The Critics

Tom Sietsema is sick of restaurants charging a ton of money for mediocre food. In his weekly chat, a reader asks what is the most "dispiriting trend" Sietsema came across during his research for the 2012 Fall Dining Guide. Sietsema said the trend kept a number of former favorites off the list, pointing in particular to an indifferent waiter he encountered at BlackSalt. "Excuse me? I just paid $400 for poor service and a meal that was only half good!" [WaPo]