I’m glad he’s trying to end star inflation.

People who can afford to eat anywhere go for the food – not for the stars, which explains why people who can afford it eat at Sevy’s and not at Mac Grill (and will continue to eat there in spite of the change in star status).

IKS – you are very astute, yes the implication is in fact that the fuss that Avner put up got him the second look. Back it up? Well, why is Avner the only chef in town who’s gotten a second review (coupled with an upgrade)?

The general reader of the DMN never saw Mr. Addison’s explanation of his star system, which may mean something to him and iks, but to the average reader or out of town visitor(who “craves them”) three stars only connotes an average restaurant. To them the fat part of the bell is a C grade. If you’re going to have a unique star system you should post it’s definition regularly. If you’re putting up stars because readers crave them, put up stars that mean something to the average reader and which are in fact “easily measured and instantly recognizable by the reader” (which does not seem to be the case with the current system). BTW, I’ve never met a chef yet who honestly doesn’t care about their ratings (Jim and Chris included).

Defending the merits and use of a defective system which creates confusion confuses me. Why not strive for something better? Why settle for less?

QUOTE: “…everybody and his brother gets 3 stars…”

Um, it’s called a bell curve. Especially taking into consideration in Mr. Addison’s declaration that “Restaurants that we find to be below ‘fair’ aren’t typically reviewed”, 3 stars OUGHT to be the most frequent score given. And so, yes, 3 starts MIGHT INDEED BE the new 4 stars (which arose from the flaccid mess of which NN spoke). Would you be OK with 3 stars being the new 4 stars, NN?

QUOTE: “…how do you explain the volume of repeat business by customers who can afford to go anywhere?”

Huh? Is the implication that rich people wouldn’t go there if it weren’t 4- or 5-star? Is it inconceivable that among Sevy’s regulars might be some diners of the “less disposable income” ilk? Think just for a second about how ridiculous an assertion that would be, not to mention its tagging a possibly unfair elitist attitude on ij’s perceived Sevy’s customer base. Last I looked, Macaroni Grill’s parking lot, just around the corner, also looked to be packed, as was La Madeleine’s. Would you defend MacGrill as fervently as you do Sevy’s?

QUOTE: “…how long will less vociferous operators like Sevy and Chris Ward suffer with less than deserved recognition for lack of similar tempers”

This implies that throwing a hissy fit can get an operator his “proper” rating back. That’s quite an accusation in itself, no? Can you back that up? Yet that premise is the cornerstone of your implication that Sevy’s and Mercury Grill have somehow been “cheated”.

Keep in mind that, as Mr. Addison wrote, “A three-star restaurant is a place where you generally get a solid meal. The food is creative and skillfully prepared, service is sharp, the prices don’t make your wallet cry out in horror and the vibe feels right for the experience. Every once in a while, you may get a bum entree, or the noise level may drive you bonkers. Even so, it’s a place worth a return. A crucial point: Take the definitions of these star ratings at face value. A three-star rating is not a C grade. We really mean it to indicate ‘very good.’ ”

QUOTE: “…why post [stars] in the first place?”

Mr. Addison already covered that:
“Why? Because readers crave them, and reviews, above all else, are meant to be a reader service. Stars encapsulate a critic’s opinion into an easily measured and instantly recognizable medium.”

So *my* interpretation of those declarations is that stars serve as a handy crutch, of sorts, for readers with too little time or too little care to devote toward a careful reading of a single critic’s restaurant review. Maybe the DMN also thought it would help readers who are so easily frustrated by “self-agrandizing[sic] flourid[sic] rhetoric”, too. It wouldn’t be the first time the DMN made a questionable judgment call, eh?

Has anyone asked Jim @ Sevy’s and Chris @ Mercury whether *they* care about the star rating? Has it materially affected their business? Just asking…

BTW, NN, I’m with you. I don’t care for the star ratings, or “distilled” scoring in general, because of their potential to create confusion, both of the part of the judge and the reader. But I understand its merits, and I defend its use.

Chowhound was all over this a year ago…
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/377692

Bill tried to clear it up with this post…
http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/columnists/stories/DN-billcol_0420guiALLCOL.2229b053.html

But personally, I still find the stars to be of very little utility.