"I was never threatened covering the cops beat nor while reporting on a big Mafia trial, but I was threatened – twice – for writing negative reviews of two restaurants.
Shows where the passion is, I guess." Restaurant critics write about (and link to) their most negative reviews and discuss the measured and reasonable responses they received after their publication.
[more inside]
posted by the young rope-rider
on Dec 27, 2012 -
54 comments
Eater DC's monthly interview series, '
The Gatekeepers' talks to the hosts and hostesses at some of the city's most prestigious restaurants, discussing hard-hitting topics such as securing lucrative reservations, choosing the best table, and the favorite dishes of the famous dignitaries that pass through Washington. Their
most recent interview, however, went a bit differently, perhaps revealing a bit more than intended about the world of fine dining -- a world where bribes are
de rigeur, black customers are not seated next to each other, and well-dressed patrons are given preferential service. Though few in the industry will admit to it,
bribing the host appears to be the fastest way to get a table (unless you're a tourist, or the Maitre d' happens to be the
CEO of Groupon).
HuffPo and the
City Paper react.
posted by schmod
on Jul 23, 2012 -
53 comments
Drive 8.7 km (5.4 miles) west of
the municipality of Roses in Catalonia, Spain, and you'll get to
the gates of the renowned avant-garde restaurant,
El Bulli. Run by Ferran Adrià since 1987,
the restaurant closed in 2012 due to Adrià and his partner Juli Soler
losing a half million Euros a year on the restaurant and Adrià's cooking workshop in Barcelona. Slate's Noreen Malone wrote an article on
the history of the "I Ate at El Bulli" piece, giving an overview of tropes that you could expect in an IAaEB piece, and you can
browse images tagged "elbulli" on Flickr for snapshots of personal experiences. But for an extended look into what went into making the ever-changing
35-course taster's menu,
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (Trailer on YT and
Vimeo) is
a 109 minute documentary on the preparation and implementation of the 2008/9 season, an "
extreme fly-on-the-wall vérité, with only the barest context provided." If you're looking for recipes,
Molecular Recipes has a few listed under
the El Bulli tag.
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on Jun 4, 2012 -
26 comments
Diner for Schmucks. GQ's restaurant reviewer
Alan Richman had heard "nothing but great things about M. Wells, one of New York City's hottest restaurants—the food was amazing, the setting sublime, the ambience charming. And, in fact, everything was going quite well. Until..." More at
Eater.
(Via) [more inside]
posted by zarq
on Aug 17, 2011 -
238 comments
The Epicurean online. Charles Ranhofer's 1893 book
The Epicurean is available online from the
Michigan State University Library and the
Museum as part of their
Feeding America digital project. Ranhofer was the head chef at
Delmonico's Restaurant from 1862 to 1894; he popularized the Escoffier version of French cooking to America, modifying it to take advantage of American foods such as turkey, squash, corn, and Pacific salmon. Besides thousands of recipes,
The Epicurean discusses table settings, menus, various methods of presentation, and kitchen management. The book may be downloaded as a PDF in
two parts.
posted by watsondog
on Sep 11, 2005 -
7 comments
We know that the French take their food seriously, and restaurant ratings
are a BIG deal over there. But here's a sad illustration of that: famed chef
Bernard Loiseau was found dead yesterday of an apparent suicide, and speculation
centers around his downgraded rating from the influential GaultMillau guide. Shades of
Vatel?
posted by Vidiot
on Feb 26, 2003 -
17 comments
