Piccalino's Restaurant Review

[Tricky]

At the risk of being very controversial Martin Dawes review in tonights Star is exemplary, in my opinion. No condecension, no cheap jibes, no up himself with being clever, some of the 'London' critics are verbose to the point of rendering the actual review useless. AA Gill and Jeremy Clarkson often use 80% of the column space to have a rant about something completely unrelated to the restaurant/car being reviewed.

 

Apart from the ability to pay for these meals and the time to go and eat them could I ask 'foodcritic' what journalistic or other food related qualifications he has?

 

Oh God so he has to have qualifications now does he? I hope you have a typing certificate to prove your eligible to put your opinions, such as they are, on a web based forum.

[foodcritic]

Edit: FoodCritic, you don't need to PM me, whilst I agree that the "if you don't like it, don't read it/bitch about it" rule applies, if you don't like people discussing your 'work' then don't put it in the public domain. If you're entitled to your opinion on restaurants then I'm entitled to have mine on your reviews.

 

That's a little out of order. Below is the exact message I sent you.

 

'why be aggressive and call me a 'jumped up' expert? i don't know everything about food but a fair bit. would you rather me not post at all?! i really wish i hadn't started at all.'

[pete_jim]

Oh God so he has to have qualifications now does he? I hope you have a typing certificate to prove your eligible to put your opinions, such as they are, on a web based forum.

 

I never said that he had to have any qualifications. I was interested in his background and to see if anything in that background would make me want to take his opinions into consideration when looking for somewhere to eat.

 

Let me see.......well regarded food critics in National Newspapers probably 2 dozen. People eating out in Sheffield who think they know about catering and food, too many to count.

[Chris BIO]

That's a little out of order. Below is the exact message I sent you.

 

'why be aggressive and call me a 'jumped up' expert? i don't know everything about food but a fair bit. would you rather me not post at all?! i really wish i hadn't started at all.'

 

Sorry but IMO calling the maitre'd 'The American' and telling us all what sort of shoes you were wearing makes you sound 'jumped up' - and that' s only the first couple of paragraphs.

[Tricky]

I never said that he had to have any qualifications. I was interested in his background and to see if anything in that background would make me want to take his opinions into consideration when looking for somewhere to eat.

 

Let me see.......well regarded food critics in National Newspapers probably 2 dozen. People eating out in Sheffield who think they know about catering and food, too many to count.

 

Why not read what he said? There's enough of it.

 

All a critic has to do is give enough information to enable people to make their own mind up.

 

The best critic around, and the only possible reason for buying The Guardian, is Alexis Petridis but he'll often talk about something unrelated. But I'd never buy a record because he said it was good, nor would I go and see a film because Barry Norman liked it but I can judge from their reviews whether I would like it.

[green]

Food Critic --- continue the critiques & ignore any jibes etc....

 

AA Gill and Martin Dawes dont have to answer their critic's.

 

x

[chefkicker]

Too wordy and smug, like something you'd find in a Guardian food magazine about Tuscany.

 

I got bored reading it.

 

I agree the author seems like a pompous show off to me.

I would avoid this kind of ****e service like the plague to be honest

[foodcritic]

I never said that he had to have any qualifications. I was interested in his background and to see if anything in that background would make me want to take his opinions into consideration when looking for somewhere to eat.

 

Let me see.......well regarded food critics in National Newspapers probably 2 dozen. People eating out in Sheffield who think they know about catering and food, too many to count.

 

I've eaten at places from the French Laundry to Fox House. From Bukharra to Baldwins. Also Ivy, Tamarind, GR @ 68 RHR, Sat Bains, Daniel, Flannals, Bouchon, Per Se, Nobu, Balthazar, Morandi, WD-50, Fat Duck, GR @ Hotel NYC, Boxwood Cafe, Benares, L Atelier (joey roubchon), Rasoi, and then some.

[Chris BIO]

I've eaten at places from the French Laundry to Fox House. From Bukharra to Baldwins. Also Ivy, Tamarind, GR @ 68 RHR, Sat Bains, Daniel, Flannals, Bouchon, Per Se, Nobu, Balthazar, Morandi, WD-50, Fat Duck, GR @ Hotel NYC, Boxwood Cafe, Benares, L Atelier (joey roubchon), Rasoi, and then some.

 

And what shoes did you wear on those occasions?

[Dark Moomin]

Food Critic - please keep posting your reviews. Some of us like them and find them informative.

 

Hopefully those that feel the need to moan about everything they don't like will get bored soon enough and move on to something else.

 

And for everyone else - its like your choice of news apaer, bed time reading, music on your mp3 player, its all personal choice. If you don't like how food critic writes his reviews, then just ignore them. As so many of you have pointed out many people write reviews/have opinions on restaurants in Sheffield so there's always another source of info. I'm sure FC isn't so 'jumped up' as to believe anyone would blindly follow what he says in their restaurant choice, as Tricky says finding a critic who's style you 'get on with' is half the battle of finding out about new things you might like.

 

Have choice is just one of the many wonders of the world of relatively free choice in which we live.

 

Can we all be nice now?