Ian McNulty’s review of the Courtyard Grill is a fair example of a restaurant review. A good restaurant review should include clear information about the food, cuisine presentation, venue atmosphere, service, price range, accessibility, and what makes this restaurant special compared to others for prospective customers. McNulty’s review fulfills a couple of these items.
It is clear from reading the review that McNulty is writing an assessment of a Middle Eastern style restaurant, so there is no confusion about his subject. McNulty’s ethos is trustworthy since the review supplies evidence he has visited and eaten at the Courtyard Grill himself. In addition, he appears to have knowledge of Middle Eastern food that the average consumer may not; for example, he knows the difference between a “ordinary kebab plate” and the “Iskander” kebab.
The review is thorough when it comes to assessing the food and the general appearance of the restaurant. The descriptions of the food are especially good, making the food sound appealing even to people who are not familiar with this type of cuisine. The appearance of the restaurant is given a brief description, as well as the additional detail that the Courtyard Grill is BYOB, which will be important to some diners. However, McNulty does not mention a few valuable aspects for prospective customers; for instance, there is no critique of the wait time for seating, the service, price range of the dishes, or parking situation.
The review is matched to purpose category and audience as far as the food descriptions go. If the audience is looking for something special, a Middle Eastern restaurant that provides a more genuine experience of Middle Eastern food rather than standard Americanized fare, this review will successfully persuade them they have found the place to go. However, the failure to mention basics such as service or price range may cause many people to look elsewhere.
The review offers an overall judgment, that customers are “in for a dinner that affirms a unifying pleasure of the table that spans many different traditions.” After reading the entire review and this final sentence, it seems that the reviewer believes that this restaurant is very much worth visiting. It is difficult to tell whether the review is balanced or not, but assuming McNulty has experience with Middle Eastern food, readers will believe that he offers a fair description of the food.
This review offers much to persuade readers that they might enjoy the Courtyard Grill, but it lacks in several areas, including description of price range, service, and accessibility (parking, family-friendliness, etc.). The reviewer writes as one who can be trusted as far as food quality and presentation is concerned, but the lack of detail on these other criteria may cause some people to skip going to the Courtyard Grill in favor of a restaurant that is more thoroughly described.
Works Cited
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