My mom called me last night to see how my classes are going. She specifically asked about English, since that was her major and she and I have always read and compared literature together. We were discussing Garlic and Sapphires when I mentioned Le Cirque, a restaurant that Ruth Reichl visits during the book. To my utter surprise, my mom remembered that during one of our trips to New York, we had actually eaten there!
The inside of Le Cirque, taken from http://www.lecirque.com/index2.htm
We were in New York City for a self-created and much needed long weekend roughly two years ago. Accompanying my family were some family friends that we have known for what feels like forever. Our friends really enjoy eating at the finest restaurants whenever possible, and one night we stumbled upon Le Cirque and by chance decided to eat there. I actually did not like it that much; for some reason, I ordered a hamburger that night. Much to my dismay, hamburgers are not necessarily the specialty of Le Cirque. My sister SarahAnn ordered ravioli, which proved to be divine. She actually still compares Le Cirque's ravioli to her favorite ravioli in Florence, Italy. This particular scenario corroborates Reichl's claim that each person has a different pallet and different preferences, thus making it difficult to judge a restaurant.
My mom and I during that same trip to New York
I thought that it was cool that I had eaten at the same restaurant as the author! I love finding little connections such as that.
That's amazing! It's awesome when there are those connections--it is, indeed, a small world. If Le Cirque's ravioli rivals that of the ravioli in Florence, it must be an amazing place!
ReplyDeleteIn response to judging a restaurant: Since critiquing a restaurant is subjective, why do people bother with Critic Reviews? Same concept applies to film and other areas. I've never seen a reason to follow or consider these critic opinions. If I wanted to know if a restaurant had a bad reputation, then I would turn to friends or other sources. I would base the decision around many, not one critic. If I wanted to know if it was sanitary, I would look at their health rating. Besides, why not branch out and try different restaurants regardless? It would probably make for a more enjoyable experience. Though I am on a tangent. It is always a weird feeling when you relate to a book like that. I remember when I was a kid, I read a book in which the character tossed around his bed in order to find the soft spot to sleep on. I had always tried to explain why I did that, myself, to people, but few understood. So when I read that in the book, it was a weird relating moment with the book.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! I have been to New York on a vacation with my family, and as I was reading I remember thinking that I never went to any of these restaurants. I agree with you, I love finding little connections, especially when they are personal. It makes the book seem real and alive in some way. New York is so diverse and so big, that next time I guess I will have to plan and search for one of the author's top rated restaurants just to see if my perspective is equivalent to hers. However, her being a food critic and me knowing very little about food, we will no doubt have different opinions, but as she said herself, everyone is different and what we see, and taste, is purely individualistic.
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