About the blog
I started this restaurant review blog because my ex-boyfriend and I went to restaurants maybe five times a week. He thought I could combine my enjoyment of eating with my penchant for snarky comments. (He is the Boyfriend of November 2007 – April 2008 posts. From November 2008 - February 2009, and October 2009 – on are different Boyfriends.) I love food, but I’m a musician, actress and dancer, so I worry a lot about calories and carbs as well. I never feel that the big reviewers sufficiently address that aspect. I live in New York City and will review restaurants from my travels if they merit discussion. I know a bit about the restaurant industry, as I’ve hostessed at a few upscale places.
Some guides to my taste: I generally don’t like sweets mixed with savory, I’m fussy about vegetables and dislike a lot of them (although I’m open-minded and learning), I don’t eat bread, I pretty much always order something with meat in it, I like my steaks medium rare, I almost never get chicken, food is hardly ever too spicy for me and I love nearly anything fried. I detest waiting, so restaurants that don’t take reservations will only get a visit on off-peak nights. When I say I had a cocktail, and don’t review it, that means I had something simple.
See the ‘Guide to Ratings‘ for what my numbers mean. You might notice that they tend to be high. That’s because I try to do some research first. There are too many restaurants here to waste time on the bad ones. I don’t get to places above 40th street as much as I’d like. My date/friend/I normally tip about 20% and round the cost to the nearest $5. Default is the cost of an app and entrée each for two people. I will always note if we tipped differently and why. I estimate the chance of walking in as how likely it is that a party of two can walk right in and get a table between 7 and 9 pm on a Friday or Saturday. I am pretty organized, so I usually have a reservation; my guess is based on how many people I see waiting, how full the restaurant is and how many slots they had when I called or used OpenTable.
I keep a giant list of restaurants I want to try or that have proven themselves good, which is what I mean when I talk about “my list.” I specify the month and weekday of my visits to give you a better sense of context. I’m not a paid reviewer so I can only go to most places once, and I want to be as fair as possible. Though not a trained journalist, I follow the same rules. I will always note any connection I know of with anyone involved in the restaurant, or if I got any freebies or perks. I am scrupulous about staying anonymous and getting the same treatment any non-reviewer would get if I possibly can.
I am someone who loves to eat but only just started cooking and whose scattershot knowledge of foodie gossip usually outstrips that of actual food composition. I hope you find my reviews helpful and entertaining anyway. Thanks for reading!
