NancyNichols

Richard, First of all, thanks to you for inviting me on this journey through eGullet. It is certainly a well-educated, opinionated group of foodies and I like that. Food and dining are a passion in my life and sharing the conversation with others heightens it. My story is rather boring and rather fluky. I grew up in Dallas and worked in restaurants during my stay at University of Texas at Austin. I moved to LA where I was in the catering and event business. I’ve known the publisher of D Magazine, Wick Allison for 25 years. When I returned to Dallas in the early ‘90s I bumped into him at a baseball game and we just struck up a conversation. He hired me to do some events for the magazine and before I knew it, I fell into writing reviews to help the overburdened edit staff. The rest, as they say, is history. They’re all gone and I’m still here. It has been a fun ride since so much has happened under my watch--dress up dining isn’t just The Mansion on Turtle Creek, you can find cutting edge cuisine in a city famous for BBQ, and the talent and the camaraderie of the local chefs is truly amazing. I look forward to keeping up with other eGullet conversations. Thanks again. Nancy

R: Never ate at Trio when Chef Achatz was there. And, for the record, I didn't credit him over Homaro Cantu at Moto. But, according to what I've read and heard from others, Achatz is doing a lot of the same things. Again, it sounds like an experience that would be amusing to try, but would I potentially be a repeat "haute space food" diner? Doubt it.

Richard, Well the local hornet’s nest pretty much mirrors the conversation that has taken place this week—everybody has a different opinion about food and food reviewing. Initially the restaurant community embraced Romano’s lawsuit—they viewed it as a springboard to get the star rating system revised. So far, nothing has happened. Restaurant owners are scared to challenge food critics, which I find odd. Although, if anything, I feel that my story did open up a line of communication in the whole restaurant community. I’ve spoken with all kinds of people I’d never talked to before and this kind of communication is invaluable for both sides. I spoke with restaurant owners who fear restaurant reviewers—a fear I feel is unnecessary. Like I said, a good restaurant review can help a good restaurant, but it can’t make a mediocre restaurant with a wobbly business plan succeed. A bad restaurant review cannot close down a restaurant who continues their business plan and continues to improve their food/service. There are several local restaurants (Guthrie’s, Chaucer’s) that reviewed favorably that have closed for one reason or another. A review is one person’s opinion and I don’t have the ego that says, “It’s my way or the highway.” Readers have minds of their own.

Elie I love any chef who has the rocky mountain oysters big enough to break the monotony of the usual shrimp starter-salad-entrée-dessert pattern of American dining. Although I’ve never been fortunate enough to dine at El Bulli, I admire Adria’s approach and passion—especially the orgy with small bites of intense flavor. It’s a dining experience you have to train for. (Plus I’m a sucker for anything Catalan) And I’ll try anything (fried rabbit ears!) once. Grant Achatz “passion,” to me, appears to be less about the food and more about invention. I don’t want mushroom soup from an atomizer or sushi on a piece of paper. Maybe I’m just an old-fashioned gal who likes the feeling of a full belly.

Robb: Thanks for sharing that link. If nothing else, it is a nice starting point for anyone considering dining criticism as a career.

Raynickben, Those are too good choices, TABC as well. I'm very fond of Cafe Italia on Lovers and Suze. I'm happy to spend my own nickel at Sevy's, Watel's, Mirabelle, and Local. A sleeper is SoHo Food & Jazz in Addison.

Elie: Nana is a lovely place, the food is as elegant as the view. Along the same caliber I would reccommend The French Room at the Hotel Adolphus--they have superb service and the rococo style dining room is gorgeous. I love Aurora, a new high-end eatery run by madman chef Avner Samuel. When he's good he's very, very good. He raised the bar around here when he opened this small (40-seat) fancy dining room. It's all Champagne, caviar, foie gras, live scallops, etc. Very high end. The dining scene in Dallas has changed so much over the last 5 years. There are some cutting edge chefs creating plenty of exciting new menus.

Steven: Food criticism is different than travel writing. As the travel editor of D, I view travel columns as inherently positive pieces. We don’t criticize destinations because we are recommending the place as a service to our readers. We have a travel budget and use staff writers. We pay media rates for press trips. And whatever we go over the budget, we pay out of our own pockets. And yes, most of the travel freelance writers I have met, pay their own expenses and then sell the story to as many outlets that they can to recover costs. I do not go to media events, opening parties, chef’s tastings, or wine events. If a chef sends me a dessert or an extra plate of anything I insist on paying for it.

Ok, let’s hold on to our menus here. I can’t address each one of the above emails one at a time, so I’m going to make a summary essay. First of all, this discussion about the ethics of food reviewers could/can go on forever. As I said in the article we are allegedly discussion, I do not like the star system; therefore you guys can debate it all day. My magazine doesn’t use it and the punch it once had is lost. Restaurants are not like hotels where the star system is applied to a specific set of standards (like price, amenities, etc.). To Michael, who writes about the music section of the Times: I don’t care what they do in the music section, it is apples and oranges. No comparison. To JJ, Thank you for bringing up the freelance issue. I’ve seen too many starry-eyed freelancers get comps and a little power and that is a dangerous situation. Not all; but plenty. I use a couple of freelancers, but I budget for their reviews and pay for their food. If I am recognized at a restaurant, I always write about it. Believe me, most of the time it DOES NOT matter. Like I said, just because a chef knows who you are doesn’t mean he’s going to instantly get more talent. For the record, I don’t eat with publicists or go to press dinners either. Now, of course I am not a saint. I have made friends with chefs and restaurant owners just by being involved in the same community with them. Sure, it gets more difficult if you have a bad experience in their place, but I try to keep my job and my personal relationships separate. To Dan McDonald: I say you are doing a good job as long as you present your review as a one-time visit. I always take the view of the guy who saves all year to take his gal out for one special dinner. The restaurant has one shot to make him feel like he has picked the right spot. I present reviews as a report or a journal of a visit. If I go twice I write that. Most people who have a bad experience the first time don’t go back, if you can’t afford it, call the restaurant post review, and follow up with an interview. To: JJ, re: small newspapers. It doesn’t matter about the size of your publication, what you are missing here is that if you put journalistic integrity above anything, the rest will follow. Because sooner or later advertisers are going to want to associate themselves with a publication that readers read for true reader service. How many times do you really go to a restaurant based on a Where Magazine? I realize I am doing this whole deal out of format, but it takes me longer to do it the other way. I’m a true techno moron.

Steven: Ok, one last time. I don’t care how much an ad costs--you are looking at this scenario from the restaurants point of view. Journalists don’t pay attention to ads, consumers do. That is where you can paint your own canvas. I’d be embarrassed if the whole country knew I was running around eating for free giving black eyes or not. It’s disrespectful to the consumer. And that is what this is all supposed to be about. Jack: and all. Forgive me if I'm getting names wrong, I'm a new to this posting system and still struggling to get the right answer to the right question.

Advertising And Dining Reviews, a quick lesson. Let me just address some of the issues that have come out of today’s discussions. Everybody seems to be so concerned about advertising. I wrote a story last year about Rockfish, a seafood restaurant that served fresh oysters to two people who died gruesome deaths. They had just signed a 12 time full-page ad contract with us. I had no idea; nor did I care. The story ran. A fact is a fact. To their credit, they pulled their ads for a couple of months and then resumed them. I have respect for them because they didn’t just get pissed off and go hide. They understand the reality of the marketplace. Good criticism and reporting combined with restaurant owners who understand the rules makes for a healthy environment for readers. Because readers want to know the facts, warts (or roaches) and all. They will make up their own minds. If an ad exec in this office complains to me about a review, that person is fired. We are church and state. And I feel that the public benefits.

Jack, It’s not a matter of honesty, it’s a matter of objectivity. When a chef or owner knows who you are and is buying you a meal, you are not experiencing a real dining experience at that establishment. I’ve been recognized plenty of times, but just because they know who I am doesn’t suddenly make them a better cook or server. I’ve had some bad food and service both ways. I prefer to pay my own way and feel free to say what I want to say.

Jack: Well you may call it naive, but like it or not, it is a first amendment right. He didn't get that much press if it makes you feel any better. From his side, he has a business to defend. His real goal was to get the star rating system abolished. And on your comment: "I'm far more concerned about magazines and newspapers carrying restaurant advertisements than I am about a critic getting a comped meal." I say, we wouldn't have a magazine without advertising. Why does that concern you. It sounds like you don't want anyone to have any rights. I strongly disagree about comps, especially when it comes to dining criticism. (FYI newspaper columnists do not travel on team dollars.) You say: "Yet, while they protest comps, those same publishers invariably carry restaurant advertisements. There they are in the New York Times, right next to the restaurant reviews. And there they are, it so happens, in D Magazine. Do you believe that carrying restaurant advertisements is morally superior to accepting comps?" Restaurant advertising has nothing to do with restaurant reviews. They are church and state.

Fifi, I comment on silliness all the time in my reviews. Sure we are talking about the restuarant business, but at the heart it's food. How's it is picked or dried is just a sales pitch.

Well I don’t know the Houston food scene at all. But in Dallas restaurants like York St., Lola, even the Green Room set the Dallas standards for this approach. Even the casual concept Fireside Pies uses “Paula’s Cheese,” (a tribute to local cheese maker Paula Lambert) and other local ingredients. The chef, Nick Badovinus grows all of his herbs on the roof of the restaurant. Arcodoro/Pomodoro grows figs, herbs, tomatoes, etc. as well. I think chefs can be bold and brash and creative—in Dallas Joseph Guitieriz (Rouge, Tutto) cooks with a real passion and while I wouldn’t call it “avant garde,’ I would call it cutting edge. He doesn’t let his personality become part of the recipe. I’m not a fan of gimmicks, but many people are. When Kent Rathbun opened Abacus, I felt his lobster shooters were gimmicky—6 little saki glasses filled with a curried broth and a bite of lobster. He sells the hell out of them, so the “show” works for the majority. It all boils down to personal preference—some people like to be served a baked potato the size of a shoe, others are outraged.