Slog Comments
Restaurant Zoe: A Review (Plus More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About a Certain Dessert)
19
I have read your other reviews of Scott and Heather's restaurants and they never seem to be nice...Ever.
I understand that you are a food critic and some places do need criticism but have you ever thought to call the owners or the general managers for extra input? That could be a helpful tool for future writings.
I understand that you are a food critic and some places do need criticism but have you ever thought to call the owners or the general managers for extra input? That could be a helpful tool for future writings.
17
I noted the same thing as @6. Andrea also suggested the mistake could have been avoided by fact-checking. Seems she was needlessly condescending to me, but kudos to Bethany for taking the high road.
16
@5 Honestly, I'd probably order "Burnt Mystery Grit" once, just to find out. Sort of like that "oven floor cheese" at Cicchetti. Some things you just gotta try once.
12
I'm going to go to Zoe and order lots of dessert just because of this exchange. Beautiful.
For some reason, I just can't shake images of the GOP debates out of my head when reading this incredibly civilized and empathetic conversation. How would *those people* have dealt with either side of this exchange. Sad that I'm thinking of that, but its a testament to how deeply that rhetoric has poisoned our culture. Even our dessert. The chocolate is not all that tastes like burnt sand these days.
For some reason, I just can't shake images of the GOP debates out of my head when reading this incredibly civilized and empathetic conversation. How would *those people* have dealt with either side of this exchange. Sad that I'm thinking of that, but its a testament to how deeply that rhetoric has poisoned our culture. Even our dessert. The chocolate is not all that tastes like burnt sand these days.
10
agreed that this was a nice discussion, and agree that a follow up visit to sample the dessert as intended is in order.
BUT!
That whole "kissed by a blowtorch" line needs to be addressed. Any server who says that as a way to get someone to order food should be fired.
Also - nice touch finding a way to promote a Stranger writer's book deal in an article/discussion that has nothing to do with her.
BUT!
That whole "kissed by a blowtorch" line needs to be addressed. Any server who says that as a way to get someone to order food should be fired.
Also - nice touch finding a way to promote a Stranger writer's book deal in an article/discussion that has nothing to do with her.
8
1. "To reduce the work of the Belgians back to cocoa grit seemed sad, not like a kiss at all." Have you considered the possibility that when it comes to kissing, you might be doing it wrong? Or that a kiss that doesn't have a little sadness mixed in is as disgusting as champagne with no acidity?
2. I love the way this correspondence seethes with unspoken hatred and mutual contempt. On the surface, the writers are irreproachably polite and reserved, but reading between the lines it is an epic pissing match comparable to Buckley/Vidal (or Mailer/Vidal for that matter).
2. I love the way this correspondence seethes with unspoken hatred and mutual contempt. On the surface, the writers are irreproachably polite and reserved, but reading between the lines it is an epic pissing match comparable to Buckley/Vidal (or Mailer/Vidal for that matter).
7
now what needs to happen is she needs to invite you back to try the dessert as intended...your readers want to know what you think of the dessert without the mistake!
6
I'm a pastry/dessert nut, so this was an interesting/informative exchange, and generally a nice response to criticism. That being said, "I was disappointed to read that you didn't understand [. . .] your dessert" was a little off-putting. Sometimes chefs/brewers/winemakers/etc. assume that if the consumer doesn't enjoy their work, it's because the consumer just doesn't understand their genius. Writers have this saying about how a reader's failure to understand something is always the fault of the writer, not the reader. I sometimes think that other professions could take that to heart as well...
2
I enjoyed reading that. Now I want to try it.
And I think I need to bake some shortbread this weekend.
And I think I need to bake some shortbread this weekend.
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