There are restaurant reviews in The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, but you won’t find restaurants covered in American Jewish news outlets.
Why not?
“It’s a small Jewish world,” said Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn, dean of Yeshivat Yavneh in Los Angeles. “From just a societal perspective, if you criticize someone’s restaurant and end up davening next to them in shul, it’s not going to be a good situation.”
Rabbi Avidan Elkin, owner of the New Jersey-based Bisra Meats, would likely be a top draft pick if Jews had to flee to an island for safety. He is trained as a Sofer Stam (scribe who writes Torahs) a shochet (ritual slaughterer) and a butcher, and has 10 children.
“With lashon hara, (evil, or damaging speech) there is a fine line, and we have to be careful,” Elkin said. “A big question is what is your intent and tone? If you’re a customer and you do not bring up the problem with the owner or manager and you run and post online, your intent immediately comes into question. If you do bring it up, and post something factual, that is not based on emotion and has no exaggeration, that is another story. In terms of a knowledgeable and fair person writing an official review in a Jewish publication, as long as it is constructive, and certainly is not nivul peh, or what we would call dragging someone’s name through the mud, a food critic would be extremely useful. There are times people need to be warned if a food product is dangerous, if something isn’t as advertised or people are wasting their money. If it’s done the proper way, a restaurant review is not lashon hara.”
He said of the thousands who post on the Internet, some have valid points.
“But people love to kvetch online,” Gold said. “It’s very fun. It’s has opened up a whole new world of kvetching.”
Elan Kornblum, president and publisher of Great Kosher Restaurants Media Group, runs what is believed to be the largest online kosher food group. The Great Kosher Restaurants Foodies page on Facebook boasts more than 87,000 followers and Kornblum does intercede at times when there are disputes between customers and owners. He said people should consult rabbis as to what is or is not lashon hara.
“My joke is that everyone thinks they’re a food critic,” Kornblum said. “I don’t know that there is a need for an official critic for a Jewish news outlet. With social media, there is enough out there. I post information online, there are others who post information and restaurants do as well. People can choose to go or choose not to go. I think people are intelligent enough to decide for themselves based on their individual needs, priorities and tastes, that might not be shared by a particular reviewer or critic.”
He said he advises consumers to bring up any significant problem calmly and respectfully, at the time of the issue, while at the restaurant.
“It’s strange to me,” Kornblum said. “People will say they didn’t want to embarrass an owner by speaking to them, but have no problem blasting and embarrassing them online, when in some cases, they might not even have all the information. Of course, there are times where there are legitimate issues.”
It’s been said that anyone who moves to Los Angeles knows about Pat’s Restaurant, Shilo’s and La Gondola. In New York, people know Mike’s Bistro, Reserve Cut and Barnea Bistro won’t disappoint.
Etan G, one of the first Jewish rappers, whose name is Etan Goldman, started as part of Shlock Rock. He once performed “Makin The Motzee” on the Howard Stern show. The Los Angeles resident has broken bread at top kosher restaurants in LA and appeared the YouTube show “Trippin Kosher” run by C.W. Silberberg. For theshow, Etan G flew solo and had a Tuna Niçoise Salad at Pat’s, a “bacon” flatbread and fig tart at Shiloh’s and a Tunisian Burger at Jeff’s Gourmet Sausages.
“I don’t think many Jews have the ability to say something negative, but nicely,” Goldman said. “We always love to complain. The waitress didn’t get to clean off the table right and someone will write that the restaurants stinks. At shul or at kiddush, all Jews talk about is new restaurants. If something is bad, people will talk about it, and it doesn’t need to be in a review or on YouTube. We don’t need to air our dirty laundry. Let’s keep it to ourselves. In cities that have only a couple of kosher options, the quality may be lower, but I think people would rather have a kosher restaurant that’s maybe not the best than people ripping it and having no kosher option at all.”
Comedian Elon Gold has eaten at great kosher restaurants in Los Angeles and New York. He said he isn’t sure if there is a need for a food critic and said comedians are like restaurants.
“Everyone has their favorites,” he said. “It’s not like there is one universal favorite. Some like (Jerry) Seinfeld, some like (Dave) Chapelle and some like (Chris) Rock. People have different tastes. As for lashon hara, my take is that if a restaurant is really, really, terrible, you almost are mandated to warn people.”
But Gabriel Boxer, known as the “Kosher Guru” who runs the Kosher Guru Kosher Nation page on Facebook, said an official critic is urgently needed if it could be done in consultation with a halakhic authority. He said a Jewish news outlet might require a donation from a philanthropist to enable the logistics required for meaningful and consistent reviews.
“We seriously need a kosher food critic writing for a major publication,” Boxer said. “But I don’t think an outlet can afford to pay a writer in addition to food-related expenses which would be significant. It’s a big obstacle. But it would be a great service to the community. With the economy the way it is, people work very hard for their dollars and kosher consumers need to be well-advised as to what they expect when they go out to an establishment.”
Shlomo Klein is the Chief Operating Officer of Fleishigs Magazine, a leading industry publication that publishes 11 issues a year. He said he is constantly asked his opinion regarding where to eat. but he is not out to lower anyone’s livelihood.
“We’re not looking to hurt anyone’s parnassa,” Klein said. “At the same time, there are people who say ‘hey, if we’re hiring a babysitter to go out, we want to know if a restaurant is really good or over-hyped. We will do features and report on amazing dishes that stood out. But to actually write a review and start judging, the question is, how are we judging? Everyone has different tastes. I have many people that ask me all the time where to go, and I’ll tell them we went to a certain place, and we had these four dishes that were excellent. Then they’ll tell me they weren’t fans of the place, but they didn’t order any of the dishes I recommended. There’s enough online to get a picture of what’s going on. There’s also common sense. If you go to a barbecue place and order something that isn’t barbecue, you might not get what you were expecting.”
Dani Klein is the owner of the popular website yeahthatskosher.com that advises kosher travelers and notes restaurants and dishes that stand out.
“While it is understood that there is a need for not only glowing reviews, I’m not sure what value reviews in the New York Times are bringing to society,” Klein said. “You can’t trust Yelp or Google reviews for kosher restaurants. You could have someone write: ‘They didn’t have pork. I’m giving it one star.’ But you do have Facebook groups and Instagram content where kosher restaurants are discussed. Are they formal reviews? No. But there is a large mass of people posting so if certain restaurants are favorites, there’s a reason for it. Is there a need for an official food critic? I don’t think there’s a huge need. If somehow, a person could be funded by an outlet plus get a salary, and be within the confines of halacha, is it possible? Maybe. While a portion might take it seriously, a large part would not. Then there is the question of where the critic is coming from? Is this person a foodie and knowledgeable? There’s a risk also that the opinion could be in an arrogant style that doesn’t relate to the average kosher consumer. There are people dropping hundreds or thousands of dollars at kosher restaurants that don’t seem to need a food critic and I don’t know that they feel so sophisticated that they’re look for a culinary expert to advise them.”
Chanie Apfelbaum is the founder of Busy in Brooklyn, is a cookbook author and has more than 102,000 followers on Instagram. She said it might be a tall order.
“I think there is a need for a fair kosher food critic because I feel it would push restaurants to improve their service and their food,” Apfelbaum said. “Who’s holding them accountable? I have a platform, but I don’t write negative things because of the issue of lashon hara or people losing parnassa. I don’t want to be responsible for that. Reviews exist in the mainstream world. I just don’t know it is really possible to do it in the kosher world.”
Based in Los Angeles, Nina Safar is a food blogger, the founder of kosherinthekitch.com. and the author of “The Simply Kosher Cookbook.”
She said she didn’t “need a food critic to examine a restaurant and give it some obscure rating that isn’t helpful because it’s all relative,”, adding that she looks at online reviews and studies photos of dishes that are served at restaurants and can advise people.
She said legitimate food critics, who are balanced, are needed and can help restaurants. She she writes reviews on Facebook where she is a straight shooter. The kosher food world has expanded, she said, from the kosher food groups online to Fleishigs Magazine, as well as live kosher events. She said in Israel it is common to have regular reviews on television and American Jewish outlets should follow suit.
Lévana Kirschenbaum, known as the “Jewish Julia Child,” is the author of four cookbooks, a cooking teacher and for 32years was the co-owner and chef of Levana, a fine dining kosher restaurant in Manhattan. “The question is, what is a review?” she asked. “If someone writes that it’s the most disgusting place, or they’re complaining it took too long to get a table, that’s not a review. If something is delicious, write that it’s delicious. If something can be improved with better seasoning, you should write it. While I know people say they don’t want to spread lashon hara and hurt someone’s parnassa, there can be an opposite effect. By not having reviews, a kosher restaurant with flaws may not get constructive criticism, never fix the problem, and have to close. Especially places that don’t have consultants, they might have everyone tell them it’s all wonderful. A restaurant, whether it is kosher or not, needs to get constructive criticism from somewhere. Reviews in the Jewish media, if done correctly, could save restaurants. We live in a society where we are conditioned to tell people everything is perfect. That’s not how you learn from mistakes. That’s how you continue to make them. Saying a steak is too salty is not lashon hara.”
Ari White is the owner of the Wandering Que, a pop-up with a specialized smoker that allows him to serve hundreds of customers at street fairs, synagogues or other events. He is no stranger to being critiqued. He once earned the title of Brisket King of New York, which included non-kosher competitors. When he catered events, people pleaded with him to open a restaurant, but he has refused.
“I think a fair food critic would be useful,” White said. “I think people should have the freedom to speak the truth. The flipside is we have to remember that words have more meaning than we might think. People sometimes flippantly post stuff online. Sometimes it’s for a laugh or to entertain themselves. They should consider that for those who attempt non-kosher business, the odds are stacked against them. For starting a kosher one, it’s even more difficult. So, words that might put you in a good mood for a few minutes, could lead to putting a kosher proprietor out of business.”
Mendy Merel is the owner of Mendy’s in Manhattan. It gained national recognition when it was featured in the “Seinfeld” Episode, “The Soup” where Jerry reluctantly agrees to have a meal with Kenny Bania, played by Steve Hytner. They have a nearly Talmudic discussion about what constitutes a meal. He thinks restaurant critics would be beneficial.
“My only question is where the review would be,” Merel said. “The majority of people going to kosher restaurants are Hasidim, Modern Orthodox or Orthodox. If it’s a newspaper, are they reading that paper? If it’s online, how do you know they go to that site?”
If you’ve never looked at kosher food groups online, it is worth it to see many heated arguments about a range of topics, which could be suitable for a reality show on Bravo. One recent popular question was how some kosher fine dining restaurants could possibly charge $14 for a bottle of sparkling water.
Mike Gershkovich, owner of the highly acclaimed Mike’s Bistro and more casual New Amsterdam Burger Bar, said people often get emotional, rather than analytical.
“The New Yorker said it’s “understandable that price gets the most heat and traction online. To think of $14 for sparkling water, everybody is appalled by it. Let me remind you if you step up to any bar and you say ‘I’d like a club soda, with lime,’ they’ll charge you five bucks for that. And a tip is expected. They’re taking the gun; they’re spraying water into a glass full of ice and putting a lime in it. You’re probably getting four ounces of liquid; the rest is ice. So, multiply that by four and that’s $20. It ends up being comparable.
He said he has strong opinions on whether there is a need for a kosher restaurant critic for a news outlet.
“Food criticism is by nature designed to be destructive, painful and fun to read,” Gershkovich said. “Food reviews are there to entertain, not to tell people where they should or should not eat. The idea of bashing somebody to make money on somebody else’s back is simply not part of Jewish culture. Until recently, there weren’t many kosher restaurants so there wouldn’t be a market for one. I could see with the growth of kosher restaurants, there could be a use for one, in theory. But the question is, does the person know what they’re talking about? The new reviewer is the Yelper, and they might know nothing or they might know something. I think if you had an experienced person, who could tell if a restaurant advertised a type of Wagyu Beef, or wine, but was really only offering a substitute, in that example, a critic might be of use. But how many could spot that? And people don’t realize when you go in once, you don’t get a true picture. That’s like judging a baseball player by one at-bat. So, in actuality, there is no need for a food critic. Would a critic be enjoyed by some? Definitely? Would the critic be going to Hell? Definitely.”
Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, kashruth administrator for the Chicago Rabbinical Council, suggested one stipulation.
“If there was to be a kosher restaurant critic, they should have to learn musar (ethics or moral teachings) for 25 minutes a day,” Fishbane said.
David Weinbach, a Brooklyn- based Orthodox comedian, who once won The Jewish Week’s Funniest Comic Contest, said he remembered an ironic moment.
“I was at a kosher deli, and I ordered tongue,” Weinbach said. “I didn’t like it. The waiter said, ‘what’s wrong? It wasn’t good?’ I told him, ‘it was lashon hara.’”
