If I were a "real" food critic, there is no way I would write a review of a restaurant after only visiting it once. "Real" food critics, or those who by enough good fortune or groveling have found their way into printed publications, are compelled to try a restaurant at least twice (if not three times) to make sure they're able to give a restaurant a fair assessment.
The thing is, most people in the real world won't go back to a restaurant they're trying for the first time if they have one bad experience, be it hostile service, shoddy ambiance, or subpar food. Several people have told me I am wrong about Hurry Curry, for example, but when I ate there, the food was so bad that I can't justify a return visit, especially when there are so many Indian restaurants I haven't tried yet and so many places that have proven themselves to be good. In Los Angeles, competition is stiff. Didn't like Matsuhisa? You can go to Nobu Malibu. Didn't like Spago? Wolfgang has plenty of other restaurants. Didn't like Asahi? Kinchan's, Chabuya, and Ramenya are just footsteps away.
Sometimes, however, I will revisit a restaurant that I didn't care for on the first visit, be pleasantly surprised by my second visit, and then feel like a jackass. Or I'll visit a place that was great, like The Hump, only to be ignored for most of my meal and wonder if I'm eating at the same restaurant. When this happens, I generally rewrite the review to reflect both experiences. I'll also rewrite old reviews to add new photos and additional impressions from subsequent visits, or because my style has changed quite a bit since I first started Foodie Universe and I want my writing style to be more consistent throughout the site. With as many articles as I have, though, that process won't be finished anytime soon.
What are your thoughts on visiting restaurants multiple times? How often are you willing to give a place a second or even third chance? Is it reasonable to expect a restaurant to put its best foot forward each and every night, for each and every patron? Let me know what you think.
8.01.2006
Restaurant Review #153: Donuts and Delites, Van Nuys
Donuts and Delites sells the best donuts I have ever eaten. While their ordinary donuts are nothing to get excited about, the ridged donuts you see here taste like they're made from a completely different batter. Either the batter or the shape of this donut is responsible for a treat that is more moist, more gooey, and somehow simultaneously both denser and lighter than an ordinary donut. Take your pick of chocolate, strawberry, maple, or white icing. I like the white icing best because it's not as sickeningly sweet as strawberry and because, well, chocolate and maple aren't my thing. Cost for a dozen donuts and two 16 ounce bottles of milk? A reasonable $8.
Maybe I just haven't been paying attention all these years, but I've never seen a donut like this before. I'm in love.
Donuts and Delites
14350 Victory Blvd. #1
Van Nuys, CA 91401
818.782.4449
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