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Apparently M Bauer is not recognized everywhere in S.F.

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"Amber India: Stellar dishes often soured at the door"

Link: http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/art...

First two paragraphs:
"Every time I walk into Amber India in Yerba Buena, it feels like the movie 'Groundhog Day.'

Three hosts, usually young women, stand at the podium to collect names of those dropping in for dinner and those who thought ahead to make reservations. It feels like they then put the names in a big hat, shake it up and pick them out at random, one by one."

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  1. Maybe he was pissed cause they actually DIDN'T recognize him :)

    1. I think young hostesses who may be new to the restaurant industry are probably the least likely to recognize him. For new restaurants, you would have expected them to have been prepped with photos by the restaurant management, but if it's an established restaurant and Bauer unexpectedly drops in for an update, who knows?

      And Bauer, being used to getting recognized and getting special treatment, often seems to take offense when he experiences what normal diners do all the time. When you read a review where you get a sense that he wasn't recognized immediately by the host staff, it often comes out as a carefully-worded hissy fit. Kokkari, Ozumo, Bar Crudo, etc.

        1. Welcome to the real world. Bauer's reviews are worthless since the experience of real people is nothing like the dining experience he usually receives.

          5 Replies
          1. re: RBCal

            I think the French Laundry is probably one place where he doesn't get special treatment.

            1. re: Robert Lauriston

              Robert Lauriston, can't tell if you're joking or not.


              This was definitely a super VIP meal.

              1. re: deepfry7

                I think anyone can get that if they ask. I'm not sure he got more than the regular menu plus all the supplements plus the usual off-menu extras.

                It wasn't as extreme as the crazy meal they cooked up for Anthony Bourdain's show.

            2. re: RBCal

              Worthless is a bit strong. One can try to factor out his opinion of the service, his peculiarities regarding food. I still wish SF had a stronger "official food critic".

              1. re: bbulkow

                Agree with bbulkow. In lots of cities, top critics are all recognized. So Bauer is no exception.

                They're guaranteed that they're getting the top tier of what the kitchen can produce but it doesn't mean it's great. The kitchen has already prepped a majority of their food already so it's hard to make it better. Obviously their service will most likely be top notch.