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I say kudos to Tom Sietsema for taking the amount of time he deemed necessary to properly review Rogue 24, as opposed to being pressured into publishing something about a restaurant going through such a high degree of turbulence and flux. As so often happens, I disagree with his star ratings (I'll say it before, and I'll say it again - quantifying the unquantifiable is a fool's game, just like walking through an art gallery, pointing at paintings and saying, "3 stars, 2 stars, 2 1/2 stars" - it's wrong, condescending, and illogical.) But, right or wrong (and if you actually read the review instead of just glancing at the stars and memorizing them (which is what many armchair critics aspire to do, in order to have something impressive to say to their friends during a conversation (not unlike memorizing points given out by Robert Parker)), you'll see that the review is a thoughtful piece of work that took many hours, and cost well over $1,000 to produce). It took courage, confidence, and conviction for Tom to wait until he felt it was the correct time to release the review. I advise Tom, however, to stop relying on "friends" so much in his reviews - he needs to be careful about writing the reviews up in this way because this rhetorical tactic weakens his position. I do the same thing sometimes, too, and fall into this very same trap.

And, a note to the restaurateur who will accuse me of licking Tom's anal crevice with this post: what possible upside is there for me to do so? Answer: none. None whatsoever. And let me remind you that you also called "the other critic" (who is now suddenly your best friend) "a putz" for the first couple of years when he didn't lavish the compliments on your restaurant you thought you deserved (and that I also thought you deserved). Amazing how short-lived vengeful spirits are when it comes to critical changes of heart, or perhaps, financial opportunity, or perhaps still, the fusion of two nerves leading to the egotistical center of one's brain.

Back on topic, as a point of reference, here's my review of my one full-blown meal at Rogue 24, written last December. Despite me comparing it favorably to a Michelin 2-star restaurant in Barcelona, the substance of the review really isn't that much different than Tom's. In summary, I say to Tom Sietsema, restaurant critic of the Washington Post: well done, sir.

Cheers,

Rocks

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I am usually a defender of Tom but I find juxtaposition of Rogue 24's star rating with that received by Little Serow particularly jarring.

A series of well-prepared but very similar dishes served in a dank basement accompanied by a limited wine list (as dinner at Little Serow might accurately, if uncharitably, be described) gets three. A sometimes-brilliant (if inconsistent) restaurant in a classy room with a dead-on drinks program and comfortable seats gets 2.5.

R24 is simply a dramatically more sensuously enjoyable and technically better dining experience. Sadly, it seems that aiming low is more likely to bring a greater reward. Or that Mr. S. as he ages, is eager to establish a little hipster cred by overpraising the mid-scale while turning up his nose at the linen napkin scene (as an aging yuppie myself, I underdstand).

The more sinister explanation, of course, is that Sietsema has a little stable of favorites (Cedric/Michel, Johnny M, Ashok Bajaj) whose grades are systematically inflated. The DR consensus on Mintwood is hardly the stuff of 3-star reviews, my own experience with the other establishments implicated parenthetically has been consistently below their star ratings. On the other hand, the storyline on RJ was written long before he opened his doors: "egotistical expensive overreach." It seems possible that Tom bought into that, as well.

There's no question that RJ is in my own "little stable of favorites," and I would have been disappointed at the 2.5 star rating. But it's the contrast with Little Serow that irks. Maybe "the only critic in town who understands fine dining" should rotate off for a quarter, picking up Todd Kliman's ongoing (and appreciated) search for The Great Strip Mall Ethnic Restaurant, until he's remembers what makes a three-star meal.

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I haven't been to R24 but I do find it odd that TS gives the Indian restaurant in Bethesda (or wherever it was) a star level that he gave to higher end restaurants, yet only 2.5 stars to R24. I think this has been discussed before, but probably worth revisiting, is the star-rating system should probably be changed.

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Correct. Though I offered non-sinister options, as well.

Switching subjects, yesterday someone (not me) who loves PassionFish complained about Tom's thumb's (yes, I know) down and noted that she had taken clients and family there regularly for years and loves the place. He was quite defensive, addressed her as "madam" and continued to diss PF based on two recent visits with "friends." IMO, PassionFish and Black Salt are the two best fish restaurants in the DC area.

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Switching subjects, yesterday someone (not me) who loves PassionFish complained about Tom's thumb's (yes, I know) down and noted that she had taken clients and family there regularly for years and loves the place. He was quite defensive, addressed her as "madam" and continued to diss PF based on two recent visits with "friends." IMO, PassionFish and Black Salt are the two best fish restaurants in the DC area.

I've only had one dinner at Blacksalt which I didn't really enjoy but it could've been an off night. I suppose Tom could've visited PassionFish on two off nights but then he wrote this:

The fish in the "classic Peruvian" seviche at Passionfish bears faint resemblance to the ocean-fresh appetizer I devoured in Lima last year.

There's not a single restaurant in DC that serves cebiche like they do in Lima. I generally don't eat cebiche in DC for that reason. But that's not a reason to give PF one star. And our last flounder at PF was really good - but Tom was nitpicking the cucumber.

And then he wrote "gloppy Japanese-style rolls appear to be designed for people who don't like sushi." Most maki rolls we find in DC are designed for people who don't like nigiri sushi. So I think his review of PassionFish is pretty lame.

Here's a piece on Gawker's about restaurant critics being worthless. I prefer member reviews on this website to reviews by Tom and Todd. I get a more accurate picture of a restaurant here than from one of Tom's increasingly inane reviews.

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Here's a piece on Gawker's about restaurant critics being worthless. I prefer member reviews on this website to reviews by Tom and Todd. I get a more accurate picture of a restaurant here than from one of Tom's increasingly inane reviews.

I just want to point out that Gawker piece was written by Drew Magary, who usually writes on Deadspin. Over there he ain't bad at what he does, but he's out of his element on this one (and Gawker in general - he should stick to the dick jokes on the sports site). Bloggers ranting against print journalists is the new journalists telling bloggers to get out of their parent's basement - short sighted and completely missing the ways both groups can raise each other up.

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Not from Wapo chat but I saw this on Tom's FB page via HootSuite (what is that?)

Beats me, but last year I unfriended everyone from WaPo in a huff because of the WaPo Social Reader (I couldn't take it anymore). I thought I'd rectified that with everyone, but now I realize I hadn't.

So if you work for the Post, and got unfriended, please accept my apologies - it was done en masse and was nothing personal.

HootSuite is something like TweetDeck - it's a front end to Twitter, sort of like AOL was a front end to the Internet. (Actually Twitter is a front end to the Internet, too.)

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I saw it on his Twitter, and yeah, I was curious about it too. Strangely gossipy for him...I was wondering if he left out a link or something. As to who, my first assumption was Spike Mendelsohn, but I suppose there are other possibilities.

And I'm 100% in agreement with Don about the abysmal WaPo social reader. I hate that thing!

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Don Rockwell is a front end to ma belly.

In today's chat TS noted that chefs seem to be pouring more salt into their dishes and inferred that it might be related to smoking. I have no idea since I don't smoke and don't know anyone who does, but I've also noticed a surfeit of salt in the last year or so. Is it just my imagination running away with me?

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I haven't noticed that particularly, but in the past couple of years chefs have been able to get Szechuan peppercorns regularly and even if they aren't going for the full-bore heat & flavor of them, if the peppercorns are added into any seasoning, I've found that they numb out the other tastebuds and by the end of a meal, I can only taste salt.

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MASA 14 - THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY

I'll start by thanking you for SO many times telling people who have an issue "did you ask for a manager?" Had 1PM reservations on Sunday for 4, which were made 4 weeks in advance, and was told all must be present to sit, table gets given away at 1:15 if all not there. Fine. Get your rules. At 1:10 we're told to take a pager and that the table is being cleared. Lil walk through and noone is even close to done by where the VERY RUDE hostess was pointing. So ... at 1:20, famished and surely thirsty for the prixe fix brunch, I ask VERY RUDE hostess if we can start ordering drinks at the bar for the special. In her nastiest tone and look ever, she says "checks cannot be transferred" multiple times, all she would say with such a look on her face that she was being put out or something. AND I ask where is the table she spoke of, we looked and noone had a check. Oh - - she points to another table that is "getting up" apparently. Not happening. I tell her I am not looking to transfer any check, I was told my table would be given away if all were not here, it's now 30 minutes later and you're not honoring my reservation. Again NASTY. So, I stop, and ask for Manager. Voila! Fantastic manager comes over and I explain the issue while adding in that if she's the face of the restaurant they are in trouble and I'd never hire anyone that treated people so poorly .... and within moments we have a round of drinks. Then we have a table. Then we have some additional cocktail shots brought over and a wonderful server. So kudos to Jared for saving our brunch and a job well done. Thank you Tom for the constant reminder of asking for a manager. Ariel, you were a fabulous server. As for the hostess whose name I did not get, let's just hope you get what's coming to you. It's a tough economy, people would love to have your job ...

I think the gist of this rant is that he didn't get seated right away after his party arrived late. They were there for brunch, which included unlimited cocktails. While they were waiting, they thought they could at least start drinking, which they assumed would be part of the prix fixe. Here I have a question, what is the norm for bottomless booze brunches? I assume you're allowed to have as many drinks as you want while you're seated and eating. Are people allowed to loiter just to keep boozing? The OP definitely wants the hostess fired. It's a tough economy but McDonald's probably pays more than what a hostess gets.... My gut reaction is I would never hire a self entitled punk.

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I'm reading it differently...I don't think that they were late. I think they're just pointing out that the restaurant was very specific about having everyone there on time when the reservation was made, and yet seem un-concerned about seating them significantly later than their reservation. I can see how annoying it would be if a restaurant is anal about the first, and dismissive about the second.

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From today's chat:

Unfortunately, Oklahoma City isn't exactly the epicenter of culinary America, but there are some decent places - and the prices are nice. You can get really good Continental French fare at Frottage du Lac downtown. There is tons of Tex-Mex, but I would go for the authentic Mexican at Monterrey House - where I had the most wonderful tacos which transported me back to that fateful spring break where I (coincientally) felt the touch of another man for the first time. Hope this helps!

Poor, sweet, naïve Tom.

(Sorry, I should have included the link earlier.)

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One of us ordered the pickled martini and asked for Hendricks. Well, they were out of Hendricks, Bombay and Tanqueray, on a Saturday night! But what really got us was how incompetent our waiter was. I don't know if he was new but he had to run somewhere to find out about a number of items we asked about and when we were ready to leave, he was nowhere to be found. Just seemed totally disorganized. Not to generalize but this is pretty endemic to DC. I travel a lot and am astounded at how poor the service is here where I live. No, we didn't complain. It doesn't seem worth it anymore. Restaurant owners and managers read this chat and the topic has been raised numerous times. Do they not care? Is there something in the water that makes having a competent waitstaff difficult?

This little rant at the top of the chat, and Tom's reply:

Funny, just last night at One of the Hottest Restaurants in Town, a server informed me the bar tender couldn't make a featured cocktail because "we're out of it."

This was at 6:30 at night. Apparently, a key ingredient hadn't been restocked from the previous night.

There's good and very good service to be had in DC, but I agree that a lot of it isn't as polished as it could be. One problem, I think, is a shallow pool of talent and this despite the economy.

brought to mind a recent experience at another "Hot Restaurant". I ordered a Caffè Americano and was told they didn't have it - they only had espresso. I explained that an Americano *is* espresso - with hot water added to it. This resulted in my being brought a large mug of hot water, along with a shot of espresso in a dainty little demitasse :blink: . I had to (very awkwardly) pour hot water into the demitasse (since the volume of water in the mug would have resulted in a less than desirable result). It seems that if you serve espresso drinks, the person making those drinks probably knows what an Americano was. It didn't appear that my order got communicated to that person, which resulted in me not really getting what I ordered. Not a huge problem and certainly not worth making a fuss about, but I have noticed a recent downward trend in knowledge and quality of service at places where I have to come to expect otherwise.

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A couple of years ago, I was judging some cocktails for a competition. Bars knew if the (anonymous) judges came in, and they couldn't make the drink, they'd be DQ-ed.

Half my bars DQ-ed. Shit happens.

Get a run at just the wrong time, have the distributor out of something...it's an intricate chain. Maybe it's the restaurant's fault, maybe the server is incompetent (and I know multiple bartenders at PS7, so I'm going to ping them and see what they say about that), but, well, shit happens.

I'm wondering if my guesses at what happened to his patron will be matched up with what my sources say...

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I've been noticing in TS' chats lately, including today's that he seems to have a stalker who keeps accusing him of getting preferential service and food because he's recognized. Whether or not that's true, I wish the perp (I have a feeling it's one individual) would just stuff a sock in it already.

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You do often get preferential service and food, IF you let it happen. But there are ways to prevent it and/or adjust for it in your reviews. Really, there are. These days, more often than not, I do the latter because I get so tired of fighting - dining out becomes a chore and I'm not kidding. I remember once I was out with someone in the industry on his night off - it was a Monday night (which is, btw, "the weekend" if you're in the restaurant industry). This guy looked at how exhausted and unexcited I was, and said, "This really is work for you, isn't it." I said, "Yeah."

Also, it helps that Tom has an expense account - there is no logical reason for him to take free food (which mitigates the situation somewhat - doesn't help when it comes to getting the best piece of fish in the kitchen, however). A chef (friendly with me, but not who you might think) told me, "There are two people I cook for: you, and Tom Sietsema."

There are also advantages to being recognized - at that point, for example, you can fire away with questions and learn things you wouldn't normally be able to find out.

There's also the old, "And you just can't believe what a good value the scallops are - three big ones for six dollars!" line in the review. Hee hee.

As soon as you walk into the restaurant, you walk back to the restroom and wash your hands, making a mental inventory of every single plate of food on the tables. If yours looks different, then something's up.

Just today, I got the following message from a chef:

"When are you coming in?"

My response: "I was in Monday night. When are YOU coming in?" :)

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NEW MINIBAR PRICE

I too, was surprised at the big jump in price for the new minibar menu. You are right that it is not out of the realm of other lauded restaurants multi-course tasting menus. And if there was any place in DC that was going to charge that amount and have it be worth it, it would be minibar. Those chefs work really hard and put a lot of research into each dish. I have no doubt that minibar will fill up regularly. What worries me though are the 'other' multi-course tasting menus (looking at you Rogue 24 and Table 21 at Volt) that don't deliver nearly the caliber of thought and execution as minibar thinking that $225 is now the acceptable going rate for a meal in that 'style.'

I didn't think Minibar was worth $125, especially compared to Volt or Rogue 24. Since when did Minibar put alot of research into each dish? How many years ago would that be?

[quote<a name="Palena-Customer" style="font-size: 12px; color: inherit; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; text-transform: uppercase; outline: none; margin-bottom: 10px; ">PALENA CUSTOMER SERVICE FAIL

Hey Tom, About a month ago, I attended a dinnertime work event at which no dinner was served. Afterwards, I was very hungry, and I wanted something quick and inexpensive, but not fast food. Since I was near Cleveland Park, the Palena bar came to mind. I thought the well-reputed burger there was about $10. I got there, checked the paper menu posted outside the front door, and the burger was listed at $12. OK, a bit more than I planned, but doable. So I sat at the bar, got the menu, and the burger was listed there as $14. I brought this to the bartender's attention, and he said that the menu outside hadn't been updated in weeks or months, and that the price listed on the indoor menu is what I'd pay. I told him I didn't want to make a big stink, but that I'd like to talk to a manager about the discrepancy. The manager came over, I explained the situation, and said I'd like the burger at the price on the outdoor menu. She said no, and asked if I'd like to order something instead. I again explained that the restaurant had made an understandable and easily corrected error, and that the wise customer service move would be to honor the $12 outdoor price. She said that Palena constantly updates its menu, and that's why the menu was possibly out of date. I reiterated what the bartender said, that the menu was updated only every few weeks or months, and that frankly, if the menu was updated as often as she suggested, there would actually be less and not more chance of an error like what I'd stumbled on. Proving the definition of insanity (repeating the same action but expecting a different result), I just kept saying "Your outdoor menu is the face you show the outside world. Doesn't it make sense to honor that advertised price, and generate a positive customer service experience, than to stick to your guns over $2!" After disbelievingly repeating this argument a couple more times, I said in passing that I couldn't believe that a restaurant with such excellent reputation would have such sh*tty customer service." The manager then lost it, saying that we'd been having a civil discussion until I let loose and brought profanity into the picture. She said that she'd be leaning towards making a one-time exception for me, but after my profanity, she just didn't know. Eventually, she relented, and I got the $12 burger. So, my questions: 1.) Shouldn't they immediately have just honored the $12 price? 2. ) What is their responsibility to keep that outdoor menu (printed on paper, not calligraphied 2.) Really, I can't say "sh*tty" to an urban restaurant manager during a disagreement??? 3.) Finally, how does one tip after this kind of incident? The bartender was emotionless but not rude. The manager was inexcusable. But I hated to tip 0% or 5% instead of my usual 20% because it would only confirm their assumption that I am a cheapskate angling for what they thought I didn't deserve. Hopefully, before this story is published in the chat, maybe you, a friend, or a colleague can go by Palena and re-create my experience: check the outside menu (computer printed on easy-to-fix plain paper, in a glass box, facing Connecticut Avenue), check the indoor menu, raise the discrepancy with management, and see what happens? Thanks for the help! Josh

I generally think that a restaurant should not post a menu outside unless it's accurate. On the other hand, I can't identify with someone arguing over $2 for a burger, especially if that person then says the customer service is "shitty." This isn't a customer service issue per se - the restaurant is simply charging what's on its inside menu. I'm not sure that a restaurant is "bound" by its outside menu? Were there fine prints not mentioned? Why was the manager inexcusable?

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More generally, TS is a very (and, I infer, intentionally) bad moderator of his chats. He gets, and therefore I think he strives for, a very negative vibe all around. He chooses to post people's snotty comments back and forth at each other (oh you don't like Indian food, you're a moron - oh you don't know what tapas is, you're a moron). He chooses to post things that allow him to act offended, or put-upon, on his own account (how dare you accuse me of being recognized when I eat, or of not going to Virginia often enough). He chooses to post things that (like the Palena hamburger thing) represent customer obnoxiousness or at least exaggerated offense. I guess that's what gets the page views, but it's nothing to be proud of.

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More generally, TS is a very (and, I infer, intentionally) bad moderator of his chats. He gets, and therefore I think he strives for, a very negative vibe all around. He chooses to post people's snotty comments back and forth at each other (oh you don't like Indian food, you're a moron - oh you don't know what tapas is, you're a moron). He chooses to post things that allow him to act offended, or put-upon, on his own account (how dare you accuse me of being recognized when I eat, or of not going to Virginia often enough). He chooses to post things that (like the Palena hamburger thing) represent customer obnoxiousness or at least exaggerated offense. I guess that's what gets the page views, but it's nothing to be proud of.

I disagree. An hour a week of "where can I take my picky mother-in-law to dinner?" would be deadly. The food fights and back-and-forth not only reflect (to some degree, I assume) what's coming over the transom, but they make the chat far more interesting.

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This may deserve its own thread, but I found this Daily Meal survey where restaurateurs and chefs rate restaurant critics nationwide to be really interesting. Tom Sietsema is rated #4 overall, but was ranked second nationwide in terms of culinary knowledge and integrity, though he only finished in the upper midpack in terms of writing style and whether they'd "like to share a meal with him." (Oddly, that seemed biased by a somewhat negative view of the DC dining scene in general more than expressing an opinion of Tom himself.) Overall, it seems like the folks surveyed have a fairly similar view to Sietsema that Don has often asserted here.

Tim Carman, on the other hand, ranked at or near the bottom of the top 20, though he has really assumed more of a "restaurant reporter" role at the Post than as a critic; it would have been more interesting to hear their take on Todd Kliman.

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I generally think that a restaurant should not post a menu outside unless it's accurate. On the other hand, I can't identify with someone arguing over $2 for a burger, especially if that person then says the customer service is "shitty." This isn't a customer service issue per se - the restaurant is simply charging what's on its inside menu. I'm not sure that a restaurant is "bound" by its outside menu? Were there fine prints not mentioned? Why was the manager inexcusable?

People like that person make my blood boil. If I overhead this customer I would pull out my wallet give him two dollars and tell him to get on with his life. How can you live your life arguing with people constantly. I hate people like that, you were told the correct price before you ordered the item, given the chance to order it or not, it's not like they ordered it not knowing what the price was. I have stopped reading his chat, I like Todd Kilman's a lot more and like what he is doing to vary things up. Sorry Tom.

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Preserving this utterly fantastic typo from today's chat for posterity

Hi Tom! I know you get complaints about always touting Rasika, but I
truly believe it is worth it! I had some good friends in from out of
town last week, and we always dine out together nightly when they are in
town. We went to Rasika for the first time (for them) and I have never
seen them enjoy a meal so! The tawa, the sigri, and breads were a major
hit. The recommended wines were just perfect. Plus, every single one of
us thoroughly enjoyed our entrees - not to mention the fabulous mango
chutney. I'm hungry just thinking about it! And, of course, the desserts
put a perfect cap on the evening. Thank you again for convincing me it
was the place to take them. The priceless look of their feces that night
is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life!

March 06, 2013 8:21 AM
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TOM SIETSEMA :
For starters, try the dim sum brunch at the Source, sherry and ham at the just-popped Mockingbird Hill by ace cocktail maven Derek Brown, and something smoky and luscious at the South American-inspired Del Campo

Vidalia should be high on your list, along with the Oval Room and the aforementioned Source for pan-Asian.

Two pimps in one day....

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Is this the Tom Sietsema meta-thread? I didn't want to start a new thread, as I would need limitless curse words in the title.

Tom has become an internet troll. I know everyone needs page views in this economy, but this is simply disgusting. He's twitter pimping an upcoming take-down piece:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2013/06/25/if-the-restaurant-i-ate-in-tonight-lasts-more-than-a-year-ill-be-surprised/

It's fucking gross and he's bad for the city. Please leave.

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I don't get your heartburn.

Is it bad to use Twitter?

Is is bad to give bad reviews?

And why is he bad for the city?

I'm asking honestly (not snarkily). I sometimes read comments like yours about Tom or Todd K or "DC food crititcs" and I'm never sure what the issue is or why we need to "throw all of them out and get some new blood in here"

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Is is entirely possible that WaPo's powers that be are asking/requiring staffers like Tom to use social media to boost interest in tne newspaper's content. I know it is true for friends of mine who work for other media outlets. It may not be a personal choice for him. I don't know for sure, but let's at least acknowledge that possibility as part of the discussion.

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He's responsible for the content of his reviews and posts. His name is on them. What you say may well be happening but it's irrelevant.

Oh and let's not act like the only use for social media is to post "hey guys, stay tuned, click here often, I am about to MURDER this restaurant."

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I am not sure how you can be sure that this is foreshadowing an upcoming review. Are you positive that he reviews every place where he dines? I highly doubt that is true. Plus you do not know the reasons behind the tweet, his prediction could be related to any number of factors that taken alone might spell doom for the restaurant but not for his review – such as the wrong location, food that is a little too avant-garde, prices that are out of whack, he dislikes the material used in the curtains, and so forth.

Then again you could be correct, but it just really seems that this is just an excuse to vent your obvious hatred for Sietsema.

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My "obvious hatred of TS" is news to me, and at least very new to me, because he has become in internet troll. I have read his work for years, and it has taken a dark turn. He has begun to revel in the takedown, when once he was if anything overly positive.

Also, he said the following (quote from the chat). Please have all the facts before you attempt to assault my character.

Tom Sietsema :

My lips are sealed. But you'll be reading about the mess, er, restaurant, soon.

You have an agenda I take it?

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Is is entirely possible that WaPo's powers that be are asking/requiring staffers like Tom to use social media to boost interest in tne newspaper's content. I know it is true for friends of mine who work for other media outlets. It may not be a personal choice for him. I don't know for sure, but let's at least acknowledge that possibility as part of the discussion.

They're trying to keep people coming to the site now that it has the paywall. I know I'm reading it much less, and I'm having trouble figuring out which outside links aren't metered. Despite only coming in through links from elsewhere, I'm already at my limit for the month (which started not even 2 weeks ago). They're apparently tracking through IP address and I don't have another device I can use to access the paper's site.

Twitter is supposed to be one site from which links aren't metered.

In any case, some of this is clearly being fueled by the Post trying to sell subscriptions. (And, on the Free Range chat a couple weeks ago, Joe Yonan was lobbying people to subscribe.)

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The only agendas I harbor are for the elimination of the two greatest scourges on civilization since the Black Death, flip flops and auto-tune.

This is at least the second post in a week where you have displayed quite a bit of bile towards him and demanded that he leave the city. Plus you have accused him of committing “MURDER” and taking a “kill shot”. There are plenty examples of restaurants that he has given great reviews to that failed, and those that he has given poor reviews to that have prospered or at least did not suffer from his attempted “murder” of them.

As far as getting all of the facts, maybe you should have posted a link to the second tweet to make your case – personally I was using the evidence you provided and neither follow his tweets nor have any inclination to do so, but I have to wonder why you do follow him given that he causes you so much angst.

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They're trying to keep people coming to the site now that it has the paywall. I know I'm reading it much less, and I'm having trouble figuring out which outside links aren't metered. Despite only coming in through links from elsewhere, I'm already at my limit for the month (which started not even 2 weeks ago). They're apparently tracking through IP address and I don't have another device I can use to access the paper's site.

Twitter is supposed to be one site from which links aren't metered.

In any case, some of this is clearly being fueled by the Post trying to sell subscriptions. (And, on the Free Range chat a couple weeks ago, Joe Yonan was lobbying people to subscribe.)

If you reset your browser when you hit the NY Times' limit, it will go back to zero articles read.

I'm not advocating this; merely saying that it works.

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The only agendas I harbor are for the elimination of the two greatest scourges on civilization since the Black Death, flip flops and auto-tune.

This is at least the second post in a week where you have displayed quite a bit of bile towards him and demanded that he leave the city. Plus you have accused him of committing “MURDER” and taking a “kill shot”. There are plenty examples of restaurants that he has given great reviews to that failed, and those that he has given poor reviews to that have prospered or at least did not suffer from his attempted “murder” of them.

As far as getting all of the facts, maybe you should have posted a link to the second tweet to make your case – personally I was using the evidence you provided and neither follow his tweets nor have any inclination to do so, but I have to wonder why you do follow him given that he causes you so much angst.

Again, you are uninformed. The washington post (some other food/entertainment writer) linked his tweet. I don't think I want to continue discussing this with you, if you are going to simply lob accusations without acquainting yourself with the material we're supposedly discussing.

PS I love flip flops so we are unlikely to find common ground anyway.

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If you reset your browser when you hit the NY Times' limit, it will go back to zero articles read.

I'm not advocating this; merely saying that it works.

Or if you don't want to take the nuclear approach for all sites that you might visit: simply delete any cookie matching 'washingtonpost*' or 'wapo*' (the latter is their annoying social reader Facebook thingy) and it's like you were never there. Methods vary by browser type.

They certainly aren't tracking by source IP.

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He's responsible for the content of his reviews and posts. His name is on them. What you say may well be happening but it's irrelevant.

Oh and let's not act like the only use for social media is to post "hey guys, stay tuned, click here often, I am about to MURDER this restaurant."

I guess I'm just not that outraged or upset that he's hyping the fact he's about to "murder" a restaurant or the fact that he sometimes does murder restaurants in print. That's the job isn't it? Report the good, bad and the ugly.

I don't know if you saw he's chat yesterday, but someone wrote in about going to Masa 14 and asking if there was any shell fish in a certain dish because her child had a severe allergy. The server checked with the chef and gave the thumbs up, but soon after eating the dish, the kid couldn't breathe. After more checking, they found out that a cutting board was used for both chicken and shrimp and was likely the source of the contamination. Anyhow, the thing that made the writer seethe with rage was the manager wouldn't let them leave (to go to the ER) until they paid the bill!

Anyhow, if that happened to me, I'd want to murder the restaurant too, but that's maybe an extreme case, but I'm sure Tom has had some god awful experiences that go beyond bad to insulting to making you boil with rage. What's he supposed to do, bury the story?

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Tom has become an internet troll. I know everyone needs page views in this economy, but this is simply disgusting. He's twitter pimping an upcoming take-down piece:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2013/06/25/if-the-restaurant-i-ate-in-tonight-lasts-more-than-a-year-ill-be-surprised/

It's fucking gross and he's bad for the city. Please leave.

I'm not sure that Tom is an internet troll. According to Wikipedia - "In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by trying to start arguments and upset people. They may do this by posting deliberately inflammatory extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion." I'm with you on the pimping part.

He's getting the crowd pumped for his next kill shot. That's not responsible food critique, that's Emperor Commodus. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? is not what I am looking for in a food critic.

Tom works for Wapo, which publishes a paper and would like as many readers as possible. Tom would likely lose his job if his writing doesn't increase Wapo readership. If he wants to pimp his stories, I don't blame him. I don't find it that gross - regardless of the content of his stories. If he's pimping a restaurant in exchange for free meals, and that's not disclosed, then that's gross.

He's responsible for the content of his reviews and posts. His name is on them. What you say may well be happening but it's irrelevant.

Oh and let's not act like the only use for social media is to post "hey guys, stay tuned, click here often, I am about to MURDER this restaurant."

I'm "friends" with Tom on Facebook. His use of social media is not limited to "murdering" restaurants. He posts restaurant openings, chef changes, restaurant closures, his chat, and many other things besides "murdering" restaurants.

He has begun to revel in the takedown, when once he was if anything overly positive.

You have an agenda I take it?

How often has he reveled in the takedown? If he did more, I might actually read his restaurant reviews. All I can think of is La Tagliatella and this forthcoming takedown. In La Tagliatella's case, I think it's justifiable. The same may be true of his forthcoming takedown. I personally love a deserving takedown story.

At the end of the day, you can feel how you feel and post what you want to post. I just happen to disagree with you.

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