Once Again, For Those Who Haven’t Yet Heard the Explanation: Why We Do Things the Way We Do at Dining Out with Rob

Yes, I’ll admit that diningoutwithrobbalon.com is not your typical restaurant review website. And this seems to annoy some people who tend to visit websites where the content is exclusively user generated. The usual comments from them are almost predictable:

1. “He likes everything. Never says a bad word about any one.”
2. “He gets paid to say nice stuff about restaurants so that’s all he ever does.”
3. “Everybody knows what he looks like so how can he be objective?”

Let me address each one of these in order so perhaps I can put the comments in perspective.

1. I don’t like “everything.” Indeed there are a number of restaurants that I don’t care for at all. But I decided a long time ago to concentrate my energies on telling people “where” to go as opposed to “where not” to go.

Everyone in the restaurant industry knows that bad news (unfortunately) travels much faster than good news. So why should I belabor that point when there are so many good little owner operated places that are essentially flying under the radar. (Take a look at the annual carnage among higher-end owner operated restaurants in Austin.)

I wanted to create a website where you could go, read the review, and know that you can count on my recommendations to help you cut through the clutter. I believe I have done that. No need for negativity in that paradigm. There’s more than enough of that available on the Internet anyway.

2. Sure, we accept advertising just like virtually every other online or offline Austin area magazine or newspaper. We are, after all, capitalists. But there is no correlation whatsoever between whom I choose to review and who advertises or doesn’t advertise with us. I review many restaurants that don’t advertise with us. I write about who I like: that they may or may not advertise is incidental. So can we please get over that?

And speaking of advertising, I won’t even accept a menu placement from a restaurant that I don’t enjoy. I walk away from advertising every year (sometimes painful to do) but I sleep much better at night.

You think any of the other magazines or newspapers in the area turn down ads from restaurants?

3. You’re on TV! How can you do an objective review when everyone knows who you are?
Allow me to let you all in on a little secret. The anonymity of local food critics is highly overstated. Many restaurants make it their business to know who all the critics are and what they look like. At least they try to know.

That being said, suppose some manager or waiter does hover obsequiously over my table during the course of a visit. This means not one wit to me. The food is either good or it isn’t. It’s either creatively prepared or it isn’t. And you think a chef of any integrity is going to prepare better food for me (because I’m on TV) and just average fare for the next guest? Uh uh.

And another thing: restaurant folk, as a rule, are not big watchers of morning television. I’ve walked into many restaurants where no one has a clue who I am, my KVUE-TV show notwithstanding. So yes, I am more than capable of being totally objective. And indeed I am.

So there you have my raison d’ etre as the French would say. I love doing what I do and nothing make me happier than when a reader emails me to say that I turned them on to a new, little restaurant or some particular dish. Some say that what I do is not criticism: but I disagree. I simply choose to report on the positives and as my old pal Ted Smith used to say, “Let Kodak develop the negatives.” The damned restaurant business is hard enough anyway on all its practitioners.