Everyone has their passions and indulgences. Some people consider the perfect evening to be sitting at home with their favorite book or going out with friends and just enjoying their company. And others are always out to find the best food, whether it's just around the corner from their condo or where they will be traveling for their next vacation in Italy. A good way to discover a new restaurant or see what you might want to try at a place you've been to before is by looking at restaurant reviews. Here are some tips for the things you should look for to make sure you're getting a knowledgeable and honest opinion.
While most of the people writing weekly food columns for major newspapers and magazines usually have a long background in the food industry, you don't need to be a professional chef to know when something tastes good. Some of the best reviews you might get could come from your neighbours or someone else who has traveled to that city. This is why you will find thousands of different reviews from people from all walks of life online. But you should always make sure that you know something about the author before reading on and considering what they have to say.
When reading the review pay attention to the things they care about and try to find one where your tastes seem similar. If you're someone who takes in the whole atmosphere of the restaurant before you will enjoy eating there and would be put off by the decor than you should find a reviewer who comments on the overall experience. If you're more someone who's just worried about the taste of the food that's put in front of you and would as soon go to a greasy spoon as a four-star bistro than look at reviews that concentrate more on the dishes being offered.
Food is an individual experience, even if you're dining with a dozen other people, and you should remember that everyone's taste buds are different. If you're not a fan of seafood and the reviewer's favorite dish was their sea bass than you might want to find another review from a person with more similar tastes. Try to pick out some of the ingredients that are mentioned for the dishes. Those that are choosing a caterer or a restaurant to go to should make sure that the menu sounds appetizing to them no matter how many stars it got in the review.
In the end there are always going to be many choices of where to eat when you're going downtown for an evening out or heading to a new city for the weekend. Don't be afraid to try new things and make sure you're picking somewhere that's right for all of the people in your dinner party.
You may find restaurant reviews and critiques at the following:
Zomato.com
Tripadvisor.ca
Yelp.ca
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