Page 110 - Cityview_May_June_2014

An Interview with William grimes, former restaurant critic at The New York Times

CV: Every food critic worth his or her salt has a particu- younger diners love it. loud music means energy and

lar—and sometimes quite discriminating—checklist that excitement. So in a review I would comment on the
he or she uses to evaluate a restaurant. Can you offer sound level without getting crotchety about it.

some insight into your unique checklist? For example, did food quality, needless to say, stands at the top of the
your evaluation begin when you called for a reservation, list. Diners and critics will put up with a lot—hard seats,

well before you entered the restaurant? How important tables too close together, long waits—if the kitchen is
was the ambiance? The wine list?
sending out great food. In this area, I might point out

that not every restaurant has to be cutting edge. There
WG: Service is tremendously important, and it begins will always be a place for restaurants that do a good

with the first phone call to the restaurant. how does job with familiar dishes, and in fact one of my favorite
the person on the other end treat you? how politely and places to eat, not far from my house, is a very traditional

efficiently do they handle your requests?
french bistro called Tournesol. I know what will be
The next major stop is check-in, and here a lot of on the menu, and I know it will be good. Nothing new

restaurants completely blow it. I despised restaurants there, but very satisfying. A good wine list is an enor-
that took a snooty attitude and treated guests as though mous plus. I look for good selections at the low end of

they were lucky to be there. Almost as bad, and quite the price range—good restaurants put a lot of effort into
common, is confusion at the front desk. The host or finding these bargains. I am also partial to restaurants

hostess should not have to spend 10 minutes search- that try to be creative with their cocktails and their
ing for your names and then finding someone to escort selection of after-dinner drinks. I was very impressed

you to your table. You should feel like a welcome guest. at an Italian restaurant on the upper West Side called
Danny Meyer understood this and made a fortune off Cesca, which had an extensive list of the bitter after-

this simple insight.
dinner drinks known as amari.
Table service, obviously, is an important category—

how well your waiter takes care of you. The waiter
CV: How many times would you visit a restaurant before
is your ambassador to Pleasureland, or should be.
writing a review? And how many people would join you for

That means no bullying, no pressuring, and the abil-
each visit?
ity to sense when you need something and when you

don’t. having your water glass topped up every three WG: The iron rule is: three visits, minimum. for
seconds is not good service. It is annoying. Ambiance
a really important review—if you are planning on

is a personal thing, but it is a major category. You are awarding four stars, which is the ultimate—you go
sitting in a restaurant for several hours, if you are go- more than three times. I liked to go with a party of

ing for the full experience. Tasting menus can stretch four. That allowed me to taste a bit of every dish that
this to four hours. If the d́cor is hideous, it takes a toll was ordered (and my instructions were that no one

over the course of an evening. Ear-splitting music is a could order the same dish as another guest at the
generational thing. I hate it, and I think it detracts from table) without being overwhelmed. Too many dishes,

the experience of eating a meal and conversing. lots of
and you lose track.

108 cityviewmag.com may june 2014