Yet another iPhone app for foodies is out. The Scoop is a free New York iPhone app by the New York Times. Included
in this app is NYTimes restaurant critic, Sam Sifton’s “current 50 favorite
restaurants in New York.” The list
will be updated periodically and also includes recommended bars (“The Top
Shelf”).
I would have been more excited for an app like “Bruni’s
Best” or “Frank’s Fifty” or “Reservations with Ruth.” I’m not a big Sifton fan and if you can’t tell, I still miss
Frank Bruni and Ruth Reichl big time.
A look at Sifton's current list of favorites isn’t making me any warmer towards him either:
Babbo
Balthazar
Baoguette
Bar Americain
Bar Boulud
Bereket Turkish Kebab House
Blue Smoke
Cabo Rojo
Casa Lever
Casa Mono
Chez Napoleon
Del Posto
Devi
Diner
Eleven Madison Park
Elio’s
Fatty ’Cue
Grand Sichuan
Eastern
Hill
Country Barbecue Market
Il Cantinori
Imperial Palace
Ippudo
Keens Steakhouse
La Caridad 78
La Grenouille
Landmarc
Le Bernardin
Locanda Verde
Madangsui
Marea
Minetta Tavern
Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Motorino
Great
N.Y. Noodletown
Ouest
Pam Real Thai Food
Peasant
Peking Duck House
Per Se
Prime Meats
Prune
Purple Yam
Purple Yam
Red Cat
The River Café
Shun Lee Palace
Strip House
Sushi Yasuda
Tanoreen
Veselka
The Waverly Inn
A list of favorites all boils down to personal taste, so I
won’t bash too hard on Sifton's top 50 that I mostly disagree with.
But I will bash Sifton a writer. He isn’t magical, and yes.. magic is exactly what I expect. ex NYT critics Reichl and Bruni, in their own styles, weave masterpieces
out of each and every review.
Whether or not I end up agreeing with their conclusions, they made food
critiquing an art. They helped
make the NYTimes’ Dining & Wine section the standard for restaurant critiquing in the English speaking world.
Compare:
Sam Sifton isn’t terrible nor do I hate the guy.
I just get frustrated how he observes and writes like any ol’ food writer.. blogger quality
even. There are times when I feel
more inspired by articles on Serious Eats than NYT’s (not that Serious Eats
writers are bad--in fact, I love them! Again, I just
hold NYT to god-like standards). I
don’t like how he’s so accessible with his food and exercise journals or
interactivity with readers on social networks. Save that stuff for an autobiography or his post-restaurant
critic era. I’m old fashioned and
I only want to hear about the food!
Clearly, I like to put old school NYT’s writers on pedestals.