New York Times suspends restaurant reviews in the suburbs...

Well, after reading about the two presidential candidates in the times,kind of lose my appetite anyway :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Thanks!!!

I get the digital edition of the NY Times, so this has nothing to do with reading print editions. I looked forward to the weekend restaurant reviews in the metropolitan area and was wondering why it was not there this past weekend. I will miss it. By the way I recently read about some small local places that I hope to try soon - Bravo Peru takeout in White Plains, Delicias Hispanas takeout on Central Ave in Hartsdale north of the 4 corners where the Brazilian chicken place used to be, and Little Spot in White Plains, a hot dog/burger/shake place which apparently has been around a while but is new to me.

Foodygrandma-
You still may want to try them,but Little Spot has nothing of note,other than being a roadside stop, Relatively inexpensive,but still no bargain- you get what you pay for. As far as Delicias Hispanas,was underwhelmed, was expecting ethnic food but was basically a non-descript take-out, I would recommend the gyro joint if the menu at Delicias does not enticeā€¦ Deicias was just opening when I tried it so maybe they have added to the menu

Thanks for the update Rich.

They have been around forever. Went there as a kid and that is the last time I was there so I canā€™t say if itā€™s worth a shot or not!

How funny. We have been passing by their place for 30 years and have never stopped in.

They recently remodeled, donā€™t know if they are any good or not.

PerHAPS itā€™s time I stopped in, if only to give a review!:grin:

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Interesting that the NYTimes posted this review. And see the Editorsā€™ Note that I cut & pasted belowfrom the article.

Editorsā€™ Note: The Times has published starred reviews of restaurants in the New York metropolitan area since 1963. Starting today, we will occasionally offer such reviews of restaurants in other cities as well, applying the same standards that govern our reviews in New York: a minimum of three anonymous visits to the restaurant.

Thanks for pointing that out. I posted a reply.

Probably the intersection of boondoggle for writer and the economics of NYT fancying itself as a national fishwrap.

It appears they did not like what I wrote since it hasnā€™t been approved. Posts usually get approved within an hour or so.

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I donā€™t think this has been posted here yet. Hereā€™s the link to the discussion:

When my Sunday Times subscription started again after I got back from vacation, I noticed that the Metropolitan section didnā€™t have any NJ restaurant reviews. Apparently itā€™s part of a much bigger cut in local coverage.

Besides here, where do you get your news and reviews of local eateries?

I have been utterly disappointed in recent reviews in the NY Times down here at the Shore, to the point where I am not sure that their reviewer ate at the same restaurant. Iā€™ve actually walked out of a few places that were positively reviewed in the Times because I found them dirty. I used to work in kitchens, and I am a real stickler for cleanliness.

The whole situation is further disappointing to me as I used to buy the Sunday Times, fix a bagel with lox and a bissel zweebel, and sit down to enjoy. It was a Sunday ritual. But as their coverage has become more slanted, elitist and pretentious I havenā€™t done that in a long time, perhaps 10 years. Itā€™s almost like the Times are going out of their way to alienate locals over 50 who formerly constituted their core consumers. Discontinuing local reviews is just another sign of that.

My opinion also extends to recent Times restaurant reviews in the City, which seem to be written for other chefs, rich foodies and their wannabees rather than straightforward reporting about where is good to eat. The recent interview of chief restaurant critic Pete Wells in the the New Yorker magazine does nothing to dispel this notion. It largely confirms my opinion of the Times as an elitist organization that plays to a select group of people who frequent upper end restaurants.

The Times are trying to do the same thing as Michelin, only less well since the the Times are trying to sell advertising and not tires. As a result, every restaurant has two stars and no review is remarkable, other than for its snobbery and condescension. If you would like, I can give you direct examples of this. The Times reviews are ok if you take them as entertainment, but they certainly are not about where to get a good meal.

As an avid independent, I am also not interested in the partisan garbage the Times are printing these days. It seems they are taking the wrong pages out of Murdochā€™s book. I canā€™t really say that they are liberal, since they almost exclusively promote the agenda of the Democratic party and its interpretation of international socialism. But Iā€™m better than many of my friends down here in Monmouth, most of whom hold the paper in utter contempt, since I will read things the Times writes and think about them.

I usually use a combination of sources to determine which new restaurants to try whether in NYC or Jersey. With regards to the City, I actually find NY Magazine reviews helpful as they include user ratings as an independent check. I will also look at Google reviews, Yelp, Trip Advisor and other online resources, but I tend to discount these as restos are known to stack the box. I used to rely on Zagats, but I find them slipping lately as online reviews are eating their lunch. Perhaps the recent Google acquisition will help with reviving Zagats. My daughter, who lives in Brooklyn, is also a good source of new restaurant information.

And finally, I have gotten busy on boards like Hungry Onion to see what others are saying, what they like and donā€™t like.

I rely on all of these things far more than the Times, which I find to be out of touch, to find a good place to eat.

I further personally believe that the Times is a dead man walking, but that is a topic for another day and thread.

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I donā€™t think this has been posted here yet. Hereā€™s the link to the discussion:

When my Sunday Times subscription started again after I got back from vacation, I noticed that the Metropolitan section didnā€™t have any NJ restaurant reviews. Apparently itā€™s part of a much bigger cut in local coverage.

Besides here, where do you get your news and reviews of local eateries?

There are two other separate posts already on this topic.

One in general discussion and one on the tri state board. They also discuss the Pete Wells interview in the New Yorker.

Suggest you check them out.

I use Google to search for keywords in a town/city. If you know enough about the food at hand, using keywords will help you home in on certain dishes. If you simply search for generic terms you will likely find tourist traps, which may not be bad if thatā€™s what you want.

Examples I would personally useā€¦

Cuban = Mojo pernil
Brisket = post oak
Lobster = hard shell
Ethiopian = injera
Crabs = #1 Jimmy
NY strip= day dry aged
Red snapper = whole crispy fried
Greek= whole branzino
Ribeye= prime marbled

Paring a dish with a specific relevant keyword will net you the best results from generally the most knowledgeable people. Once you look at this person and evaluate them, you can tell if they are legit. For example, if you look at viking you can see he isnā€™t a one hit wonder. You may not agree with all his opinions, but you can tell he is in the game. I look for people like that for intel.

Just looking on yelp does garbage for results imo. One of the best dishes in this country is served at a place locally that has a 3.x star review overall. So donā€™t always judge a book its cover.

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Yes, I know (and I linked to one of them), but I donā€™t regularly follow either of those discussion threads and thought the NJ folks might not have seen them. And I wonder where others might look for NJ reviews.

Thanks for the tips! I may not always know what dish Iā€™m craving, but if I do, this will try them out.

So then you would really like to know what I think about the NY Times and itā€™s reviews?

Or, to give you a shorter version;

This is just another example of snooty New Yorkers giving Jersey the shaft.

And there is nothing unusual in that.