I have always loved reading restaurant reviews. You see, I love food. I actually used to dream of being a restaurant reviewer, but I have gone on to do other things. Still, can you imagine it? Being paid to eat delicious dinners out on the town would simply be too good to be true! Talk about job perks! Still, I have been unable to get my dream job, so I have to settle for enjoying it vicariously.
I have actually become somewhat of a connoisseur of the restaurant review. You see, I read all of the local restaurant reviews, as well as some ones in national papers. It can be pretty hard to tell a good reviewer from a bad one at first. You see, some restaurant reviewers make a name for themselves by giving out harsh evaluations. They think it makes them smarter and more cultured to say negative things about as many restaurants as they can. Rather than trying to enjoy their experience and stressing the good as well as the bad, they pride themselves on making bad reputations for new businesses.
On the other hand, you can not trust the other kind of restaurant review too much either. Some reviewers are too easily impressed. A lot of time, this is motivated by a sense of civic pride. I have seen some restaurant articles where the reviewer clearly wants to like the restaurant from the get-go because it is a neighborhood owned business. Although this is an admirable trait, it doesn't make for good articles. A restaurant review should, as much as possible, strive to provide a fair and balanced evaluation of the food and dining experience. Good points should be stressed, of course, but not to the exclusion of bad points. After all, as a reader I want to know where I am likely to have the best experience. Sugarcoating things doesn't help the readers to make informed decisions!
Still, half of the fun of reading a restaurant review has nothing to do at all with finding out about the business. It is simply about trying to picture the experience for yourself. Letting someone's words take you away and fill you in on the joys and disappointments of a delicious meal can be quite satisfying, once you get into it. I'll tell you this much: it sure is a lot better than reading about the local sports teams or the weather!
|
