Travel, Food & Drink Blog
This week, Ligaya Mishan, the chief restaurant critic for the New York Times, reviews Babbo in Manhattan, which has seen a resurgence with many familiar dishes receiving modern updates under chef Mark Ladner. Originally opened by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich in 1998, Babbo has transitioned to new management with Stephen Starr at the helm….
Google has ramped up the deletion of restaurant and business reviews in 2025, leading to significant impacts on local search visibility and reputation management for companies. An analysis of 60,000 Google Business Profiles reveals that this surge in deletions is not coincidental, but rather the result of automated moderation processes, industry risk assessments, and heightened…
In a timely response to a growing issue, Google has introduced a dedicated reporting tool for businesses, particularly restaurants, targeting the alarming rise of review-based extortion seen on platforms like Google Maps. This new feature allows businesses to report fake reviews and extortion attempts more effectively than before. Restaurant operators have faced an increasing number…
Scammers are increasingly targeting restaurants with fake Google reviews to extort money. This trend, referred to as "review bombing," has raised alarms in the industry, prompting Google to implement new measures to combat the issue. One notable incident occurred on Halloween when Jared Cohen, COO of Protein Bar & Kitchen, started receiving a barrage of…
This week, Ligaya Mishan, a chief restaurant critic for The New York Times, awarded four stars to Yamada, a small kaiseki restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown. This prestigious rating is rare, necessitating extensive personal experience and research from the critic, who revisited Yamada multiple times to ensure its quality. Yamada embodies the intricate artistry of kaiseki,…
In today’s digital age of algorithm-driven recommendations and influencer hype, the demand for thoughtful and ethical restaurant criticism is more crucial than ever. Welcome to our new restaurant critic at the Minnesota Star Tribune, Raphael Brion, who will share insights and reviews about Minnesota’s vibrant dining scene. Brion views restaurants not just as places to…
One diner recently turned heads with a poor review of a restaurant, despite enjoying her meal. After praising the brisket, she expressed discontent over finding a leaf in her baked beans. This prompted the restaurant owner’s witty response, who clarified that the leaf was a bay leaf, used intentionally as part of their cooking process….
A woman recently left a negative review for a restaurant, claiming she found "an entire LEAF" in her baked beans, despite praising the brisket as one of the best she’d ever had. This unusual complaint caught the attention of the restaurant, which responded with a clever and informative message that quickly went viral. The restaurant’s…
After enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, a customer felt the need to express their dissatisfaction in a review, tiredly noting they found a whole leaf in their baked beans alongside praising the brisket they had just sampled. The restaurant seized the opportunity to turn the critique into a moment of engagement rather than…
One of New Jersey’s beloved dining spots has recently received high praise from The New York Times. Korai Kitchen, a Bangladeshi restaurant located in Jersey City’s Journal Square neighborhood, is managed by Chef Nur-E Gulshan Rahman and her daughter Nur-E Farhana Rahman. While Gulshan oversees kitchen operations and meal preparation, Farhana handles the front-of-house activities….