The Payoff: 10 Downing

Yesterday, a bored and sloppy Frank Bruni awarded the expected two stars to 10 Downing.

We don’t object to the rating. But why did he wait till the 21st paragraph of the review to talk about the food the restaurant is now serving? And why devote the first three paragraphs to innuendo about legal charges that were never proven and subsequently dropped? Is that what Times readers interested in the restaurant needed to know?

What about this: “Mr. Neroni, by many reports, wasn’t the owners’ first choice to run the kitchen … ?” Who exactly reported that? This is The New York Times. Either cite a legitimate source, or don’t print the rumor.

The review is slapdash in other ways. There are three one-sentence paragraphs that begin with the word “And.” You’d think the guy would know how to write a proper paragraph by now. The restaurant is no doubt happy with its two stars, while disgusted with the way they were presented.

We and Eater both took the two-star odds, and earn $4 on our hypothetical one-dollar bets.

	Eater		NYJ
Bankroll	$112.50		$133.67
Gain/Loss	+4.00		+4.00
Total	$116.50		$137.67
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Won–Lost	53–25		55–23