Critic vs. Restaurateur

07/18/18 • 26 min

What happens when a restaurant owner sits down with the critic she blames for killing her business?

Jen Agg is Canada’s top restaurateur. Chris Nuttall-Smith is Canada’s top critic. And Chris’ 2012 review of her beloved restaurant, Raw Bar (his description of the food as “awful”) has not been forgotten.

The two sit down with host Corey Mintz for dinner at The Black Hoof — Jen’s trend-setting and much-imitated restaurant, which is closing after a decade — to argue over whether critics matter anymore.

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Jen Agg is the owner of The Black Hoof, Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar and Grey Gardens, as well as the author of the memoir I Hear She’s A Real Bitch.

Chris Nuttall-Smith is the editor-in-chief of the recently launched review website The Taster.

Read Corey’s original review of The Hoof here. “That review was a big deal,” says Jen. “But at that time, reviews mattered. I don’t know that that’s true anymore.” And Nuttsy’s review of Raw Bar: “When Chris reviewed Raw Bar, that was like a death knell for the business.”

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Taste Buds is sponsored by Foodora, Canada’s #1 food delivery app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a restaurant owner sits down with the critic she blames for killing her business?

—

Jen Agg is the owner of The Black Hoof, Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar and Grey Gardens, as well as the author of the memoir I Hear She’s A Real Bitch.

Chris Nuttall-Smith is the editor-in-chief of the recently launched review website The Taster.

—

Taste Buds is sponsored by Foodora, Canada’s #1 food delivery app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Appetizer

Corey Mintz joins restaurant insiders after hours to eat, drink, and dish about the industry and its culture. First episode drops Wednesday, July 18th. Here’s a taste.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Slaughtered With Love And Care

Suzanne Barr found out she was pregnant the day she opened her restaurant. Then came the real problem: landlords so unhinged she had to call the cops on them.

Danny McCallum was a radical environmentalist whose roommates were BLOWN UP (possibly by the FBI). He’s now the chef of a steakhouse that serves $1200 steaks.

Host Corey Mintz sits down to talk about beef and the ethics of cooking it, and both chefs realize that they’d each been vegan for 9 years.

Life is full of surprises. So is this episode of Taste Buds.

You can catch Suzanne cooking at the Sand and Pearl Oyster Bar in Prince Edward County, and if it’s steak you’re hungry for, Danny’s got you covered at Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse in Toronto.

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Illustration by Lily Snowden-Fine.

Taste Buds is sponsored by Foodora, Canada’s #1 food delivery app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.