Stars, Diamonds, Track Suits and Ties

On the heels of my post about the three diamonds from AAA comes this from the NY Times about Alain Senderens chucking his Michelin three star Lucas Carton and this from the SF Chronicle about Dennis Leary's Canteen where I had lunch a few months ago with ced from Le Blog de San Francisco.

The Times article points out much that is wrong with the Michelin system, mainly that in order to maintain your star(s) an inordinate amount of cash has to be spent on flowers, silverware, extra staff and other things which have no bearing on what's on the plate.

The Chronicle review asks why a Rising Star chef would ditch his job to slave away essentially by himself, doing breakfast, lunch and dinner in a lime-green diner. Elsewhere in the Chronicle food section is an article about the demise of dressing for dinner.

While I wish people would dress for dinner, my idea of what is appropriate may be different from others. It would be nice to see people put some thought into how they present themselves but that no longer means jacket and tie for men and no jeans for women. I think it does mean, comb your hair and don't wear a track suit if you're not actually exercising. But this is a distraction from the point. The point is the rules have changed. But some of the institutions haven't.

As Kudzu pointed out, you don't eat the decor. Yet in guide after guide, review after review much attention is given to the physical space. Granted, as a diner I'd like to feel comfortable, hopefully at ease and confident I'm eating somewhere where basic standards of cleanliness are being upheld. Kudzu's tale of Buster Holmes' wharf rat reminded me of this recent story . I also enjoy those over the top Kuleto creations like Farallon but it's certainly not essential to my enjoyment of the food.

I also really don't care about the flatware, unless it's a three-tined fork. Hate those. I don't assess the linens for thread count and if the glass isn't a dribble glass I'm happy with it.

Let me get back to dressing for dinner though. Just as it is now appropriate for diners to dress casually, it is equally appropriate for restaurants to present themselves casually. However, casual by design is quite different from casual by negligence.

What I'm getting at is why the hell is any of this still part of the equation when either critiquing a place, or deciding where to eat?

There are some relatively recent concepts in reviewing I agree with, like giving noise ratings. If I'm going out with friends I see all the time, I might not mind shouting a little. If I'm having a reunion with people I haven't seen for years, I want to be able to converse. I think these days people are more concerned with whether they can park nearby, if the place takes credit cards and if they are on schedule with their reservations than they are about the color of the walls or whether tablecloths are present.

Restaurants should be personal representations. Just as your appearance is a personal reflection so is the color of my walls. The best of corporate restaurants, as in places like Fog City Diner, Mustard's (before the buy-back), or any of the Lettuce Entertain You group in the Chicago area, come up with a person or persona and the restaurant expresses that person or persona. Indifference to the details is a crime. Attending to the details while breaking the rules is not.

Comments

[Kudzu]

Well, haddock, I almost lost my breakfast when reading your rat story. At least the rat at Buster's was moving (quite fast).

Eons ago I suggested to several critics that they use little ear symbols to indicate noise levels at restaurants, like the $$$$ they used to show the prices. Fortunately, several of them did, choosing bells instead. Noise level is still not widely enough described by those who don't have follow-up charts with symbols, and noise is maybe my number one complaint these days.

The dress code story you referred to shows how far we've come from a past when going out was a choice for a special experience rather than a more-than-once-a-week option for many people -- those who no longer cook at home, if they ever did in the first place. Just as I reminded my kids and now my grandkinds of "restaurant manners", I expected them to be clean and at least a bit more put together when eating out. I resent eating in a serious establishment where people show up in gym clothes (no matter how much they paid for them).

I really like your contrast between levels of "casual". Good thinking.

[cedichou]

I gotta read this canteen review, now...

...ok, I'm back. Canteen was good. 3 stars for the food may be a bit much, but I still haven't had dinner there. I promised my wife to take her there after we had lunch, but the place won't have an empty seat for month now.

[shuna]

but remember that the old achool Adidas track suit can cost as much as an Armani jacket, and makes LL Cool J look so hot we all may want a bite.

I will never forget the group of us that ate at Bouley right before it closed. the entire dining room stopped eating and talking to watch us be seated. We were ALL dressed up, but so in our own Special ways!

I guess that I want to know that if the owner can, she/he lets me know that details like lighting, color, temperature and noise level of room have been intentionally seen to. And I am a little old fashioned--- white plates only please, and a napkin that works.

ps--save the date Sunday August 14--- will tell you why later! xo

[Kudzu]

Yikes, now we're doing fashion statements!!

Shuna: you know what I meant: dirty running shoes, stretched tees, baggies. Nothing we would ever see haddock wearing, fer shure.

Just pay attention, I say, and others will, too -- even (maybe especially) at places like Bouley.

[haddock]

Which reminds me of a favorite Southern stab. "My, what a lovely dress. I never tire of seeing you in it."

Indeed dressing up is in the eye of the beholder and has little to do with money.

[Sam]

"Attending to the details while breaking the rules is not"... so really it is actually quite ok if I choose never to comb my hair, entirely on purpose.

[haddock]

Sam:

In a word yes.

If not combing your hair is how you present yourself to the world. In other words if you take that on as a style (or anti-style if you will). Now I might be more disposed toward you if your not combing of the hair is more of your countrymen Robert Smith's or John "no relation to Shuna that we know of" Lydon's not combing of the hair rather than say, Dave Pirner's not combing of the hair. Besides you've got that pink wig you could stuff the entire rat's nest up should it become neccessary.

What I'm trying to get at with this thread is for every category of criticism of a restaurant, we've got one for the customers. But I don't want this to be one of those "us against them" kind of blogs.

In other words, I get "critiqued" and rated by certain criteria, some of which relate to our decor, table settings, floral arrangements, musical choice, etc. While I understand the reasons for it, like if you and Fred are looking for a night of romance, the harsh lighting of Shalimar on Jones St might not be for you. This however doesn't mean in and of itself that Shalimar is somehow lesser becasue it doesn't spend on the decor.

To use the combing of the hair analogy, my place settings don't match. This is by design and is part of our appeal. If our place settings didn't match and there were filth and crud clinging to the flatware that would be a no-no.

Opinions on style are always a slippery slope. One persons average is another's exceptional. My own fashion rules are quite ridiculous. For instance I believe shorts are what you wear under your trousers (I almost said pants but... well you know why I said trousers) and you will NEVER see me in a short sleeve shirt (although it is personally permissible to roll up my sleeves and a shirt with no sleeves is somehow ok as well) and I haven't worn a sneaker (other than for yard work) for over 25 years. I do however dress like a maniac, to the point that the GM was convinced we would never be allowed into Aqua on our first restaurant date so many years ago.

I'm all for anyone dressing how they feel. I WOULD like to see people put a little more effort, a little more fun and a little more vitality into their self-presentation.

[Sam]

Haddock. You and Fred and I are going to get along just pefectly. Not matching place settings by design fits exactly in my own world view. You and Fred can waste at least half an hour discussing people who wear shorts into restaurants. I think our styles will be polar opposites but at least we all have style. Just big fans of the touseled messy hair club, that's all. - still on for Sunday? I have been working like crazy and haven't come up with a venue. Probably have to work the w/e, but insist not on Sunday evening. I think I saw something on chowhound that mentioned a special sunday meal at a place called sultan but i haven't been able to investigate further yet. there is also a place on 3rd or 4th st Shah??? that I've heard good things about but not sure if open on sunday. will look into it