to suggest it.

You should get a prize.

We took our daughter to the Cambridge Brewing Company, on Kendall Square near MIT, for dinner tonight. "Dad ... it's a brewpub in Cambridge. What did you expect?" But it was enough to make my ears ring.

Here too is another installment about my worst (public) habit: trying crabcakes in foreign cities. This evening I tried the appetizer crabcake at CBC and it was as odd as I have ever had, but strangely tasty. It started with a base of corn and black bean salsa. Top with thinnest potato sticks imaginable. The crabcake itself was like a crab and bell pepper mousse, dredged in cracker crumbs and deep fried. The final garnish was an avocado foam. Think fried crab souffle.

Of course it was too loud to engage the server in any banter about what a real crabcake is!

You should get a prize.
Oh, boy!! What do I win?

Mmmmm .... foam.

Bucky seems to the Bob Barker of the Sandbox, all these prizes!

OMG, and avocado foam at that! mmmmmm......avocado foam!

Still in "Our Fair City," I engaged in a repeat of my bad habit, and ordered the crab cake appetizer at Legal Seafoods, at Cambridge Place. Without question it was the closest to a real Maryland style that I have ever had outside of our fair city. Differences: a little too much binder (not filler) which was a little eggy. My daughter wondered about the origin of the crab, species wise, but with Philips et. al. bringing lumps in from all corners of the globe who knows anymore. Blessedly, no foam of any kind!

If all they say about their quality control points is true, maybe they can bring a good product to Baltimore. I've been reluctant to go to our local branch, but I may try to get there soon.

Rev'd Canon: local for Legal is now Bethesda. The Baltimore location was pretty good, the couple of times I was there, whilst they were still there.

Ooops! I really gotta get downtown more often.