So, there was this one time that I was a restaurant reviewer.

Okay, so it was more than one time. Best gigs ever!

I got my start working the reception desk at a local alternative newspaper (N-O-T best gig ever), when the news editor gave me the hook-up (or took pity on my English/journalism background) and asked me to write a monthly restaurant review--with a dining budget!

What did I know about food at the time. Nada. No, seriously. Nada. And that was the brilliance of this particular editor. She didn't want a column about the chef's background or where the field greens were grown. She wanted me to describe the scene and if the food was good. That's all. Because isn't that all that really matters?

Sigh, you'd think so, but as any freelancer knows, it all depends who's doing the assigning.

Luckily, a bit of this legacy lives on in cyberworld. Here's just a small taste, of a long-closed restaurant:

http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/food/97/04/10/ECLECTIC_GRILLE.html