Seeking reviews by Brian Bates

[Steve]

After following threads for a while on this site, I've found myself more and more interested in Brian Bates' reviews on restaurants. There have been times in the past where I've challenged him, but I've come to realize his reviews are probably about as honest as they get - he doesn't fall into the trap of having his opinion swayed by whether he likes the owners or operators, where it's located, hype, etc. And he gets around and experiments a lot.
So maybe this thread will only interest me.... I don't know ... but consider this a sincere compliment and request when I ask, Mr. Bates - what would be your list of the top 10 restaurants that you liked but didn't expect to, or others wouldn't expect?

[LakeEffect]

After following threads for a while on this site, I've found myself more and more interested in Brian Bates' reviews on restaurants. There have been times in the past where I've challenged him, but I've come to realize his reviews are probably about as honest as they get - he doesn't fall into the trap of having his opinion swayed by whether he likes the owners or operators, where it's located, hype, etc. And he gets around and experiments a lot.
So maybe this thread will only interest me.... I don't know ... but consider this a sincere compliment and request when I ask, Mr. Bates - what would be your list of the top 10 restaurants that you liked but didn't expect to, or others wouldn't expect?

Ditto.

I have to chuckle at your choice of words though. "And he gets around and experiments a lot" to describe the guy behind JohnTV.

[SoonerQueen]

Ditto.

I have to chuckle at your choice of words though. "And he gets around and experiments a lot" to describe the guy behind JohnTV.

We need to make him our official restaurant critic. He can go test all the new restaurants and report back to us.

[ctchandler]

I appreciate his comments and his objectivity. It's even refreshing to see he will eat alone at a place that takes too long for his wife's lunch break. Of course, taste is subjective, so we won't all agree with his feelings about the food, but service, facilities, wait time, and cleanliness et al are all measurable. All together, I believe we will see a pretty nice selection of restaurants.
C. T.

[ctchandler]

SoonerQueen,
Do you think he would take a pay cut and go to work for the Oklahoma Gazette? OK, neither do I, it was worth a thought though.
C. T.

We need to make him our official restaurant critic. He can go test all the new restaurants and report back to us.

[Steve]

Ditto.

I have to chuckle at your choice of words though. "And he gets around and experiments a lot" to describe the guy behind JohnTV.

I swear there was no under-handed comment intended. I simply meant that he's not afraid to try out new restaurants and places off the beaten path. I've been hearing a lot of conflicting reviews about Gabriella's, and I realized there were a couple of folks whose opinions I awaited the most - one of which was Brian's. My inquiry is the ultimate compliment.

[RadicalModerate]

To me, Brian's observations regarding local restaurants are like reading a film review by a movie critic you trust. (I haven't yet made it to the Signature Grill, but I still intend to.)

I hope that his response to Steve's request will focus on the relatively unknown, hidden treasures that are "unexpectedly good" rather than the "unexpectedly bad."

[BBatesokc]

Wow, thanks for the shout out Steve. I never really intended my reviews to be anything more than social rants/raves with no expectation of an audience or an ounce of credibility.

I'll have to give the list some thought and transfer it from noggin to forum when I'm sitting at my keyboard and not just accessing OKCTalk from my phone.

To be honest, I don't go to any restaurants with the expectation it won't be good. However, some are surprisingly better than just 'good' and some of those are hole-in-the walls and others are well known.

I'll get back to you on that request, and thanks again.

[Steve]

Well let me modify my question: what restaurants did you find great that others might have written off without trying?