[pdx] miss dish is back

[markovitch]

anyone happy to see her? I thoughther replacement was a little less, uh, tangibly annoying (for want of better term) in her prose.

More than just Dish I'm curious about what people think of the food writing in PDX these days (our lovely Jim Dixon aside).

[fierydrunk]

Ask me next week after I read the WW, Oregonian and Mercury!

[trillium]

anyone happy to see her?  I thoughther replacement was a little less, uh, tangibly annoying (for want of better term) in her prose.

More than just Dish I'm curious about what people think of the food writing in PDX these days (our lovely Jim Dixon aside).

←

I find most of the food writing in this city awful (with the Jim Dixon disclaimer, of course). I think most of it can barely be called journalism. The most obviously bad are the Mercury, sometimes it obviously reads that they don't even eat the food they're writing about (I thinking of the bbq thing a while back) and it doesn't seem that serious about food. The WW is spotty and it seems cliquey some how...sometimes it seems like the reviewers are writing about their friends, or they've picked a couple of "golden" restaurants and then ignore everything else. The Oregonian seems mostly to be advertisements (what is up with that awful section that tells you about the new high brands of flavoured, high fructose corn syrup "fruit juices" or deep fried nasties or canned applesauce at the grocery store????) or geared towards people with more disposable income then taste, and what taste they have is lily white and dated. And they sometimes don't do their research when they write up cuisines they're not familiar with. Bugs me because it makes Portland look like a hick town (uh, hmmm). However, I do like the occasional preserving section that runs. Thanks for letting me vent!

regards,

trillium

[duckduck]

I haven't been overly impressed in general. Especially when I see good reviews for places like Cafe Allora where they play down the poor service in the reviews. I still read them looking for that occasional nugget of some odd dish you can't find elsewhere but overall, I trust eG or Portlandfood.org a bit more for info or opinions.

[fierydrunk]

I would agree generally and was mindblown at how WRONG the bbq thing in the Mercury was...I would have to say that the Mercury definitely wins the "clique" award in PDX, in their writing about absolutely everything baasically being of the "I went out to eat and do cocaine Tuesday night with everyone else that works here and/or my boyfriend" variety. The WW is right behind it however, and unfortunately, I don't think I'd wanna hang or eat with either clique (with the exception of Jim Dixon of course!!!!!!!)!

[markovitch]

The thing that really disturbs me is how seirously these peole are taken: many a respectable restuarant has bit the dust in the aftermath of stilted, uneducated and underthought reviews.

Good people are losing work, sleep and money because these 'journalists' don't do their jobs with appropriate rigor.

[whippy]

i wrote a long diatribe about this, then didn't post it at the last minute cuz i thought i was going off! THANK YOU sisters and brothers! i'm glad i'm not alone.

it strikes me that most of our food writers are journalists first--and food lovers second. well, maybe third or even fourth. most of the time, we people over here know about and care about food and dining a great deal more. even from the recognized roger porter i get the sense that food for him is a hobby and not much more.

when you listen to some of the reviewers from 'big cities' talk about what they do, they often complain about what a pain it is to go out every friggin' night. as though it's serious work. i get the sense that the food reviews in puddletown are rather viewed by our local staffers as perks (free dinner!). can't they just hire a professional? instead of farming it out to whoever's around? (elizabeth dye? why hire a fashion writer to talk about cuisine? i couldn't tell you much about sewing.)

etc.

p.s. if karen brooks (oregonian) writes another press release for clarklewis i think i'm going to shit myself.

[fierydrunk]

  (elizabeth dye?  why hire a fashion writer to talk about cuisine?  i couldn't tell you much about sewing.).

←

And a particularly horrible fashion writer at that! OOOOH! Snap!

[markovitch]

well the willi week restaurant guide just came out.

opinions?

[whippy]

i think there are a couple of restaurants in there that really have no place being in the "top 100." first is bombay cricket club, of which this preposterous hyperbole is produced: ". . . everyone knows this is one of the best and most comfortable spaces in the entire Northwest to sample semi-casual Indian fare."

huh? there are several joints in the entire Northwest--well, actually, even just in portland--wherein one might "sample" better Indian. probably, though, the reviewer hasn't done his basic homework and surveyed the competition. or maybe he just doesn't know anything about india or indian cooking. . . who knows?

light reading.

[markovitch]

I really can't say much about most of the included places, since they are out of my price range by leaps and bounds.

edit= total inaccuracy

mark

Edited October 15, 2004 by markovitch (log)