Jon's Food Biography

When reading a restaurant review, it is helpful to know who is reviewing and what the reviewer likes/dislikes. So, for everyone who posts a review on Memphis Spork, the reviewer will first post a brief description of their tastes and background. This is not just random information published to make us feel good. It is useful because it let's you know what the particular reviewer is looking for when he or she reviews. For example, if I eat a good steak and a good piece of fish, both prepared equally well, I'm going to prefer the steak because that is just what I like. But that is something you (the reader) should know when assessing my review.

Now, as far as my background, I've lived in Memphis for most of my life. But I've also spent considerable time in Boston, Phoenix, and Nashville. Throw in a few visits to Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and Dallas. This basically means I'm not chilling in my chateau sipping on $500 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm not a food snob, just someone who likes food. Hopefully, I've travelled just enough to distinguish good and bad food, at least when sample size is limited to Memphis.

As for valuations, I generally weight taste and price above all else. That is not to say I don't care about atmosphere or service or other things. But I can put up with bad atmosphere if the food is really good. This is something to keep in mind when judging my evaluations.

In terms of my likes or dislikes, I'm pretty open to most types of food. I generally like quality over quantity; light, fresh food is what I generally prefer. So I'm going to avoid buffets and fast food at all cost. I'm not huge on spicy food. I'll take steak over fish most of time but of course like fish as well. I'm open to all types of ethnic food: Mexican, Italian, Thai, etc. I also love dessert, so I'll probably pick to have a dessert rather than have more of the entree. Foods I hate: chicken salad, pimento cheese. Foods I love: ice cream, artichokes, cheese, any dairy produce, almost any vegetable, blackberries.