Rants Archive

IRKS, PEEVES AND IRRITANTS FROM THE WORLD OF RESTAURANT DINING / what really bothers you?

By Larry Levine – At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon, I want to devote a few paragraphs to a discussion of some of the things that can and do go wrong in a restaurant and things that become either pet peeves, major irritants, or just downright unacceptable. Call it an invitation to [...]
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FED UP – is extreme eating really eating, or fun to watch

By Larry Sheingold - Unless your tastes run to watching rows of drooling contestants go totally Donner Party on heaps of hotdogs, matzo balls, tamales or sticks of butter, you’re probably as fed up with competitive eating exhibitions as I am. A couple minutes of champ Joey Chestnut penguining soggy hot dogs and buns this [...]
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FALL OFF THE BONE BBQ RIBS – The Detachable Meat Mystery

By Larry Sheingold - This is about falling off. Falling off a log is easy. Falling off the roof is bad. So is falling off the face of the earth, though it’s a longer fall. You can fall off the wagon and the turnip truck, perhaps both in the same day. But falling off the [...]
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PORK MEAT CUTS AND THE FALL OF QUALITY – a Cook’s Illustrated article explores pork cuts and pork fat content, including taste tests

By Larry Levine - Cook’s Illustrated has a terrific article on pork meat and pork products in a teaser edition I received this week designed to entice me into a subscription. It struck a nerve – a raw nerve. I love pork meat, but in recent years I’ve been shying away from buying it at [...]
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KIDS IN RESTAURANTS & CELL PHONES, TOO

By Larry Levine - What do you do when the kid three tables over in the restaurant is banging his or her fork or spoon on the glass table top? Or kicking his or her heels against the wood under the banquet in a thunderous quest for attention? And the parents are oblivious? When you [...]
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