Regarding Pete Wells and his reviews

[huiray]

A New Yorker article written by one Ian Parker, who accompanied Pete Wells and talked with for a bit of time, and who wrote about the way in which Wells does his reviewing and some of what goes into them. Plus other associated stuff.

 

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/12/pete-wells-the-new-york-times-restaurant-critic 

[pastrygirl]

Thank you for sharing!

[IowaDee]

I enjoyed this, thank you for posting it.

[catdaddy]

Oh man, that was a deep rabbit hole. Thanks, huiray.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@huiray, thanks for the link. It was a very interesting read.

 

When @catdaddyreferred to it as a rabbit hole, I thought he was referring only to the length of the article. Then I read the part where Pete Wells had a better time at Senor Frog's than at Per Se, so of course I had to find out more about Senor Frog's. It turns out there's one where I could theoretically go, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. After reading the New Yorker article, viewing all 200 photos on the Yelp site, and reading some reviews there, as well as elsewhere for that Senor Frog's location, I agree that it certainly qualifies as a deep rabbit hole. 

 

Senor Frog's only has 2-1/2 stars out of 5 on Yelp for the Myrtle Beach restaurant. People who went there to enjoy good food hate it, and people who went there to drink, party and dance with their own party of good company love it. Not for me, but super interesting that Pete Wells who describes his most memorable spring break as holing up in a hotel room with a good book (in German, no less) loved it so much.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[huiray]

Glad folks appear to enjoy the article.

 

11 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

Then I read the part where Pete Wells had a better time at Senor Frog's than at Per Se

Here's an Eater article on this. :-)

Sadly, the NYC Señor Frogs has closed.

 

Eater.com put out a follow-up article on the New Yorker profile: 

http://ny.eater.com/2016/9/6/12812332/pete-wells-profile-8-things-we-learned 

A commenter there remarked that Chang did not come over well. I myself would agree.**

 

As for the review on Momofuku Nishi, for those interested here it is.

 

** As an aside, I for one look askance at the adulation heaped upon Chang here in the USA. His vaunted pork buns, just as one example, are but a rework of a dish/preparation that has been known and eaten for years and years in E/SE Asia; and food bloggers etc (some of whom I respect) in those locales have laughed at this weird adulation in the States of this pork bun, and at the notion held by some that he even invented it (not!).

Edited September 6, 2016 by huiray (log)

[gfweb]

@huiray, I agree on the Chang pork bun thing. Nice enough, but not novel or transformative. 

 

After reading the review...it doesn't read like a 1 star..more two-ish.

[huiray]

 

 

20 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

... Then I read the part where Pete Wells had a better time at Senor Frog's than at Per Se...

... People who went there to enjoy good food hate it, and people who went there to drink, party and dance with their own party of good company love it...

 

 

And, just for the hell of it, here's a clip taken by Kat Kinsman (one of those at that meal, referred to in the New Yorker article) of Jason Biggs having a good time. 

 

https://twitter.com/kittenwithawhip/status/765991106949554176?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by huiray (log)