review on restauraunt review

Having been working in the restaurant industry in Louisville for the past seven years, I found myself disturbed by comments made in a recent review in a local newspaper. A restaurant was penalized for not using local products, when in reality they use very many. Having been a former employee I may take these comments a little bit more personal than the average person, especially knowing how much effort they make to use local products, and how much pride they take in using them. Weather it is Carol’s greens and other various amazing produce she brings, Grateful Greens, Kenny’s cheese, Capriole farms cheese, Sheltowee mushroom farm, Weisenberger mills, and Kentucky Gold produce. Not to mention the garden tended proudly by the employees to produce herbs and some things like tomatoes, peppers, and other various produce, plus that they use as much Kentucky Proud produce they can get through purveyors like local Creation Gardens. A chef lives and dies on their decisions on products they use to make their restaurant successful. Restaurants are for profit, and to anyone who might enjoy television shows like Restaurant Impossible or Kitchen Nightmares, the public is starting to understand it may not be as easy for a restaurant to turn a profit as they thought. It is a necessity for a Chef to pick and choose what they can use and what they can’t, not because they don’t want to use only local products, but because you must balance expense with profit. Chefs have to be fiscally responsible or they won’t be there the next year to use any local products at all, and that would be the biggest shame.
I do apologize for ranting in a public forum; it's not usually like me.
I found it unfair to discount a restaurant for the products they don’t use instead of highlighting the ones they do use.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... 1308050030

If it was printed in a local newspaper please refer us to the review in question so we can decide for ourselves as to the fairness of the critiques.

You know I never even thought to ask anyone at a restaurant where they source their lard.

[Robin Garr]

If it was printed in a local newspaper please refer us to the review in question so we can decide for ourselves as to the fairness of the critiques.

You know I never even thought to ask anyone at a restaurant where they source their lard.

I agree. I don't think it's anything I wrote, but if it is, I'd like an opportunity to respond. And if it's not, I'd like an opportunity to analyze the situation myself.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... 1308050030

[Robin Garr]

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011308050030

Hmm. I see the reference to local, grass-fed beef, but it hardly makes for a savage review. Overall, the review looks positive to me, and as I said in another thread, well-written. I sort of share Dana's opinion here. I understand that local beef costs more than industrial beef, but I'll pay the price for the humanely raised, hormone-free product, at home and at a restaurant, when I have the choice.

Well on many levels I agree with Mark. I've been so irritated by this review since I read it on Friday. I want to know what a reviewer thinks of the food, service and ambience of a restaurant. If food politics is germane to the restaurant (i.e. Harvest), then fine, but otherwise I don't think a reviewer's personal food philosophy belongs in the review.

Really - this was the first time I can think of when I got ticked off. She raved about her pomme frites, and then expressed disappointment when she was leaving and saw trash that indicated it wasn't locally sourced lard. Oh for God's sake! Maybe they should just make sure no one can see their trash, and would the steak actually have been better if it had been grass-fed and local or would she have just felt better.

What if Len Stevens (whom I do not know) starts locally sourcing, not enough quality in the area (over sourced), this results in lower quality dishes. Hypothetical, yes. But come on, was your food good or not!

As a disclaimer let me say I am all for the food to table idea - if feasible and by choice. I've belonged to CSA's for years (not this one since I'm unemployed) and if you follow me on facebook you know I have a huge garden.

As a side note - this is my first food forum rant!

[Robin Garr]

As a side note - this is my first food forum rant!

Welcome to the dark side, Robin! It was an EXCELLENT rant in that you made me rethink my own view to some extent. I guess I do share Dana's strong locavore commitment, but yeah, the lard can was a little bit over the top.

I think it's okay for a critic to bring personal views to a review, but not to downgrade a place because of them. I don't see Dana doing that here. I did see it, and said so, when Susan Reigler downgraded Zen Garden for having so much tofu because she didn't like tofu.

Anyway, it's hardly a rant when it's well argued. Good work!

I just hope the Ahi was local.

[Robin Garr]

I just hope the Ahi was local.

Eat locally, where local makes sense. Eat sustainably, where local does not. Seems simple enough to me ...

I just hope the Ahi was local.

Ok, I just caught that in my early AM coffeeless state......

I'm fascinated by this local lard thing. So if it's rendered locally but the pigs come from out of the state is it really local lard - or what if the pigs are fed grain not locally sourced. In the words of Gomer Pyle, "Makes ya think."

Again I apologize for ranting earlier.

It is a necessity for a Chef to pick and choose what it is you can use and what you can’t, not because you don’t want to use only local products. Chefs have to be fiscally responsible or they won’t be there the next year to use any local products at all, and that would be the biggest shame.

Agreed.

Though I try to eat as local and sustainable as possible, when you're running a restaurant you're trying to cast the biggest net possible so you can attain more customers.
So even though I might personally pay $12 for something that costs $7 elsewhere because it was locally farmed I'm in the minority.
Unfortunately the biggest net to catch customers right now is not using locally sourced products and keeping prices down; especially in this economy. I think it's unfair and cruel to negatively critic these restaurants/peoples jobs based on the fact that their customer base will not support higher prices. That is a double edged sword that has no business being pulled from it's sheath.

People seem to have a notion that people that own restaurants are making money hand over fist, but the reality is that the margins are so slim. Unless of course you're selling a pizza for $20+ dollars... but I digress.

And then there is the quality and consistency issue which is a whole other can of worms.

The review was uninspiring and uninteresting compared to Marty's. Thankfully Marty will be back soon.

I scanned the comments and read the review again. I read it yesterday. One thing stood out. The can of lard. My thought was that the first time I read it, I thought this was really one of the more foolish things to put into a review. Upon further review, it is, perhaps the MOST foolish thing to put in a review. If the frites were good they were good. I really don't need every detail in the world.