A little note: Over the years, we've eaten our way across the country and back, and we've had our share of good and bad food. In addition, our training and experience in the culinary arts has made us very aware of the qualities which go into a good meal, and we'd like to share that with you. In the archive pages, we've included some reviews of restaurants we've visited in the various cities in which we've lived. The system is pretty simple, and is broken down as follows:
Gold medal, the best restaurant in the region, bar none. We will only award this to an exceptional establishment which transcends ordinary dining into something more noble.
Near perfect, the high bar for that style of cuisine in the area. Excellent food, excellent service, and great atmosphere -- all must be present without exception.
Mostly excellent (for example, great food but service is a little slow). Would eat there frequently, but is not the best in its class.
One area is quite good, everything else is passable. A good place to eat, but not one that will satisfy high expectations.
Uninspiring. Food is mediocre, service and atmosphere leave something to be desired. Just as much trouble driving here to eat as it would be to stay home and reheat something from the freezer.
Pretty bad. Noticably deficient in one or two areas, notably in quality of food or service.
Very deficient in several areas. Food prepared badly, service rude or non-existent, atmosphere not conducive to dining.
Reserved for those establishments which should be condemned by the food inspectors. Grossly deficient, unsanitary, or if we've gotten ill from eating there.
Another gauge you can use aside from our rating system is a test that Mike has devised which seems to work when evaluating a restaurant for the first time: The Bread Test. A light starch before a good meal whets the appetite, and may even fill you up enough so you don't notice how small the entree really is, so should be every restauranteur's friend. It is a complimentary portion of the meal which nonetheless sets the tone for the rest of your visit, so should be examined closely; the more attention is paid to a small detail like the bread, the more attention they've probably paid to every other aspect of your meal.
How much bread do you get? Some restaurants give you a whole basket, some place a single roll on your bread plate and make you ask for more later, while a few notable penny-pinchers make you ask or even PAY for a single hard roll. What kinds of bread do you get? A really good restaurant may give you a variety of breads and crackers to choose from, all made fresh, while a decent one will at least give you a basket of fresh dinner rolls. Finally, what is the quality of the bread? Are the rolls soft and warm on the inside, and just firm enough to hold up under buttering, or are they hard or even stale? Do they have a good flavor to them, well-balanced or even seasoned, or are they bland and insipid? We've found that the quality of the bread has been a fairly good predictor of the quality for the rest of the meal, and has helped guide us in our menu choices as well -- if we have to lower our expectations of the restaurant, we order menu items which are more difficult to screw up, so we at least have a decent meal.
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