dansch wrote:post script:

I should point out that for Silver Seafood, there are in fact four separate threads, two of which editorialize in their titles. The one with the strongest title tone and sparked the lengthy discussion, was actually the last of the four threads to be started.

Silver Seafood (Aug, 2004)
Silver Seafood; friendly, but...? (Nov, 2004)
Silver Seafood is Back (Mar, 2005)
Silver Seafood--two thumbs blandly sideways (Apr, 2009)

In this case, a new thread with an editorialized title was created and not merged in to one of the existing threads and it caused a scat cyclone, proving only that there's precedent for anything, if you're willing to dig for it.

-Dan

At the risk of keeping us in this non-food-focused morass forever, and as the author and title-chooser of the last Silver Seafood thread (gosh, I don't think I ever started a scat cyclone before ), I ignored the first two threads because they had two and three posts respectively and were five years out of date. The third thread had more posts but was two years out of date. I am so old that I can no longer recall with any degree of certainty why I started yet another thread except in the belief that a two-year old thread was out of date. Mea culpa. I also acknowledge the non-neutrality of my chosen title. However, one need not look very far for multiple threads on any number of places....Naha, Frontera, L2O, Alinea and so on and so on. You pay the admission to LTH, you get to pick the thread you post on. Though the OP's title is not exactly neutral and might even (in some quarters) be considered "fighting words," so what? If you disagree, post.

Frankly, I've never let the title of a thread make my decision for me. I've always relied on my own counsel after reading everything I could find on a place (both on LTH and elsewhere). If the original poster hates a place or loves it, I generally don't care. I read the post and everything that follows as well. As Cathy2 pointed out upthread, everyone who posts adds a data point. Read the posts and form your own conclusion. If there are really people who use this board (regularly or as a one-time visitor) who are so completely unable to think for themselves that they will make a decision based on a title, then that's their issue. This board/community doesn't owe it to anyone to protect them from themselves.

(Although, at the rate things are going, I might humbly suggest to the mods that much of this tangential discussion be yanked from the Ria thread and posted on site chat... Just a thought. )

DutchMuse wrote:I went there last night and thought the experience absolutely superb. Truly, a great place with international level service and cuisine. Loved it and will be back frequently and with great enthusiasm. At every level, the experience was terrific. The service left nothing to be desired. Cocktails were very proper and impressive. In the bar area, they had red label Old Raj, which isn't often found (except at Sable). The staff and FOH were spot on, and the tasting menu impressive. I now know why my chef friends have been telling me to go here; I don't know how I've missed it this long. Ria is a gem for Chicago.

Dutch Muse, duly noted that you liked it - a lot - but why? What dishes were most impressive? What style does the chef work in? What makes Ria one of the strongest restaurants in Chicago?

Looking at the website it seems that the chef Jason McLeod was trained by Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc (pretty impressive, depending on the amount of time spent with them). Since then he has mostly cooked at high-end hotel kitchens. The pictures of the dishes suggest that the food is very architectural in the style made famous by Alfred Portole of Gotham Bar & Grill. Very 1990s for New York, but not a style seen in Chicago. Of course, the pictures tell nothing about the taste of the dishes or the quality of the ingredients.

Gotta agree with GAF on this one, Dutch Muse. At the risk of actually discussing food and service, I would be very interested in your thoughts.

I agree with the last two posts and want to add that it's a shame that a new reader of this thread would have to wade through pages of crap to get to another review of the restaurant. That said, perhaps Dutchmuses brevity was due to fear that if his post went into any detail, all of us would spend another three pages or so ripping him and it to shreds.

hoppy2468 wrote:I agree with the last two posts and want to add that it's a shame that a new reader of this thread would have to wade through pages of crap to get to another review of the restaurant. That said, perhaps Dutchmuses brevity was due to fear that if his post went into any detail, all of us would spend another three pages or so ripping him and it to shreds.

I think we'd all like more actual details about Ria and hopefully, as time passes more of us will eat there and share them here in our forums. Digressions come with the territory at LTH and at this point, it would be very difficult to separate them out from the rest of the thread. In looking for salient information, it shouldn't be too difficult to scroll through the posts to find it. It's apparent after a sentence or 2 whether a post is about an actual experience at the restaurant or a side issue.

All that said, I doubt DutchMuse held anything back because of "fear." He's one of the most seriously experienced epicures who posts in our forums and isn't easily intimidated.

I'm very sorry to have opened this can of worms in the first place. I should have known better.

=R=

kl1191 wrote:the hyperbole in the title is not backed up by the content of the review and subsequent clarifications...

I assume you're kidding with this statement. The following "deep flaws" were described in detail in the original post:

Food:
- mediocre bread service (tasteless gougeres, tasteless butter, unheated rolls)
- tasteless amuse bouche
- food served insufficiently hot
- food insufficiently cooked
- tiny portions

Service:
- pouring grossly unequal portions of broth
- failing to bring/offer sweetener with iced tea
- excessive time between courses
- clearing dishes when all are not done eating
- failure to offer coffee service

One or two such flaws might be overlooked, especially if they occur at a restaurant that is relatively moderately-priced. All of them put together, at one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, are practically the definition of a meal that is "deeply flawed".

I reiterate my prior post in this thread: would nsxtasy be forced to defend himself in this way if he'd titled this thread "Ria - OMG awesome", and written about how much he loved it?

Perhaps we should retitle this thread "Ria - Beating a long-dead horse".

Khaopaat wrote:Perhaps we should retitle this thread "Ria - Beating a long-dead horse".

What kind of condiments do they bring with the horse? Will I have to ask for both ketchup and mustard?

Khaopaat wrote:I reiterate my prior post in this thread: would nsxtasy be forced to defend himself in this way if he'd titled this thread "Ria - OMG awesome", and written about how much he loved it?

Perhaps we should retitle this thread "Ria - Beating a long-dead horse".

Essentially you are either in the clique or you are a . . . . fill in the rhyme as you see fit.

Kman wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:I reiterate my prior post in this thread: would nsxtasy be forced to defend himself in this way if he'd titled this thread "Ria - OMG awesome", and written about how much he loved it?

Perhaps we should retitle this thread "Ria - Beating a long-dead horse".

Essentially you are either in the clique or you are a . . . . fill in the rhyme as you see fit.

Please, let's make this the last post in this thread in which personal comments -- or inferences -- are made about other posters.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

Few high-end restaurants in Chicago, including ones more well discussed on this board, exercise the grace of Ria from an international standpoint. It's almost a throwback to when restaurants aimed to achieve a continental theme. Ria's luxury is something ineffable; an enclave established on Chicago's gold coast replete with stark warmth foreign to its geography. Dining rooms like L20 or Tru attempt to match its comfort factor with a black-on-white scheme but fall short because it feels like you're dining in a museum. Whether its the captivating abstract-expressionism on the walls or the ebullient service, I kept forgetting that I was in Chicago... and I say that as a native born and bread.

No doubt service was on a very relaxed pace, but when our server arrived he was more than gracious, almost apologetic for keeping up waiting. He wheeled over champagne cart with the same clumsiness of a steakhouse. Us, already knowing that we wanted something else, obliged as the uniformed crew member performed the perfunctory exercise. It was my fiancee's birthday, and we opted for a bottle of bubbly despite the cart's lovely offerings by the glass.

They had ran out of the Duval-Leroy Brut, but generously supplanted our request with the superior Apagart & Fils for no extra charge. What could have been awkward by handing us the wine list again was made charming by the sommelier offering, " a treat to you all for the lady's birthday." The aforementioned amuse woke up our tastebuds with the acidic cidery broth that accented the pumpernickel crouton, radish, and butter and herbs placed in the bowl. If anything, the broth bordered on salty by overwhelming the delicate flavor of the radish. However, the butter on the crouton mellowed out the broth and made for a nice few mouthfuls.

Two items beckoned us to order them despite the six choices of appetizers. Foie Gras Terrine was shaved over a fine salad of mache and bitter greens with a poppy seed toast. Like many of the dishes, it was very simple, but the quality and the presentation of the ingredients shined through. Each wafer of foie melted in our mouths like livery oysters. It was almost too rich, like a secret we wanted to giggle over and share, but one we kept to ourselves. Also enjoyable but not transcendent was the roasted squab with port wine jus, salsify, and onion. Ironically, the salsify was the star of the dish and mated sublimely with the squab jus. For my tastes, the skin on the squab breast could have been crispier, but the meat was tender, juicy, and otherwise perfectly cooked. Portions were ample, and could were on the average size for appetizers. If they were any larger, the richness of each would have sated our appetite for the evening.

Our main courses arrived in elegant serving pieces, each was covered and served at their proper temperatures. My mother and I split the whole turbot roasted in a classic salt-crusted style. I had my second helping of salsify with the fish, but I didn't mind because the flavor absorbed was light with citrus yet rich with black truffle. Our expediter had a bit of trouble de-boning the fish tableside and needed assistance from the waiter, but the fish and other dishes were still warm when we took out first bite. The future wifey enjoyed the marrow rendered beautifully in its bone. Smoky and surprisingly mild without the greasiness that can be unpleasing, the marrow in a split shank compensated for the strip loin that was bit leaner than she would have liked. The flavors excited both of us, but the execution could have been better. Best dish of the night went to Dad, a surprise perhaps, considering the spectacle of the other two. I only had a bit or two, and perhaps my envy overshadowed my judgment, but the delicate quail stuffed with foie was delightfully crispy, gamey yet fatty, redolent, and stuck to your ribs. Perhaps the description shouldn't have been as inauspicious as it appeared to me. It's stuffed with foie gras, forchistsakes, and a lot of it! And while the more sensuous, luxurious lobster or steak may tantalize your sensibilities, do yourself a favor and order the tiny bird stuffed with a bigger bird's bloated, engorged liver. It's fascinating.

We ordered two desserts, the better one being the gingerbread with maple ice cream. Honestly, I don't remember it too well, because when our server, John David (yeah, not John or David, but John David), put down the Manajri chocolate mousse with a lit candle in the smoked ice cream, he declared, " Now if it pleases m'lady, I will serenade her with a birthday song in Italian." "Okay," I thought to myself, "this is either going to be forced or really bad." Turns out, our server got a full ride to DePauw on a vocal performance scholarship and is a (not-so) starving artist, having toured in many productions. This guy was out of control and brought some character.

After I finished up mopping up my fiancee up from her chair, my dad asked John David to sing another song to my mother who was absent when all of this occurred. Not only did he oblige but was excited to, and performed a verse from an aria, a cappella in perfect tone, pitch, dynamic, and Italian. All of this spectacle would have made everyone, from me to the serving captain, uncomfortable in the restaurant if it wasn't professional in quality. No doubt Ria has its flaws mentioned in this thread and in the paragraphs above. Still our experience resembled the unflappable ice dancer who falls flat on her face and pushes herself up split-second as if she had landed the jump without a wobble.

Thanks for the thoughtful, useful, well-expressed review. I enjoyed reading the review because it gave me a sense of both the food and the place.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I'm going there on Wednesday

How was dinner?

Nxtasy is utterly right, Michelin utterly wrong. I was there last Wednesday (12/22) for the tasting menu -- very beautiful dining room, decent service, but little else. Full review to come.

nsxtasy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I'm going there on Wednesday

How was dinner?

I absolutely loved it.

=R=