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Ouch. A five-shot volley of Birmingham zingers open Metro Times’ review of Rugby Grille's "obscenely priced foie burger:"
- "Birmingham has a reputation for pretentious behavior, and it's well-deserved."
- "You just might overhear the intoxicated, desperate housewife talking to the bartender about the struggles of owning personal aircraft."
- "There are the teens who, armed with their parents' credit cards, spend afternoons splurging in high-end boutiques."
- "Lunch hour for many of the well-to-do workforce often means cigars with the good ol' boys at Churchill's."
- "At $55, [Rugby Grille's burger] screams 'Birmingham.' "
Freelance journalist Serena Maria Daniels has been Metro Times' dining editor since last July.
(Facebook photos)
Any scream may be caused by painful hyperbole, actually.
Yes, Birmingham has one cigar bar-restaurant -- though lunch tables typically are available without reservation, not jammed by "good ol' boys." (Psst, MT: It's not Birmingham, Ala., so Southern clichés are as tired and lazy as a coonhound in August.)
And what's with "the intoxicated, desperate housewife," really now? Is this a restaurant review or a dramedy parody?
We assume those heavily seasoned first tastes of an otherwise admirable column are just an amuse-bash first taste to grab readers with dining editor Serena Maria Daniels’ version of a peppery pre-appetizer.
Surely she knows that posh places among Birmingham's five dozen restaurants are greatly outnumbered by spots such as Toast, Sy Thai Cafe, Leo's Coney Island, Triple Nickel, Peabody's, Mountain King, The Bird & The Bread, Dick O'Dow's, Hunter House, Pita Cafe and on and on. Those are lunch hour destinations for web designers, marketing assistants, copywriters, paralegals, programmers, medical technicians and salesclerks in the suburb's workforce.
Rugby Grille's "monstrosity" costs $55.
Don’t get us wrong: We respect Daniels as an experienced journalist with solid reporting skills and stylish storytelling. Her 12-year career includes daily newspaper reporting in Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit, a pair of bachelor’s degrees and awards.
Her latest review, after the cheap shots, is an insightful commentary on "the opulent burger . . . we could not finish." Daniels observes:
The monstrosity looks more like it belongs in an eating contest than an award-winning, fine dining establishment. . . .
Its mere presence says, "Yes, this is ridiculous, which is why you cannot resist." . . .
We see a chef who's not afraid of to poke fun at the tony Birmingham establishment with the foie burger, while managing to prove his serious cooking chops at the same time.
And we see a writer who tries too hard to frame a theme, which can overshadow serious writing chops.
