alt Hacker NewsMaybe you’ll hate me for this but when I hear food described as “authentic” I assume that the place is touristy! Something about the word “authentic” stands out like a red flag in restaurant reviews, warning me away.
I like places with negative reviews. The right people have to hate it in order for me to like it.
Replies
smcin • today at 5:25 AM
It depends on who's saying “authentic”; if it's a legit chef, food critic or expert in that type of cuisine, versus someone just trying to pump reviews and scores e.g. on Yelp.
The term “authentic” can be misused, just like “homemade” and many others...
Heh.. I get your point! What I meant by authentic is more regional local faire, house-made. For example they recommended this place called Als in Barberton, Ohio that specializes in Barberton chicken which was one of the most amazing meals of my life. Totally worth visiting if you are driving through Ohio:
> The chicken recipe and the meal itself were brought to the New World from Serbia when the Topalsky family immigrated to the farmland of Ohio at the beginning of the 20th century. After they opened Belgrade Gardens, three more restaurants in town began serving the same chicken dinner, which is now Barberton’s claim to culinary fame. Barberton chicken aside, there is one other essential stop in town: Al’s Corner Restaurant. A modest storefront that serves only lunch, Monday through Friday, Al’s is affiliated with Al’s Quality Market just down the street, which is where its sausages are made. The sausages are divine, as is everything else on an Hungarian-accented menu that includes chicken paprikash, halushka, stuffed cabbage, and pierogies.
But literally everywhere I've tried that's been recommended in that book has beem a gem, I check it before every road trip to see what's nearby my planned route.