Prompt

Major Assignment 1:

Two Versions of an Eatery Review

Write a review that convinces your reader that an eatery is or isn't worth eating at.

You choose the eatery: It can be your dormroom, your mom’s kitchen, your dining hall, a restaurant—anyplace you can eat at between now and Tuesday's rough draft, and preferably visit a few times between now and Week 5.

Be sure your review includes vivid sensory description of the food itself (taste, odor, texture, appearance), as well as the ambience and service, and that these details agree with your overall recommendation as to the restaurant's quality.

So as to get your readers to listen--to entertain, inform, and convince--be sure to

• situate the eatery in the reader’s cultural context (what is this kind of a restaurant to them? What is it to the SoCal/Irvine region?)
• respond to others’ opinions about the place (either real, imagined, or hypothetical)
• adopt a convincing and entertaining ethos/voice
• immerse your reader in the experience of eating.

You are creating two versions of this review.

For the first, 1400-1500 word “Critic’s Review” version, you are taking on the role of a professional food critic who publishes reviews for a metropolitan daily (like the LA Times) or an alternative weekly (like the OC Weekly). The review should include all the information usually found in such a review: pricing, location, recommended dishes, etc..

The second version is a 300- to 400-word “Yelp/Google/Dianping Review” of the same place. Other than being longer in wordcount than what's usually on these websites, this version is expected to follow the conventions of Yelp or Google or Dianping. For instance, you may include slang, emoticons, and SMS abbreviations (LOL). 

Restaurant Review Mentor Texts

Jonathan Gold Collection

https://www.latimes.com/food/jonathan-gold/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Gold's review of Chong Qing Noodles

on the Web: https://www.latimes.com/food/jonathan-gold/la-fo-gold-chong-qing-special-noodles-review-20180601-story.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

as a Word doc: Jonathan Gold keeps returning to Chong Qing Special Noodles for hard.docx

Arellano, Gustavo. “This Hole in the Wall County.” OC Weekly. 15 July 2004.

 http://www.ocweekly.com/restaurants/this-hole-in-the-wall-county-6425845 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

OC Weekly Staff. “The Best Restaurants in Orange County of 2016.” OC Weekly. 20 October 2016.

http://www.ocweekly.com/restaurants/the-best-restaurants-in-orange-county-of-2016-7606879 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Goei, Edwin. 10 Essential Irvine Restaurants. OC Weekly. 13 December 2013.

http://www.ocweekly.com/restaurants/10-essential-irvine-restaurants-6619989 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Goei, Edwin. 2018 Top 5.

https://ocweekly.com/edwin-goeis-top-drinks-and-restaurants-of-2018/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Antonios, Caitlin. New University. 18 Oct 2016. "An Explosion of Flavors."

http://www.newuniversity.org/2016/10/features/an-explosion-of-flavors-new-asian-fusion-restaurant-wokcano-opens-at-tustin-market-place/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Arellano, Gustavo writes on Gold, Jonathan

https://www.gustavoarellano.org/2018/07/jonathan-gold-mightve-been-the-belly-of-la-but-he-also-found-restaurant-religion-in-orange-county/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Restaurant Review How-Tos

Nelson, Katie. "How to Write a Compelling Restaurant Review. 23 Aug. 2010. https://www.toptenreviews.com/services/articles/how-to-write-a-compelling-restaurant-review/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

            -Short and sweet. Dr. Lance agrees with all the advice in this one.

Camp, Elizabeth. "How To Review A Restaurant Like a Pro!" Restaurant.com, 8 Jan. 2013. http://thedish.restaurant.com/how-to-review-a-restaurant-like-a-pro/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

            -A bit wordier and with a few more ads than I’d like, but offers lots of good advice.

Final Draft Turn-In

Upload the full text of your final drafts of both your "Critic's Review" and your "Yelp/Google/Dianping review" here, as a Microsoft Word file or a PDF. Use MLA format: 12-point font, double-spaced, with optional section headers, as explained here for the opening page:

and for a middle page:

Note 1: I am not requiring a Works Cited page for this assignment.

Note 2: You must ALSO post the final draft of the Yelp/Google/Dianping review on the Yelp, Google, or Dianping website. (If on Dianping, post that version in Chinese while retaining an English translation for the Word/PDF document.) Take a screenshot of this post; in the comments field where you submitted your Major Assignment 1: Prompt . . . Document, attach that screenshot of your review.