Behind the Line
Topic: A Little Bit of Fun
Putting on Your Media Hat
What are the most common questions you get asked by journalists?
- Chrissy Camba
- Chef
- Bar Pastoral
- Chicago, IL
Christy Camba? (After I introduce myself).
Then I say, No "T".
Then they say, "How do you spell that?"
Then I say, " No. No "T", just Chrissy."
It's my fault that's the most common question.....
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If you could write your own review, how many stars would you give yourself and why?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
For what publication? I was thrilled with our three-star review in the Tribune, and wonder every day if we belong in that bunch. Still, I think I would have given us three because we're definitely ...
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Chef reviewers: how would reviews change if chefs reviewed one another?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
If you're taking Chicago chefs, I think reviews would be a lot like Chicago Magazine's or Phil Vettels. They would accentuate the positive while assessing the overall performance of a restaurant, a...
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If you could write one feature food story for a national magazine, what would you write about?
- Nathan Sears
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Radler and D.A.S.
- Chicago, IL
I would write about a grading system for restaurants that represents the amount of local produce is used. It seems every restaurant in the city claims to use local farms and the public can not tell...
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If you could write one feature food story for a local newspaper, what would you write about?
- Carrie Nahabedian
- Executive Chef/Owner
- NAHA and Brindille
- Chicago, IL
I would love to write an article for the home cook that doesn't know how to cook. Master one great dish first, I would say. Such as, learn how to make a great pasta sauce, or how to make risotto, o...
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What is the one question you wish the media would ask you?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
What are some common myths and misconceptions about Southern food you'd like to dispel?
Since I got to ask myself the question, I'm going to answer it. Southern food isn't all bbq and fried chic...
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What is the one question you want to ask the media?
- Josh Kaplan
- GM/Beverage Manager
- Eleven City Diner
- Chicago, Illinois
What criteria do you use to assess the selection, pricing, and service of wine?
What is the one question media ask that you are tired of answering?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
Can you spell your last name?
Do you secretly agree with most restaurant reviews or no?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
I secretly disagree with a lot of them, but only because my one or two restaurant visits to a restaurant may be very different than the 2-3 of a professional restaurant critic. I do find a few crit...
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What do you think of restaurant star ranking systems? Love 'em or hate 'em?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
They're fine, but you need a great critic to make them worthwhile.
What do you think the public doesn't understand about restaurant reviews?
- Jason McLeod
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Box Tree Restaurant, Inc
- San Diego, CA
That they are subjective......Yes many have very good comments and even
might be true good or bad, but what we do in the hospitality industry is
completely subjective, and a Critic reviewng a resta...
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Do the media concentrate too much on "celebrities" at the expense of other talents?
- Rob Levitt
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Butcher & Larder
- Chicago, IL
Everyone concentrates too much on celebrities. It is great if a chef is
skyrocketed to fame and can open more restaurants and create more jobs. As
long as the food doesn't suffer I have no proble...
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What industry publications do you read regularly?
- Randy Zweiban
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Province and Province Phoenix
- Chicago, IL
Food Arts, Nations Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality,Restaurant Business and a variety of others.
What industry-focused consumer publications do you read regularly?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
I don't read any regularly, but I do enjoy Southern Living and Food and Wine, also Cook's Illustrated.
What industry blogs do you read regularly?
- Jason McLeod
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Box Tree Restaurant, Inc
- San Diego, CA
A few of my favorites, A Year in Food, Michael Ruhlman, Cheese Underground,
Offal Good, Ideas in Food and of course Michelin and a Mom.
What do you feel is the most underrated industry publication/blog?
- Josh Kaplan
- GM/Beverage Manager
- Eleven City Diner
- Chicago, Illinois
Decanter magazine. Its always filled with great educational articles about regions and producers. They really dig deep!
What do you feel is the most overrated industry publication/blog?
- Brian Reilly
- Chef
- Noodlecat
- Cleveland, Ohio
Yelp... Nuf said
How many times should a critic dine at a restaurant before publishing a review?
- Carrie Nahabedian
- Executive Chef/Owner
- NAHA and Brindille
- Chicago, IL
Very difficult question...But, the critic should dine at least twice for lunch and dinner with a table of 4 people so that the entire menu can be explored and tasted with ease. They should also din...
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Do you feel newspaper food sections should include more "chef recipes"? Why?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
They should, but that would require chefs to write recipes lol. I always answer recipe requests because I have a huge file, but I know a lot of chefs who don't use written recipes.
Snarky reviews can be fun to read, but they're often skewed. What do you think a journalist's responsibility is when writing a negative review?
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- Steve McDonagh
- Owner
- Hearty
- Chicago, IL
I can usually tell when a professional journalist is more interested in getting personal press over whatever it is he's writing about. Those reviews are filled with larger words and lots of (what h...
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Do you agree that everyone wants to be a restaurant critic?
- Nathan Sears
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Radler and D.A.S.
- Chicago, IL
Not really. I think people just want the fame anyway they can get it.
If you could have your own weekly newspaper column, what would it be about?
- Chrissy Camba
- Chef
- Bar Pastoral
- Chicago, IL
seasonal cooking, farmer marketing, butchering - basically, bringing the professional kitchen into your home :D
and...making cooking less intimidating to home cooks!
Do you feel that wine and spirits programs get lost in most restaurant reviews?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
They often do because they are typically taken for granted. With limited space, a critic may want to focus on what the chef is doing. I always appreciate a few words about a beverage program.
Do you know what the local anonymous critics look like? How does that change the review?
- Daniela Ortiz
- Server
- Talde
- Brooklyn, NY
I have a good idea of what one anonymous Chicago critic looks like, and I am keeping that secret. I do not know if this critic is aware that s/he is being recognized, so I do not know how it would...
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Do you think critics should be anonymous?
- Nathan Sears
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Radler and D.A.S.
- Chicago, IL
I feel all critics should be anonymous. I think as chefs we try not to cater to critics but we always look at that one dish a little closer. I'm all for not knowin who is out there and just making ...
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Do restaurant reviews cover service enough?
- Josh Galliano
- The Libertine
- Clayton, MO
Reviews only seem to cover service in any detail when the service is lacking. In other words, when the service staff is not knowledgable enough or their missing or they get blamed for the food tak...
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Do the media miss great classics in their quest for covering what's "news"?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
Sometimes, but we have to remember that a large part of what constitues the food media is focused on "news." Great classic restaurants manage to keep themselves fresh and stay in the news.
I th...
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Does dessert get enough attention in restaurant reviews?
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
I've never felt like desserts were under-covered in restaurant reviews. Some restaurants have great desserts, some ho-hum, and others not so good. I feel like reviews say what needs to be said, whi...
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Do you think the media should give more weight to the beverage programs of restaurants?
- Steve McDonagh
- Owner
- Hearty
- Chicago, IL
I think the media should give more weight to MY beverage program. I've amassed a truly unique US wine list comprised of wines from all over the US and not just the expected northwestern states. I'm...
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When media dine in the restaurant (not anonymously), do you send out your entire dessert menu for them to try? Why? Why not?
- Matt Danko
- Pastry Chef
- The Greenhouse Tavern and Noodlecat
- Cleveland, OH
We send out highlights of the dessert menu as not to crush people with food after several courses of savory. Depending on the guest we may provide more than several desserts for tasting or choosing...
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