It's like I am a REAL reviewer!

Ok, so there I was watching the Sox around the sixth inning, nervous as hell, hoping beyond hope that they could protect that tiny lead. I decided to check my e-mail as a distraction and what did I find in my inbox? A message from Jay Murray, the executive chef at Grill 23! He read my blog entry about my recent dining experience there and decided to reply. I could not be more excited!

Out of respect for this honor, I am not going to publish his e-mail in this blog, but I will relay some of what he said, mostly as means to convey some corrections in my entry. First, he responded to my comments about fois gras and it being considered inhumane. Murray's feelings are that, since this is a small industry, its been susceptible to some negative campaigning - especially if you consider the practices of some of the large poultry farms. Still, he admits to "being on the fence" about serving it. I can respect that. It's such a fine, exquisite ingredient - any good chef should be tempted by it.

Secondly, he shared the beef butter recipe with me! Yee-haw! It does not, as I indicated in my entry, include garlic salt. It is still considerably more complex than I could have identified just with my palate, even with the "tips" from the server. I can not wait to try this - we'll be grilling steaks later this week, I promise you that!

Lastly, he responds to my mentioning the Globe Magazine article on the rising cost of meals at Boston restaurants, with a focus on the "$40 Steak." He notes that Grill 23 has a "plate cost" of $34-40 on their steaks, essentially about what they are charging for them. Apparently, Murray was interviewed for the article by Scott Haas, the author, and was able to offer enough evidence about the value of a Grill 23 meal that he was spared from being included in the article - which was, after all, not particularly flattering for some of the establishments that were profiled.

He finishes with a comment about potentially removing the phrase "hand-selected" from his menu, in response to the article. I am pleased that the article - and perhaps even blogs like mine! - got him thinking and giving some critical consideration to his marketing tactics. I believe that this is a good practice of any quality business and it makes me respect Grill 23 all the more. All the same, I don't think that he should make the change. There will always be pain-in-the-butt journalists who are going to write their articles and - even more irritating! - bloggers like me who are going to read every bit of food news in the Globe and comment on it. However, he should stand by his menu if he feels confident in the product he's producing - and clearly he does. If the meat at Grill 23 is truly hand-picked, as Murray claims, he should keep the phrase on there and just be sure to train his servers to promote its meaning and address any questions that diners may have.

Finally, he closes with an offer to "stop by and say hello" next time I am at Grill 23! Do you think he really means that?! I feel like a quasi-celebrity! Well, I certainly will give it a shot. Maybe I'll head there this week to celebrate the Sox going to the Series! Way to go, guys - we love you!