Audio By Carbonatix
Every so often, a ripple of controversy over the number of stars awarded to some restaurant disturbs Dallas waters.
The three-star handouts to Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen and Hully & Mo by the Morning News certainly got folks excited. As for the big man’s place, I can’t say–never been there. I did try the latter once. But as this was about a week after they opened, it would be unfair to comment.
What I do know is this: star systems are generally flawed from the outset and therefore quite difficult for any critic to handle with precision.
Essentially, stars require the critic to place a hard value on something. While the review itself may point out the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ and other nuances of cooking and atmosphere, those celestial markings demand a clear-cut ‘this is worth’ kind of assessment. In addition, the system forces critics to compromise on matters of cuisine and venue.
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For example, he or she can group every restaurant into one big pool, in which case a basic taqueria stands no chance against the city’s upscale venues. Or the paper can divvy up the market into categories, so a sports bar ends up with the same symbolic evaluation as a fine French kitchen.
Either way, there’s a problem–although the second seems a little more fair, somehow…as long as readers know the criteria.
At my previous paper I inherited a star system. I chose to be a hard-ass about it. Lumping all the restaurants together ensured that pubs serving decent, inexpensive fare earned one star–perhaps two. There was no way around it; impossible to justify three stars for above standard burgers and fries when a place honored by Michelin, working with the freshest ingredients, preparing dishes with great intricacy, is limited to four.
I was never comfortable granting stars. And, as you notice, the Observer compels readers to slog through all kinds of prose for an understanding of a restaurant’s relative worth. Same with D magazine.
Not sure if our method is better, mind you. Stars do provide readers a convenient shorthand–and easy way to compare dining options. However this, too, creates issues. Just about every kitchen messes up, from time to time. In discussing these errors, a three star review may read like something less deserving. Guests visiting a restaurant on one of their off nights may look back and wonder about the critic’s sanity.
Perhaps it would be best to employ a hybrid of the two, relegating burger joints and sports bars to star-less reviews, reserving the symbols only for fine dining restaurants. Yet even this…
Ah, well. Personally, I prefer to do without stars. But I sympathize with Leslie Brenner. Doling out those little bastards ain’t easy.
