Is Jenny Block the New Dave Faries?

Posted on March 5th, 2010 9:50am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Uncategorized

I don’t know if Jenny Block has officially taken over for Dave Faries as the dining critic at the Dallas Observer, but she writes a “Goldilocks experience” review of Bailey’s Prime Steakhouse in the current issue.

“The chilled Bailey’s House Ranch for dipping was so good that Hidden Valley should give up. And would someone please call my mother right now and tell her that it’s her fault I never ate my vegetables. She should have fried the damn things in cheese.”

I really don’t know what to say. Has the Observer given up on finding an authoritative voice? Dallas Dude, what’s the deal?

18 comments

  1. I think looking at her web pages explains a lot.

    @ 10:09 am on March 5, 2010

  2. All I know is my checks clear and I am happy as the order of clams I ate last night at Nates.

    @ 10:10 am on March 5, 2010

  3. That was perhaps the most stunningly stupid review of a restaurant I’ve ever read.

    @ 10:19 am on March 5, 2010

  4. She managed to inject herself into that review quite a bit.

    @ 10:27 am on March 5, 2010

  5. It could certainly be a freelance piece. Who knows though, maybe that’s the type of review that “the market” finds useful and informative, as well as entertaining. I’ve certainly read less informative reviews in some of the more umm local “publications”. Perhaps “authoritative” isn’t viewed as a necessary attribute.

    @ 10:31 am on March 5, 2010

  6. “She managed to inject herself into that review quite a bit.”

    Rather I think she managed to inject Bailey’s into a long blog post about herself.

    I have to wonder though about their editing, was Faries doing that before as well? Do you think there is somebody editing the web/food content now?

    @ 10:33 am on March 5, 2010

  7. Oh that was awful. I’m hoping that was a one-time thing for them. Maybe she’ll stick to writing about polygamy from now on.

    @ 10:46 am on March 5, 2010

  8. My head hurts.

    @ 10:58 am on March 5, 2010

  9. I don’t how many Jenny (from the) Blocks there are out there, but didn’t one of them (presumably this one) contribute to D at one point?

    Inquiring minds want to know. Oh wait, strike that last part because a simple search easily confirmed.

    And City of Ate has been reduced to Yelp-ish amateur hour. They were removed from the favorites list a while back…

    @ 11:04 am on March 5, 2010

  10. Not a word about the wine service in that whole review. Leslie Brenner shudders.

    @ 11:18 am on March 5, 2010

  11. I love Block’s style. She writes like it’s a personal blog that just happens to involve a dinner. She’s like Lesley Brenner, only spunkier!

    @ 11:25 am on March 5, 2010

  12. @Brad “And City of Ate has been reduced to Yelp-ish amateur hour. ”

    100% Accurate!! More quantity dribble than quality. And their bloggers will get very ugly with readers who disagree with them (see the stupid Pho girl). Very immature.

    @ 4:14 pm on March 5, 2010

  13. Hate to break it to jenny but it is hidden valley ranch….red neck mayo.

    @ 5:08 pm on March 5, 2010

  14. I agree with Mike.

    Toque to Toque and Cheap Bastard are now the only things worth reading.

    It’s sad, but entertaining (in a car-wreck kinda way) to see something so good go so bad so quickly.

    RIP City of Ate.

    @ 7:25 pm on March 5, 2010

  15. Love to read the new observer sine thàt goof left.I don’t get the hate but pretty much the way it goes here

    @ 4:29 am on March 7, 2010

  16. Karen you don’t find CoA completely directionless and confused since Faries left?

    @ 10:10 am on March 8, 2010

  17. The review wasn’t really my style, and I’ll agree that Dave is amazing and a true loss to both the printed and online versions of the DO, but compared to some of the fluffy things written on the D blogs(read ShopTalk, Bridal Buzz and even SideDish)I don’t think any of the readers here have much room to talk.

    @ 2:52 pm on March 9, 2010

  18. I haven’t read the D mag blogs in long time because they seem to just be a forum for catty people to make negative comments. I am sorry to see that it hasn’t changed much. Yeesh.

    @ 10:44 pm on March 10, 2010