Letter of the Week
ELV invited commenter Reality Check to let ‘er rip with his 13+ reasons to hate food critics.
Here is his (partial and to-be-augmented) response for your delectation, rumination, and edification:
14. Pompous food critics hurt people’s feelings .
It’s one thing to express your opinion to the chef or owner of a restaurant. It’s quite another to assault them over the public airwaves.
13. Pompous food critics never invite their victims to respond to their criticism.
Like hit and run drivers, pompous food critics do their damage, and run for cover.
12. Pompous food critics use vitriol to excess.
To pompous food critics, vitriol is salt.
11. Pompous food critics have no souls.
Once you make that deal with the devil there’s no going back.
10. Pompous food critics reak of bagna cauda.
See that guy driving with his windows down in Detroit in January?
09. Pompous food critics have pretty bad taste in music, which leaves their overall credibility suspect.
Flock of Seagulls and Men Without Hats? I should stop here.
To be continued, my front of the house friend.
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Speaking of food critics, is fleur de sal “worth its salt” as Steingarten mentions in “Something…Ate”? I noticed it usage in a recent review. SoCal L8rz.
January 16th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Heh. It’s so easy to attack, but not as easy to take the conversation to another level. I’ve at least grown to respect the the harsher “critics of the critic” here in the ELV community who can at least back up their criticism with real knowledge. Again, while I don’t always agree with Mr. ELV, I at least realize that he’s no culinary lightweight. Sorry, but “Reality Check” needs to follow through on just that.
January 16th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Finally a real cocktail lounge!! Just head out of Herbs and Rye and had a blast . We didn’t order much food which was a hug mistake after we saw what the people next to us had it looked excellent. We had a few appetizers and they were all ROCKIN!! The bar Program is simply the best I have had in the city.
We will be back soon
January 17th, 2010 at 6:14 am
ELV certainly doesn’t need me or anyone else to leap to the defense of his critical efforts, but if, as a former theatre critic, I may be permitted a few observations………
A good critic of any artistic endeavor (be it food, theatre, film, dance, etc.) provides not only context for his observations, but also the basics of reportage–the who, what, why, when & where. Without that context and explanation, the critic’s observations, whether favorable or “un”, lack credibility. A good critic also expresses him or herself with wit, evocative descriptions, clarity, and generally correct spelling and grammar.
While ELV may not always be successful in every one of these endeavors (Who among us is?), his success-rate is light-years beyond most of those who criticize him, particularly Mr. Reality Check and his semiliterate ilk.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
No critic I? The Gods be praised! The context here is a response to an invitation to communicate. The context has, therefore, been established. I didn’t graduate from the Department of Redundancy Department like writer DD. This isn’t an article for Pompous Critics Monthly. Funny though, the only writer coming to the defense of PFC Curtas is, of course, another pompous critic. Pass the thesaurus, please. Semiliterate ilk win again!
January 20th, 2010 at 4:51 am
Now I understand! In Reality Check’s world-view ALL critics are “pompous” (though it’s clear from his use of this and several other words that he’s a little vague about their actual meaning). Now that his context has truly been established, so has his credibility.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:43 am
I don’t know where I would be without your blog / NPR commentary about where to go when I have many restaurant choices that run from bad to quality experiences.
To the haters of critics: There is a world of difference between the McDonalds / Olive Gardens of Las Vegas and fine dining. You must know this deep down inside that stomach of yours.
January 20th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I’m hoping the next installment will focus more on criticism of the content of the reviewer. The first part of this list reads like JC made you sad and you’re just lobbing personal attack bombs. Really?? We should distrust critics because they smell funny (Ad Hominem), listen to shitty music (opinion), have no “soul” (meaningless), and are mean? (too bad, chin up sweetpea)
So, you’ve establish John is a smelly jerk… good for you. Those opinions in no way diminish the content of his reports.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Wow! John you certainly have quite a loyal following! I posted my hasty comment having only read the Outback review. Enough! The more I read your reviews the more I’m drawn in as well! The coolest one was when you gave props to the owner of The Omelet House and promised to remain a patron after a bad review. Class act! Even if you might occasionally reek of Bagna Calda!
January 20th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Indeed, John’s treatment of the proprietor of the Omelette House was one of his finest moments -topped only by his recent reviews of City Center.