A True Top Chef

Some readers were not happy about Besha Rodell's two-star review of CJ Jacobson's new Studio City restaurant, Girasol (“Almost Famous,” Sept. 6). Writes JMarieCast, “I dine here a lot, and as a 'foodie,' I found this article cutthroat and unfair. The message to the viewers was more focused on the chef's past on Top Chef, instead of being primarily focused on the quality of the food. Very odd!!

“I mean, after going on and on about how he didn't make it on Top Chef and criticizing his ability to cook, she finally gets to her point. Oh wait, what was her point? Oh yes, reviewing the food at Girasol. I say we need a more qualified food columnist who really knows great food. Rodell is just another stuck-up L.A. columnist trying to create buzz for herself.“

Madd 74 agrees. “I have not seen such superfluous information in an essay since I was proofreading a 10-year-old's 1,000-word report on Africa, which spent more than half the words explaining that one needs to pack clothes. The idea that the reviewer spent the first part of the review talking about Top Chef makes me wonder if L.A. Weekly pays her by the word.” After critiquing a few of Rodell's sentences, Madd74 concludes, “I must make my feelings very clear, because subtlety is lost on you: YOU ARE A DONKEY!!”

Ms. Food also likes the all-caps: “WOW! As a local Studio City diner, I am shocked how distasteful this review is! WE LOVE THIS PLACE! This article is just a pretentious OPINION of some wanna-be 'foodie' columnist! This place is breathtaking, mouthwatering and, unlike the personality of this stuffy 'journalist,' is relaxed and full of flavor!“

Then came the backlash to the backlash. Johnsontran writes, “I've dined at Girasol twice, and I actually feel this review was spot-on. I read this as quite a favorable review with honest observations and hopes for its future. I didn't really love the place, but I hope that doesn't mean angry citizens in the Valley will lambast me for my poor taste. Food and value are subjective. Why is it so hard to believe that not everyone's taste is perfectly aligned with yours?”

Cat123 agrees. “I am so happy to finally see an honest review of Girasol. It has been so incredibly overhyped by other media. Girasol is an OK restaurant with hit-and-miss dishes. Perhaps people rave because choices are so slim in the 818. If Girasol were a 'city' restaurant, it would never get much attention.”

Corrections

Last week's paper contained a number of errors. In our review of A Bright Room Called Day, “Evil Approaches,” we should have written that Miles Warner portrayed Husz. In “The Most Famous Failure in the World,” DeLorean lover Ronald Ferguson is 58, not 68. And the president of the Elysian Valley Neighborhood Council quoted in “L.A. River, It's D.C. on the Phone” is Steve Appleton. We regret the errors.

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