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@DocChuck re: Walmart. You say things went downhill when Walmart moved in to serve the Chicagoans and Californinans, but is Walmart not from NW Arkansas, where you are from? How far did they have to move in order to move into your town? I ask because I have been watching my favorite childhood eateries slowly close in my old town, years after Walmart moved in. Some lost business, but many are simply retiring, moving away, etc... I'm pretty sure people who were lucky enough (and willing) to experience Chicago's and California's amazing restaurants weren't clamoring for Walmart's frozen food section in its stead.

An Italian sub, overflowing with tasty cured meats, provolone, pickled hot peppers, fresh lettuce tomato onion, and oil and vinegar on a chewy sub roll, preferably with semolina flour all over the outside that will get on everything and make a big delicious mess while I try to eat it. With a small bag of chips on the side.

Banh mi is a close second.

I had the unfortunate problem of being discovered as I was doing a review recently. Now, I'm not famous, but I just came with the tools of the trade (camera, notepad) and was just a little less discreet than I should've been. Suddenly I was being treated like a rock star. And that bothered me, because in writing a review, it's just not fair to review an experience that is so different from the typical diner's.

That said, there are other ways to get the rock star treatment. After a meal at 1789 in DC much like your first at Le Cirque, I was so underwhelmed I wrote a letter to the management, and received an offer to make things right. Unfortunately I couldn't take them up on it because it was literally one of my last days in DC before moving to New York. But I assumed that meant I wouldn't be shunted into a table in the boonies, barely waited on and have my entree come out before my wine was served, like the first time.

I would've been fine getting special treatment after writing a letter, a private interaction between customer and business. But the fact that as a food blogger you got it, makes me wary. For instance, you say now " I wrote a post on my website titled (perhaps inappropriately) Only a Jerk Would Eat at Le Cirque." But dude, that's what you're known for! I love that you come up with these great titles and descriptions. And it sounds like you were treated like a sucker the first time you ate there, so why not give them hell for it? As an individual and a family, I'm sure you appreciated the opportunity to have the star treatment. But as a food writer, you can't let that treatment make you suddenly decide you were too hard on the restaurant the first time, especially when you say the food wasn't much better the second time around. If you're going to take that meal on the house, you have to be doubly sure you are not going to be cutting the place any slack, and definitely not recanting what you've already written.

Regardless of my opinion, well done. I appreciated the enlightening and well written essay.

Yes, it found its way to the free table at my job, and a bunch of us cracked it open and tasted it. It was really, really, not very good. The only thing I can figure is it was skunked or the people making it have no idea what beer is. For example, that it doesn't come in champagne bottles.

Sandro, how awful! As I'll probably be moving soon, you can bet my pan is going to be on the top of the packing list. And Serious Eater-- civil war era pans??! Wow! That's incredible. Imagine what foods have graced those surfaces over the years... mmm....

I haven't scoured the city for the best slice, however, I have a fine palette for pizza.

These are my picks (in no particular order):

Fornino
187 Bedford Ave (off L Bedford Stop)
Brooklyn, NY 11211-2946
Phone: (718) 384-6004
-brick oven pizza with modern topping choices (e.g. truffle oil)

Grimaldi's (over Brooklyn Bridge)
http://www.grimaldis.com/brooklyn.htm
-brick oven pizza - classic New York pizza eating experience

Totono's in Coney Island
1524 Neptune Ave.
Brooklyn, NY
718.372.8606
-brick oven pizza - in fun coney island setting

I don't live in NYC, so maybe I don't know what the heck I'm talking about, but I always look forward to Pizza 33 for a slice when I'm in town... often one of the first things I inhale on my way from airport to hotel if it's remotely convenient to stop...

Am I clueless?

I've disagreed with DocChuck in the past, but in this case I love how the question was posed, especially from a "been there, done that" point of view. All my former in-laws were from the south, some of whom thought they could "get" me by putting things in front of me they were sure I wouldn't like.

Dang it all, now I have a hankerin' fer grits again ...

@smalera:

Good question: How about a plain and simple, "Do you (y'all) like grits?"

Answer: I guess, because that's not how I wished to couch my question.

Sorry if it (my post) offended you in some way.

Just what the world needs, 100,000 amateur food critics...OMG! Scarey. If you want to be a critic why not declare open season on all computer companies who haven't perfected a computer to be compatible with MS. What about retail stores who repackage returned (often faulty) merchandise and sell it as new. Consumer goods that don't work or fall apart within a short time. What about lousy service in stores and government offices. Why pick on restaurants. If you really want to know something about restaurants get a job in one for a few months, then lets hear your "critique." When you're "critiquing," restaurants, ask yourself what kind of job your doing when you're at work...Man...make me soooo crazy...Why does EVERYONE wanna be food critique. Go have another hamburger. Then get a life.