In these days of mindless, violent crime, Sherlock Holmes, were he to reappear, might well choose to turn his remarkable skills of detection to the more elevated (but hardly more genteel) craft of restaurant criticism.
A clue to how the great man might operate was provided last month as this writer played Dr. Watson to national restaurant guide editor Tim Zagat during a Holmesian nocternal foray through nearly 20 Chicago restaurants.
Zagat, a New York City lawyer, produces the best-selling guide to restaurants in his hometown. The Zagat Survey also offers evaluations of restaurants in 11 other cities, including Chicago. (The 1990 Chicago survey, covering over 600 restaurants in the area, is available in bookstores and hotel gift shops for $9.95.)
Zagat`s approach is distinctive. Rather than deliver personal evaluations, Zagat solicits the reactions of frequent diners-nearly 5,000 in New York, more than 1,700 in Chicago-through a detailed annual survey. Computers distill the information, then Zagat steps in and composes a brief synopsis of the commentaries on each restaurant. These appear in an alphabetical listing along with numerical ratings of food, decor, service and the estimated cost of a meal.
”I think the star system (used by many critics) is insane,” he says.
”They lump together price, decor, service under a single symbol. In real life, it doesn`t work that way.”
Zagat goes on to point out that guides compiled by individual critics are limited in scope and frequently out-of-date because there are only so many places an individual can go-and only so much one can eat-in the course of a week or even a year. He argues, persuasively, that his pool of sophisticated palates provides a much broader and more timely portrait of a city`s dining scene.
In cities other than New York, Zagat recruits local editors to oversee the survey and provide text for the evaluations. (The Chicago editors are Carolyn McGuire and James Brooks.) The editor`s personal opinions don`t count, he says, but being up on the local restaurant scene is essential in applying accurate color to the commentary.
Therefore, Zagat frequently spends an evening blitzing the restaurants of Manhattan, dropping by as many as two dozen places briefly. There isn`t time to dine, but he may study a menu, quiz the maitre d` or duck into a kitchen and chat with the chef. (Zagat points out he has no need to remain anonymous because his testers, who are anonymous, determine the ratings. His objective is to take the pulse of old favorites and decide whether new places should be added to next year`s survey.)
”In five minutes, I have a pretty good idea if a place is worth a review. When a restaurant`s crowded, the next step is to observe who`s there (young doctors and lawyers, affluent) and match it to the ambiance, then check the menu for content and prices and check plates going by.”
So that`s what we did in Chicago. I organized the tour, choosing restaurants from among Zagat`s Most Popular Restaurants listing for Chicago. Zagat, who had not previously visited many of them, was denied access to his guide. The objective was to hear (and record) his first impressions.
First impressions
In summary, they were largely positive. From his perspective as a New Yorker, he found restaurant personnel here welcoming and accommodating and menu prices very reasonable. Here, in chronological order, is our tour, which began at 6:30 p.m. and ended three hours later. By then, we both were very hungry.
– Shaw`s Crab House and the Blue Crab Lounge (21 E. Hubbard St., 527-2722): ”This crab is fresh as can be, the oysters are in the shell, like in New Orleans. Animated crowd, upscale but casual. I don`t see any empty seats. Customers look happy, I can tell they`re enjoying themselves.”
– Frontera Grill (445 N. Clark St., 661-1434): ”I see this in Greenwich Village. Something smells good (woodburning grill). Informal, friendly, a bit noisy. Reminds me of the East Coast Grill in Cambridge (Mass.). This folkloric decor isn`t for stodgy people. I don`t see anyone over 40. It`s a place to be young or young at heart. Good fresh menu, interesting things. With these (low) prices, this place would be dynamite in New York City or L.A.” On the restaurant`s new Topolobampo room: ”This room is quieter, more formal, charming. It looks like a different restaurant. The customers here are older, better dressed, seem to know what they are doing. Looks to me as though prices are 40 percent higher.”
– Gordon (500 N. Clark St., 467-9780): ”Moderate for a top-of-line restaurant in New York City, but not cheap by Chicago standards. The place is nowhere near full. Maybe people come here later. I`m tempted to come back at 9 o`clock to check again and try to ascertain whether the place is hurting, past its prime. It`s a setting and a setting needs a scene-beautiful women, animated conversation. Special-looking, very much a decorator`s restaurant. Extraordinary or odd pieces. You have to have a visual reaction to it. As an editor, I would hope our Chicago people used the word `eclectic.` ” The Gordon review begins, ”Elegant and eclectic . . .”
– SCOOZI!: (410 W. Huron St., 943-5900): ”This is fabulous, Chicago`s version of La Coupole. In New York, one definition of trendy is if a place has a female maitre d` who`s wearing long legs and a short skirt. This place passes that test and just a look around tells you how well it`s working. There wouldn`t be this many good-looking people here having such a good time if it weren`t. I even see some gray hair. It`s informal, friendly and the menu prices are very reasonable. They offer half-portions, too. That`s a very clever idea. Without tasting a single thing, this restaurant excites me.” (He was less than pleased, however, with a strolling couple singing opera arias.) – Como Inn (546 N. Milwaukee Ave., 421-5222): ”This is an old one, isn`t it? Sort of fun. I feel like I`ve stepped into a 1930s movie or Rick`s in
`Casablanca.` Look at that old cigarette machine. It`s Mama Leone`s, but with a lot more charm, at least in the original portion. Dining rooms in the new part lack personality. That sign (with directional symbols for telephone, bar, restrooms) could be in an airport. I would guess the food here is dated, not cutting edge, and that the place gets a higher rating for decor than food (he was right). It looks as though they do a lot of party business and have an older, middle-class clientle.
– Greek Islands. (200 S. Halsted St., 782-9855): ”I smelled an off-odor as I come in the door. That makes for a bad first impression. It looks as though this place does well, though. It`s large, informal and I`ll bet it`s very reasonably priced. (No item on the menu is priced as high as $10.)
Probably the food isn`t great, but almost anybody can afford to come here and will receive a decent meal. I`d open things up, though, and let customers come up to the counter where the steam tables are and choose what they want the way they do in restaurant kitchens in Greece.”
– Santorini (138 S. Halsted St., 829-8820). (Not on the tour, but Zagat spotted it and decided to drop in.) ”I`m impressed with the style here. Look at that (working) fireplace. They`ve done a lovely job of interior design. This home-like settting is much more charming than the place across the street and has drawn a more upscale crowd. I like it that they specialize in seafood. The prices are higher, but that`s okay. Too bad they hang coats in the open near the entrance.”
– Prairie (500 S. Dearborn St., 663-1143). ”This is a handsome modern restaurant, very civilized. But prices are not real high. I would have expected more of a crowd at this hour (about 8:30 p.m.). The open kitchen is well designed and indicates there is a good deal of grill cooking done here. The food looks good and is well presented in an orchestrated manner, the way you find it in a good hotel as opposed to a restaurant run by a loving amateur. I`m afraid the decor is disappointing when you study it, though. If it`s an homage to Frank Lloyd Wright, the reproductions should be top level and they`re not.”
– Printer`s Row (550 S. Dearborn St., 461-0780). (Here alone among the evening`s restaurants, we were not allowed to wander among the tables. Zagat approved, saying this showed a proper concern for the privacy of the diners at table.) ”Handsome, comfortable, affordable and pleasant.”
– The Eccentric (159 W. Erie St., 787-8390). ”Whew! This is the restaurant (designed) as theater. The art display reminds me of The Russian Tea Room (in New York City). The food looks very straightforward and is not really that expensive. It seems to me there is quite a lot of space between tables. That makes me think they may not be filling the place. The decor is stylish and well done. Looks like a lot of money went into it. But to be fully exciting, it needs more people, a buzz of activity and the excitement of catching a glimpse of X or Y. Tonight the separate elements aren`t jelling.” – Morton`s (1050 N. State St., 266-4820). ”This looks like a real, honest-to-God steakhouse Look at that nice-looking (smoked) salmon, the fruit and vegetable display and the way wine is showcased. I`d say this is a first- class, professional operation and they have a full house. What you see here is what you get-and what they get, probably, is loyal customers.”
– Cape Cod Room (in the Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Place, 787-2200):
”This decor is obviously phony, but that`s okay. It`s a very well done stage set. It`s dated and the crowd and the menu are a little dated, too. I don`t see a single person in their 20s or 30s. But there`s enough charm for you to see why people love it here. Prices are pretty steep and the fish display is so tawdry it`s an embarrassment. It gives you the feeling the place is tired, but I can`t say for sure.”
– Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia (980 N. Michigan Ave., 280-2750): ”These rooms are beautifully done and a hell of a lot of thought went into them. They are very designed. I wonder if they will become dated? I feel the place is very well run, but there doesn`t seem to be anyone in charge. There`s no personality. Ultimately, great food and hospitality has to be personal. The prices (at Spiaggia) are right at the edge (of being too expensive).”
– Charlie Trotter`s (816 W. Armitage Ave., 248-6228): ”From the outside it looks like a spot in Greenwich Village. Inside it`s nicely understated. I love the kitchen and the idea of having people eat in here (a single table for two to four is available each evening). It`s very clean and alive with energy. I`m impressed he offers a vegetable tasting menu. It`s expensive, but I see a lot of dedication, spirit and talent. My question is whether the (culinary)
experiments always work.”
– Sole Mio (917 W. Armitage Ave., 477-5858): ”I love the way this room looks. It`s charming and comfortable. And it`s cheap. I could be in the village, but there`s no place in New York that looks like this with prices like these. I`m delighted, but the kitchen looks inadequate to produce great food. In terms of value, though, it`s sensational.”
– Ambria (2300 N. Lincoln Park West, 472-5959): ”You couldn`t ask for a more sumptuous, elegant place than this, and the kitchen is so clean you could eat off the floor. There`s a sense of professionalism in there that`s found in very few restaurants.”
– Un Grand Cafe (2300 N. Lincoln Park West, 348-8886): ”This is what a bistro should be. It`s very comfortable, though I suspect it could become noisy, and the prices are fine.”
