Andrea MacMichael

Food and Travel Seminar

11/2/16

Restaurant Review Assignment Part III

            I had fairly high expectations for my first meal at Crow’s Nest, because everyone said it was ‘the best’. However, I did have my speculations going into my meal, because I wondered what would make it more interesting than, say Sophia’s House of Pancakes or any other breakfast place in the area. Part of me thought Crow’s Nest must be a favorite place because people love breakfast food. I expected, therefore, a little something special at the beloved Crow’s Nest.         

            What I found was that Crow’s Nest is a charming spot for breakfast. The menu spans past merely breakfast and brunch options, but breakfast seems to be the highlight. I was delighted by the unique spin on French toast and the prevalent crispness and seasoning of red skin potatoes and fluffy biscuits. The French toast was outstanding, while the berry cream pancakes and side of scrambled eggs and bacon were average. Overall, I would say the food, while some parts, average, was much more sophisticated and delicious than I expected. I wanted the food to spark my taste buds and be more than the typical Saturday and Sunday conglomeration of potatoes and greasy sausage and pancakes, and I would say it was. However, what really exceeded my expectations was the atmosphere. The restaurant was quaint, trendy, colorful, and felt hip and funky. I loved that it felt different from a diner or a meal at the white-walled Bob Evans where the plates are huge and the food comes in heaps. It felt more tailored, which I found very interesting and fun. It was smaller and felt less ‘generic’ than I was expecting from a place to go mainly for a nice breakfast or brunch.

            Thinking about the atmosphere of the restaurant, I realized how Crow’s Nest appears different than my idea of an American breakfast place. I think of IHOP and Denny’s. I think of large white tables and heaping plates of pancakes, plastic Coca-Cola Brand water cups and bustling waitresses holding coffee pots. Lucy Long in her piece about culinary tourism addresses this idea of authenticity, and that is what I consider to be authentic American breakfast food.  The term authenticity can be interpreted in so many different ways. In terms of breakfast food, I think of authentic as the most common. Crow’s Nest had some dishes that were better than the authentic food in my mind, because it differed from the common dish. Generally speaking, I think a lot of people, at least from the U.S., often go to restaurants as a form of tourism in order to taste something authentic. A French dish isn’t the ‘real thing’ in America as it would be in Paris, so we seek that authenticity. What is a common dish in America is not a common dish in another country, so we seek that change, much like I did in eating at Crow’s Nest.

            Writing this review and eating a Crow’s Nest made me much more aware of how food plays such a large role in culture and tourism. What seems intriguing and new to me (banana bread French toast) may be common for someone else. I agree with Lucy Long in the sense that we all have our own expectations and experiences that alter how we view the world and other cultures. A lot of times we want to be transported from what seems common to what seems uncommon in our lives, and so we travel and eat and try to immerse ourselves in new activities or in new cultures. Food is such an amazing way to branch out in this way. In the future when I go out to eat, I think I will be more aware of menus, the atmosphere of restaurants, the reasons I choose to eat out, and the reasons I have for eating at a certain place. I think I will use food as a way to be a tourist in my life in study abroad and in general. If I go to Costa Rica for study abroad, I will definitely try foods and eat out as a way to learn about the main culinary culture that makes up Costa Rica. I think no matter where I go, food will be a way for me to learn new things and enjoy a shared experience at the same time. Everyone loves food, and food is something that can bring not only define people but bring them together.