Restaurants vs. Bloggers: Rage Against the Machine

June 7, 2007 — -- Ten years ago, in dining destinations like San Francisco, Chicago and New York, restaurant critics at newspapers and magazines reigned supreme as the final arbiters of who served up the richest foie gras, the most interesting wine list and the overall best dining experience.

That was then. Today, foie gras is practically illegal, if not politically incorrect, sommeliers have been replaced with brew masters and computer screens have become the go-to source for what's what on the dining scene.

With nothing more than a keyboard, a camera phone and a lot of opinions, a group of bloggers -- often not professional writers -- are revolutionizing restaurant reviewing one post at a time and the movement has some chefs and restauranteurs angrily realizing that the only credential required to publicly flog even the most well-established hot spot is a high-speed Internet connection.

"What makes a lot of these restaurants feel special is the feeling of exclusivity and privacy and almost like a secret society," Adam Roberts, better known as "the Amateur Gourmet," told ABCNEWS.com. "Because of blogs and camera phones, anyone that comes to your restaurant can take pictures and can write about it. … That stuff is kind of not there anymore."

Roberts, whose book "The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop and Table-Hop Like a Pro (Almost)" is coming out in August, should know. In the fall, he posted a review of Le Cirque, for many the standard in New York upscale dining, on his blog.

The post, titled "Only a Jerk Would Eat at Le Cirque," outlined a dinner that he said "confirmed his worst suspicions" about the restaurant. He and his parents, who were visiting from Florida, were seated at the back of the restaurant and served what he said was merely mediocre food.

"I thought they were really rude to us," he said. "I used my Web site to broadcast my disgruntled feelings."

When Le Cirque co-owner Mauro Maccioni read the post, he took offense and responded right along with all the other readers of Roberts' blog -- in the comments section.

"I'm sorry that people may feel this way when they come into our family restaurant. I'm almost in tears listening to people mock us in this piece," Maccioni wrote. "People like me do read blogs, and I am very human."