BertieWooster
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Posts posted by BertieWooster
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Was at the Fev Arms last weekend. Good food (including an excellent Rabbbit Raviolus), but, woah, is it expensive
Need to do The Star before small child stops us
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Maybe he called to complain about the appalling way the original review was written. It's so pedantic and over-written as to come across as a spoof.
Oh come on Bertie, you cannot be serious...Shakespeare it is not but the criticisms were pretty mild..and as for pedantic and over written,check out AA Gill and Mr Coren or the King of Pomposity himself, the one and only Jay Rayner.
I wasn't talking about the level of criticism. Indeed, it IS very mild. So mild, in fact, that one wonders why the criticisms were made at all. However, the blog is appallingly written. Mostly grammatically correct, but empty, tedious, long-winded, and making Michael Winner appear shy and humble. I don't agree with much of what Gill says, but he's wonderful to read. We live in a world where more people want to write books than regularly read them. Blogs like this show why that is so wrong. Most people should have their fingers broken rather than being allowed anywhere near a pen or keyboard.
And, after reading a few of their reviews, they come across as so whiningly self-important that I seriously doubt the original claims about the phone call.
Interesting that the general feeling on this thread is abut 70% (though lessening) in sympathy with the bloggers. The tide on The Guardian thread is about 98% against them. The view of food obsessives vs the view of the real (okay, Guardianista) world?
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Maybe he called to complain about the appalling way the original review was written. It's so pedantic and over-written as to come across as a spoof.
It's odd how bloggers and tweeters act all surprised when companies actually contact them (or respond to blog-posts) to counter arguments. Used to be commmon practice in a place where I worked that negative letters in the press would be followed by a visit to the complainer in person. Which was always fun.
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Its better to go the other way. Remember watching the '97 election results by a pool in La Jolla. The Portillo moment was mid-afternoon so we had plenty of time to drink the place dry in celebration...
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3. I've eaten at el bulli and it is the greatest thing ever, la la check me check me, i went, are you checking my wickedness, behold me. It was lovely though, i can see why it is always up there, i'm so very tired, so so tired, i think i'm going to go home, why did i add point 3 it wasn't needed, i guess i just wanted to tell someone, the goons here would never appreciate it, christ what am i doing wasting my career in this place, i could have another 30 years of this, i'm definitely going home,timewasting tits
Sure the whole last few days of posts will get taken down as its too argumentative for the mods, but just wanted to say this is one of the greatest paragraphs I've seen on eG. Tom Wolfe come back to life (yes, I know he's still physically alive you literalists, but he hasn't written anything good since '79, so is dead to me). Reminiscent of the Guardian's best OBO rants...
THis is me
*doff*
taking my hat off to you Jamsie (but why did you apologize over the majority thing when you were right?)
Good writing, like good food, is about beauty, not sense.
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If they got the service a little better, they should be rising two (or do I mean rising one...anyway 1 1/2); but the service does let the place down. Probably would have got the two if Mr Wignall hadn't left on cooking alone. Now, all they need to do is get in a proper Maitre' D and some serving people who speak English, and they'll be sorted...
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You assume correctly. Lunch might have to stop at sometime during the heaviest work, and that's all. And I am no longer involved (except as a customer)
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Thom, wiil offal be a main theme in this venture, is it going to be a St John of the North? Which if it is, would be excellent.I am surprised the St Johnesque restaurants have not poped up more in the North, whereby Offal is not considered a fad ingredient. I am encouraged to pop in myself as I work across the road from the place every Friday.
We talked long and hard about whether The Modern (with which, from midnight tonight, I am no longer involved) should attempt to be the St John's of the north as it were. And, frankly, we wimped out. Just not convinced the market would stand it from an unknown team. With R O-B's reputation and following, though, its possible. If the money works out, and he doesn't get distracted.
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Clocktower, if I remember correctly is too twee for words, the food as well as the decor.
Rudding Park Hotel, where of course the Clocktower restaurant is based,is the best hotel in the country, and ranked sixth in the world according to Tripadvisor’s analysis of guest feedback comments on its website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/jan/20/tripadvisor-london-hotels
A very very strange list! Some serviced accommodation in Newcastle coming out ahead of Seaham Hall, for instance, in the nor'east.
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He is indeed. Farsyde's still lovely
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Never tried Sasso, it doesn't give the impression of being top notch, but based on your recommendation Bertie, we'll give it a shot.
Cue collective in-drawing of breath from the many around these tables that I have led astray...
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I eat there often. Drum and Monkey a shadow of its former self. Sasso still top notch Italian (4 or 5 in the GFG)
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I'm a bit gutted for Simon Rogan at L'Enclume our meal last year was two star and many people on here would agree.
Well, I don't know how many people from here were at your meal to comment on its quality but the two or three meals I've had at L'Enclume over the last year have definitely NOT been of two-star standard. Its too variable, he suffers from constant changing of the menu (and from ROgan and Co now) and if the Michelin inspector gets one of his bizarre choices (I shall never recover from venison and banana as a main), he's lucky not to get stripped down entirely. Oh and the service is either snooty (sommelier), incomprehensible (Eastern Europeans) or very good. Inconsistent again.
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heard that black swan were throwing chefs at the job to get a star so hopefully it pays off for them, one of my old boys is cooking there.
Yeah, hefty finance, but arguments going on
Piazza by Anthony's with a new Bib too, so he's got Bibs for that and Flannels.
No Bibs in Manchester is actually more shocking to me than no stars. SUrely This n That should get one? And White BUll in Ribchester lost their Bib
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Pipe and Glass get one, so Yorkshire now has six starred places (assuming no-one lost one, as I haven't seen the coverage of that). Black Swan in Helmsley as rising (odd, over the Fev Arms?), even though I hear strong rumours that ownership will be changing soon
Abode was never going to get one. Underground, bad (and bewildering) service. Think Harvey Nicks second floor might overtake them (and The Aumbry from every account I've heard, still haven't got there)
Enjoyed The Guardian Food tweet, "oh surprise, the Michelin list has somehow leaked in time for the weekend papers, again"
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You're right about the service at the Dev. Its still very hit-and-miss. Thought that was the only reason Wignall didn't get ** there. Mind, Steve is also late for every function he's booked for, so it might not just be about FoH!
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And the Dev Arms under Steve Smith deservedly back to four rosettes (contra Michael Winner's bloody review of the place).
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My suggestion (only semi-flippantly) would be to search on Gary's posts. You've got milliards (determined to get that word back into circulation) of options in Yorkshire. Helmsley is good for the North York Moors, with Star, Pheasant and Fev Arms. Walk across the moors to the Endeavour at Staithes. Blue Lion at East Witton is wonderful and in the midst of abbeys, castles and yer actual hstory stuff. The Yorke Arms is west of Harrogate, rapidly become my favourite place in the country, beautiful walking territory, and for bird-watching. The Dev Arms in Wharfedale is very posh, and surrounded by the loveliest scenery in the world.
Yorkshire does, of course, have more michelin starred restuarants than any region outside of London.
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And of course, it did used to have a star in Pool Court, during Ridsdale's glory years. So, perhaps the prejudice is the other way, and the Inspector resents the way Ridders was forced from power?
My own pet theory is a prejudice against underground restuarants. But someone pointed out that, as a theory, its seriously flawed.
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Is it the same guy that writes for the Independent?
Nah, the guy on The Indie is a real journalist
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Weirdly, for someone regularly accused of being over-defensive about his organization, I read that with some equanimity. Its not only a close to sentence-for-sentence re-run of his review of London Road (down to the car trouble, the professed love for Manchester and the worst-EVAH wine), but so over-the-top as to be silly. Something a little more nuanced would probably have been more effective.
Still, with Jay having been nice about us, there is a gap in the market for northern-restaurant hating reviewer...
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Also, I've always been convinced Michelin don't like giving stars to places that are basically underground. See also Anthony's
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And back out in the suburbs, the AUmbry is starting to attract serious attention. Rated MAry-Ellen for years (indeed, we tried to ger her for The Modern), and un by the people behind The Roadhouse.
At least three people I know have been and great reports coming in. Next star for greater manchester. You heard it here first, unless someone else has already said it.
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Standards slipping are hardly related to norovirus though, or am I missing something? We've eaten there a couple of times recently and been very impressed.
Sorry, wasn't suggesting it was--just that post brought The Star back to the top of the forum pile again! [Edit--unless it a cleanliness issue, which I somehow doubt]
The Old Vicarage, Ridgeway (near Sheffield)
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Dining
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If you're in Sheffield, try Moran's on the south side. It's rather lovely. The GFG gives it a 5 I believe. That's if you live in Sheff. If you're just visiting, they're closed for their hols.
Silversmiths (which was on Ramsay's restaurant rescue) is also a very nice bistro.
didn't like Milestone much, but then that whole Ramsay Favourites thing was generally a bit rubbish.