Come again: Re-reviews of the Hil, Cakes & Ale, and Repast
April 20th, 2009 by Besha Rodell in Restaurants, review
GREAT BALLS OF RICE: The arancini at Cakes & Ale
Reviewing restaurants is a tricky game. We want to be fair, to give credit where it’s due, and to be respectful of the heart and hard work someone has put into a business. For that reason, we have guidelines — at CL we never do a full starred review before a restaurant has been open one month. A month isn’t a lot of time, and I often feel as though it’s not enough. A restaurant can take a few months to become what it’s destined to be.
So why not wait those few months to review? Because to be a part of the conversation, we need to weigh in early. By the time three months have gone by, people are talking about something new.
When I review, I rate based on what the restaurant is at the time, not based on what I expect the restaurant to become. This can be frustrating, for me and, I’m sure, for the chefs and owners of the restaurants. Often I can see the potential, but I have no way to say for sure whether that potential will be met.
For that reason I’ve decided to revisit some restaurants I felt had more potential than they achieved in those first few months. I wanted a chance to update star ratings and to give credit to businesses that are constantly evolving, and in these cases, becoming better.
Continue reading “Feature: Come again”
(Photo by James Camp)
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