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A copy of The 100 Best Restaurants of North America and Europe, New York-based food blogger (Opinionated About Dining) Steve Plotnicki’s new self-published guide, arrived at the Reader office yesterday. Chicago doesn’t feature prominently in the ambitious attempt to move into Zagat and Michelin’s territory, to say the least. Alinea does show up in slot six with an impressive score of 106 out of 120 (which puts it in the category of “worth planning a trip around”), but the only other Chicago restaurant that makes it in is Avenues, and its score of 99 only qualifies it as an “important local choice.”
According to the New York Sun, Plotnicki makes no attempt to dine anonymously–his goal, he says, is to “elicit the best possible meal that a restaurant has to offer and in that context anonymity actually hurts instead of helps.” Of course it does. That’s the point–if you’re reviewing a restaurant, you should try to have the experience most diners are likely to have. Even if the quality of food and service are likely to vary from customer to customer, seeking preferential treatment is pretty sure to skew a review. Or a restaurant guide.
