CJ goes to Palermo Viejo too.

[Robin Garr]

Purely by coincidence, they ended up reviewing the same place I did yesterday.

Here's Ms Miller's review:

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/en ... /14043621/

[Robin Garr]

No thoughts or insights? How about the breast-feeding bit? Or the commentary on replacing utensils?

Good review. I agree with both of you that Palermo is one of our premier restaurants, and I think it often gets lost in the shuffle.

The breastfeeding aside is unnecessary here and is social commentary non-germane to the review of the restaurant. If PV featured breastfeeding mothers at every table as part of the ambience, then I think it is open to critique, but just because one is sitting nearby really cannot be attributed to the restaurant. I once went to a movie where the patron next to me felt compelled to clap his hands wildly in the air in front of his face after each bite of popcorn in what I assume was an attempt to remove the salt and dust from his hands. That would have not made it into my review of the film nor the theater in which I saw it. (It does make a bizarre and hilarious anecdote, however...)

Of more interest is the "you wanna keep your fork" service choice. I'm with Nancy. How about you just take my fork and bring me a new one. A discussion in unnecessary. (And for me, that goes for Denny's as well. There are plenty of forks.)

All in all, I think Nancy has completely settled into her role and is starting to produce solid reviews. I look forward to more.

If you delete those 2 specific paragraphs, I think it would have been a good review! I don't want to get into a breast-feeding in public debate because why bother? But it just seemed like that paragraph was dropped in there and was disjointed from the rest of the review. The utensil paragraph - I read it multiple times and maybe I am just dense, but it seems like that situation could have been explained better or something? They said yes to keeping the utensils but then were upset that there was no where to put them? She said herself that she should have said no.....

The writer lost me at the breastfeeding shaming. Using the entirety of the third paragraph to criticize a mother for feeding her baby is pretty heinous. I can't decide if it makes it better or worse if it's an attention grab - get the mommy army out to comment on your article and get clicks for your newspaper. Pathetic, unprofessional, and sad. Look away from the horrifying boob if it scares you so much. Why not go over to this nursing mother and tell her off right then and there, instead of shaming her in the city's newspaper? At least by addressing her horror at the time, she doesn't have to reveal to all of her readers that she is a ridiculous person.

the horrifying boob

For the record, should I ever take up pro wrestling, "The Horrifying Boob" will be my official wrestler name.

Where are the editors? That entire third paragraph.. why is it in there? Cut it out and you have an "ok" review. But yes, they could have left it in there to create controversy which could indicate just how desperate the CJ has become. Bad writing, bad review, even worse editing. New writer has already "jumped the shark". Oh well it's not like the CJ is relevant anymore anyways.

http://insiderlouisville.com/business/courier-journal-food-writer-criticizes-breastfeeding-mom-review-gets-slammed/

That didn't take long.

the horrifying boob

For the record, should I ever take up pro wrestling, "The Horrifying Boob" will be my official wrestler name.

Haha! The costuming possibilities are positively... titillating.

I'm fortunate enough to live next door to PV. Every evening since moving in, I would step outside and smell the wonderful scent of grilled meat and garlic....This past April I had bariatric surgery, and had my 'last supper' at Palermo the week before surgery. Now the once-wonderful aroma is a cruel reminder of what I gave up and can no longer enjoy!

Alanna,

Im not familiar with the restrictions of bariatric surgery, but isnt it just about portion control? Or can you not eat meat at all following the procedure?

Actually, Doug, meat is pretty much my dietary staple now! Not a hardship, since I've always preferred meat over anything else. I eat about 800 calories a day and I'm supposed to get 80 grams of protein a day, at minimum. So when I eat, I eat my proteins first and if I have room for anything else I eat my veggies next. Since only a few ounces fill me up I don't spend money going out to eat anymore because it's just a waste now.
I had a sleeve gastrectomy done, where about 80% of the stomach is removed- including the portion that creates grehlin, the hunger hormone. Therefore I'm restricted from eating very much by only having a small tube- or 'sleeve'- of stomach to fill. It doesn't take much to fill me up, usually anything more than about 4 ounces makes me start feeling painfully full. Medically there is nothing that I CAN'T eat. Nothing is going to kill me if I eat it, but there are lots of foods that cause pain for many sleeve patients, including myself. Carbonated drinks are out of the question. Not only because of their total lack of nutritional value but the fact that even one sip causes my stomach to start hurting really bad. Prior to surgery I had a huge sweet tooth and ate dessert at every meal. Now sugar and sweets cause what's called 'dumping syndrome'. You get the shakes, nausea, a headache, and sometimes vomiting (or worse!). Fried foods do the exact same thing. Grapes and bananas hurt my stomach a lot, as does soft bread. But toast doesn't bother me at all! A couple of bites of carbs makes me feel really full so I don't eat potatoes, rice, pasta or anything like that.
Mentally I can look at food and see that it looks appetizing. I still come on Hotbytes and enjoy reading the reviews, and I still go online and read restaurant menus for fun. However since surgery I haven't eaten one single thing that blew my mind or made me think I was eating the most delicious thing possible. No matter how good something looks it no longer tastes all that great. The mental aspect of the surgery has been hard and I certainly mourn my relationship with food. I've lost 51 lbs in four months, I now have the energy to walk 3.2 miles four times a week and do water aerobics twice a week. I did my first 5K last weekend. I've come off my diabetes and high BP meds. My cholesterol levels are great. My kids and I eat really healthy now. But I no longer enjoy food...instead of 'living to eat' I now 'eat to live'. I don't regret my decision at all but it has been really weird to lose something that once brought me so much joy.
So everyone please keep posting your reviews on here so I can live vicariously through you!