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12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
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Author:  TheFuzzy [ Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:43 pm ]
Post subject:  12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
The theme of this month's Saveur is "12 Restaurants That Matter". If you're not a subscriber, you'll want to skip this issue.

The idea was that the 12 restaurants should be ones which have had a substantial effect on American cuisine and other restaurants. Yet, the articles for each completely fail to make any case for the significance of their chosen restaurant; the Seattle restaurant has a single paragraph of description which relates a dinner with the author's daughter, and Diner in Brooklyn seems to have been included because the author lives next door. Even actual pivotal restaurants like Commander's Palace have little text to explain why they are significant.

Rating: Fail.

Although some of the restaurant recipes look good.
Author:  BeckyH [ Fri Mar 27, 2009 9:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
Even though I spent years in the industry I'm still amazed when restaurants are seen as the harbingers and trendsetters of the country's eating habits.
Is the spread of "exotic" ingredients in supermarkets really due to the adoration of people like Thomas Keller and his ilk? Perhaps as the population has changed local demand has brought local availability. The proliferation of new types of ethnic venues exposes people to wider possibilities.
And when I read this article I was at a loss to figure out why these establishments were more special than the ones I eat at. Then again, I'm not on the Alice Waters bandwagon-I think she has become an icon because she relentlessly put herself forward as one, not because her ideas or food were so wonderful.
I don't really think that there can be one American cuisine-the place is too big and various. There is no tradition of royal dining to build a repertoire of required dishes upon. There are too many competing levels of interest-the somewhat jaded critic who loves molecular gastronomy because it's not "just" food, the locavore who will only eat food that came from within 15 miles of their location, the diner who wants a good meal for a good price.
I'll have to look up how Nouvelle Cuisine was received in French homes when it first appeared-it hit the sates at a time when all things relating French cooking were known to be innately superior to anything American.
Now that there is a huge following of chefs as entertainment (Gordon Ramsey must be the equivalent of the WWF), is that changing how people cook at home? How they experience dining out?
What do you think?
BeckyH
Author:  pepperhead212 [ Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
I was also disappointed with this issue, Fuzzy, and only a few recipes given from the restaurants seemed like anything special. I could not figure out what it was about these restaurants that mattered more than many other restaurants that could (should) have been chosen.

Dave
Author:  Darcie [ Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
I agree that the articles failed to state the case of why these restaurants "mattered". I hardly think that restaurant in Seattle has had much of an influence outside of (or perhaps even in?) Seattle.

As for Alice Waters, I like some of her ideas but what she's promoting is only feasible in places like California. Here in MN, eating only locally in the winter would totally suck, and we'd all get scurvy. :lol: Plus she seemingly overlooks obvious problems like inner city access to fresh produce in general, much less local, organic produce.

Also, if you look at food miles with an eye toward pollution, small farmer's markets have a larger carbon footprint than a mega chain because of the inefficiencies of transporting small quantities of food from many small farms to a farmer's market than one big truck to Sam's Club. I'm not promoting our current model, I'm just sayin'....

Truthfully, I bought the mag because of the chocolate caramel tart on the cover. I'm just a sucker for those kind of recipes. I'll probably make it this weekend and see how it measures up.

BTW, Fuzzy, I just can't stand the fact that actually got to experience Demel. I'm so jealous....
Author:  TheFuzzy [ Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
Darcie wrote:
I agree that the articles failed to state the case of why these restaurants "mattered". I hardly think that restaurant in Seattle has had much of an influence outside of (or perhaps even in?) Seattle.


Not that I know of, certainly. I've been on two foodie tours of Seattle and have never heard of the place.

Darcie wrote:
Also, if you look at food miles with an eye toward pollution, small farmer's markets have a larger carbon footprint than a mega chain because of the inefficiencies of transporting small quantities of food from many small farms to a farmer's market than one big truck to Sam's Club. I'm not promoting our current model, I'm just sayin'....


Actually, read the article about Sysco in that issue. It covers how Sysco is becoming more organic & local, and is more efficient than truck farmers.

Darcie wrote:
BTW, Fuzzy, I just can't stand the fact that actually got to experience Demel. I'm so jealous....


Yeah, I wish I'd made time for the whole cafe-pastry experience instead of just chocolate. I actually went to Cafe Tomaselli instead because of its historical roots (Constanze Mozart ate there). Which was good, but it wasn't Demel.

The Demel chocolate, though, is really good.
Author:  Darcie [ Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
TheFuzzy wrote:



Actually, read the article about Sysco in that issue. It covers how Sysco is becoming more organic & local, and is more efficient than truck farmers.



Yeah, I did read that - it'll be good if they can expand on that program to more areas. It sounded like they were only doing it in a few places.
Author:  wino [ Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 12 Restaurants That (don't) Matter
Every month you gotta sell a new issue so you need a new headline.

12 steps to ____
7 secrets of _____
3 ways to _______
22 pounds by _______

:o ;)
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