new los angeles weekly food critic

[linus]

what do readers of LA Weekly think of the new food critic, besha rodell?

(moderators, i apologize if this belongs on the l.a. board and not here).

thanks for your responses.

[J.L.]

Why wasn't I picked? :-)

[Servorg]

Are you missing the "l" out of "picked"? ;-D>

[Servorg]

Besides, you would have to have faced the "media gauntlet" http://losangeles.grubstreet.com/2012/05/besha-rodell-responds-anonymity-eater.html

More here: http://losangeles.grubstreet.com/2012/04/besha-rodell-la-weekly-restaurant-critic-jonathan-gold.html

Finally - how do you look in a burka? http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/20... (actually more of a "ninja" or "terrorist" outfit look)

[TonyC]

you applied?

[Ciao Bob]

The struggling LA Weekly could not possibly afford your expense account, J. L.

[J.L.]

@ Servorg: After getting criticized for not including a fork in my photos at Lobsta Truck (photos I didn't really need to post, but did anyways), I'm feeling a bit pickled indeed. A fork? Are you kidding me?!

And seeing the thermometer rise today in L.A., the burqa doesn't seem that all that appealing. (Though when I was traveling in Egypt years back and the thermometer reached 124F in the shade, there were still many burqas to be seen).

@TonyC: I like my day job just fine.

@Ciao Bob: This video pretty much describes how I roll... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkB9OT...

[Servorg]

Stick a fork in him...I think he's done. ;-D> After living and working 3 years in Saudi Arabia (where one summer day they issued a "heat advisory" because the daytime temp hit 134) I can only marvel at the ability of the women there to wear a black abaya and a hijab all through the hottest months of the year.

[J.L.]

This may be a whole new method of preparing slow-roasted meats!

... Discerning diner says to waiter upon being presented with menu: "How's your pork loin a la burqa this time of year?"...

So wrong.

[kevin]

I'm also curious if she will review Urasawa at some point.

Though the side-critic, Garrett (?), did write up a couple hundred word blurb on Shunji's a few weeks back.

[kevin]

btw, the tomato tofu dish at shunji's was exceptional.

and so was his chocolate mousse of all things. he's also a fine pastry chef that we can add to his accolades and laurels.

he may just be the best chef in town right now. no joke.

[kevin]

3 years in Saudi Arabia ???? Really, wow.

Next question: What did you eat there ?

[kevin]

I'm curious what your day job is to bankroll all those great meals ?

Also, in my opinion, you or a half dozen other hounds would do a better job than the Besha, though this based on only her few articles for the LA Weekly so far. Perhaps with time, when or if she becomes a prolific critic at the Weekly with a massive corpus of work, then things may change.

[J.L.]

That's high praise.

[kevin]

I agree with the expense account note.