I must confess that I was more than just a little put off by Karla Cook’s restaurant review in this past Sunday’s (September 13th) Metropolitan section of the New York Times. Ms. Cook bestowed a “Very Good” on the Peking Pavilion in Manalapan… but that’s only part of the story.
Seems she really got a burr under her saddle: “Things became tense when I tried to take my leftover wine home… as I routinely do at restaurants. The manager told me to ‘drink it here or leave it,’ and he would not budge.”
Once reaching her domicile, of course, Ms. Cook verified that the law does allow “doggy bags” for recorked bottles of wine, but they must be kept in the trunk, out of the driver’s reach. Aha! Gotcha!
The bottom line: Ms. Cook was proved right… but she was wrong. I say this for several reasons… First of all, have you noticed that NY Times’ New Jersey restaurant reviews are becoming shorter and shorter? To spend a full 1/3 of that review on a matter that does not significantly impact on the food, service, or ambiance is sheer folly. Indeed, according to Ms. Cook: “The wine issue was my only real complaint about this 150-seat restaurant…”
Secondly, it seems to me that this review is an unfortunate and blatant example of what we might term “Retributive Journalism.” Ms. Cook is basically saying (and not with a great deal of subtlety, I might add): “You wouldn’t let me take my wine home, so I’ll get even with you in print.” Needless to say, there is absolutely no place for this kind of behavior in competent restaurant criticism (or any other forms of journalism for that matter).
Finally, in the context of writing restaurant reviews, the critic is constantly faced with a variety of choices with regard to inclusion and exclusion. For example, I can’t tell you how many times some restaurant incident, not particularly related to the cuisine, has really gotten under my skin and I’ve been tempted to include it in my review… but I did not. Basically because I felt that, if I did, the restaurateur in question and readers would consider it petty and just an excuse for getting back for some minor infraction.
The Peking Pavilion is obviously a fine restaurant… and it deserved better than it received at Ms. Cook’s hands. She has been at this reviewing game for a good number of years now. She should have known better. But, apparently, she did not. Karla: Time to grow up!
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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