Michael Bauer long ago retired and his reviews were wordy and pithy even if you didn't agree with him, you sure did READ IT!
Suffice to say, the food reviews became bland and crummy --a new writer, Soleil Ho was given the job and her writing, while OK, was just mediocre and the restaurant reviews lost their spark and jolt. The ensuing mess was like a cold, dated 7-11 sandwich that lacked flavor.
Ho's pieces lacked any excitement or interesting material. Quite frankly, she wrote like old Melba toast.
The Chronicle didn't help matters by eliminatintg the "little man" ratings, a Bauer staple that offered a frank assessment as to a restaurant's food and service, atmoshpere too. The bad and really bad reviews were entertaining to the max--Ho's writings were devoid of such facets which made for generally dull reading.
Ho is not leaving the Chron entirely, simply taking a position in the editorial dept.
Good for them! I hope their voice continues to shine and help support others through the editorial side. What a great opportunity for them.
ReplyDeleteHo was pretty good. I don't need some failed literary hack or failed humorist like Bauer trying to review a restaurant and its food. Just gimme a damn write-up...your thoughts...and the prices.
DeleteIt made my day reading that she was moving on from the restaurant beat. I grew weary of reading "reviews" that had little or nothing to do with the quality of the premises, the food or the service, so I gave up. Now maybe I can try again. Hopefully the next person remembers that they're a "restaurant critic" and not a "societal critic."
DeleteUnbelievable. Another ultra liberal Columnist writing in the Chronicle. Does anyone even read that garbage anymore.
ReplyDeleteDid you read Rich’s first sentence?
DeleteI wouldn’t use the Chronicle to line a birdcage. The Monterey Herald is a better newspaper.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the excellent work that Elena Kadvany is doing on food will elevate her to lead critic. She came on board from Palo Alto online/Embarcadero Media not too too long ago and is a pleasure to read.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind Ho's coverages or her imbuing columns with social/cultural commentary, they are a very solid writer but perhaps editorial will allow them to do the type of writing they pine for. Having a point of view and an agenda doesn't bother me; part of why I read to have people that have an edge expose me to ideas I may not have considered in the past, and I felt Ho did this in a skillful and above-board way.
Best of luck to Ho and Kadvany, and to the Chron; I am rooting for all!
She was probably the last straw in canceling the paper. Too much "social justice" and not enough food, and quick to cancel someone who might have erred, notwithstanding any attempt to remedy prior errant ways,
ReplyDeleteShe did win a James Beard award.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that is a prestigious award, and objectively lifts her out of the "crummy writer" category.
DeleteSo what if she had a POV that she didn't hide? I got some great rec's on places to eat from the columns and the angle she had did not offend my delicate sensibilities. The "oh, toughen up, buttercup!" crowd was aghast at someone speaking their mind?!?!
The writing was not bland, doing that boring tap dance is the real sin, IMHO.
POV is one thing. The moral high ground of what appears to be that the murderer should get a second chance at society, but the chef that grew up in kitchen toxicity and then became toxic himself should be canceled forever no matter what redemptive steps taken, is where I get lost.
DeleteShe was extremely hypocritical. She would write restaurant reviews for all manner of ethnic restaurants, and then she wrote a column claiming non-Asians had no business reviewing Asian restaurants.
DeleteI would quote the Chronicle's story when Ho won the award:
Delete"At The Chronicle, Ho’s reviews often go beyond the food on the table to explore the stories of the people who make it and the larger ethical and cultural issues tied inextricably to what we eat."
This quote does a spectacular job in articulating precisely why I'm pleased Ho is moving on to pure opinion. I'm almost completely uninterested in reading about the "larger ethical and cultural issues tied inextricably to what we eat" when choosing where to dine, just as Ho often seemed completely uninterested in writing about the quality of the food, service and ambience of the restaurants they were reviewing.
Ho was terrible. Good riddance.
ReplyDeleteKadvany is the real deal. Her writing is excellent. Would love to see her get the gig.
ReplyDeleteBauer's reviews were influenced by whether a restaurant did business with his partner's company. Read the July 2016 San Francisco magazine's expose on this corruption. Editor after editor at the Chronicle allowed this corruption.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote on just how terrible SHE is. The Chronicle is obviously a dupster fire but it took REAL skill to come up with how F up food reviews. Now SHE will be just another bla bla bla that nobody will read.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, one time Bauer was asked by an irate restauranteur “are you the guy who wrote that lousy review?”, and Bauer replied, “No, but I am often confused with him.”
ReplyDeleteI was hooked right then and there
You mentioned Sunday sports section, once a good read. Now just a piling features with no sports. Dropped the Chron when that bomb hit.
ReplyDeleteThe Chronicle totally botched it by trying to turn food writers into political and social commentators, which is one of the reasons I stopped my subscription to the Chronicle. There was nothing thoughtful or insightful when it came to what Soleil Ho or Justin Phillips wrote about politics or social issues. They were simply repeating the latest, faddish rhetoric coming the extremist, far-left. (I consider myself slightly left-of-center, BTW. But certainly not far-left.) I noticed Ho engendered so many negative comments that the Chronicle stopped allowing comments for most, if not all, of her stories.
ReplyDeleteI concur (I'm also "slightly left-of-center"). They wouldn't even let us write "good riddance" on Ho's final dining piece.
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