Butchertown Grocery gets 4 CJ stars

[Robin Garr]

So what do you all think of (1) the rating and (2) the writing?

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/en ... /82887962/

Not a fan.....I am a reasonably intelligent person, but I find myself re-reading and re-reading her writing to try and figure out what exactly her point is?!?! I also have trouble figuring out which dishes she actually ate vs. the things she seems to just be describing off of the menu.....What was the lead-up info on the chef/owner trying to say?

Tiny bone for this vegetarian to pick (har har) but saying "there appears to be several vegetarian options on the menu" seems like an odd choice of words to me when it appears that she ate several of them?

[Robin Garr]

Tiny bone for this vegetarian to pick (har har) but saying "there appears to be several vegetarian options on the menu" seems like an odd choice of words to me when it appears that she ate several of them?

That's a technique that the CJ seems to employ since before this ciritc. Marty used to use similar language in saying a restaurant"appears to be accessible to the handicapped." My guess? They didn't actually make the effort to ask, they're just guessing based on what the menu says. The mushroom tart appears not to contain meat, but they're not promising that it's not made with beef stock. The door appears to have a flat entrance, but they didn't look to see if the restrooms have facilities for wheelchair users, etc.

Just poorly written. Like y'all said, very unclear in descriptions, plus she goes back and forth between bombast and bad writing. I don't think some of those words mean what she thinks they mean . . .

Haven't been to the restaurant yet, but the review is overwrought and silly.

That's a technique that the CJ seems to employ since before this ciritc. Marty used to use similar language in saying a restaurant"appears to be accessible to the handicapped." My guess? They didn't actually make the effort to ask, they're just guessing based on what the menu says. The mushroom tart appears not to contain meat, but they're not promising that it's not made with beef stock. The door appears to have a flat entrance, but they didn't look to see if the restrooms have facilities for wheelchair users, etc.

I can definitely say that that's probably the case at least for handicapped access. I forget which restaurant review it was but one of the ones she recently did had that comment about accessibility and I can tell you that from personal experience I know it isn't accessible! Wording it that way is just a CYA move to prevent somebody from coming back at them saying "but you said...."!

"The kale salad ($9) with beets, black currants and olives wasn’t the reason we returned to Butchertown Grocery, but there was no doubt we wouldn’t order it during a second visit. It’s an uncomplicated but wonderful dish of distinctive tastes."

This sentence made my brain hurt. Lewis Carroll couldn't have said it better.

Vegetarian option yes, vegetarian entrees no.

Perhaps it is not fair on my part but-
I trust her palate about as much as I trust her writing skills. Call me picky but if you are a restaurant critic don't you need both?
And now I feel all icky because I criticized.