Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

Show 468, April 2, 2022: Journalist Al Mancini introducing the Neon Feast Restaurant Guide app, Las Vegas Part One

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Al Mancini of Neon Feast

“Founder and Creator Al Mancini (former Food Staff Writer for The Las Vegas Review-Journal) has officially launched Neon Feast, a first-of-its-kind restaurant guide and reservation app for greater Las Vegas. Available now on app stores for both Apple and Android (as well as on their website), Neon Feast solves the “where to eat” dilemma for both visitors and locals with listings curated by dozens of local and nationally prominent food & beverage experts, searchable through a unique combination of filters and capabilities.”

“Traditional dining guides are outdated before they ever get to print, and crowdsourced apps don’t distinguish sincere reviews from vindictive ones,” said Mancini. “Neon Feast avoids all the headaches and basically puts the experts in the palm of your hands.”

“In contrast to other crowdsourced restaurant review apps, the list of venues on Neon Feast is limited to only those that the experts recommend, currently approaching 500 eateries. The diverse all-star panel includes prominent local and national food writers, local chefs and foodies who were invited to share the restaurants they would recommend to friends and family (without compensation). Restaurants cannot “buy-in” to be included on the app, although premium features allow them to add reservation buttons, one-touch Uber calls and other elements. Some of the searchable filters and lists include cuisine types, neighborhoods, date night spots, late-night dining, breathtaking views, etc.”

Al Mancini joins us to preview what’s on the extensive menu for Neon Feast.

Show 468, April 2, 2022: Journalist Al Mancini introducing the Neon Feast Restaurant Guide app, Las Vegas Part Two

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Al Mancini of Neon Feast

“Founder and Creator Al Mancini (former Food Staff Writer for The Las Vegas Review-Journal) has officially launched Neon Feast, a first-of-its-kind restaurant guide and reservation app for greater Las Vegas. Available now on app stores for both Apple and Android (as well as on their website), Neon Feast solves the “where to eat” dilemma for both visitors and locals with listings curated by dozens of local and nationally prominent food & beverage experts, searchable through a unique combination of filters and capabilities.”

“Traditional dining guides are outdated before they ever get to print, and crowdsourced apps don’t distinguish sincere reviews from vindictive ones,” said Mancini. “Neon Feast avoids all the headaches and basically puts the experts in the palm of your hands.”

“In contrast to other crowdsourced restaurant review apps, the list of venues on Neon Feast is limited to only those that the experts recommend, currently approaching 500 eateries. The diverse all-star panel includes prominent local and national food writers, local chefs and foodies who were invited to share the restaurants they would recommend to friends and family (without compensation). Restaurants cannot “buy-in” to be included on the app, although premium features allow them to add reservation buttons, one-touch Uber calls and other elements. Some of the searchable filters and lists include cuisine types, neighborhoods, date night spots, late-night dining, breathtaking views, etc.”

Al Mancini continues with us describing what’s on the extensive menu for the genuinely useful Neon Feast app.

Show 72, May 17, 2014: Ruth Reichl, New York Times bestselling author and long-time Editor of Gourmet Magazine

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Ruth ReichlAfter you’ve been the esteemed editor of Gourmet Magazine and, prior to that, the powerful & influential restaurant critic of The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times what’s next? In the case of our guest, Ruth Reichl, you pen your first novel. It’s Delicious! – A Novel.

“Ruth Reichl is a born storyteller. Through her restaurant reviews, where she celebrated the pleasures of a well-made meal, and her bestselling memoirs that address our universal feelings of love and loss, Reichl has achieved a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, with this magical debut novel, she has created a sumptuous, wholly realized world that will enchant you.

Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in California to take a job at Delicious!, New York’s most iconic food magazine. Away from her family, particularly her older sister, Genie, Billie feels like a fish out of water—until she is welcomed by the magazine’s colorful staff. She is also seduced by the vibrant downtown food scene, especially by Fontanari’s, the famous Italian food shop where she works on weekends. Then Delicious! is abruptly shut down, but Billie agrees to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for reader complaints in order to pay her bills.

To Billie’s surprise, the lonely job becomes the portal to a miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine’s library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard. Lulu’s letters provide Billie with a richer understanding of history, and a feeling of deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the face of hardship inspires Billie to comes to terms with her fears, her big sister and her ability to open her heart to love.”

Show 11, December 29, 2012: Russ Parsons, Food Editor of the Los Angeles Times Part Two

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Up until Jonathan Gold joined the staff of the paper this year from the Los Angeles Weekly to write restaurant reviews The Times had used a Star system to accompany the restaurant reviews of S. Irene Virbila. This changed with the arrival of Mr. Gold. The Times no longer uses Stars.

Russ explained the logic of this change.

Russ also talked about why it may not be a necessity anymore for a restaurant reviewer to be totally anonymous while dining in a particular restaurant which is being reviewed. Mr. Gold, for instance, makes reservations under another name and pays for his meals using a credit card with a name different from his own.