A well-placed friend we can call Boomer passed along the Columbia Colicchio contretemps, which had flown under the Cod's radar, what with a week with more than a little one-armed paperhanger to it. Basically, some kid from Columbia's student newspaper went to Colicchio & Sons, and did not enjoy his meal as much as Sifton enjoyed his. On what was a evidently a day lacking anything as newsworthy as a Chang burp, Grub St. picked up the story. It gets a little more interesting when Colicchio himself calls out both Grub St. and GG for mentioning the review.
As someone whose day job involves the likes of this young Lion from Morningside Heights, I feel sort of obliged to have something to say, but the whole thing just puzzles me. College newspaper restaurant reviews, as a rule, are the most depressing food writing this side of last meals of people about to be executed. But three observations:
1) If Columbia still has some sort of expository writing requirement, not much of it rubbed off on this cub reviewer. He writes like he chews with his mouth open -- "vague iteration of bacon"? It's as if the kid took a Princeton Review course and wants to make damn sure he gets his money's worth.
2) Ol' Slash is as thin-skinned as his namesake's bandmate. Working in a profession with a whole website devoted to circulating the whimsical criticisms of college kids, I can say that generally speaking, the thing to do is not to call attention to the whole enterprise with rebuttals.
3) Call me old-fashioned, but the Spec's headline of "overpriced and grotesque" seems to permeate the entire business. Having a late adolescent from a college w/ a $37,470.00 sticker price reviewing a restaurant w/ a $125 tasting menu is just a little bit rich for The Gurgling Cod's blood.
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