I agree that it’s a vexing problem, because if you’re only talking about sheer enjoyment, one can be equally blissed out by a great plate of chile rellenos and a cold beer as one is by anything that comes out of Dallas’s most hoity-toity kitchens. It’s all subjective. On a hot day, a bottle of Veuve Clicquot wouldn’t satisfy me like a tall glass of perfect iced tea. You know?

But maybe that’s actually a point in favor of what you suggest. Star ratings are irresolvable problematic. When I was a film critic, there was some junky but completely fun summer movie I once saw, and gave four stars to. It was by no means remotely in the same category as the truly excellent films of the era (e.g., Goodfellas, Saving Private Ryan), but it didn’t try to be. It was trying to be a summer popcorn movie, and it was completely transporting, given one’s expectations. I took flack for that — “How could you have given a rollercoaster-ride kind of movie four stars!?!” — and I understand the complaint. But in the end, I felt I had to rate it against others of its genre, and hoped the reader discerned the difference.

But most are likely concerned by the inordinate amount of corny play on words available…oh and valentines, imagine the possibilities!! Cue Juice Newton, NN is the Queen of Hearts.

I agree you should start this at D first.

Simple. Easy. Perfect for these days.

I also agree with the beans…because it’s awesome.

I dined at Blue Plate in the middle of May and I am planning a dinner there later this month solely because of the service I received.

I arrived for my reservation about fifteen minutes early and was told they were busy and that I may have to wait a few minutes to be seated. My date and I ended up waiting however long it takes to almost finish two cocktails. I think forty minutes sounds about right. The staff was very apologetic when we were finally seated, which I appreciated. Our waitor came by our table and introduced himself, then he was able to identify what we were drinking and offered to bring us another. He suggested an appetizer, which we ordered, then said we were going to be taken care of (or something to that effect) because we had to wait so long. If anything, I assumed this meant we were getting a free appetizer and didn’t think about it again.

During the course of our meal we had a couple more alcoholic beverages each, main courses, sides, and dessert. To my surprise, everything had been comped except for our main courses. The service was as good as any I’ve had in Dallas (including my experiences at some of the more “stuffy” restaurants in town)and, as an added bonus, Kent Rathbun was in house that evening making rounds through the dining room.

That being said, the food wasn’t necessarily superb. But, it was very good and I recommended Blue Plate to many of my friends after my experience there. My standards might be different, but two “hearts” seems awfully low.

No, seriously, it’s a great idea. Except for the hearts. They should be beans.