Everyone's a critic

Everyone tells me I should be a critic. Not that I need anyone to TELL me that - it's just in my nature, I guess. But I can't help it sometimes - I just have to call it like I see it. I have decided that I officially need an outlet to vent about awful restaurants or proclaim the greatness of those little hidden gems your friends seem to all know about, but you somehow haven't even heard the barest whisper of. I work hard for my money and am tired of spending it in restaurants that are supposed to be good, but are really only O.K. to mediocre once you get there. I've tried following the restaurant critic's reviews from the newspaper, but he seems to be a little hit or miss for me - understandable, since everyone has different taste buds, but one would expect a paid restaurant critic to offer a bit more objective viewpoint, and dine with a number of people to get a variety of opinions. Here in the Triangle area ,in the beautiful state of North Carolina, there is a strange phenomenon that I've noticed with restaurants. Some get these rave, "Restaurant of the Year" reviews (Fins Restaurant) and I just don't think they are all that. Sure, they're pretty good - if a bit overpriced - but certainly we can do better than having to spend as much as a week's grocery money just for a delicious dinner. I know it's possible - I've done it. But unfortunately, no one else seemed to know about that restaurant (The Underground) and their gourmet (and I mean gourmet - crispy duck breast with sour cherries, hanger steak with mustard sauce, garlic mashed potatoes that had whole chunks of garlic.....) food, and they ended up going out of business. What a loss. I only hope that the rumor of the chef opening his own restaurant that isn't connected to a nightclub is true and we'll see a new "Underground" soon.