Restaurant Critic Sued for Lousy Review

Posted on August 23, 2004

A restaurant critic has been sued over a review even though it gave the restaurant four out of five stars. The Dallas Observer is reporting that -- in what has to be some kind of legal first -- restauranteur Phil Romano is suing Dotty Griffith, a restaurant reviewer who wrote a less than flattering review of his new Dallas restaurant, Il Mulino. The reviewer gave the restaurant 4 out of 5 stars, but then wrote scathing descriptions of the food. Romano is furious about the contraditions between the number of stars and the narrative of the review.

"With what she said about Il Mulino, I shouldn't have gotten any stars," Romano said. So what terrible errors did the reviewer make? Griffith claimed in the review that the Spaghetti Bolognese and Penne with Tomato Vodka Sauce are overwrought with butter (Romano says there isn't a drop of butter in the recipe); that the risotto is partially cooked in advance and then finished to order (the lawsuit calls this a "scandalous accusation,"); and that the Porcini-stuffed Ravioli with Champagne Truffle sauce "whispered of Gorgonzola" (Romano says there is no Gorgonzola in the dish). Romano alleges a conspiracy.

No word yet what the hapless food writer thinks of all this. One hopes that she has a good attorney.