Comments by IanPike | San Diego Reader

Ian Pike

Ian Pike is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Hateful Harriet on the Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

I'm aware that you know your stuff, but we have to disagree about Yelp. I can't support Yelp culture in good conscience. The extortion (passive and direct) of which Yelp and some of its users have been many times accused is just bad for the food industry. In my experience, Yelp rewards bad behavior and negativity, and also causes a huge problem of inflation in its ratings. I recognize that a lot of people use it, and that it's not going anywhere, but the most I can manage is "tolerant" when it comes to Yelp and other crowdsourced review sites. These days, I actually worry a lot about how to differentiate my own work from Yelp and co., because in order to stay relevant, I need to offer something that John Q. Internet can't get from a review site. You've definitely found a better way to play ball with them than I have (and kudos to you for it), but it's just not my cup of tea.
— September 17, 2014 1:04 p.m.

Hateful Harriet on the Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

Wow. Everyone wants to jump to the defense of W&R, but only as a way to showcase how chummy he is with the chef. It's almost as if having a little social standing in the restaurant "scene" is more important to all these internet tough guys than the actual food is. Fancy that. Trying to namedrop yourselves to credibility is like asking the bouncer, "Do you know who I am?" when he won't let you into the club. There's a reason I work anonymously.... Either way, anybody who thinks there's anything "personal" about condemning W&R's concept, however good it looks on paper, is seriously missing the point. We have a serious problem with bogus "high concept" restaurants in this town (though it's not as if other cities don't suffer the same fate), especially when they foist overpriced mediocrity on a public willing to gobble it up just for the sake of being up on things in the foodie scene. I read an essay a while back. I don't remember by whom, but it was about the way "foodie" jargon and restaurant buzz is almost like sports for the hip, urban, younger crowd. Too often, people mistake the food equivalent of purple prose for pushing the culinary envelope, and that's what W&R is. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to see someone reinvent the wheel in a way that actually makes sense, but this isn't it. Every time I go out to dinner, I hope to have my face rocked straight off of my face, and onto someone else's face, forever. Unfortch, it doesn't happen all too often, because the vast majority of restaurants are nothing but meh. And, yes, I do blame W&R (and the big, soft glossy soft journalism pieces on their website) for leading me on. You set the bar high for yourselves, and the takedown is gonna be harder when it comes.
— September 17, 2014 12:58 p.m.

Hateful Harriet on the Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

Thanks. It was a let down all around.
— September 15, 2014 4:37 p.m.

Don't sauce that burrito!

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2014/s… don't be scurred, dwbat :D
— September 11, 2014 10:44 p.m.

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Ian Pike

Hateful Harriet on the Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

Hateful Harriet on the Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

Hateful Harriet on the Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub

Don't sauce that burrito!

Don't sauce that burrito!

Sadly smoldering from the start

Is Common Theory a better beer bar?

Too bad about Peri-Peri

Trapped between ironic homage and unfettered nostalgia

Octopus is the new black?

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