Frequently Asked Questions
What, another restaurant review site? Isn't citysearch.com or dine.com good enough??
What about those newspaper or magazine food critics?
What kind of restaurants are you going to cover?
So who are you???
Why are you a qualified restaurant critic?
Why are you anonymous?
What is the ultimate goal of this website?
Why did you set up Adsense?
WHAT, ANOTHER RESTAURANT REVIEW SITE? ISN'T CITYSEARCH.COM OR DINE.COM GOOD ENOUGH?
There are at least 1000 website you can either read and/or enter reviews, but let me be blunt here: If you want to read trash reviews done by people with no taste and are only capable of evaluating restaurants by the color of their roof, go to Citysearch or Dine.
I believe that I write more credible and worthwhile reviews because I have a great taste for different types of food, honesty to present true feelings, and ability to tell a fun story about my restuarant experience. I'm never going to cover thousands of restaurants worldwide like those websites can, but I guarantee that every restaurant I write a review for will give you a memorable experience (in a good way, hopefully....).
I have tremendous respect for quality reviews from sources like Michelin or Zagat. While I read them too, I must say that they are not for the average Joe to understand and appreciate. I want to create reviews that your next door neighbor can read, understand, appreciate, and find useful.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE FOOD CRITICS?
Some of the newspaper and magazine food critics are really good at what they do. There are two things I probably will do better than them: 1) I will review more than just restaurants in one city or area and I will review all kinds of ethnic food since I have an unique background, and 2) I can be a true critic - I am not afraid of telling the truth about the restaurants that I visited, including negative things. That'll make my reviews more fun to read.
WHAT KIND OF RESTAURANTS ARE YOU GOING TO COVER?
All kinds - I like all cuisines at all prices in any place on earth! I LUV trying out different types of food, especially when I travel. That's why you'll see restaurants from all over the world - from China to Costa Rica. Since I live in the Silicon Valley, I will end up covering more restaurants in my neighborhood.
I will not write too much about chain restaurants though, granted that there are some good ones out there now. My reviews on chains, if I chooose to cover them, will be more compact. You can read about those everywhere already. Also, I will not cover restaurants where I had a bad experience in any of the areas of review - I may make a list of them to warn you though. If I bother to spend time writing a full review, it means the restaurant is decent enough for average joe.
SO WHO ARE YOU???
I am an enterprise software consultant working in the Silicon Valley. I'm an Asian guy who grew up in Latin America and I've also travelled extensive in Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa - not just for the cuisines, but for the whole cultural experience. I love cooking, eating (when my wife lets me) and drinking (very selectively though). I'm approaching middle age and I have two young kids.
WHY ARE YOU A QUALIFIED RESTAURANT CRITIC?
I have a great sense of taste. Ever since I was conscious of the act of eating, I can tell good food from bad food. I can tell you if the cook sauteed or fried the meat before they braised it, and I can smell the difference (blind-folded of course) between Japanese and Thai rice. My family and friends are constantly annoyed by me because I'm super critical of the food I eat - or what I rather not eat - either at home or at restaurants.
One major distinction between other critics and I is that I have personal experience in the restaurant business. My parents once owned and ran a restaurant where I learned to cook and worked as bus boy and waiter, and I have worked in several bakeries and restaurants in my teenage and college years. I like the business and wish I owned a restaurant - but then again that would disqualify me as a restaurant critic.
Finally, having lived in four countries and travelled to more than 20, I have a "globalized" taste bud. I can eat any authentic cuisine and tell you why it's good or bad by local standards.
WHY ARE YOU ANONYMOUS?
Most of the restaurants that I'm putting on this website will be in the Silicon Valley, California. I don't think it's a great idea to post my identity here since some restaurant owners - especially those in the tech-saavy Silicon Valley who surfs the web every nigth after they close shop - might recognize my name (on credit card) or face (if I post a picture here) and slam me with a baseball bat just because I said their food tastes like sewage from a pig farm.
WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS WEBSITE?
I want to achieve two things with this website:
1) educating the mass that it is our duty to treat our taste buds with respect and to say NO to those lousy food cookers (they don't deserve the title chef, or even cook) out there and
2) making sure that you will enjoy your next meal at a restaurant - or at least have a more realistic expectation - and get you interested in thinking about what you have really paid for.
Please do provide me with comments or let me know if you hav any questions - I want to make this website easy to read, use and enjoy by everyone! Send email to mystcritic@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you immediately.
WHY DID YOU SET UP ADSENSE?
I would love to be able to spend hours building up this website for the enjoyment and enrichment of millions of people, but I unfortunately cannot afford the time. If I can raise some money through AdSense, I then would at least be able to eat out more and write more reviews that would hopefully help you pick the perfect restaurant next time you eat out.
It would be great if I could quit my day job, but I seriously doubt that day will come. In the meantime, I would appreciate your support through clicking the AdSense ads so that I can get some compensation for the time I'm spending on this website.
