The glory of a truly bad restaurant review

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I love bad restaurant reviews. I think that food critics secretly love them too. Take today's example by Jay Rayner. Post more please.

― Ed (dali), Sunday, 30 November 2003 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I think all critics love a bad review really. That one's great, it reads very well, but I guess bad reviews are slightly easier aswell.

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 30 November 2003 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

haha in america, or chicago at least, there seems to be no such thing as a bad restaurant review. or at least, it's quite a rarity. typically, there is this strong copulsion towards politesse which means you have to read between the lines. most reviews will include what amounts to friendly constructive criticism and no worse.

i rather like these actually, there is enough negativity in reviews of music, movies, theater, etc.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Sunday, 30 November 2003 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

of course it helps that chicago's restaurant scene isn't dominated by modish slapping together of incompatible traditions and other high concepts.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Sunday, 30 November 2003 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The same nosh hut gets a RAVE review in the IOS today!

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Sunday, 30 November 2003 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

taking a shot at the dude's posture was a bit much i think

― typo acapulco (gcannon), Sunday, 30 November 2003 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Of course a bad review could be because of so many factors, maybe mr rayner's piles were acting up, maybe he just fancied panning the place because he thought Connery was the better Bond? Who knows?

― Ed (dali), Sunday, 30 November 2003 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

One of my fave poison pen reviews ever is of Bobby Flay's Bolo

Meanwhile, the lamb tenderloin consists of four nickel-sized pieces, none of which seems to bear the haziest connection to the late animal for which it is named. Artichoke heart with quail eggs and salmon caviar is, alas, a glutinous mess. Suggestion for the full appetizer of grilled octopus: more chillin' and less grillin'. It is badly overcooked. And saying that the shrimp with white bean vinaigrette tastes like cardboard would be an insult to cardboard everywhere.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Sunday, 30 November 2003 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

(!!! I didn't realize MUG had resumed operation. Cool.)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 30 November 2003 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I always find when I review something that if I'm even slightly negative, my instinct is to pick up on all the negatives involved and concentrate on them, usually sarcastically and without balance. It's a lifestyle choice.

― Markelby (Mark C), Sunday, 30 November 2003 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Sort of off-topic, but the Flay review made me wonder if there was a site devoted to airplane food, and sure enough...

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 30 November 2003 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

ack! mysteriously addictive website!

― teeny (teeny), Sunday, 30 November 2003 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

s1utsky is conspicuous by his absence from this here thread.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Sunday, 30 November 2003 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

As is Paul Eater.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 1 December 2003 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

the airline meals site is great! i was having way to much fun reading the user comments.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 December 2003 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

(especially those from howard long, frequent first-class flyer, who laments that the days of being able to chug champagne right up until disembarking are over.)

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 December 2003 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

no comment(s)!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

See, writing good reviews of anything seems to take one dangerously close to ad-copy land. Writing torpedoes takes you close to playa-hatin'. So you have to be CAREFUL... and it's so hard to be entertaining with that caution pole up your ass...

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Monday, 1 December 2003 01:24 (twenty-one years ago)

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