Being Rather Tough

Yesterday, I had lunch at l’Ordonnance in the 14th with an old colleague of mine with whom I plan French-American symposia each year.  He’s a very bright, warm, wonderful man whose food interests are not as crazy as mine but who loves a good meal.  I chose the place because it was near the hospital where he works and liked the name – l’ordonnance = prescription – and got OK reviews when it opened this late spring.    After we installed ourselves, he thanked me for having chosen the Cristal de Sel in the 15th in July for my last meal with him and his family.  His wife had gone back with some colleagues and really liked it.  I reminded him that Colette and I and two American friends, though were disappointed with the meal and that I had written a critical review that noted that the chef, who had worked for Eric Frechon for five years, needed to put in some more time before branching out on his own.  We four Americans knew Frechon’s fare well, since we’ve followed him for over 20 years.  In any case, when she entered she was greeted warmly and seated and told “It’s nice to see you, I recall your last meal here, you came with that guy Talbott who was “rather tough” on us in his review; which one was he?  This prompted me to think, like a student facing a teacher after a test; did the teacher grade too hard or did I not meet the standards?  In their view. it was my fault for the “tough review,” not the chef’s.  Interesting.  So I reviewed my mind set when eating.  I’m paying for a meal or two, I judge each meal as close as I can on its merits and I try to call them as I see them.  I realize that if one is working for the French Chambre de Commerce or a freebie magazine trying to induce young people to begin eating out, one’s mission is different.  But my mission is different and two-fold, to have a good meal myself, hopefully that surprises/astonishes/pleases me, and to communicate that pleasure or displeasure to others.   I know a food-writer in the US (I won’t dignify her by calling her a critic, because she is totally uncritical) who only writes positive reviews, fearing either loss of advertising (as if restos advertised) or alienating someone or causing the place to go belly-up.  The result is that Mr/Ms. Average Citizen has no idea where to go to or what to avoid, and the longer-term consequence is that because she won’t critique, the food stays stagnantly poor in that area.  I think the breath of fresh air in this situation is the appearance of websites and blogs that dish it out, tell it like it is and face unpleasant facts.  The blogasphere is a great leveler; everyone gets a say and it’s not Waring Blended like Zagats, it’s democratic.  One hopes that eventually such individual reviews will overwhelm the uncritical puffsters.  I’m not saying all print critics are chicken; Francois Simon ruffles as many feathers in print as he does on his blog, but I do think folks like Ptipois, Richard Hesse and Adrian Moore, for example, really tell it like it is.  After finishing their pieces, you know where they stand.  Now I’ll grant you, I hold different chefs to different standards.  If you’ve come up through the Robuchon empire, I expect you to be able to reproduce his butter with potatoes or if you trained with Savoy, you should be able to buy, grill and serve good fish in the dark.  I’ll cut you some slack if you learned from your grandmother in Brittany or are an autodidact.  But if you put forth your credentials, I’ll expect you to utilize your training when you cook for me.  The bunch at Cristal de Sel advertised that they used Bordier butter, charcuterie from Camdeborde Frere, sardines from Ramon Penas, etc.  OK, they may know how to buy product; now cook, plate and serve it please.  I realize chefs have thin skins, all people submitting their work to others to judge or buy, do.  But eventually you have to listen to others if you want your writing, art or food to sell.  I’m “too tough?”  Wait’ll Simon catches up with you.  My favorite in the area is:  Le Bis de Severo 16, rue des Plantes 14th (Metro: Alesia, Mouton-Duvernet) T: 01.40.44.73.09 Open Tuesday to Saturday night A la carte 35-70 € (depending on whether you have the beef)    ©2007 John A. Talbott