This is Rene Mack, one of the fine dining restaurant reviewers for The Record. I must admit that I've heard of this site before, but never visited it until this weekend and I find all your comments, refreshing and interesting. I may not agree with many of you on specific items, but I am glad to see that there are those who take dining seriously and read the newspaper. I'd like to make several comments...and these are not in any specific order. The bottom line is that the review are really just a matter of opinion, based on a knowledge of food and the endless experience of eating out. All I try to do is call the restaurant as I see it. There are plenty of extremely popular restaurants that I personally don't like. But that should not taint my view. We try to describe the place, capture the atmosphere and explain the food, presentation and execution. In the end, it's the reader who must decide if they want to go there or not. My major concern is that at the end of the week, after most people have paid the rent, gone food shopping, put gas in the car, etc., that they have a good idea what the restaurant will be like where they will spend what's left of their disposable income. To Nick, I'm glad you read the review of Sakae. I just wasn't all that impressed. And the restaurant really did have three levels, even though them may seem insignificant. The reason it's important to mention this is becasue of the elderly and people with disabilities who find levels a challenge. I agree it can be fun to get pissed off for no reason at all, as you put it. I won't go back unless assigned. To those with comments on The Chef's Table, well, again, I wrote the review as I saw it and I think I agreed with most of you. It is too bright (I wrote that), it has no atmosphere unless you are looking for a provencial living room where all the souveniers are put on the wall, but the food is terriffic and the couple that owns the place doing an awesome job given there is only one cook in the kitchen and it's a family affair. It's not romantic (and I think, again, the review is dead accurate as to what to expect as far as the enviroment) but fun and unpretentious. It's completely French now with an American accent (there were no Italian dishes to speak of). And as far as the price...well, what can I say? I've seen plenty of bad Italian restaurants in this area charging $18 or $21 for glorified pasta. I'll pay the $25 any day for a great French provincial meal. In other words, what I wrote was true, I'll be back there in the future spending my own money. In any case, thanks for reading the reviews. Please write to the food editor, Patricia Mack (no relation to me what-so-ever) and thanks for keeping us on our toes. Best, Rene.
