Jake Joy asked:


Restaurant food critics can be a valuable tool when choosing an eatery. In March 2008 the entire restaurant review industry came under scrutiny from court case arising from a brutal but honest review of Belfastian pizzeria Goodfellas by the Irish News, the review which criticised the food, staff and atmosphere led to the restaurant being awarded £25,000 in libel damages. This decision went somewhat unnoticed by many, however its outcome could have changed review writing, opening the door for companies to take action when they feel they have been unfairly ‘done over’ by a review. However, upon appeal the case decision was overturned on the basis that the original jury was unfairly guided by the judge.

This case has brought to light many questions as to the relevance and validity of reviews; the main being that a review is a persons personal opinion it is not a qualified nor a mediated evaluation- it could be said that to curtail reviews would be to limit a persons freedom to speech, further to this, as unfairly as it is a review published is often tailored to the magazine and its readership expectations- the New York Times food critic reviewer is renowned for being tough yet is this their true opinions or do they go with the most fashionable option or what is expected? When in fact their favourite nosh secretly comes from the Hard Rock Café? Looking at reviewers who perhaps give out too good reviews; suspicion would lead me to think that opinions are swayed by advertisers and investors.

Reviewers should not be influenced by any external factors their job is to act as an independent ombudsman of sorts providing advice and guidance on where we should dine. From all the press coverage of the ‘Goodfellas case’ there seems to be a total disregard for the benefit readers got from the review, the words may have been excessive but the fact remained that the food was unsatisfactory according to the critic.

If you go online there is abundance of blogs that can give you a variety of restaurant reviews, online reviews are a useful tool for obtaining a perhaps more varied and honest review; the reasoning for this being that often bloggers are not swayed by advertisers nor limited by their readers demographics. Much like the newspapers and magazines, it will be one person who is writing the review but people can add to it, posting comments about their own experience with a restaurant. Once a restaurant review blog gains popularity and people are regularly leaving comments then it becomes a valuable resource for varied and honest opinions. As people are attending the restaurant socially rather than with the sole purpose of reviewing it the result will be different experience altogether and the retelling of their experience, for example taking their four children into a quiet bistro, may be of relevance to someone considering going with their own children. Therefore restaurant review blogs are very different to the reviews you read in the papers; and overall more useful.

Amy E Nutt asked:


One of the most loved activities when on a vacation is dining at restaurants. Most people enjoy trying new food at the local cuisines. When on vacation, it can often be a bit of a chore to find the most popular and high-quality restaurants. Not every place has a high standard of restaurant health laws, so one has to make sure they do not eat somewhere and end up getting very ill. Not only would it be a miserable experience, but it would ruin the vacation. It is important to have a good idea of what type of restaurant you will be dining at before you actually sit down and order.

Below is a list of tips that will help you choose a quality restaurant on your next vacation:

1. The Hotel staff is usually made up of local residents so they can provide you with information about the best restaurants in the area. They will also know of the various types of restaurants such as Mexican, Italian-etc.

2. Hotels usually carry local tourist guide books that are filled with valuable information about restaurants. If they do not have a guidebook, check the local tourist bureau. Guidebooks will often contain restaurant reviews.

3. If you ask the locals in the area, they will know all of the best restaurants to eat. You can ask store staff, local bar staff, taxi driver-etc. They can also let you know about the costs and if it is a formal or informal restaurant.

4. You can also walk or drive around to find restaurants. Many restaurants post their menus in the front so you can browse to see if there is anything you like. Avoid restaurants with unattractive and unprofessional menus. If you are concerned about the cleanliness of the restaurant, check out the washrooms. If they are dirty, then that may be a reflection of the quality of the restaurant. If the restaurant has tables outside, walk near the tables and steal a peek at what people are eating. Do the customers look happy? Does their food look tempting? If the restaurant is full of tourists or quite expensive, then it will most likely cater to tourists. You should also note how many people are actually dining at the restaurant. If there are not that many people dining, you may want to keep looking.

5. You can also do some online research. There are many websites and blogs that contain information about restaurants. Some sites even post restaurant reviews. As well, some sites will have pictures of the inside of the restaurant.

6. When you enter a restaurant, look for grimy walls, dirty floors, and anything else that may appear unsanitary. As well, look at the wait staff’s uniforms. Are they clean and pressed?

When on vacation, people want to relax, take in the sights, and enjoy quality food. By taking the time to learn how to find a great restaurant, you will spend much less of your vacation wandering around looking for a good place to eat.

irinaM asked:


It is always recommended: When you are in Mexico, you should make sure that you can dine in any of the restaurants out there. After all, it is just one of the ways on how you can taste what is considered to be one of the most delectable in the world. But there is a catch: dishes may vary from place to place. Thus, if you want to cover all of the best meals, you may have to stay in Mexico for a longer time, and you may not have the time to do so.

So how do you look for the best Mexican restaurant? Let us count the ways:

1. Get a listing of the local restaurants in your area. You can go to the tourism office or those shops that offer novelty items. They normally have restaurant guide that you can buy for a very small fee. It contains a list of all dining areas within the town. Before you decide to dine, you can call them beforehand so you can ask what kinds of food that they are offering. You can then decide which of them would probably give you real Mexican dishes that you want to try.

2. Read reviews. Restaurant reviews are not only available in the World Wide Web. You can also obtain them from newspapers and even magazines. You may have to settle for those that are English based, though, for you to completely understand what they have written. Most of the reviews are written by experts or travelers like you, so you can assure that these reviews are coming straight out of their experience. Moreover, they would cover different aspects of the restaurant, including ambiance and customer service.

3. Ask for recommendations from friends. If you have friends who had been to Mexico or are currently living in the country, you can get some suggestions from their own dining experience. In fact, this is a good way of getting reviews since they will not give you restaurants that are not worth the time at all. You can also go online and inquire about the best restaurants in Mexico in travel- and food-related message boards and blogs.

4. Dine at Grupo Mayan. A Grupo Mayan hotel has its own restaurant, where you can dine for most part of the day. Most of their dishes are created by the top chefs in the country, so the food is not only delicious, but it’s also going to be authentic. You can have your meals delivered into your Grupo Mayan room if you want to dine in private.

5. Go online. The World Wide Web has infinite list of restaurants and their services. You can do this even before you go to Mexico, so you can already include these diners in your itinerary. You can also send your inquiries days before or give them a call.

Don’t miss out the food when you’re in Mexico, and while you’re at it, make sure that you’re at the right restaurant.

Dustin Garrido asked:


A Las Vegas vacation for many familys is an experience to enjoy for everyone with all of the food, drink, gambling, and kid-friendly games. In fact, one of the biggest reasons that people visit Las Vegas is for the delectible Las Vegas restaurants. You do not have to be wealthy to experience many of the exquisite Las Vegas restaurants – you just have to know where to go!

Las Vegas has so much more than gambling to offer its thousands of visitors. The days when gambling was the only income stream for casinos is gone, the casinos have had to develop a multitude of income avenues to remain successful. The Las Vegas of old is nothing like the Las Vegas of today. Las Vegas has been changing year-to-year to cater to all walks of life and become the ultimate travel destination for everyone! Look at the Las Vegas sky line right now and you will be hard pressed to find any of the old Las Vegas casinos.

Las Vegas is quickly becoming a city that offers five star world-class food to its residents and tourists. Las Vegas has some of the best dining anywhere on the planet. Many of the best dining experiences are located within the Las Vegas strip casinos, but they would not be as successful as they are if there was not a reason to keep the tables full. Obviously, diners don’t tend to dine if the food isn’t any good, and for a first-class Las Vegas restaurant, one bad review will travel around the world faster than ten good reviews. This means that all of the world-class Las Vegas restaurants really must work hard to earn their badges of honor in order to bring in the customers to stay in business.

However, not all of the Las Vegas restaurants will cost you an arm and a leg. I personally tend to look for the dining bargains and that is what this particular article focuses on. There are many great places to eat in Las Vegas that will not have you busting open your wallet. Now my wife is a steak loving woman so I always try to look for good steak bargains around town. She loves the Sahara’s Caravan Cafe. Here you can get a complete prime rib dinner with a baked potato and your choice of soup or salad for only $8.99 (4:30pm to 7pm). They even offer a large T-bone steak dinner for just $13.99. This is truly one of the many unknown Las Vegas restaurant gems that is known for providing good food at a price that easy on your wallet.

This is just one of the many Las Vegas restaurants that a family can get an affordable, and great tasting meal in a Las Vegas strip casino. Not all great bargains involve steaks though, as there are a lot of high quality, inexpensive Las Vegas restaurants to be found. Many Las Vegas casinos offer valuable coupon books, provided that you ask for them at the front desk. Please note that you will want to be cautious of these coupons because many of them have fine print. So make sure to read the coupons fine print before you try to use it! Oftentimes, they will have some type of restriction that could cost you in the long run. However, using coupons effectively can and will save you money that you can then use for whatever you desire! Go ahead and put some of that money you saved on dinner and put it on the tables – you just might get lucky!

Eating cheap in Las Vegas by no means indicates a lack of quality. While it may not be as pricey as some of the five star Las Vegas restaurant offerings, you will find that a lot of the cheaper places to eat will taste just as good as many of the more high-class Las Vegas restaurants, and it’s just nice to get away from buffet food lines once in a while during your Las Vegas stay. You can only endure so many buffets before they all begin looking and tasting alike.