Monday, January 5, 2015

Remember the restaurant review to end all reviews? We'll just call it THE "Review"

On January 3rd, I wrote about Liz Balmaseda's horrendous restaurant review of Bravo! Cucina Italiana. Liz Balmaseda trashed the new restaurant at Jupiter's Harbourside, even going so far as to give a thumbs down on Bravo's house tomato sauce, a supreme insult to any Italian restaurant and chef. 

Liz Balmaseda criticized the plating, the sauces, the salads, the flavors, called the menu items "prepackaged", and referred to Bravo Cucina Italiana as "a sign of the apocalypse". Not the sort of review that you would likely see displayed on the restaurant's wall.

It didn't take long for a letter to be published in the Palm Beach Post from Michael Baz in Tequesta titled, Critic’s review aims to bury restaurant:
Friday’s restaurant review by Liz Balmaseda was disturbing — not for what she had to say about the food, but that she made it personal (“Except for pizza, no ovation for Bravo’s”).

“Lost in the faux: Jupiter” — “faux” means “imitation,” or “not real.” Does this mean the restaurant is serving fake food?

Even more unfortunate is her closing remark: “Quite possibly, this is a sign of the apocalypse.” I would not describe food I didn’t like as “an event involving catastrophic damage.”

For some reason, she has decided to bury this restaurant. She owes readers and the restaurant an apology.
Usually reviewers will give a restaurant that they had an initial bad experience a few more chances to get things right before a negative review. I agree with Mr. Baz of Tequesta. Ms. Balmaseda's review of Bravo! Cucina Italiana was unfair and the restaurant deserves at least another chance.