I've never picked up a copy of Zagat because let's face it, you can get all that info on-line. But my bank was giving out free copies of 2009 Zagats for a bunch of different cities, so I brought some home for leisure reading. Now, my brain is bleeding because Zagat, you suck.
If you hate people who make air quotes and love the English language, do not read Zagat. If you are not furiously clicking away from this page yet, I will make you regret staying by inserting their review of Fresca, a really great restaurant group with three locations in SF. "Creative" ceviche, "succulent" seafood, and "savory grilled" meats are complimented by "flavorful, colorful" cocktails (including the "best" pisco sour) at this "reasonably priced" Peruvian trio where the "festive atmosphere" matches the "lively" decor. Some critics complain that "service can be slow" , but fans are undeterred, insisting the "payoff is on the plate."
I can't even be mad at their use of "compliments" and ill-placed commas, because the quotation marks have blinded me. How can a restaurant guide that writes entire books like this be taken seriously?
6 comments:
I've never trusted food guides, the best way to find out is to try on your own. After all, the quality of a retaurant changes over time depending on the chef, the ingredients, etc. etc.
My problem with Zagat so far is not that it's inaccurate, but that its review would be so much less aneurysm-inducing if they had just left out all those quotation marks. We all know the book is edited by a group of people. There's no need to quote tidbits of commentary from each person! It makes the book sound like a sarcastic moron.
Clearly you are unfamiliar with the old Chris Farley/David Spade parody of the Zagat guide. It's basically the video version of your post, with more punchlines.
They are foodies not writers! I mean...well...ok neverminds.
No, the quotes are actually taken from the reader surveys, not from the editors. Part of the appeal of Zagats is seeing if your brilliant quote got chosen for the book. Of course, "succulent" and "reasonably priced" are not exactly unique descriptions.
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