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Overused restaurant reviewer words & metaphors

Fat Guy

By Fat Guy
in Restaurant Life

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Simon Majumdar

Simon Majumdar

Posted
Posted

I think we should start coming up with phrases on Egullet and see how long it takes for them to be taken in to the vocabulary of reviewers

How about

" An eclectic menu had its impetus dissapated by naive saucing"

"you could almost taste the cynicism"

" a reduction so fierce I hd to use a whip and a chair"

S

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

I know. However, I can't find another way to describe scallop carpaccio. "Flattened scallop" just doesn't do it justice.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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nightscotsman

nightscotsman

Posted
Posted
Last night I saw "beet carpaccio" on a restaurant menu. That just sounds so wrong.

Carmelita's? I've had their squash carpaccio and it was good. In the context of a vegetarian restaurant.

This was at 727 Pine. I could see raw squash being interesting (it was raw, right?), but raw beets sounded nasty. I didn't see the dish being served, so who knows - it may have been great.

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted
I know. However, I can't find another way to describe scallop carpaccio. "Flattened scallop" just doesn't do it justice.

Hows abouts - Sashimi ?

Not really. That would be just slices of raw scallop.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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ngatti

ngatti

Posted
Posted
i really don't get it, aside from my possible ubiquity, for there are far more interesting people on egullet every day.  cuter and more charming, probably not, but more interesting, clearly.

Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.

. William Shakespeare, 'Twelfth Night'

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ngatti

ngatti

Posted
Posted

Back on topic:

Here is an example of what I consider exceptionally good food writing/criticism. The entire piece is here on eGullet on the California board. The topic is the French Laundry and should be on the top of the page or close to it.

(robert brown @ Nov 3 2002, 04:24 PM)

More off-putting, however, is that these effete, precious little “menu” creations first give off the impression of not being adroitly cooked but manhandled and assembled; second, are based on a hoped-for fortuitous meshing of disparate ingredients instead of drawing out profound flavor from the principle ingredient; and, third, are built from the top down as opposed to the bottom up.

Jin originally extracted this gem. I didn't know we had rediscovered the technique to manufacture knives this thin and finely edged. :smile:

Nick

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g.johnson

g.johnson

Posted
Posted

I have noticed the spreading use of the word ‘ethereal’ on our own beloved eGullet. ‘Ethereal’ does mean ‘heavenly’, but primarily in the sense of ‘lacking substance’, and it therefore seems an odd word to use to describe food.

g.johnson (English Language O Level, Grade 4)

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

I had forgotten just how rich and sinfully delicious this thread was. It literally falls off the bone. It is plump yet homestyle, lightly fried and cooked to perfection.

My hat's off to the chef.

Garcon! Garcon! Cheque please. You. You. Ooeh la cheque silver play? I'm talking to you.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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malarkey

malarkey

Posted
Posted
"greaseless" (which by definition cannot be true of fried food, which implies that grease is somehow bad, and which carries with it all the baggage of the food-neurotic diet movement)

YES.

like just last night on the iron chef marathon.. the italian chef brought in by the famous actor. They interviewed the guy and he said of the chef "he cooks with olive oil but none of his food is greasy"

oy.

Born Free, Now Expensive

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jhlurie

jhlurie

Posted
Posted
I had forgotten just how rich and sinfully delicious this thread was. It literally falls off the bone. It is plump yet homestyle, lightly fried and cooked to perfection.

My hat's off to the chef.

Garcon! Garcon! Cheque please. You. You. Ooeh la cheque silver play? I'm talking to you.

Jin, I was eating while reading this... shame on you!

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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Jim Dixon

Jim Dixon

Posted
Posted

One of the reviewers at the local daily used "endlessly tenuous" to describe a restaurant that has since been renamed and revamped but is still in the same physical space.

I'm still trying to figure out what the hell he meant, but am pretty sure he just liked the sound of it.

Jim

olive oil + salt

Real Good Food

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Deacon

Deacon

Posted
Posted
ngatti: eGullet and the 'cult of Tommy' again rearing its head.

tommy: i really don't get it, aside from my possible ubiquity, for there are far more interesting people on egullet every day.  cuter and more charming, probably not, but more interesting, clearly.

It's your avatar. Chicks dig the avatar.

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thelastsupper

thelastsupper

Posted
Posted

Wow: "A Menu for Two Hearts ..... February 13th - February 16th

The Herbfarm is intoxicatingly romantic every night, and Valentine's brings it all to an amorous crescendo. Hitch up your beau for Champagne, roses and our annual aphrodisiac affair set to Cupid's divine beat. Then get set to lose yourself to the strains of 'My Funny Valentine.'"

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g.johnson

g.johnson

Posted
Posted

Does anyone else hate the term ‘fine dining’. ‘Fine’ is reminiscent of ‘refined’ which smacks of lower middle class pretension and no one ‘dines’ any more, they eat dinner. ‘Dining’ is what you’d do at Buckingham Palace. The phrase is altogether too precious, though I can’t think of an alternative. ‘Haute cuisine’ might be OK but a) it has a more specific meaning and b) it's French.

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

Posted
Posted

Gee, g, no. I prefer "fine dining" to "haute cuisine". Both are precious though and I can't seriously think of an alternative. So "fine dining" doesn't particularly bother me.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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