Reader: People born and raised in Denver deserve competence at restaurants, too

The discussion over Gretchen Kurtz's review of Restaurant Fourteen Seventy-Two has demonstrated how passionately people care about Platt Park (however it's spelled), why you shouldn't eat Mexican food in Charleston, what constitutes low-country cuisine and other lessons of geography, including itsbootytime's suggestion that "if I had to guess this critic...

By Patricia Calhoun

January 15, 2013

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The discussion over Gretchen Kurtz's review of Restaurant Fourteen Seventy-Two has demonstrated how passionately people care about Platt Park (however it's spelled), why you shouldn't eat Mexican food in Charleston, what constitutes low-country cuisine and other lessons of geography, including itsbootytime's suggestion that "if I had to guess this critic is some Californian or New Yorker gone Denverite. She obviously is not from Denver and is another critic writing for the top 2% of the population."

Philo99 takes isue with that:

So wanting quality service, excellent food and professionalism is refined to the top 2%?

If we were born and raised in Denver we shouldn't have some expectation of competence in the restaurants we patronize?

I have seen some attacks on food critiques that were unfounded but the one by this poster does nothing but degrade himself and shows his lack of couth.

Oh, and as for that low-country cuisine lesson, here's the word from Dano323:

I hope they are very successful....Their menus have nothing to do with real "Low Country" style food...Except they have shrimp and grits....Their shrimp is not fresh....Charleston and Savannah have fresh shrimp for this easy dish.....don't eat Mexican food in Charleston and don't eat shrimp in Denver....LOW COUNTRY COOKING IS ONLY IN SOUTH CAROLINA...MURRELS INLET TO HILTON HEAD...That is it...Period...Just to let you know..

Do you want a restaurant reviewer to tell you about service? Price? Geography? And would you eat Mexican food in Charleston?

Read Gretchen Kurtz's review of Fourteen Seventy-Two here, and watch for her next review tomorrow morning.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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