New year, same old me

My New Year’s resolutions usually consist of not-so-witty remarks like, “I’m going to party like it really is 1999″ or “I’m going to make this year classier than last year”.  In essence, I rarely live up to my resolutions and I am never serious about them.

This year, I decided to set extremely realistic resolutions for myself.  Goals that would not only be fun for me, but would also allow me to reflect on my year in a way that my half-assed occasional bouts of journaling ever could. 

Over-arching resolution:  Be more involved in online communities.

Sub-Resolution #1: Make a blog and update it regularly…for The. Whole. Year.
I’ve had 2 blogs in the past, neither of which lasted for more than 3 months.  They were very angsty and made me depressed every time I thought about posting my emotions.  This year I have found that blogging about the random crap in my life is really kind of neat!  Despite the fact that I have very few readers, I truly love pondering about what the next post will be.

Sub-Resolution #2: Write reviews on Yelp! and become Yelp! Elite.
I’ve posted 60 reviews since I started on Yelp! at the end of December and I finally made the squad!  The site is fluffy and I get great amusement from reading reviews of others and participating in the community talk section.  Lame?  Maybe.  Boredom killer?  Like none other.
I recently posted on Solera, Lord Fletcher’s, and Amazing Thailand…check em out.

What were your resolutions?  Were you successful?

-M

Owner Complaint

Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a huge sucker for Yelp! It’s a great site that allows anyone to review shops, restaurants, entertainment, etc. I am a Yelp reviewer, and as shameless and self-indulgent as that is I have fun critiquing restaurants and shops.

Today I received my first comment from an owner (which I assumed based on the comment and their other reviews). I was totally blown-away! Here’s how it all went down:

My original review

I usually trust Yelp to make all of my decisions for me, and rarely am I steered the wrong way. Muffuletta’s was one of those rare and horrible decisions.

Took a friend here for her birthday brunch. The very first thing I noticed was the complete lack of an ambiance. The walls were bare and it seemed like very little thought was put into the interior decorating. Whatever though, I was there for the food.

I really appreciated that the menu supported local farming. Yay!

I got the Croque Monsieur ham sammy and sweet potato fries (I also nibbled on my friend’s mac n cheese). The whole meal was just mneh. Better than Applebees, but worse than anything else for their price range.

We did get a free flourless chocolate cake for my friend’s birthday, and I can always appreciate free food. The cake was delicious, but it was served with some sort of cream that tasted like nothing more than sour cream. It was very bizarre.

I just wouldn’t come back because I can’t think of a single stand-out feature. I also expect wow factor at those prices. I would like to know what other reviewers find so charming? Really?

(pretty harsh review, but definitely deserving)

Their comment:

Hi, I just saw your post on Muffuletta and I really couldn’t disagree with you more. I hope you try it again! Also, don’t go for brunch, I did see that menu and it did look a little lack luster.

Also, before you go out and eat perhaps you should be a little more educated on food before you review it. The cream under your Bete Noir, was CREME FRAISE… which is a cultured cream (more or less sour cream).

My response:

Thanks for the criticism. I just figured since Yelp is a website for the people and by the people, that we don’t have to be food aficionados to review restaurants. I give every place a chance to impress me and my palate.

Also, if it is “more or less” sour cream, than I don’t really care if there is a fancy name for it…still tastes bizarre with my chocolate.

If you are the owner, sorry I didn’t enjoy your restaurant, I just have different tastes. Yelp is a community of people that share honest opinions. Saying that I need to be better educated on food defeats the purpose of this site.

Also, I should not have to have a Bachelor’s in Food Science to enjoy my dessert.

Thanks

(maybe a bit petty and includes several grammatical errors)

Am I off-base in my thinking? Should I be more edumacated n’ stuff to write reviews on a users-based website like Yelp? I’m not claiming to be anyone special or to know any more than the average joe about food. I’m just a citizen declaring that Muffuletta’s tasted like garbage.

I feel like I need to get on a podium and speak out for all us little guys! Hear our voices, your food sucks! hrmmm…I think I’ll need a better chant if I’m gonna make it as a leader of a march for justice.

-M