Reaching for the Stars
Reprinted with permission from the Raleigh News and Observer, January 2, 2004
by Greg Cox, Restaurant Critic
Stars -- the universe is full of them, untold billions of them. But each year, in our little corner of the galaxy, it gets harder to see them.
Now that the Triangle has grown from a collection of small-to-middling towns into a bona fide metropolitan region, only the brightest stars in the night sky -- a tiny fraction of the total -- can compete with the city lights.
And as we've grown, stars of a different kind -- those used to rate restaurants -- are suffering a similar fate. In this case, it's the competing light from other restaurants, whose numbers have seen growth of supernova proportions, that's largely to blame.
And the growth hasn't come just in terms of numbers. Even more impressive is the ever-widening scope of cuisines that these numbers represent. In the last decade, more than two dozen new cuisines -- Brazilian, Malaysian, Hungarian and Trinidadian, to mention a few of the more recent additions -- have joined the culinary constellation.
Options are getting more sophisticated, too. Ten years ago, a sushi bar was hard to find. A taco was ground beef and shredded cheese in a hard shell. Pacific Rim cuisine hadn't yet washed up on our shores. And anyone with a hankering for a taste of India had only a few restaurants to choose from, all of them specializing in the same, safe northern Indian curries. Now we can choose from more than a score of restaurants serving southern Indian, northern Indian, Hyderbadi, Gujarati and even Indianized Chinese and contemporary Indian fusion.
Judging by the crowds flocking to these ever-more-specialized restaurants, it's clear that the dining public is also getting more sophisticated and demanding. I, for one, certainly am. Though I considered myself reasonably well-educated in the culinary arts when I signed on as a hired belly for The N&O 8 1/2 years ago, my work since then has amounted to something of a doctoral degree in dining. In the early days, I spent many hours researching the cuisines I was writing about in bookstores, libraries and my own considerable collection of cookbooks. Google has made my research easier in recent years, but my education continues to grow with each review I write. And the more I learn, the more discriminating I become.
Inevitably, all this growth in numbers and sophistication has resulted in stiffer competition, which in turn has raised the overall quality of the local offering. In 1995, when I first began reviewing restaurants locally, I'd estimate that maybe 30 restaurants would have rated three stars or better. Using that same standard today, the number would be well over 100. Needless to say, a three-star rating isn't as special as it once was -- or as it should be.
So I'm raising the bar. Beginning with my next review, I'm introducing a new standard for evaluating restaurants based on guidelines offered by the Association of Food Journalists. These guidelines are as follows:
@*@*@*@* Extraordinary. Transcendent. A one-of-a-kind, world-class experience.
@*@*@* Excellent. Superior. Memorable, high-quality menus frequently accompanied by exciting environs and/or savvy service.
@*@* Good. Solid places that beckon with generally appealing cooking.
@* Fair. Just OK. A place not worth rushing back to. But it might have something worth recommending: a view, a single dish, friendly service, lively scene.
Zero stars: Poor. Below-average restaurant.
Using these guidelines, each level will be harder for a restaurant to attain than it has been in the past. I expect to see fewer three-star ratings and more one- and two-star ratings. Four-star ratings will become even more rare (currently, 10 restaurants hold that distinction). The only time I'll even write about a zero-star restaurant is if it's prominent enough that I feel you should be warned away.
My primary responsibility is to you, my readers. And I believe that you will be better served by a nationally accepted rating system that reflects the Triangle's status as an emerging metropolitan region. While I can't do anything to make the Big Dipper more visible in the night sky, I can certainly do my part to make sure that the brightest stars in our local constellation of restaurants are clearly seen.
The best of 2003
This list does not represent my selection of the top 10 of all restaurants in the Triangle, but the best 10 I reviewed during the course of last year. Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order.
THE COSMOPOLITAN
MacGregor Village, 103 Edinburgh South Drive, Cary. 380-1322. Cuisine: New American.
THE DUCK & DUMPLING
222 Blount St., Raleigh. 838-0085. Cuisine: Pan-Asian.
ELAINE'S ON FRANKLIN
454 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. 960-2770. Cuisine: World.
ENOTECA VIN
410 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. 834-3070. Cuisine: New American.
MARGAUX'S
Brennan Station, 8111 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh. 846-9846. Cuisine: World, seafood.
PAZZO!
700 Market St., in Southern Village, Chapel Hill. 929-9984 (restaurant); 929-9991 (pizzeria). Cuisine: Italian.
RED PALACE
Beacon Plaza, 3945 New Bern Ave., Raleigh. 231-3788. Cuisine: Chinese.
SHABASHABU
Holly Park Shopping Center, 3080 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh. 501-7755. Cuisine: Japanese, Thai.
UDUPI CAFE
590 E. Chatham St., in Chatham Professional Park, Cary. 465-0898. Cuisine: Indian, vegetarian.
WASABI
MacGregor Village, 107 Edinburgh South Drive, Cary. 460-7980. Cuisine: Japanese, Thai.
