Foodspotting: What IS a Foodspot?

The latest robust discussion on the the Foodspotting site now is centered around what actually constitutes a "qualifying" spot on the site. Is it JUST restaurant dishes only? Does the cocktail or beer you have with it come under the guidelines? How about the bread basket? Water service? Menu? Napkin....lol.?



Web Images Seem To Be Acceptable

Can homemade dishes, meals and other items be a valued part of the universe of spots? How about a slice of bread at work with Vegemite smeared on it? 50 of them? Grocery store food items whether they prepared in deli, bakery or eat in cafes, fresh meat, produce and seafood or items on the shelf?

Farmers markets? Roadside food stands? Food carts? Lifted web images? Google images? As you can see, the list can be much longer and it seems many of the Foodspotting members have a very different view of this and for multiple reasons. Some make sense, some are based on a member who has some deep seated control issues, some make no sense and of course there are others in between. You may be scratching your head on web images and google images but they are out there and actually some of them on the page of one of the most vocal members, who has since "taken his ball and gone home" while posting lifted web images from a blog to his profile. Talk about your control freak. And another question here is raised as you find out about the husband/wife teams. This will be saved for another article on the blog so stay tuned.


Two of the current vocal site members who are complaining could have their own spots put under the microscope as well. Is a beer photo a proper FS post? If so, why? It ain't food.  Are 20 something shots of the same Asian side dish at the same place appropriate? Just asking. How many skinny flat whites and long blacks need to be duped not by one but by two people with the same shots basically? Just asking. To me it is fine but when you enter into subjective land you can see anyone can complain about anything that does not necessarily jive with their interpretation. And when others see those spots go up and remain then it is assumed that they can also spot the same.


Is It A Reuben?
(No longer on FS site)



Same shot: Or Is It A CB and Pastrami?
(No longer on FS Site)

Quite a conundrum for Foodspotting to deal with eh? Now, to be fair, as part of my 7400 spots there are a mix of all of the above and I would posit, even more. Food is food to me and to be spotted as part of my hobby on the site. As you can imagine, being one of the top spotters creates the opportunity for others to question, complain, whine, cajole and some to get downright nasty about what THEY see as the proper Foodspotting content. And in reality, all of my spots have been an emulation of what i have or had seen on the site so......mea culpa. One other thing I will add is that I have a sense of humor too and every now and then will "spot" a satirical post just to have some fun or poke some. BTW, the suggestion has been made to potentially tab the different types of food spots.

The site has at any time over 200,000 members but have not seen lately any numbers on who and how many are the most active but would think the 80/20 rule probably applies here, or something like that ratio.

Example Of Those I Follow
(From Foodspotting.com)

I currently follow over 600 and am followed by over 650 members. This is a feature to allow you to keep tabs on and see those who you choose to and not others on the site. Great feature and should be used instead of complaining about the content they upload.

In recent weeks, Alexa has reached out to have some conversations about the site, some of the members and some admonitions for me as a top spotter, all of which have been ingested and taken to heart as someone who wants the site to do well and be here for the long run. One of the frustations is that due to being a top spotter you get more notice and those who might not be as prolific seem to slide for the same "infractions" you might be guilty of in the eyes of the site owners. Flags sent in for those seem to go unheeded, unread and cause some head scratching. Lately, two of those are......water at restaurants and packaged goods. I have ceased to spot those for the most part...unless the water is branded or in some way unique and the packaged item unique, new or something worthy of making it seen. Yet, untold numbers of these are posted regularly and nothing done to address them.

Dans Food Pix On Foodspotting
(From Foodspotting.com)

As far as members and their styles go, this is one reason I LOVE the site...many different personalities, many different countries with foods diverse and sometimes downright weird, funny, thoughtful, professional and beautiful people and pages. As far as some who I follow....love the hominess of a Robert J. Paul, an everyday Joe having some fun with the hobby, Tom Doran, an accomplished professional who travels a lot and posts pretty much ONLY gorgeous restaurant food around the globe and has high quality images, Dan's Food Pix, who has a high number of images and I emulated somewhat in my approach with a mix of everything on his pages. He also has his own site for the images as well. In future posts I will highlight some of these folks and many others as well since they ARE Foodspotting. Without them all, the site does not exist.

Another Beauty Shot From Tom Doran
(From Foodspotting.com)

I invite others to comment here and although the comments are moderated, meaning I have to review them, I welcome all points if view and discussion, just keep it proifessional and topical. Also looking for ideas for other subjects down the pike. I know I will be sharing some of the ways the site works, some bugs I have seen and more in the future. One tip for you.......before you begin to complain about other users, check your own inventory and see if it might contain some of the "offending" spots or invite scrutiny( you know the old log and cinder parable) AND see if the one you complain about is one of your followers and staunch supporters. I'm jus' sayin'.

Keep on eating and keep on snapping!

My French Quarter Eating Tour

The Quarter: Always Exciting

As many times as I have been to New Orleans for business and/or pleasure, I still have a built in GPS if you will, that leads me to the same places time and again. In this edition, I will cover one of my French Quarter eating/beverage tours. If I had to guess I would say I have done this tour in some form or fashion well over 100 times over the years. There may be a slight deviation at times like the main eating place but all in all they are pretty consistent. They are one reason I have still to try some really good places in New Orleans, in the Quarter and elsewhere. Two places I found by finally venturing out of the comfort zone are Manales and Ralph's On The Park.

The places and faces may not all be 5 Star joints but they hold a special place in my life as memories and places I will still frequent when I am back in the area again. Hopefully soon.

Careful, They Are Strong

I began my treks to the Big Easy in the mid 70's and continued after school into the 80's, living in the city in the mid 80's for a short stint. I can recall the days of Saturday morning shopping at Schwegmann's with a draft beer in one hand and the cart handle in the other.  Pleasure trips brought me back often from 85-90 and then jobs, business and pleasure have had me back in the city of the best cuisine from 90 until now. I have seen more than 15 Sugar Bowls, three Jazzfests, a couple of Mardi Gras and countless other celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries along with another countless business trips. I was in the city with my son two weeks prior to Katrina and we walked and visited many of the places that you saw on TV in the aftermath. A surreal experience indeed. The memories can run together there are so many and some due to a few too many Pat O's libations or maybe a Hand Grenade too much at Tropical Isle.

So, without further delay, let's walk the tour of the Quarter and enjoy the journey together.

Early on I always stayed in the Marriott on Canal at the mouth of the Quarter and did so religiously for about 10 years or so. I was a Platinum in the Marriott Honored Guest program and after a while I was known by name by the Bellmen and was actually asked to participate in a marketing program to help them improve. I got to the point of getting suites on many of my trips into the city. Since then I have branched out some but lean toward Marriott due to the many choices and the fact I am now a lifetime gold with 950 plus nights to my credit. Other places I have stayed in are the Omni and the Country Inn and Suites, which is very nice and the right price.

For the tour sake we will use the Marriott as our starting point since the old lobby bar facing Canal began many of them. That was the meeting place for friends or business associates as we headed out. That being said, more of the tours were on my own than with people due to the nature of my visits. My wife has been on a good many of these as well.

From the Marriott I headed down toward Decatur by zig zagging my way off Royal to the corner where Johnny's Po-Boys is and then turned left and headed down to Crescent City Brewhouse. Sitting at the bar for a Red Stallion, Wheat or Seasonal and depending on the later plans, grab some raw oysters. The barkeeps knew me after a while. Great start to have a homemade and great tasting beer. From here I took a left on down Decatur to the Square and wander around there people watching, checking out the art and saying hi to the horses or mules on the buggys waiting to tour the area. Most of the time my next stop took me right through the square onto St. Peter, past Gumbo Shop and you might have guessed it, Pat O'Briens. Now, depending on the time, date and if the wife was with, I hit the CD Jukebox bar upfront or other times the Flaming Fountain Courtyard. Order? 99% of the time, Hurricane in a cup. Never more than two and if I had two I was good to go for the rest of the evening. CD Jukebox got alot of my money as music goes with Hurricanes nicely.

After this stop I usually head toward the place of choice for eating lunch or dinner. This is also where the tour could get into a diverse list of stops. Although I love my regular spots, I have enough of them where I can also go for some variety.More often than not I headed back toward Canal by way of Royal or a street adjacent and ended up at my all time favorite New Orleans restaurant, Mr. B's Bistro. Waiting at the bar with a Bloody Mary for a table and getting hungrier by the minute. This is our place and always will be which is why I still have yet to try Bayona for one.

My stool is 2nd from the left

Now, if I did not do B's I would be heading down toward the Market and this might be a noshing night or afternoon where a few places were hit for the hunger pangs. Many times I end up at Margaritaville for the namesake drink and some Conch Fritters and some acoustic music. It is like a home away from home there. Always end up in the store for a few minutes too, never buying, always looking.

After this the tour can get to be like a hurricane in the gulf meandering slowly and not really knowing where it is going. So the MAIN tour is over but usually more remains. I might sit in for a set in some Bourbon St. bar with an R&B band and have a $7 Screwdriver, Stop in at a Daquiri joint for a small or many times hit Tropical Isle for a nightcap. And if you know the place, it is REALLY a night cap. To end it up the must have was, back in the day, Takee Outee shrimp on a stick but since they are not around anymore, it is more likely Krystal for a bag of cheeses or Popeyes on Canal for a two piece, all white spicy. They may or may not make it to the hotel room depending on how hungry I was at the time.

Careful of the Hand Grenade

So, that my friends is my tour for now. Not glamourous, not five star for the most part BUT a piece of the tradition, the legacy that is mine in my visits to the Big Easy and ALWAYS enjoyable.

Now I have to plan on my next tour. And add a few new spots to the itinerary this time around. See y'all soon and remember, Turducken is the ONLY way to go on Thanksgiving!

I love Thai and I love Sushi...

So, always a welcome sight when a decent place comes along that caters to both types of cuisine in the same space. Such was the case this past weekend when I ventured down 54 to the shadow of the Sun Coast and found Bangkok Thai and Sushi in a little strip center right off the road.

I was actually fairly surprised at the nice relaxed and almost upscale feel when I walked in and was greeted immediately by the staff and seated in a little two top with a couch against the wall bench to relax on. I noticed a new brew which I had not had before on the table tent so I ordered a Chang as I was pretty thirsty. Similar to Singha in flavor and cold!

After perusing the menu for a few minutes and the variety of sushi rolls and nigiri as well as the Thai salads, I ordered pretty simply. A Yum Squid which is a salad, medium spicy and Red Clam and Escolar nigiri. I asked if they had Uni and was told no....a hard one to come by most of the time. I also ordered a hot sake as is my custom with sushi.

The servers were all in tradtional Asian dress which made the feel of the service that much more authentic and matched the decor nicely.

My Thai Squid salad was really good and presented beautifully on it's plate and the sushi came out looking artistic as well. The salad was pretty spicy and had my water glass refilled about four times as I ate. The sushi was fresh and tasted as good as any I have had in the area.

The original plan was to eat lighter and then head across the way to the International Beer Garden BUT I was too full and getting a bit tired so I saved that treat for my next time out this way.

And that will be pretty soon as I promised the wife a meal there. Real nice place for date night and also for a table full as you can hear yourself talk in this place.

On my four seashell scale I am going with:

Atmosphere 3.25

Service 3.00

Food 3.00

Drink 2.50
Overall 3.00

See You Next Thai!!!!

The Refinery: Third Time Through

Took a drive for a later night dinner foray to The Refinery with my daughter who had never been able to visit before now.

I took a quick peek online to see what this weeks menu held in store for us and we called them before

we left on a Friday night to make sure we could get

a table around 9.

Although the menu does change weekly a pattern can be seen in the offerings most every time.

My two previous visits have been a bit of a mixed bag but overall the food, service and atmosphere have been good quality and made me want to come back and try more of the fare here.

(Pictured left: Flat Iron Steak)

Once we arrived we had a table waiting on us and immediately were seated and ordered a wine and a Downtown Brown dark

brew. The wine was unusual and tasted great.

For our meal we got the Pork Belly app, that came with braised cabbage and included a sliver of cashew brittle with it. I guess my daughter scooped up the brittle because I only saw it in the picture. This one took a while to get out to us and when it came it was sans any discernible pork. The two pieces of pork on the platter were 98.45% fat and the usually crispy outer skin was limp and fatty as well. This dish really should not have been served.

The main entrees were much better as the veggie lover daughter ordered the Grit Cakes with all kinds of "friends" on board......carrots, figs, sweet potato mash.....and I opted for the Flat Iron Steak after asking for a reco between it and the Thai Burger. The three large grit cakes kind of overwhelmed the bowl but all in all it was enjoyed by it's owner. My skirt steak was medium rare and tender and came with a serving of fingerlings and asparagus. Also had a pat of rich herb butter with some anchovies in it. Rather strong but a nice complement. Ordered another dark brew here, The Hooker Liberator which was richer than my first one.

We were really full when we finished and did not have room for dessert yet

again but there are two choices I believe on the menu each week. The service was consistent as always and as a matter of fact I have had the same waiter all three trips now.

I would say we will visit again and see what adventurous items we can discover on the menu. This trip was a bit uneven foodwise but still all in all an enjoyable trip into culinary enjoyment.

Overall on my four seashell scale I am giving this meal a 2.75.