AAA awards highest rating to one Louisville restaurant

From Business First:

http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louis ... st=b_ln_hl

[Robin Garr]

From Business First:

http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louis ... st=b_ln_hl

Very interesting, and thanks for the link. Congratulations are in order, of course, if only for the bragging rights. But that being said, and at the risk of a little seasonal "Bah, humbug!" I've never been impressed by the AAA (or Mobil) ratings, and find them of very little use when traveling, even if they're not quite as bogus for food as the Wine Spectator awards are for wine.

^ shocker.

The Wine Spectator Awards are the worst scam in the restaurant business. Amanda Hesser busted the scam in a NY Times piece a few years ago.

and don't get me started on Zagat!

I've never been impressed by the AAA (or Mobil) ratings, and find them of very little use when traveling

No shooting of the messenger encouraged, please... just sharing what I see in the business press!

[Robin Garr]

No shooting of the messenger encouraged, please... just sharing what I see in the business press!

Absolutely! No harm to the messenger intended in any way, shape or form.

[Robin Garr]

The Wine Spectator Awards are the worst scam in the restaurant business. Amanda Hesser busted the scam in a NY Times piece a few years ago.

With all due respect to Ms. Hesser, I've been beating that dead horse since the first year of the Speck's awards, and it's been a frequent topic for abuse on our wine forums.

and don't get me started on Zagat!

Just because it's nothing but a popularity contest of, by and for trend-followers who love the places that were hot five years ago and rarely get down to the holes-in-the-wall or over to the outer boroughs? Other than that, what's your beef?

Not that I have any use for Zagat but...trend followers who love places that were hot five years ago? Boy they suck as trend followers!

[Robin Garr]

Not that I have any use for Zagat but...trend followers who love places that were hot five years ago? Boy they suck as trend followers!

They do! And no, that wasn't an episode of brain flatulence ... I really meant exactly what I wrote.

Very interesting, and thanks for the link. Congratulations are in order, of course, if only for the bragging rights. But that being said, and at the risk of a little seasonal "Bah, humbug!" I've never been impressed by the AAA (or Mobil) ratings, and find them of very little use when traveling, even if they're not quite as bogus for food as the Wine Spectator awards are for wine.

Chef Dean Corbett said that his goal is to achieve one of these Mobil/AAA maxed-out star ratings for his Corbett's - An American Place. In fact he said he considered several of the factors those services evaluate when he was planning and constructing the restaurant ("solid ice" was one I remember).

[Robin Garr]

Chef Dean Corbett said that his goal is to achieve one of these Mobil/AAA maxed-out star ratings for his Corbett's - An American Place. In fact he said he considered several of the factors those services evaluate when he was planning and constructing the restaurant ("solid ice" was one I remember).

I heard that discussion too, Jay, and certainly would applaud Deano if he can do it. As you know, from what we saw last week, he's sure on the right track!

Even if I don't particularly respect the system, I can certainly respect the impulse, particularly in a very fine, upscale eatery that attracts an affluent audience. A five-star Mobil rating (I believe there's none currently in Kentucky) would put them on the map beyond just Louisville foodies.

Achieving a 4 or 5 diamond/star rating from AAA or Mobile is not as easy as it seems..

There is a "laundry list" of criteria that has to be met..

The food cannot stand on it's own merit without all of the pieces of the puzzle fitting together.

Not that I have any use for Zagat but...trend followers who love places that were hot five years ago? Boy they suck as trend followers!

They do! And no, that wasn't an episode of brain flatulence ... I really meant exactly what I wrote.

Ok, wasn't sure, could have gone either way, haha.

[Robin Garr]

Achieving a 4 or 5 diamond/star rating from AAA or Mobile is not as easy as it seems..

There is a "laundry list" of criteria that has to be met..

The food cannot stand on it's own merit without all of the pieces of the puzzle fitting together.

Of course! The French Michelin ratings work the same way. Up to a point, it's primarily about food, but the second star, and the truly coveted third star, are really as much (or more) about service and setting as they are about the food. Bear in mind that AAA and Mobil are modeled, more or less, on Michelin. It's also interesting to note that all three are auto-related (Michelin, of course, is the tire company), and date back to the early days of the automotive era when dining reviews were seen as a great way to get the general public into cars and out on the road.

The problem with the five diamond type rating is not that they pick bad restaurants. They typically don't. But that's they don't add a lot of value. Usually they are the big name fine dining establishments in a given area. What value did they add by compiling them into a list?

They also seem to rely a lot on restaurant reputation, and restaurants can go into decline and start mailing it in for quite a while before they fall off the list.