As dining has become entertainment, it has taken on some characteristics of other forms of “showbiz.” Aside from the celebrity of chefs, there are certain other elements that have crept into the food-service industry that have little to do with food or service and everything to do with buzzwords such as “branding” and “visibility.”
Recently, several of the state’s restaurants were named to the highly regarded Eater Top 38. This is a prestigious list from the New York-based online magazine. Its prestige comes from the writers who were tapped to come up with their favorites. Eleven New England-based writers and experts joined in compiling the list. The Rhode Island honorees were reviewed by Bill Addison, Eater’s restaurant review editor and well-regarded food writer and reviewer, and Molly Birnbaum, editor of Cook’s Science for America’s Test Kitchen and best-selling cookbook author. Birnbaum is a Brown University graduate – hence the Rhode Island connection.
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PRIME SPOT: Former North Bakery pastry chef Kelly Dull prepares pies at the Providence establishment. The bakery is an offshoot of North, one of five Rhode Island restaurants recently named to New York-based online magazine Eater’s Top 38 essential restaurants. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE WARWICK CVB[/caption]
Of the 38 essential restaurants, five are in Rhode Island. Al Forno appears here. North makes the list, as does Oberlin, which Addison singles out as an example of how exceptional New England dining is no longer confined to Boston. Besides those Providence eateries, O Dinis in East Providence and its authentic Portuguese cuisine gets a deserving spot on the list. And The Red Dory of Tiverton, familiar to foodies but a hidden treasure, rounds out the list with off-the-boat squid and signature lemon pudding cake.
Does a restaurant’s appearance on a list such as this put people in the seats? It certainly doesn’t hurt, but the jury of local chefs and restaurateurs is still out on that. The buzz created by such exposure is a big positive. In terms of attributing it to guests coming in the door, some Rhode Island restaurant owners are more in tune with other online review sites, notably Yelp. On most any restaurant row, in the kitchen and at the front of the house, that is consulted on a daily, and sometimes hourly, basis. One eatery owner confided to me he has a standing policy when engaging with such a reviewer – to wait 24 hours. It may be a matter of good news being spread to 10 people but bad news to a hundred, as the old saying goes. It is more of a vibe that is created from the positive impressions of being on such a list as the Eater essentials. It may not translate into an immediate line at the restaurant’s front door for a table – an effect interestingly enough that is still created by a glowing review in a credible local publication or media outlet written or presented by a trusted writer, expert or host. The buzz sometimes has to wait for word-of-mouth or sharing of the good word.
A footnote to this story about a story: In late June, Eater was acknowledged as an authority in the “new” food media in a statement by Food & Wine magazine’s publishers while announcing that F & W would be pulling up stakes in New York City and relocating its entire operation to Alabama. In the course of explaining how New York rents had become astronomical, necessitating the move, the magazine executive discussed the changing of the food-media landscape – online replaced print, etc. – and near the top of the list of accomplished online reviewers was Eater. And here we are, Rhode Island, at the top of Eater’s list. It says a lot for our food-centric scene, even as times change.
Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11 a.m. on 1540 AM WADK and through the TuneIn mobile app. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com.
