About Messy Cuisine
What is Messy Cuisine?
Several years ago, friends and I decided to produce our own cooking show. What might we call it? The Messy Chef was born, a moniker inspired by my own mother’s description of my abilities in the kitchen. “You might cook well, but you sure are messy.”
Messy Cuisine is a website dedicated to restaurant reviews and future online video productions of The Messy Chef. I hope to find ways to make the site more interactive for visitors.
How do I see all the restaurants you have reviewed?
Under the navigation section, choose Category > Restaurant Reviews and the page that is displayed will show all reviews in alphabetical order.
Is Messy Cuisine a business?
No, a pasttime and a passion.
Messy Cuisine Logo
Who designed the logo for Messy Cuisine? I did. It was produced using Adobe Illustrator. It’s adapted from the typeface PMN Caecilia.
Tell me more about the Restaurant Reviews…
Unlike the NY Times, or other well-established locations, the reviews I write may be based on one or more visits, but sometimes it is just one. Typically, I’ll cover the best and worst points. I usually mention what I had, and make comments too on the service and the atmosphere of the restaurant. The ratings I assign are not derived from some complex rubric, but are a genealized, overall reaction to my meal at the particular restaurant. I do not discriminate on price: cheap eats can earn a top rating, just the same as an expensive restaurant. I think price and formality, however, can affect your choice when dining, so I’ve begun to use a 3-tiered indicator for price to guide your choices.
About the Chef
Not a chef, really… a gourmet, or simply an enthusiast for good things in life. I have shared reviews of places I eat online for over 6 years. I typically go out a lot, due to convenience and a desire to try new things. At home, I gravitate towards Italian cuisine, but also French technique and simple dishes and dinners. My baking skills aren’t great, but I do love a good pie or croissant.
Show Models
Probably my favorite TV program for cooking is TV Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa, for its style and content. We’re also inspired by NBC’s hit comedy show, The Office, and have attempted some take-offs on that filming style and charactature.
The Blog
The blog is powered by WordPress, the open source blog engine. I evaluted several content management systems (CMS) when beginning, but I was most familiar with this and its templating system.
Where else do you recommend I learn about good food online?
I really like a number of food blogs, which I link to up above in the main navigation area, a blogroll, so to speak. I also have included a link below to Vaynerchuck’s Wine Library TV.
Bonita Bhagan
Said this on September 14th, 2007 at 10:58am:I have had several trips to Thai Country and recently became a convert to it’s new incarnation of Tip Thai. My food experiences were varied… Loved it, liked it, liked it less, love it again! On Saturday, September 1, 2007, my husband and I went to dinner at Tip Thai. We got there between lunch and dinner when the restaurant is technically closed, but the owner very graciously allowed us to come in and dine. We ordered a Green Papaya Salad to share. The salad was smaller than anticipated based on prior trips to Thai restaurants on the East Coast, however; the taste more than made up for the portion size. The lime dressing and Thai peppers enhanced the flavor of the green papaya and resulted in a perfect combination of salty, sweet, and hot with a lovely crunch from the fresh raw green beans and ground peanuts, finished off with the yummy charred shrimp, we could have easily ordered a couple more portions and just had that for dinner! My husband ordered the Pad Thai and was very satisfied (he always orders Pad Thai the first time he dines in a Thai restaurant, his reason being that if the Pad Thai is good, the other food is worth risking) I ordered Honey Roasted Duck Breast on Crispy Noodles. The duck was divine, roasted to perfection the fat was almost non-existent and the duck was succulent and sweet. A serving of cabbage and carrot flowers in a sweet vinegar marinade was just the right amount of “fresh and crispy” to lighten the duck and the thick sweet soy sauce dressing under the crispy noodles. The iced tea was clear and tasty and nicely brewed. Dinner for two with non-alcoholic drinks was only $33.00. We were extremely satisfied and look forward to going back soon.