First up is Fred’s:

We happened to read a review of Fred’s about 5 minutes before we left the house to meet friends at Fred’s. But we decided to go and not cancel, and we’re glad we did. Brian Ries displayed his abhorrence for some of the styles that Fred’s served, which may be his personal preference, but has nothing to do with quality of the food at this restaurant.
We had a wonderful dinner. The waitress, Tiffany, was attentive, gracious, and obliging. We didn’t care for the first bottle of wine and she apologized and brought a second one promptly!
The salads were split in the kitchen for each couple, as we had requested. A supply of fresh, hot bread was constantly supplied to the table. The 14oz sirloin, which my husband and I shared, was perfectly cooked, tender and delicious. The other couple had salmon — very tasty — and a shrimp dish — most enjoyable.
And the coffee, even the decaf, was excellent.
And each course came out to our table at exactly the right time.
Most food critics make 3 visits, at least, before reviewing, but it doesn’t sound like Brian did. And he should ignore the Andy Warhol quotes — none of his business — and stick to the food and leave his own personal preferences at home.
We recommend Fred’s highly.

-Mrs. Sylvia Deutsch

Then there’s the other side of the coin, as we hear from Gaetano Cannata at Ortygia:

Brian –
You got it. The feel, the atmosphere, the message I am trying to get across. Most people have no idea of what I am trying to accomplish and how I really feel about cooking. Thank you for the wonderful comments on my place. At this point in time, this is my life. Besides my children this place gives me a reason for getting out of bed every day. Thank you so much for understanding.
You were right on the money pertaining to the two dishes you were not thrilled with. I have made some improvements based on your comments. Thank you for your constructive criticism.
Come back and visit soon

Sincerely
Chef Gaetano, Ortygia

I do go to some minor extremes to maintain anonymity when reviewing places: I usually use an alias credit card, I call on other people’s phones when making reservations and, of course, I don’t make the ressies in my name. There have been a few times when I thought the restaurant might suspect, usually because of questions I ask, but it’s usually after the fact. I did run into some trouble last week, however.

I paid with a new alias card which, apparently, I had forgotten to sign. Who checks that, anyway? This server did and asked for ID. Mind whirring, I decided to go ballsy and said “I don’t have it with me,” although my wallet sitting on the tabletop gave lie to that statement. When he asked me for something, anything that might confirm my identity, I just stared him down and said “Nope, nothing.”

Thankfully, he was unwilling to force the issue and just shrugged and handed the card and receipt over. Phew.