New Orleans Eats Forums at NOLAEats.com

YES.

I also agree there is a much lighter and more welcoming air about this forum.

It seems on TOB, there were those who wrapped a tablecloth around their neck and elected themselves "food critic" and each one had the same MO, if you don't agree with me, you are wrong and I will hold my breath until you say sorry.

Can you see Marcelle Bienvenu engaing in such a cat fight? NO, because she is actually a p-r-o-f-e-s-s-i-o-n-a-l.

I don't think it's made any difference at all. Personally, I don't give much credence to critics anyway, I know what I like. And I don't like being told what's good and what's not.

Now if they want to stick to a quick rundown of what they ate and where, without trying to be the FIRST to know everything about everyone (and be sure to let us all know about it), I'd appreciate and respect them more.

As I have mentioned before, I am more of a realist than a defender of the faith in regards to restaurants. If I am served horrible food, I say so. It is fun listening to shills telling me how magnificent and world class some of that horrible food is. Shills can be entertaining though. I turned on the radio yesterday while tf was on. I had left that radio on that station from when I had listened to him a couple of weeks ago just to see what he was saying. If you remember, I posted on the other forum about him slamming chains, then having a commercial for a chain restaurant come on as he was doing so, then back to speaking badly of chains; Zea's in the case of that commercial. I had the radio on his show for one minute yesterday. Someone was asking which restaurant served the best hamburger in the New Orleans area in tf's daughter's opinion...............The answer...............Zea's. I had a good laugh on that bit of shilling!

So I guess I am chopped liver.

PNG, I noticed on other forums that it isn't PC to say, 'well, I had a crappy meal at Commander's, and crappy service on top of that!'

LOL... for some reason, it became accepted, (espoused by the critics) that we are supposed to say "Awwww... they had a bad night". And go back repeatedly, (spending your parent's legacy in the process), until you have a GOOD experience... and then post THAT.

Hello?

Excuse me, but if I've paid my money for whatever "end" of restaurant, (highend, middle, etc)... then the place better be clean, and the food good or I ain't goin' back.

The Bear wrote:So I guess I am chopped liver.

You know Bear.... you are so universally LIKED and respected, that I personally forgot that you're a critic!! LOL.... and may I be the first to say, I love your reviews and pictures, PLEASE keep them coming.

So that begs the question.... why are Bear's reviews so well accepted?

I'll tell you why I like them. They aren't arrogant. He never tells me NOT to go someplace, rather, he'll suggest a few dishes that I might like. He focuses on the positive, and while he doesn't stint on the negative, he writes it in a professional, detached manner. Not pushing it in my face, or something.

PS chopped liver is the basis for beautiful pate'.

I don't know that I contribute it to a lack of food writers or not. Like others have said, it just appears that this place is more relaxed and has alot less mud slinging, so people feel more inclined to post.

It had been at least a year since TOB had been enjoyable.

Don't ruin this folks.

BTG wrote:I don't know that I contribute it to a lack of food writers or not. Like others have said, it just appears that this place is more relaxed and has alot less mud slinging, so people feel more inclined to post.

It had been at least a year since TOB had been enjoyable.

Don't ruin this folks.

Dang!

P.S. I love chopped liver.

BTG wrote:Don't ruin this folks.

Too late, the slamming has already begun.

Forum Communities like TOB, NolaEats.com, NolaForum.com and Mr. Lake's are all built around the people who make up the community. It's not all about the software or the admins(though it is nice to know who is at the helm in my opinion).

Like it or not, TOB along with all the other boards are driven by the people who post there and subsuquently by the people who don't. This is what makes a community live or die. The community will decide the fate of all of these boards. No admin can make people go to their board. vBulletin can't make a community great. It's the people of the community.

The demise of TOB wasn't brought upon that board by just three people. It was brought upon it by the people who made up the community or now, lack thereof. Given that this place has alot less overhead it will be easier to run than say a place like TOB. Just like any of the other boards in our community.

As for the topic above, compared to TOB, this place is more stimulating at the moment, but I'm not so sure I believe its all that stimulating. I mean, there is barely a post a day in the recipe section, and maybe 5 new posts a day in the food section. that's hardly stimulating in the grand scheme of things. Granted, this is probably more than what's going on in most other forums, but if this place is what it is suppose to be, where I see at most times, 20 to 30 people logged on during the day, but no plethora of posts?? (I know, I needa life, but I have alot of down time during the day.)

Just my two cents worth. and Bear, keep up the good work.