There isn't much of a proud history between restaurant critics and restaurateurs. I know critics who have been banned from restaurants, paid off, or even physically threatened. And there are restaurateurs who live in dark fear of certain critics and bully others. Restaurateurs can be an emotional lot, and you have to imagine that nothing quite riles like getting a rare zero-star drubbing of a review in the New York Times. So if, say, you are a millionaire magnate, you might respond to one by taking out a full page ad in that paper, an open letter dismissing the credibility of the critic. But would you, like Eddie Huang, chef and owner of the recently bruised-up Xiao Ye, take it like a grown man, declare the review a lesson to learn from, and post your mom's scolding email to you on your blog?


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