Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Am I A Food Critic?

         Did you know that there are over 1.3 million blogs in the Internet? Right? Surprising number, isn’t it? Hola! Welcome back to my blog, I hope you had a fantastic weekend. According to Technorati.com, the Internet had over 16,588 food blogs in the year 2012; one can only imagine the number of such blogs existing now. Those food blogs ranged from food recipes, chef interviews, community based food and restaurant reviews. I have picked an article published by a well-known food critic named Robert Sietsema in Columbia Journalism Review. This article brings focus into the various reforms that took place over the past few decades in the food reviewing/critiquing industry. My blog is entirely based on reviewing restaurants; therefore, it was interesting to read different techniques
            Robert Sietsema was the food critic for the Village Voice for ten years. According to Wikipedia, Sietsema is currently a member of the Organ Meat Society, and a contributor to the Gourmet magazine. According to my expert not-the-creepy-kind-online-stalking skills, he has over 16500 followers on twitter. He often posts pictures related to food and shares his experiences at various restaurants, and voices his thoughts and opinions through tweets. According to grubstreet.com, “In addition to winning awards and contributing to Gourmet and Lucky Peach, Sietsema wrote a number of cover stories for the Voice, including one that blew the lid off of the made-for-TV theatrics of Iron Chef”. Robert started his career as a food critic in the year 1993, and the article I’m reviewing has been published in January of the year 2010 – giving him a good seventeen years of experience in the subject of the material he has written about. This article was published in Columbia Journalism Review: “an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism” (Wikipedia). Columbia Journalism Review has audience varying from college students to old people. This magazine was founded in 1961, and is published six times a year. According to the main website (cjr.org), their main mission is to “encourage excellence in journalism in the service of a free society”, and “CJR.org weighs in daily, hosting a conversation that is open to all who share a commitment to high journalistic standards in the US and around the world”.
            Robert Sietsema titled his article Everyone eats.. but that doesn’t make you a restaurant critic. The title speaks for itself, and his entire article is based on the reforms and changed that took place over the past few decades in methods and techniques of restaurant reviewing. The author starts off by giving a small background about himself, and his experience with food in New York City. He compares the “food scene” in the year 1977 to that of the year 2010 by mentioning that “farmers-market movement had barely begun”. He further introduces six food critics - Craig Claiborne, Duncan Hines, Gael Greene, Mimi Sheraton, Ruth Reichl, Danyelle Freemanfrom -the New York Times and Times magazine in time period 1950s-2007. He mentions that each critic had his or her own distinguishing trait in the form of reviewing restaurants and supports this claim by providing examples of the traditional reviewing system of Craig Claiborne, and the trendy, hyperbolic style of Gael Greene. He explains how Craig laid a framework for restaurant reviewing where he makes reservations under a false name to remain anonymous, and visits a restaurant at least three times to test for its consistency. As the time went by, critics developed their own framework and style of language. For example, Ruth Reichl was photographed and had to dine as a celebrity sometimes, therefore removing the entire anonymous aspect of the review. Further, Sietsema stated that Ruth “turned the restaurant review into a bona fide literary form” His main argument lies towards the end of the article where he claims that the digital age has provided various people all around the world to post their reviews on popular sites like Chowhound and Yelp; but he believes that “when it comes to cultural criticism, there is a strong case to be made for professionalism and expertise”. He further states that Craig Claiborne, and his followers, lifted the restaurant review out of the “realm of marketing” and made it a public service – which we are apparently in a danger of losing.
            Being a part of this digital media, I questioned myself whether my freedom of speech gave me the right to proclaim myself as a critic. Since my blog project is based on visiting different restaurants, and writing a short review on them, this article fit into my topic, and further gave me an insight of the methods and frameworks of the traditional critics. Comparing my system of reviewing to that of the critics’ helped me realize the differences, and provided a scope for improvement. For example, Claiborne visited a restaurant three to four times to test consistency, and dined with four people to try different dishes for maximum evaluation; whereas, I’ve just visited each restaurant once, and reviewed maximum of two dishes from the same restaurant. But my method of judgment for most of my blog posts was based on comparison rather than focusing primarily on restaurant itself. This, I feel, is unique and something the traditional critics haven’t tried before. Further having college students -like me- as my intended audience, I believe that this method of comparison of can be of great help for indecisive students. So, I asked myself the same question again – am I a food critic? Maybe not according to the traditional standard, but as a source of guidance to college students, yes!

            With this I’m concluding my project, and I will be discounting it since I’m very low on budget (totally saw it coming). But it’s been a fun run and I’ve had wonderful experiences thanks to this project, and moreover, it was great sharing my not-so-expert reviews with you guys! I hope you enjoyed reading the posts as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. This is I, Nithya Geereddy - the self-proclaimed student critic – signing off. Adios!


CITATIONS: 
"Columbia Journalism Review." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

    Sietsema, Robert. "Everyone Eats . . ." Columbia Journalism Review. N.p., Jan.-Feb. 2010. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.

"Robert Sietsema Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.

The Ultimate Feast

      Hello! I hope you guys are doing well and had a fantastic week. Welcome back to my blog. I was a bit adventurous for this post, and tried two cuisines way out of my comfort zone: Greek and seafood. I’m not a particular fan of seafood or lobster as such, but my experience at Red Lobster completely changed the way I felt about it. 
My father took me out for lunch to Red Lobster right before my driver’s permit test at the DMV. I had a midterm that morning so I didn’t have enough time to prepare for the test. I was anxious and nervous, and spent half the time at the restaurant flipping though the pages of the handout. My father picked me up from school on a Tuesday morning, and drove eleven miles to Red Lobster. He was more anxious than I was, and kept explaining random rules on our way to the restaurant. “You’re nineteen years old, Nithya… and you still don’t know how to drive”, said my father. Well, it was more of a remark than a question. I was supposed to learn how to drive over my winter break back in India, but I felt it would be pointless and confusing to relearn new rules, and moreover, drive on the different side of the road! I still go on to the wrong side of the car whenever I call for shotgun. With all that stress and anxiety in the atmosphere, a fresh platter of seafood helped me calm a muscle. 
As I walked in the restaurant with my handout, the waitress seated us in our comfortable booth. “Oh! Are you giving the test today, honey?” she asked. I replied saying I was, and sincerely hoped I pass it. She chuckled and wished me luck, and handed out the menu. We were seated next to an aquarium filled with different kinds of sea animals. My father suggested we share The Ultimate Feast, but I hesitated and wasn’t too comfortable eating too much seafood. Looking at the 1000+ calories written in small font next to The Ultimate Feast, I further argued about health with my dad. He somehow managed to persuade me, and I was convinced to try something new, and I am glad I did!
The Ultimate Feast


My father and I ordered and shared Ultimate Feast with a side of Caesar salad. According to the menu, the feast has tender marine lobster tail, steamed North American snow crab legs, with their signature garlic shrimp scampi and Walt’s favorite Shrimp served with wild rice pilaf. I used a crab cracker to break the shell of the crab legs, and tender, juicy, white meat gently rested inside. I put my handout aside and dig into the seafood! The garlic shrimp scampi was my favorite. The texture of the meat was different and chewy, but in a good way of course. The shrimp scampi was served in a blue bowl surrounded by crab legs and dominated majorly by the marine lobster tail. The Walt’s favorite shrimp was rather sweet and crispy balanced with the side of two sauces. Overall, I enjoyed my delicious meal, and although I am not a big fan of seafood, I loved the lobster and the shrimp. Infact, I’m craving for some right now. Overall it cost us thirty dollars, and although the dish was expensive, it was worth it! After the yummy meal, I went and gave my permit test with low preparation, and ended up failing my exam. I will hopefully take it the on the next Saturday, and prepare beforehand.
When I further researched about Red Lobster, I found a scandal that took place in recent years. According to an article published in wjla.com, “The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting costs from President Barack Obama's health care law”. It was further mentioned “under the new health care law, companies with 50 or more workers could be hit with fines if they do not provide basic coverage for full-time workers and their dependents. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, those penalties and requirements could significantly boost labor costs for some companies, particularly in low-wage industries such as retail and hospitality, where most jobs don't come with health benefits. Servers at Red Lobster now handle four tables at a time, instead of three. And last year, the company also put workers on a "tip sharing" program, meaning waiters and waitresses share their tips with other employees such as busboys and bartenders. That allows Darden to pay more workers a far lower "tip credit wage" of $2.13, rather than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour”
I was shocked when I read the article. 

Overall, I rate the food 10/10, as I loved each and every bite of the dish. The ambience: 7/10 since there was nothing exciting about the place other than the aquarium.  Service: 10/10, Value for money- depends on what you order (yes for this particular dish), Convenience: not convenient to travel that far. Anyway, that was my experience at Red Lobster; post yours in the comment section below if you’ve had any. See you next week!




UPDATE: I might have gotten the pink eye, and therefore, I won’t be able to take my permit test this Saturday! :( I shall pass that test one fine day though…one fine day! 

Saturday, February 28, 2015

The Best Indian Restaurant

          Hello! I hope you guys are doing well and had an amazing week. Welcome back to my blog! I am excited to review this particular cuisine, and I can’t wait for your thoughts and input. We’ll be following the same format as the previous post; incase you haven’t read it, I suggest you to check it out. For this post, I will be covering the cuisine that presents a range of flavors as vast as the country itself: Indian cuisine. This time, three restaurants – Kabab and Curry, Amber India, Aachi Appakadai - will be judged based on the same factors as before.
            My dad flew down here a week earlier than planned to surprise me, and took me out for dinner to Amber India. I have never been there before, and we had such a lovely time. I got the opportunity to meet his colleagues and friends from the Bay area. The restaurant is located in Santana Row, and walking there is not impossible, but something I don’t recommend. Having my father in town, it was easy to commute from one place to another. My dad picked me up from my college and drove to Santana Row; he joked around saying that he was like my own personal uber driver. Santana Row was filled with lights, and the atmosphere was lively and refreshing with live music playing in the background. Amber India was busy on a weekday, and the atmosphere was filled with indistinct conversation. Next to the bar, the wall gorgeously decorated with texts from Bhagavad Gita and attracted my attention the first thing I walked in.
Butter Chicken
Platter of Kebabs 
For appetizers, we ordered Paapdi Chaat, Vegetable Samosa and a platter of Kebas: an assortment of chicken tikka, sheek kebab and barra kebab. The juicy flavors in the sheek kebab and the tender meat made it melt in my mouth. Chicken Tikka was by far my favorite dish of the day; the smoky flavor of the well-marinated chunks of chicken, grilled to perfection on a skewer, is to die for! For main course we ate the regular Butter Chicken and Chicken Biriyani. The butter chicken is a classic, authentic dish originated in North India. According to Wikipedia, “The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to a man named Kundan Lal Gujral, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal Delux in Peshawar before the partition of British India. With the partition of British India, Moti Mahal moved to New Delhi. Butter Chicken is regarded to have been first introduced by Moti Mahal in New Delhi”. The creamy sauce of the butter chicken is as deep as its history, and made with variety of ingredients. For desert, my dad and I walked to Pinkberry and shared some frozen yogurt.
Chicken Biriyani 
         The next restaurant is Kabab and Curry. Last Sunday was an exciting day, India was playing a crucial match and my friends and I were eagerly awaiting the Indian cricket team’s first game of the 2015 world cup. We began gearing up to witness this game of cricket, and in the midst of preparing for this exciting night- getting all the homework done, Streaming the live video online and waiting for the fun to begin - I felt like something was missing. However, the game had begun and started to get intriguing. Everyone was watching with great excitement, while celebrating and munching away on snacks. This was when I recalled passing by an authentic and traditional looking Indian restaurant on Isabella Street.  I felt like Indian food at this moment was probably the missing element and after the First innings or during halftime, we decided to indulge in their well-known butter chicken curry and infamous array of kebab’s.
We brought back Chicken tikka Masala, and a mouthwatering Clay oven chicken seekh Kebab. Eating these delicious dishes of excellent flavor and authenticity, while watching an interesting game of cricket made us feel at home. The right mix of a legendary sports game, great company and exceptional Indian food was all that was needed. Generally, the walk to this place takes about thirty minutes, and it can be tiring. With an important cricket match going, we couldn’t risk missing a single second of it! My friend decided to rent a zip car and drove down and brought us all back some food. The food was normal as usual and nothing spectacular.
The next restsurrant is Aachi Appakadai. It is a south indian based restaurant which delivers chetinar food. It is located 2.4 miles away from our campus. Hyderabad, the city I come from, is known for biriyani: a rice dish mixed with marinated chicken cooked in high temperature. Unfortunately, it did not reach up to my expectations and it was nothing like Biriyani. The next dish I tried was Chicken Appam. Haveing come across a number of different types of appams in my life, I can safely say that the one at appakadai was on of the best ones I have ever tasted. Firstly, appam is similar to a pancake but it is made out of a rice batter and served with chicken stew. The one at appakadai was authentic and tasted like a slice from heaven. The texture wasn’t grainy; it was smooth and enjoyable at the same time, and the chicken stew was out of this world. It had the right amount of spiciness and went extremely well with the appam.

It’s safe to say my favorite restaurant Aachi Appakadai and I highly recommend you to try this different, unique, not-so-famous kind of Indian food. It wins in all factors: food, ambience and flavors.

Ike’s vs. Subway: The Battle of the Sandwiches

           Welcome back to my blog! I hope you guys had a wonderful week. Over the week, I had the opportunity to try a new place near our campus called Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, and it was a wonderful experience. The sandwiches there reminded me of the similar ones found in subway, so I decided to throw the two sandwiches into a metaphoric battlefield and decide the winner. The two contestants will be judged and evaluated on factors such as location, ambience, cost and most importantly - the taste and flavors of the sandwich.
            After a stressful computer programming midterm, a friend from my class and I decided to try Ike’s Love & Sandwiches since none of us had eaten there before. According to Google maps, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches is located 0.4 miles away from Santa Clara University, and tucked between Ramen Taka and a clothes-shopping store called Booger Kids. Yes, you read it right; I was taken aback at the name Booger Kids as well. The walk to Ike’s Love & Sandwiches took us a good fifteen minutes mostly because we strolled by the stores, and even checked out Booger Kids on our way. The distracting colorful signs of different shops and places distracted us and made our walk longer than it should have been. On our walk to Ike’s, we crossed Subway, Wicked Chicken, Taco Bell, Wrap This and other eating places that deserted Ike’s from costumers. I stumbled across Ike’s Love & Sandwiches three weeks ago when I went for a run, and that was how I heard of it. However, the place was packed with costumers, majority of whom were students from Santa Clara University. The entrance was in the corner right next to the colorful and decorative benches that were placed outside. Right above the two benches, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches written in bright colors of purple, yellow and red hung, and drew my attention. I noticed a lamp above the entrance door, and right below the lamp there rested a unique architectural motif design, and presented itself in a rather dull color.
            As soon as we walked in, a bell melodiously chimed, and the staff members warmly greeted us. To our right, the menu was painted brightly on a black wall and the font was written in chalk giving the restaurant a chalkboard theme. The menu was divided into three sections: meat, vegan and veggies. A large variety of sandwiches were proudly displayed on the menu, and made it difficult for me to pick one. I walked up to the counter next to the menu, and ended up ordering the 49er, and my friend picked I wish I was a little taller. “Nidiya”, the cashier announced my name incorrectly. My sandwich was wrapped around a delicate brown paper and cut into two big portions. The first bite was rather juicy and fiery, but heavenly indeed. The thinly sliced halal chicken tampered with my taste buds with its exquisite flavor. The crispy lettuce rested gently between the freshly baked bread, and covered in tangy buffalo wing sauce with the perfect amount of honey mustard. A sprinkle of cheddar balanced the flavors and made me reach for the second portion of the sandwich. My friend, on the other hand, was delighted to see mozzarella sticks, and dived into it as soon as his order came in. The savory flavor set him off, and he didn’t enjoy his sandwich. “I ordered for the name, not for the taste”, he emphasized.
            I walked 0.3 miles to Subway the next day. It was a warm afternoon and I was craving for a healthy sandwich. Although there isn’t much variety, Subway comes up with new sandwiches on a monthly basis. According to the main website, there are 43,538 restaurants in 109 countries! One can find Subway in every corner of a street. Subway is located next to great cuts, and walk took me around five to eight minutes from Graham residence hall. The ambience is casual like any other subway store with small tables. I made my own sandwich and ordered a Teriyaki Chicken and extra grilled chicken meat dressed in ranch, chipotle southwest sauce and light mayonnaise with a tint of creamy Sriracha wrapped in Italian break toasted with American cheese. I added lettuce for veggies since I like my sub without any other veggies. The first bite was crispy with the mélange of sauces overflowing. I ordered a chocolate chip cookie well. The biscuit was perfectly tender and the chocolate chips melted in my mouth. Overall, I liked my sandwich.
            Now it’s time to compare the two sandwiches and announce the winner! Battle Round 1: Taste. I enjoyed my Ike’s sandwich much better than the one in Subway. The flavors were perfectly balanced in the 49er and meat was tender. To make it fair, I tried my friend’s premade Chipotle Chicken & Cheese from Subway but nonetheless; the winner for this round is Ike’s! Battle Round 2: Location and Cost. There’s a tie on location since both the places are not far off. Coming to cost, Subway is affordable whereas Ike’s is more on the pricy side. One Ike’s sandwich cost me eight dollars ninety cents, and sandwich from Subway cost my six dollars. (Excluding the cookie) The winner for this round is Subway! Final Battle Round: Ambience and Atmosphere. In Subway, my friend and I had to on a table next a garbage can, and it was unpleasant. Ike’s definitely ranks higher when it comes to setting with its colorful ambience and table, and hence, the winner for the deciding round is Ike’s Love & Sandwiches! I would definitely recommend Ike’s to people who have never tried it before, and I hope you enjoyed this battle. See you next week, goodbye!

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are of my own, and not influenced by any merchandise or person. No, I’m not getting free sandwiches from Ike’s to write this review, although, I would definitely love to eat one right now. Let me know your experiences at the two places in the comment section and who the winner is according to you!