Bad newspaper review

quote:

Originally posted by Scallion1

Sorry to disagree, but it seems like a perfectly fair review to me. He complains that the pickles should have been free (and who charges for pickles?), that the beans had no flavor (no, he doesn't say that they should have been barbequed, just that they didn't have the promised bbq flavor), that the ribs were, apparently, boiled (if so, the whole premise that this place was worth eating in goes out the window), that certain things were overpeppered and others had no seasoning.

What's the problem here? If the reviewer's wrong, and the place is busy, it won't make any difference. And if the review is accurate, the owner should be kicking himself, and, as Michael notes, his friends and family for not weighing in with some constructive criticism.

If you think that this is a vicious, self-serving, intimidating review, you haven't read any real rough reviewers. The writer is trying to practice his craft and make a living, just like the rest of us. If all of his reviews were gushes, he'd be untrue to his standards and out of a job.

So why is he a dope?

quote:

who charges for pickels? soonjab thats who! not as expensive as his ice though.

You could always sue!
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-settlement_17met.ART.North.Edition2.22c595ec.html

A lawsuit against The Dallas Morning News by a local restaurateur over a review of his new eatery has been dismissed after the sides reached a settlement.

Hello All,
Reflex, you are very cute...as cute as a pimple on my butt. But keep
trying. You do have possibility of becoming an endearing character if
you learn to control your satire. To fill your entire entry with your
comedy style became boring and a distraction to what you wanted to say,
if you really had anything to say. Refine your talents, my friend, and
that is my review of you.
I do work at at a newspaper, as a pressman, a lowly pressman, but I do
deal with the reporters and editors. They are good people, but they
are elitist. They are more than willing to take a second look at a story
they have written, but they will be defensive. If you had a bad day when
they reviewed your food, they are willing to be revisit your business. It
may take a while, but you can find ways to encourage them. But if you
produce bad food, you will get the same type of review.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Reflex, you may be very talented in your thoughts but your grammar and communications need to be improved. I appreciate your thoughts and knowledge but In my opinion, regardless of your writing skills, you need to improve.

Fieldthistle, perhaps you need to chill a little also.

Paul E. Smith
Moderator
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Fieldthistle


I do work at at a newspaper, as a pressman, a lowly pressman, but I do
deal with the reporters and editors. They are good people, but they
are elitist. They are more than willing to take a second look at a story
they have written, but they will be defensive. If you had a bad day when
they reviewed your food, they are willing to be revisit your business. It
may take a while, but you can find ways to encourage them. But if you
produce bad food, you will get the same type of review.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

As an editor and newspaper columnist I have worked with pressmen. They are mostly good people, but they are quite elitist in their belief that reporters and editors are incapable of doing their jobs without the best efforts of pressmen.

It is true, to a certain extent, that without pressmen any jobs done well by reporters and editors would be of little use. It is also true that pressmen usually know more about food than reporters and editors. But that's because pressmen actually get time for lunch -- something that almost never happens for reporters and editors.

Pressmen remind me a great deal of the teletype operators we used to have at The Associated Press. The operators felt that without them there would be no news report. Reporters and editors at The Associated Press believed that was true, and we knew that it was the operators who cleaned up our copy as they punched it into tape for transmission to newspapers, magazines and broadcasters. Until, that is, The Associated Press bought out the teletype operators in the 1970s after switching to computers.

Yes, Fieldthistle, there is a Santa Claus, and there is life for reporters and editors after pressmen.

But it would be a bleak life. Thanks for what you do.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I have one thing to say..................it sounds like you news guy people are cool! Keep up the good work and here is to more bad restaurant reviews. In my opinion, many of the reviewers are far too kind!!!!

Hello All,
Hey Michael, I know that I am just an ink Monkey.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

What would you do if you got a GOOD review???
Same newspaper, different writer:
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_docid=10F1C84FED1F3178&p_docnum=5&p_queryname=3&p_product=BGDB&p_theme=aggregated4&p_nbid=B5AN48DGMTEyMjA2NzU0MS4xOTA1MTE6MTo2OmJncmVlbg

Around 1994 I took over a small bar/restaurant in North Florida that had been running some thirty years with four different owners. The town was small (one red light) but had plenty of character and potential, being close to seveveral large cities with a multi-lake based recreation area. The bar was about the only thing keeping the doors open and was supported by 30+ regulars at "happy hour".

I printed a temporary menu, which included around 15 appetizers for the present crowd, some being sampler portions of entrees and proceeded to feed the business that we had. In a town without a newspaper, good food says it all and a turnaround was at hand.

About four weeks after the takeover we received a call from the big city newspaper requesting a time they could arrange a shot of some patrons eating inside the restaurant. I knew that the food editor was either on the way or maybe had already dined with us so I shifted into fifth gear. I moved to an evening menu that was a staple of my cooking experiences and proven smile makers which also reduced the size of the old menu by 50% while improving the speed and quality of the kitchen.

I "inherited" about 18 employees whom I had been observing for some two weeks before I actually took over and realized the waitstaff needed some major overhauling. Thinking back we probably had enough bodies for a weekly support group for the staff alone. Finding waitstaff can be a major undertaking in any city, much less a small town where the current staff walked around to the bar side and slammed shots as soon as they were off their shift. We recycled about 60% and proceeded to move ahead.

One Thursday evening, opertating at a moderate clip, the youngest member of our waitstaff (23) brought in an order for a four top and left to make some salads. I was running the line and when I read the ticket I realized that we did not have any of the four dishes on the order. We kept on cooking and finally we got the waitress back in the kitchen and told her to get a reorder immediately and we would expedite the food. The kitchen is starting to jam with orders. Our waitress returns with the new ticket and I look at it in amazement and see four more items for non available food. The waitress has given this table the "old" menu.

Back to the table and our waitress finally has an order that I cooked in record time and watched as the food left the kitchen.

The next night the waitress skipped out and stole the money from three of her tables, later we found out she was in rehab.

I found out via another waitress who was standing next to the table, that after the third time returning to the table our watress was asked by the fourtop what she might recommend and she replied that she hadn't eaten here and really didn't care all that much for seafood. Another waitress told me that she saw her in the walk-in stumbling around in circles that same Thursday night.

The restaurant reviews come out on Fridays and I was up at 5:00 a.m checking the early papers for several weeks until it finally happened. The review opened something like this, located across from a funeral home, and so on. The restaurant critic was the Thursday night fourtop waited on by our departed employee! The waitress was mentioned in regard to the staggered service which yielded cold food before the condiments were brought and the fact that the waitress had put two of the dinners on the wrong table. But the house took the shot. High accolades were given to our huspuppies and note was taken that the cocktail sauce was made in house. The balance of the review involved cold food and cold sarcasim.

I was sitting in a gas station at 5:00 a.m. reading this review and almost threw up. Later in the day I called the editor and talked about the review and found out that due to monetary restraints the food critic was allowed to eat only once in any restaurant. A situation the editor had planned on changing in the future. I was left with a sick feeling and questions on how to deal with the public,friends, and the employees.

The following Saturday night we set an all-time record for food sales! Person after person would come into the kitchen and say hello and laugh about the review with stories regarding how they have never had a good meal at a restaurant that the the newspaper cared for.


The newspaper policy changed and we have since gotten a "glowing" review after a fire/rebuild, life goes on.

This might be of interest to you pros. It's a NY Times article on the influence of bloggers on the industry--not a pretty story! If you can't get to it, let me know.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119162341176250617.html?mod=weekend_journal_primary_hs

I have had mushy bones before. Didn't really bother me but I thought it was really, really weird. Turned out to be an anomoly for the place. I had gone back because the sauce was great.

I've also had fatty ribs. I didn't go back to those places. Everyone has their limits. Marrow's a delicacy in some places, right?

First of all, I'd challenge any false statements with a letter to the editor. Saying that your beans are too peppery is just an opinion. But saying "as if the ribs had been boiled too long" is a false (or at least very misleading) statement if you don't boil your ribs at all. I would take issue with that.

But the way this article was written, I doubt this person is even a professionally trained writer, much less a trained food critic.

Unless there are outright falsehoods in the article, the best course of action would be to ignore it. It's already yesterday's news, soon to be forgotten unless you give them cause to remember.

quote:

Originally posted by SimonD

First of all, I'd challenge any false statements with a letter to the editor. Saying that your beans are too peppery is just an opinion. But saying "as if the ribs had been boiled too long" is a false (or at least very misleading) statement if you don't boil your ribs at all. I would take issue with that.

But the way this article was written, I doubt this person is even a professionally trained writer, much less a trained food critic.

"as if they have been boiled too long." is not false or misleading. He's comparing it to something he knows could cause the results. Last week my face was all red as if I had been exposed to a house fire. In fact, I was in the sun to long. It's a simile, perfectly ok as a writing tool and nothing to cry libel over. Also, I take issue with training for food critics. I take more stock in some of the recommendations of the people on this thread than the people in the Post. Doesn't take training to know good food.

When I travel I go to a restaurant that is packed with people or even better truckers. Its the public that either makes or breaks a restaurant, an empty lot is an indication of no interest by the locals. If the customers truly love the food the newspaper review is going to do little to influence the popularity. Word of mouth is going to make it popular or kill the restaurant fast! RJF

Well i have eaten ribs in a lot of places over the years,including at home,and never had mushy rib bones.
Maybe they pressure cooked the ribs,then later covered them in bbq sauce and stuck them in an oven?

The answers friends might lie in the fact Split Tree BBQ had to close due to road expansion,and later reopened. The owner may have had to hire new cooks,which may explain the quality of the food.
Never heard of charging extra for pickles.
Someone mentioned a mexican place that had great food,but the waitstaff was less than helpful.Around here it's usually depending on what side of town your on,a little bit of a language barrier with waitstaff in San Antonio.
They should give the place another try.As I said,since the place reopened the fault maybe the new cooks.

The negative bloggers can really leave a bad taste in ones mouth, They go out of their way to be vicious, they lie and laugh at the fact that they hopefully harmed someone. They are like restaurant predators. How do I know this?? Someone last year guided me to a web site where these creeps convene, I cannot remember the site name, I was infuriated !

I have to agree with The Traveling Man. Good, bad or indifferent, if you do not have the cohonez to put your name on a "published" article then you have no credibility. If people want to spend their money on crap bbq let 'em.

I read a story recently of a long time food critic who has recently died (Maybe Milwaukee?) He went to great lengths to conceal his real identity and likeness because he felt that restaurant owners would give him special treatment in order to get favorable reviews. Most newspaper dining reviewers that I've read during the years have been anonymous.

Scallion- I would love to see a "spell check" button on the site- that could help eliminate some of the grammar and spelling problems.

"I'm resisting, or should I say kind of resisting, the temptation to indulge in quoting the misspelled, ill-formed, poorly-thought-out prose in these boards and wondering if there shouldn't be some kind of basic standard of literacy for posting here."

i dont think your words will be recieved by scallion... if you look at the date of this thread, and his last post, you will conclude that he hasnt been on this forum for quite some time now. i was never sure, wether it was voluntery, or not...lol (mispellings for effect)

Yes the comment about the mushy rib bones does sound strange.

If they were fatty then that's not good :(

I liked the comment "the drinks were generous and cold".

Ronnie
Tex Grill

quote:

Originally posted by mvanpatten

You could always sue!
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-settlement_17met.ART.North.Edition2.22c595ec.html

A lawsuit against The Dallas Morning News by a local restaurateur over a review of his new eatery has been dismissed after the sides reached a settlement.

Out of curiosity was there ever another review written about the Split Tree? Since it has been a little over 2 years, is the place gone or is business as good as ever?

Spell check can be performed by using a word processor, spell checking then copy and paste to the message window. Even the simple notes package that comes with various versions of windows will work,with a word processor window open this trick will work for many postings. RJF

Firefox had a built in spell checker that works as you type in web forms etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Frankman

Out of curiosity was there ever another review written about the Split Tree? Since it has been a little over 2 years, is the place gone or is business as good as ever?

Here's a review from 6 months ago. Sounds pretty good to me. pb
*****************************************
Split Tree has country ambiance, character
By The Daily News
Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:54 AM CDT

In the land of barbecue, which is more important: quality, quantity, authenticity or variety?

Split Tree Barbeque in Alvaton has the first three covered, not to mention a new restaurant on a hill that offers fantastic views of the land as far as the eye can see.

Split Tree's restaurant is a large, beautiful, looming log cabin with a twist. All the walls from about three feet up are windowed so that customers can take in the view of Kentucky's rolling green hills that surround them. It's a short drive out of town and boy, are you out of town. Your view is pure country. Clean concrete floors and shellacked pine picnic tables give the inside as much atmosphere as the outside.

I stopped in one Sunday because I needed to feed a crew of friends and wondered if Split Tree's food was as good as it used to be before this new restaurant opened. Split Tree was the first barbecue I had when I moved to Bowling Green and I was impressed with the authentic, homemade quality it still maintains today.

I decided to try it all. Chopped barbecue with corncakes, barbecued ribs and barbecued chicken. The chopped pork was very chunky, but easily pulled apart and mixed with the generous amount of sauce served by the pint. The pork, chicken and ribs all had a moist texture and a unique hint of smoky flavor and could have been easily enjoyed even with out the sauce.

Split Tree offers dinners with a choice of two sides, barbecue sandwiches served on corncakes or bun and a house specialty of barbecue with corncakes smothered in beans! Or you can do what I did and order meat by the pound and the sides by the pint.

The sides also had a one-of-a-kind, beyond homemade taste and texture. The cabbage in the coleslaw was not sliced, but finely chopped into miniature cubes, yet sparingly added carrots were cut in larger chunks. The flavor was less about the mayonnaise and more about the added spices that were mild at first bite but I detected what I think was a hint of dill as I continued to eat.

The beans were also different. Again, mild flavor in a creamy, thick foundation with just enough shreds of pork to hold it all together. Nothing flashy, just authentic country, which to me is different than merely tasting homemade. Authentic to me means that I feel more like I'm at a family barbecue than a restaurant. Split Tree is able to make food in large quantities, yet keep the genuineness of grandma's kitchen.

Even to the point of twisting my arm to eat dessert. The friendly staff didn't just tell me about the cherry crisp with homemade ice cream. It was a full-fledged grandmother-like ambush, insisting I have some dessert, and just like grandma, Split Tree delivered. It was the best cherry crisp I've ever had. Somehow the chef infused the cherry filling within the crispy dough so that I tasted both the cherries and the crisp in every bite. The cherry filling was not too sweet or overly tart, but allowed the cherry flavor to dominate within a smooth pie filling.

My day ended with two more authentic country experiences. I was able to take a gigantic dill pickle out of the glass canister on the counter (you don't see those much at restaurants anymore) and Judy, the owner, helped pack the meal to go, just as a grandmother would - in boxes and bags with a smile and well wishes for a safe journey.

Split Tree Barbeque
Corner of Scottsville and Wilson roads, Alvaton
842-2268
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Specialty: Barbecue

http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/2007/10/11/restaurant_reviews/34restaurants20070426.txt

See? They learned their lesson about sending the reviewer away before you pay them off. That was sickly sweet. I'm surprised he didn't praise the chairs for expertly cupping his buttocks.

quote:

Originally posted by ces1948

I read a story recently of a long time food critic who has recently died (Maybe Milwaukee?) He went to great lengths to conceal his real identity and likeness because he felt that restaurant owners would give him special treatment in order to get favorable reviews. Most newspaper dining reviewers that I've read during the years have been anonymous.

Excellent comment! I recently read a book (Dining Out) about restaurant reviewers and many of them don't use their real names, pictures or identities for all of the reasons you've mentioned. It makes sense to me :)