Can we impeach Frank Bruni as NYT food critic ?
Is it just me or does Frank Bruni continually under-rate/under-appreciate any restaurant that is not Italian, a Steakhouse, or haute French cuisine ?
As a great case in point one need look no further than his review this week of Shang. I have eaten there twice and loved almost every dish I ate. How could he say the dressing on Chef Lee's signature Singapore slaw was too sweet and cloying? Everyone I know I loved all the flavors and textures it presented. Did he try the chickpea fritters?
They are addictive to say the least. The foie gras was divine and presented much differently than almost anywhere else outside Spain. Other standouts that he failed to mention include the white sablefish, the tofu custard, the duck breast and the wagyu beef. Of course there were a couple of duds such as the turnip cake (too salty) and the crispy lobster (I agree with you on that one) but, overall, the food is both innovative and complex with many subtle, sophisticated flavors and numerous delicious sauces.
A couple of years ago he also gave a mediocre review to a now-defunct (thanks in large part to Mr. Bruni's review) restaurant named Varietal that presented edgy, innovative and mostly delicious cuisine. He is also the only person I know who did not generally praise the great Alinea in Chicago.
I think he is doing a disservice to New Yorkers by only praising the plainer food that he seems to personally enjoy. As a critic of the most influential newspaper in the world, he needs to broaden his horizons. There is a whole world of interesting food to be enjoyed and it is sad that he repeatedly fails to do so.
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9 Comments:
Critics are like eunics in a harem. They know how its done, they see it done every day, but they can't do it themselves. Alexander Woolcot.
But taking that into consideration, what is a critic of a critic?
Meat guy at 4:22PM on 02/20/09
You are wrong. Bruni doesn't under-rate/under-appreciate any restaurant that is not Italian, a Steakhouse, or haute French cuisine. He underrates/underappreciates haute French cuisine as well.
Sneakeater at 4:23PM on 02/20/09
I've been to Shang and actually liked the lobster thing. Maybe I like anything fried.
But the one star seemed pretty fair to me and I've been aching for haute Chinese to make some sort of inroads in NYC.
It's really difficult to say he should be ousted because you disagree with his ratings. There's always going to be naysayers. You can, however, take comfort in knowing that he'll probably get bored of his job soon. These NYTimes food critics don't stick around for a very long time.
foodinmouth at 4:57PM on 02/20/09
bruni recently gave ko and matsugen three stars (also in his 2008 top 10) and szechuan gourmet, two. on the other hand, he gave ago a horrible review. i find him pretty fair and not necessarily biased toward a certain cuisine. i can't say the same about platt. readers also have to remember that just bc lee is huge in toronto doesn't mean his cooking will translate in nyc.
gastrodamus at 6:01PM on 02/20/09
@meat guy - wow. great quote.
pooch at 8:49PM on 02/20/09
IMO bruni is the most entertaining restaurant critic since the departure of the wonderful ruth reichl.
cybercita at 9:00PM on 02/20/09
Impeach! Impeach! Besides the fact that the first half of every article is an in depth look at the decor, the guy just doesn't know food.
Emily at 5:06PM on 02/22/09
No, we don't need to impeach him. What we need are more high-level critics so his isn't the only opinion in the game. We need people with good palates and writing skills who can report on restaurants in an intelligent, unbiased, and interesting way. Then Bruni will no longer have such a monopoly on public opinion.
butterface at 10:30AM on 02/23/09
He's officially leaving now, so you get your wish....but will his replacement be any better?
peekpoke at 5:30PM on 05/14/09