It’s ironic that a man whose line of
knives has fire licking up the sides of the handles could be so badly flamed by
a writer. But that is exactly what happened to Guy Fieri, Food
Network’s king of “dude food,” when New
York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells blasted off a litany of sardonic
queries regarding the poor execution of meals and subpar service at Guy’s
American Kitchen & Bar in his Wednesday column.
Recently opened in Times Square,
GAK&B is Fieri’s first restaurant in New York City, though he has overseen
two mini-chains on the West Coast—Johnny Garlic’s and Tex Wasabi’s—since 1996.
Most Americans, however, are acquainted
with Fieri as host of various TV shows: Minute
to Win It, Guy’s Big Bite and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The latter
is a touring series that enthusiastically introduces viewers to small eateries
around the country serving up extraordinary regional fare—often fried, never
dull—like Blackened Stuffed Pork Chops, a specialty of Chef Point Café in
Watauga, Tex. I’ve never considered filling a pork chop with crab stuffing,
searing the meat in Cajun spices then dousing it in Alfredo sauce, myself. But
it does sound like it would explode with flavor.
It is Fieri’s celebration of such dishes
on TV that made the failings of GAK&B that much greater a disappointment to
Wells. While the menu reads as a feverish collection of culinary mashups such
as California Egg Rolls, Sashimi Tacos, and Guy-talian Nachos, Wells found
nearly all of the dishes to be lacking in preparation and taste. (That is, when
they weren’t gone altogether: It seems a lot goes missing on the way from the
kitchen to one’s table.)
In response to Wells’ derisive review,
readers have been split. Some say it was hilarious and witty. Others defended
Fieri, crying snobbery. Still others question why Wells wasted his time and
theirs.
Here’s why I think he did:
The
restaurant is a disservice to the cuisine it represents.
As one commenter on the NYT site put it, “Guy… is missing a big chance
to be the ultimate American gastro pub in America's greatest city, and cement
his reputation as the champion of awesome greased-up decadent food! USA!”
Agree. Fieri’s reputation trades on being an expert on
wild-yet-unfroufy meals across the United States. But since not everyone can
afford to visit all of the crazy-amazing destinations he features on TV,
customers will go to GAK&B with the desire to get a slice of those
experiences. Moreover, if you’re going to take that kind of gambit to a stage
like the Big Apple, you better be ready to “throwdown,” to borrow a phrase from
another Food Network star.
The
restaurant is a disservice to the people who flock to it.
I resent the knee-jerk response from New Yorkers who cry out, “Well, its in
Times Square, what did you expect?” Not only do those readers seemingly believe
tourists won’t know any better, they are apparently content to serve them bad
meals.
By that same logic, food deserts in the outer boroughs and Harlem don’t
deserve to have great greenmarkets to shop from because they are used to the
liquor stores and bodegas that operate in place of them. Forgive me if I feel
more of a responsibility to my fellow American’s palate and wallet. These are
not McDonald’s Value Meals. It would be great if for once someone opened a
place near Broadway that respects out-of-towners.
Not
writing about this type of restaurant is a disservice to NYT readers.
The New York Times restaurant
reviews are not reserved solely for fine dining. In fact, in response to the
economic downturn the Grey Lady has increasingly reviewed more casual
establishments in recent years. The caveat is that review subjects are
invariably the topic of popular discourse (among those interested in food,
anyway) well before they appear in print.
Some are run by chefs who went to culinary school, others by
individuals who operate from a deep-rooted passion or a trove of family
recipes. Some succeed out of the gate; others stumble and misfire. But by
capturing a moment in both the city and a particular restaurant’s evolution, a
review can help guide a larger conversation about the state of our food system,
the hospitality industry and, in this case, our perverse allegiance to
celebrity chefs.
If nothing else, a review may guide where you spend your
money.
For my dollars, I don’t plan to gamble any going down to Flavor Town—despite morbid curiosity. So thanks for saving me money, Pete Wells, and for
giving me such a delicious review to chew on in the meantime.
