No Judgment. Actually, Some Judgment 37956

Every week a bunch of cultural stuff happens. Here are some thoughts related to that. -raronauer

This Wednesday, aspiring Top Chef judge and Times critic Frank Bruni visited Moim, a Korean restaurant in Park Slope.

Bruni gave the place one star, writing, “Moim does a tempered, tweaked version of Korean cooking that???s still rarer ??? still more of an exciting discovery ??? than you???d expect.”

But central to Bruni’s review is Moim’s location in the heart of the wilds known as Brooklyn.

No one needs a fresher on how Brooklyn has changed in the past ten years; everyone knows that there are good meals to be had in the outer borough. Being surprised that Brooklyn has good food is like being impressed by an articulate black man.

But every time Bruni discovers these gems, he reminds his readers about the extra twenty minutes it took him to get there.

In his review for Dressler, which got two stars, he wrote,

Dining there is worth crossing neighborhood lines, even crossing water, not because Dressler promises a fad-proof time capsule or dressed-down irreverence. Dressler promises, and delivers, something more difficult to pull off: food that’s sophisticated without being too clever, in a room that’s beautiful without being too flamboyant.

Maybe I’m betraying my own allegiance to Brooklyn and predilection for urban adventures, but since when is crossing the river such a big deal?

I understand that a lot of people who read Frank Bruni’s column are not like me; they don’t have time to waste on the subway for the perfect pad thai. Many readers live in the suburbs, and Brooklyn is insurmountably inconvenient for them. But treating each jaunt to Brooklyn as a special event reiterates the idea that is one, when it’s really just a few more stops on the subway.

Of course Bruni would say that I’m just being a typical prideful Brooklynite. Take his review of Franny’s, one of my favorite local restaurants:

Franny???s [is] in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, and you know how Brooklyn boosters can be about their restaurants. Football fans who show up on sub-zero days with bare chests and painted faces have more perspective.

Or better yet, the headline for his review of Al di L??: Go Ahead, Brooklyn: Be Smug

But the fact is, I’m no more smug about the restaurant scene in Brooklyn than someone who lives in the West Village. Brooklyn has a lot going for it, so much so that I don’t constantly think about it.

Bruni is a great critic; he’s introduced me to a lot of great places, even some in my neighborhood. But his underhanded criticism of Brooklyn has gone stale. I’m over how little I’m paying in rent; Bruni should get over how good the food is.