Anthony Bourdain on Restaurant Critics

25 May 2011

As I've mentioned once or twice before, I really rate this man - I enjoy his honesty and lack of pretension, and I thought this interview contained a number of interesting nuggets, not least being his take on restaurant critics.

We were approached during the week by a local publication that wanted to do a review on Somerset, but wanted us to  cover the cost of their meal. How can that be? How can the subsequent article be in any way valid if it isn't neutral? It is really just a form of paid advertising, masquerading as a restaurant review. In other words, a way for them to fill up column inches, but it is no way a restaurant 'review'.

And becos we don't do any advertising, we fail to see why we should be a party to something like this which is essentially misrepresentation.

A true restaurant critic is one who visits the restaurant incognito, ( usually on more that one visit),  who has a good understanding of food and wine, rather than just being someone who likes to eat out occasionally, and in addition is someone who can write well.

Ruth Riechl who used to be the restaurant critic for the New York Times has written a couple of books on the subject, and the extremes she went too, to avoid being recognised by restaurateurs, always keen to know whether she was in the house. The New York Times carries enormous power, and a positive review from them can have a substantial impact on a restaurants turnover, becos suddenly everyone is clamouring  to go to the favoured place.

That need to please the critics becos of the possible subsequent beneficial economic repercussions  has therefore created all sorts of unpleasant scenarios, which Anthony Bourdain alludes to in the interview. Its distorted the whole process,  to an extreme degree.

Within New Zealand no one publication carries that kind of clout, although we have a few who like to tout themselves, as being the most important.  But very few of them employ people to specifically review restaurants, and become experts on the subject. They are usually journalists in general rather than restaurant reviewers specifically.

So we have a catch 22 situation where the publications don't take the reviews seriously, and as a result the restaurants and the public tend to follow suit.

And maybe when I read about some of the extremes that go on in other countries, becos of the power vested in the critics, maybe that isn't such a bad thing.

I am utterly convinced of the fact that each nite in the restaurant I am more interested in those clients with whom I have years of shared association, and  also those clients who may be on their first visit, but who, if we get it right, we will see more of over the years to come. Those sorts of people who build our business and sustain it, are the ones who matter to me, and that is simply the way it is.

Recent Posts

Categories

Blog Archive