At a party this weekend, a friend handed me a page torn out of a magazine called “Details”. I spent a good amount of time on their website trying to find the article, to no avail, so I’ve copied a portion of it here. This is what I call “The shiny new ball syndrome.” I think it’s really interesting, and totally agree with their premise. I’d bet a lot of restaurateurs would too.
“An ugly subspecies is loose in the restaurant world, behaving in increasingly alarming ways. We speak, of course, of the foodie who absolutely, positively has to be there first. You know the type: The greedy little piggy starts drooling the second the latest hot join is heralded on DailyCandy. for this omnivore, dining out isn’t about a great meal of a satisfying experience, but rather the crotch-dampening pleasure of being ahead of the curve, of bragging, been there, eaten that — and then moving on to the next feed bag. Jeffrey Chodorow, who owns Asia de Cuba and two dozen other high-profile restaurants in three countries, has been tracking the migratory dining habits of this breed for years. “you know how some people are wannabes?” he says. “I call these folks the havetobes.” The havetobes’ shallow dream in life is to deflower a fork. “They’re scum,” says one acclaimed chef who refused to give his name “because business is business.”
The havetobe may think he’s eating on the cutting edge–Wow! You’ve already been to L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon? — but he’s actually a fool. After all, a restaurant isn’t a film. It’s an intricate web of moving parts that requires the well-oiled synchronicity that comes only with practice. When the havetobe insists on infiltrating a place so new you can still see the price tags on the furniture, he might as well be throwing his money away. Would you pay for the privilege of being herded like a cow by half-trained waiters who can barely pronounce Pinot Grigio. Would you let yourself be condescended to by a harried hostess who believes her shit doesn’t stink because she turned down 100 requests for reservations this afternoon alone? Would you wait two hours at a bar and then be rushed through dinner only to have the check slapped on your dessert plate because the maître d’ is trying to squeeze in another seating before closing? No, you wouldn’t. But the havetobe couldn’t care less. He’s already blithely moved on to next week’s hot spot because tonight’s place is so over.”
The article goes on to talk about the benefits of picking a few places you like, and sticking to them; the benefits of becoming a regular. You can read the whole thing in Details, August 2006 edition.
Not that Details is the pinnacle of journalism, but the sentiment that the Dude mentions at the end of the piece is one that I totally agree with. There are always a small handful of places that I always end up at, simply because I know they have their shit down.
In Portland, Acadia. In San Francisco, it used to be Fringale. I only wish I had made time to get to Cafe des Amis while they were still around.
Local, seasonal, and sustainable are the buzzwords of Oregon culinary culture, but a restaurant that builds a great menu and pulls it off year round (while using the seasonal bounty for specials) is where it’s at for me.
These people aren’t food lovers at all. They’re trendoids. The exist in the fashion world and music world and every other world. They do nothing positive for the restaurant business.They seem to only exist in cultures with no real culinary history. They are scum but what are ya gonna do? They have money and it’s a business.
Were it not for said havetobes, who would fill the seats at an untested/unreviewed/new place?
Let those new restaurants make their mistakes on havetobes, and I’ll try it out after they’ve have had a chance to cool down a bit.
..many a Portlander are guilty of ‘havetobe’ behavior. With the recent surge of restaurants in town, it has become a definite social topic… Mention a great meal at an older restaurant in town, and it goes over like a lead balloon- everyone wants to know about the new place. Great, but some of us ‘dinosaurs’ are there for a reason.
Since I am out quite a bit, I like to mix it up b/w my “core” of dependable favorites and new places. Going to the same places all the time can become tiresome, even if they are great.
I don’t know who you hang out with, john, but my peer group can still manage a swoon over tried and true greatness, such as at Park Kitchen or Paley’s. But the thrill of new discovery, like young love, is a great rush, you have to admit. To me, the buzz has nothing to do with beating out others, only with fresh experience. There is a risk trying new places—and I try to avoid those awkward first few days or weeks—but taking the chance is kind of fun too, don’t you think?
–mcz
Next Details should do an article on journalists who just have to be “ahead of the curve” and attack any new trend or anything that becomes popular.
I see their point. And I’m sure it’s a problem in cities like New York and LA. But largely it’s much ado about — if not nothing — very little. In anything there are people who are more worried about the Jones’s than enjoying life. In the tech realm we call them early adopters, people who have to have the fastest, biggest whatever right away. But truth is it’s the smallest segment of a small segment of the population. And I think there’s a clear distinction between those who are just trying to put another notch in their belt or one-up the other foodies vs those who are just excited about the prospects of a great restaurant.
It’s more than a little ironic that this comes up here, though, and the article is lauded. I mean, come on, we’re all above the average in this regard. We may not be akin to the guys who camp out before the next edition of Star Wars, but we might be like the guy who buys a ticket online for the matinee the next day.
FD, either you, or you as proxy for your readers, are obsessed with rumors of what’s coming next, what changes are occurring where, etc. Isn’t this article specifically targeting you, or you as proxy for your readers? (And me, too, of course.)
I have no problem with those who get their kicks from always trying new things. As Angelhair points out, they’re the scouts for the rest of us. (And sometimes we’re scouts for others.)
I think mcz makes a good analogy, similar to one I’ve made to a friend who fits more of that mold. I tell him that, sure, there’s something exciting about trying to get as many new experiences as you can. It’s like someone who jumps from sex partner to sex partner and can’t imagine being tied down to one person. But having a relationship that pushes on after the initial rush is gone has a chance to develop a depth of intimacy the player will never understand.
I admire people who become so involved in anything that they become a true expert — those who become married to a hobby, a place, a cuisine.
I don’t have quite that attention span. I end up more with a breadth rather than a depth. And I get my kicks more from exploring and searching for undiscovered gems more than what’s hot.
Am I missing something, or would “havetovores” be more appropriate?
Seems to cover all bases, though I never took Latin.
Details, details, details….
Is this something new? It’s like when your teenage nephew recently discovered pegged straight-legged jeans, pointy boots, and the Ramones and thinks he started a new trend.
Yawn.
It also looks like Details might have lifted this from a December 2000, NY Times Article:
“Mr. Chodorow…His 22 restaurants in five cities (Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and London, some of which he owns independently of Mr. Schrager) attract sports stars, movie stars, musicians and society figures. Following them come the investment bankers, Euro-hoppers and entertainment executives, people Mr. Chodorow calls ”havetobes,” people who have to be seen at the latest hot spot.”
Many restaurants it seems, especially large and ambitious restaurants, very intentionally put this into their business plans as a measure of success, “You can’t just go out and cook good food; it’s like a Broadway show. You have to have a gimmick. You have to create a theme and an ambience and put a show together. That’s what people expect these days, the whole shebang.”
I have had the experience with these Manhattan theme parks and a couple of ‘em in Vegas, and can say with confidence and happiness that Portland really does not have this phenom. We just don’t have the bridge-and-tunnel crowd or deep pocket investors to support it. I mean really, can anyone tell me a restaurant in Portland that has two different phone numbers for reservations (a private line for those in the know and another for the hoi-polloi), dining areas sectioned based on fame and power, etc?
Plus I’m with MSG on this one. I like to try new restaurants too.
You can read the NY Times article here:
If I was a gambling man, I’d wager that most of this site’s readers (and writers) couldn’t give a damn about what’s hot in the Portland restaurant “scene”.
There is, however, a pleasure in discovering new places to eat. That’s a big part of the reason why I check out this site.
Speaking of new places to eat, has anyone been to Gracie’s in the Hotel Deluxe yet? I haven’t seen a single review. They’ve had a total kitchen/menu/management overhaul, and have reportedly gone upscale, but I don’t know a soul who’s eaten there.
Sir Loins: I’ve had one meal there. I’d have a difficult time convincing my stomach to go back anytime soon. I figured I’d wait till fall before reviewing them.
Re: Gracies… We “discovered” the Mallory for brunch about a year ago, and tried Gracie’s within the first 4-6 weeks after they opened. Like FD, I’m not writing them off entirely, and I still love the room, but there was ample room for improvement. I liked the idea of the breakfast cheesesteak that they have on the menu but it wasn’t very well executed.
I’ve heard Genia in Lake Oswego is really good. Has anyone been?