Off The Menu, October 30

How Not To Review
First, you might not want to ask for a free meal. And you definitely don’t want to compound that by announcing you’ll be bringing a guest. But Jean-Paul Ludot of Marie Claire in France did just that. Ludot wanted to feature Vivant as a favorite restaurant but to make sure it was still a favorite, he requested an invite for himself and a guest. Which invitation chef Pierre Jancou declined to extend. This led to a lively email exchange, with Ludot expressing surprise at Jancou’s attitude, and Jancou observing, “If you have the habit of inviting yourself to a restaurant, to me, you’re absolutely not a food writer. If you stick with fashion, it would be better for everyone.”
French Chef Blasts Marie Claire After Editor Requests Free Meals In Exchange For Coverage [The Braiser]

“Best Of” Lawsuit
We can’t put it any better than our friends at Eater.com did: “As it plunges further down the print media death spiral, Village Voice Media has determined the best use of its resources is to sue Yelp for using the phrase ‘Best Of.’”
Village Voice Media Files Suit Against Yelp Over ‘Best Of’ [Eater.com]

Speaking of “Best Of”…
Willamette Week has released their 2012 Portland Restaurant Guide, and Aviary has made the top of the list. This merely 10 months after re-opening following a devastating fire. Talk about rising from the ashes….
Restaurant Guide 2012: Aviary, Restaurant of the Year [Willamette Week]

And congratulations to Smallwares, the runner-up for Portland Restaurant of the Year 2012.
Restaurant Guide 2012: Smallwares, Restaurant of the Year Runner-Up [Willamette Week]

 

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