The Culinary Scalpel

By Dr Jeffrey Hall

Part of being a plastic surgeon is judging and evaluating something like the human body and relating it to the ideal. It is like being an artist in some ways in that one has to use different ways to achieve a desired result or masterpiece. Therefore, it is very natural that I have had an affinity to do the same with food. Food is everywhere and quite often we take it for granted. We eat the same foods over and over and don’t complain. We tend to not to explore and expand our palates.

At one point after becoming a plastic surgeon I aspired to open a restaurant as a way to pursue my passion for food. After exploring this venture I found that it was not feasible given the time commitment and hard work that it required. So, I chose the next best thing. I have become a food critic. Myself and my wife for over ten years made it a routine to go out to eat once a week and try new restaurants.

Almost daily I am checking my sources to find out what is new and what is coming down the line. We will go to the restaurant and shortly after leaving give the meal and restaurant a rating on a scale of 1 to 10.

To put it into perspective how intense my passion is to find good food I book reservations at the restaurants that are in a city that we might travel to before I book the hotel. Sometimes I will even change our travel plans to accommodate the restaurant availability.

So, hopefully this gives one an idea on how important restaurant reviews are to me. In Austin, the tried and true source was the newspaper. However, quite often the reviews did not match my personal experience. It would be conjecture on my part but if only job was a food critic you would tend to give good reviews so that your job would be secure.

Therefore, I hope I can give a perspective in reviewing restaurants that is helpful in that I will not have any reason to be biased and originates solely on my passion for food. By following this approach I want to be able to share the passion with others.

Bon Appetite!