Award goes to an imaginary restaurant
What role should a critic play in helping you choose a restaurant? This is a question that comes up from time to time with our Top 10 Tuesday lists, but I hope I've made it clear that they are simply to get the discussion going. For newbies out there, I even wrote a disclaimer at one point.
But what about reviews that appear in national publications? I guess I expect the glossy magazines to send critics before they issue awards, or at the very least make it clear that they haven't. Esquire's restaurant critic John Mariani says he has actually sampled the prime rib at the Prime Rib, as well as many other prime ribs, so I trust him when he praises it.
We discussed a local Food & Wine mention for best wine list in an earlier post, which leads to me to a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the wine list of an imaginary restaurant. The incident is both disturbing -- especially the paying $250 part -- and funny.
Thanks to the several readers who sent me this link.
(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)
Comments
What roll should a critic play in helping you choose a restaurant?
I think that should be role.
Too much food critic on the brain, perhaps? ;-)
I should not be allowed to write posts this close to lunchtime. Mmmm...rolls.
Thanks. I'll change it. EL
Posted by: hmpstd | August 25, 2008 11:14 AM
WS makes a killig off the fees. The article I read said they made one million dollars of submission fees last year and that 90% (or more?) of submissions won an award. I don't think readers expect them to visit the lower tier award winners. Their process is spelled out: submit a menu and a wine list. Then they evaluate each and how the wine list serves the menu.
I still think a Top Ten imaginary restautant list would be very entertaining.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | August 25, 2008 11:29 AM
Just to be balanced, here is WS's side of the story.
I'm not taking sides...I have no dog in this fight. I'm a Two Buck Chuck guy myself.
This is an excellent counterbalance, and I hope readers will take a look at it. The one thing it doesn't address, it seems to me, is the below-par reserve list. Or should that not be a factor? EL
Posted by: Rob't from TBRS | August 25, 2008 11:50 AM
I have a feeling that this week's Top Ten is going to be more interesting than usual. There were some quirky ideas from Terrierland.
What? You don't usually find Top 10 Tuesday thrilling? EL
Posted by: OMG | August 25, 2008 12:17 PM
What? You don't usually find Top 10 Tuesday thrilling? EL
I'm usually preoccupied choosing prizes for Funtastic Thursday by then. Plus with my spearfishing lessons it's a busy day. Voodoopork will be back soon. He's top ten guy.
Posted by: OMG | August 25, 2008 2:15 PM
My family and I have just returned from a technology free trip abroad - no gameboys, cell phones, xbox, or BLOGS. It was hard to get them off the e-crack, espcially the big overly salty pork one. (Thank you for noticing our absence Terrier Mom.) As much as I enjoy this blog, it was nice to have my husband back for a while, but now you can have him again. ;)
P.S. Any top ten that doesn't involve sandwiches is fine with me. I can't take another Sandwich-palooza in my kitchen.
Posted by: Amanda C. | August 25, 2008 2:29 PM
Actually some of the restaurants we've had sound pretty fictitious. Tandoori Indian with a harbor-side view of the Constellation?? Who thought that one up?
Posted by: MD Canon | August 25, 2008 3:42 PM
Aloha friends...I'm going for a burger and dessert and to test the theory that there is are an infinte number of ways to combine rum and fruit juice into a refreshing drink.
The last part may take a while. Hang loose.
Posted by: Rob't from TBRS | August 25, 2008 4:56 PM
A Hawaiian burger joint in the John Denver State? huh?
I'm sure its quite tasty, as long as its burger and not RMO.
Top Shelf Margaritas, the cure for what ails you!
Posted by: Rob in PCB FL | August 25, 2008 9:14 PM
Rob in PCB FL -- I think Rob't in TBRS is actually going to one of the two Bubba Burgers Hawaii locations on the island of Kawai. I don't think that there's any true link to TBRS, notwithstanding the inclusion on the Bubba website of that photo of the Coors Tavern in Pueblo. Having burgers in Kawai sure beats having those frozen patty Bubba Burgers, which is what I had originally feared when I cursored over the hyperlink in Rob't in TBRS's above blog entry.
The other link was to a picture of Hula Pie, which appears to be macadamia nut ice cream over an Oreo cookie crust, with whipped cream, fudge sauce, and more nuts on top. Has anybody in the Sandbox partaken of this dessert? (Can you get macadamia nut ice cream on the East Coast?)
Posted by: hmpstd | August 26, 2008 7:01 AM