Philadelphia magazine has published a photo of Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan.LaBan is being sued by a restaurateur who objected to the reviewer's critical remarks about a "miserably tough and fatty" steak.
"This whole debate of his anonymity just smacks of so much self-importance," Platt says.
"Listen, the guy eats meals and writes about them. He's not Valerie Plame, okay?"
4 comments:
The picture in Philly mag is must have been taken awhile back.
He is much older looking in person. At least he appeared that way to me when we identified him dining at our restaurant when gathering information on us to write his review of Domaine Hudson.
I don't see the big deal about publishing his picture. We didn't know what he looked like before he came to our place but it's pretty easy to identify ANY food critic as a restaurateur. In fact, I always question the lack of attention to detail when restaurants can serve food critics and not notice, especially when someone like Craig Laban visits a place 3 times before writing a review.
Tom Hudson
Owner
Domaine Hudson wine bar & eatery
Thanks for posting Tom. Just curious, how do you know a food critic is in the house? (Can you, will you give away this trade secret?) Is it the amount and variety of food they order? The number of times they visit? Or something else?
It's a combination of all of what you said. In our case, since our menu is so small, EVERYONE who sits at a table and each person orders something different, hits our radar. This usually starts with the server letting us know, as well as the kitchen when they see the prep ticket order.
Also, when customers starts asking a lot about the sauces, preparation and wine pairings, like Craig Laban did, identification is pretty easy.
Tom Hudson
Owner
Domaine Hudson wine bar eatery
Now if servers and staff could just figure out who the "mystery diners" are. I'm one and I've yet to be uncovered. Keep hoping it'll result in better service, etc!
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