Verbal Diarrhea

It is my contention that at the heart of even the most blue-blood DC diner, there exist a simpleton with the most boring and ordinary of desires. In a city that practically invented the “power lunch” and elitist dining, you might find this hard to believe. However, as consumer dining trends ebb and flow, what does not vacillate is the love and pursuit of something genuine. All over, we can see that society (and, specifically, Washington, DC) is infected by a pretentious brand of hubris, leaving many trapped in a substantive void. Restaurants, like fashion and automobiles, have always been at the forefront of societal-sparring. After all, there is nothing like a great meal at a popular restaurant to fill that hole in your stomach and in your ego. Yet the restaurants with real staying power have always been the ones who have mastered the art of simplicity. In their genuine and uncomplicated approach to business, they win over the hearts and stomachs of serial dining neophytes everywhere. Keep it simple, stupid.
After 9/11, the restaurant industry (and hospitality field alike) experienced something of a humbling blow. Almost overnight, the romantic façade, which many of the high-end concepts operate under, had begun to wane. People just felt better eating simple meals with families and friends. And before you knew it, even white tablecloth restaurants were incorporating comfort food into their repertoire. It was not so much the “fleecing” of American restaurant-goers, but a simple reminder of what was important in life. It was a return to what we all knew about ourselves and perhaps had forgotten for a while. It’s an affirmation that great dining is not measured by the celebrity of their chefs/owners, but by the restaurants ability to pull you away from the doldrums of life. It is a pilgrimage of hungry souls searching for substance in a world so wanting in that, which is pure. Restaurants are but one of the many institutions that attempt to offer solace for those painfully in need of something genuine, honest, simple, and sincere. A good restaurant, knowing or unknowingly, opens its doors every day hoping to serve up a bit of relief. That is, relief from a bad day, relief from cooking, relief from planning, or maybe from the need to entertain. Good restaurant reporting identifies and lauds those who succeed at this endeavor and challenges those who do not. The less convoluted, the easier it all goes down.
To a great extent, restaurant journalism has missed this audience. Albeit, there are exceptions, however, a disproportionate amount of today’s restaurant columnists are entirely too focused on saturating their articles with exhaustive rants; trying ever so hard to impress you with their recitation of the Food Lover’s Companion. Honestly, why call it beurre manie when it’s just roux? Look, I get it already. You’re smart. But guess what? The James Beard Foundation doesn’t award verbosity or egoism – they recognize people who create accurate, exciting, and uncomplicated expressions through food and food reporting. So why not focus on that? Let’s talk about the sous chef at Macaroni Grill who’s busting his hump to create some amazing specials that might give his cookie-cutter concept a new shape.
The point is I enjoy foie gras and truffles as much as the next petite sophisticate; and there should (and undoubtedly will) always be a place for the kind of royal escape that only upscale dining can provide. However, there is no need to placate to the bourgeois dining circles in hopes of gaining acceptance into the culinary community. As my friend and former colleague Scott Swerderski (Executive Chef at Buddakan in Philadelphia and China Grill in Miami before that) used to tell me, “Hey, if it tastes good, it is good.” In fact, most nights (after dispensation of dozens of self-conceptualized dishes like his Miso Tuna Tartare and Thai Lobster Crepes) he couldn’t wait to get home for a chili cheese dog and pint of beer. Not because it was a break from the norm, but because a chili cheese dog is damn good. And, as we all know, what satisfies the digestive soul is what satisfies. Why do you think hamburger sales have continued to grow in perpetuity since their inception? It ain’t marketing my friends. From upscale to fast food, burgers make their way onto menus because people want ‘em. And why do they want ‘em? Because even an average burger can be terribly pleasing.
I do not hope, or care to, attenuate the rich diversity and broad palate of dining in DC. In fact, it is this very potpourri of ethnic and multi-scale dining that excites me and enriches my perspective. At the end of the day, I’m still just a kid from Mississippi that has had the great fortune of seeing something of this country, working for some great restaurants and amazing chefs. So with my pen and my appetite, I will dine on. Writing and eating. Eating and eating. The expression on my face as I finish dining – my litmus test. Good food, happy people, honest reporting – my mantra.