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Does this guy ever review a place that would be affordable for the average -- middle class -- human being, because it is hard to see how the middle class people

by skilled 10y ago

Does this guy ever review a place that would be affordable for the average -- middle class -- human being, because it is hard to see how the middle class people would care about restaurant reviews on such a vast scale when everyone's struggling to make the ends meet in the first place.

sbuccini 10y ago
The article mentions that there are two different columns in the Times. Pete Wells only reviews the fancier restaurants, and it's one of the reasons that a "Fair" review won't even get you one star in his column. Another columnist is responsible for establishments targeted more at "everyday" Americans. The article further states that Wells is actually uncomfortable with this dichotomy and has been throughout his duration at the Times.
- neilc 10y ago
  > Pete Wells only reviews the fancier restaurants This is not true; in fact, Wells is somewhat famous for reviewing more blue-collar restaurants, in contrast with previous Times critics. For example, here is his review of Guy Fieri's restaurant in Times Square: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-...
  - casion 10y ago
    $11 for french fries, $19 hamburger is considered blue-collar? I assume this is a new york thing?
    - neilc 10y ago
      Sure: something can be both overpriced and blue-collar. Think of the food you get at a typical football stadium, for example.
bsder 10y ago
Did you read the article? Yes, he does review cheaper places occasionally (the comment about Senor Frogs being one). However, the article does point out that there is a different NYT critic who mostly does the cheaper restaurants.
idlewords 10y ago
All kinds of people go to restaurants once in a while to celebrate a special occasion or anniversary. That makes the job of the restaurant critic particularly important. If you are going to splurge once a year on a fancy meal, you really don't want to choose badly.
pc86 10y ago
> everyone's struggling to make the ends meet No, I don't think everyone is. A lot of people, maybe. Certainly not most. Definitely not everyone. And this is HN where I would be pretty confident that most who aren't students make 2x the median household income themselves, and the vast majority make 2x the median individual income. And even my parents who are objectively working class people will still splurge for special anniversaries and go to a very, very nice restaurant for dinner. And if you're going somewhere that you can only afford once every 5-10 years, you are probably going to read every review you can get your hands on. They become extraordinarily important.

by skilled 10y ago

sbuccini 10y ago

The article mentions that there are two different columns in the Times. Pete Wells only reviews the fancier restaurants, and it's one of the reasons that a "Fair" review won't even get you one star in his column. Another columnist is responsible for establishments targeted more at "everyday" Americans. The article further states that Wells is actually uncomfortable with this dichotomy and has been throughout his duration at the Times.

neilc 10y ago
> Pete Wells only reviews the fancier restaurants This is not true; in fact, Wells is somewhat famous for reviewing more blue-collar restaurants, in contrast with previous Times critics. For example, here is his review of Guy Fieri's restaurant in Times Square: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-...
- casion 10y ago
  $11 for french fries, $19 hamburger is considered blue-collar? I assume this is a new york thing?
  - neilc 10y ago
    Sure: something can be both overpriced and blue-collar. Think of the food you get at a typical football stadium, for example.

bsder 10y ago

Did you read the article? Yes, he does review cheaper places occasionally (the comment about Senor Frogs being one). However, the article does point out that there is a different NYT critic who mostly does the cheaper restaurants.

idlewords 10y ago

All kinds of people go to restaurants once in a while to celebrate a special occasion or anniversary. That makes the job of the restaurant critic particularly important. If you are going to splurge once a year on a fancy meal, you really don't want to choose badly.

pc86 10y ago

> everyone's struggling to make the ends meet No, I don't think everyone is. A lot of people, maybe. Certainly not most. Definitely not everyone. And this is HN where I would be pretty confident that most who aren't students make 2x the median household income themselves, and the vast majority make 2x the median individual income. And even my parents who are objectively working class people will still splurge for special anniversaries and go to a very, very nice restaurant for dinner. And if you're going somewhere that you can only afford once every 5-10 years, you are probably going to read every review you can get your hands on. They become extraordinarily important.