The review of "Market in the Middle" by food critic Andrea Clurfeld in the Asbury Park Press caused quite a stir recently, especially in the TriCity News: See Dan Jacobson's "The Bitch is back!" message of Jan. 25 and Tommy DeSeno's "Wussification" article of February 15. If you followed that episode, and especially if you are in the restaurant business, you may be interested in a full page ad taken by a NYC restauranteur, Jeffrey Chodorow, in response to a "zero stars" review given to his restaurant, the "Kobe Club," by the NYT food critic, Frank Bruni. (Chodorow also owned "Rocco's" and "Caviar & Banana.") Full ad: _http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/pdf/Response_NYTimes.pdf_ (http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/pdf/Response_NYTimes.pdf) ------------------------------------------- Excerpt: "Why then, one might ask, did I need to take out this full-page ad? For two reasons. First, and foremost, you need to understand that, as often happens, the intended target (in this case, me) does not get injured - innocent bystanders do. I have been too successful and battle-hardened to be affected by this, but my restaurant staff, who are some of the nicest, most hard-working people I have ever worked with are affected, and they deserve an apology. They have created a great restaurant, and you should have critics on your staff that celebrate and support the efforts of people who work in New York in one of the most difficult and demanding industries there is. Criticize, but do it fairly, honestly and objectively and through people with credentials, like the three bona fide critics listed above. -------------------------------------------------- I have no self-interest in any of the above, but I do have great admiration and respect those who have taken risks by opening businesses in Asbury Park. The full text of the ad referenced above contains strategies and rhetoric which are models for dealing with unfair or mean-spirited "reviews." If you can't access the ad from the link provided, private email me. "Any critic is entitled to wrong judgments, of course. But certain lapses of judgment indicate the radical failure of an entire sensibility." - Susan Sontag Bon appétit! <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> Check out free AOL at http://free.aol.com/thenewaol/index.adp. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, millions of free high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and much more.
