Lauren Chapin
lchapin@kcstar.com

Since I began this job, I've earned my Sommelier certificate and completed the rigorous Basic Food Preparation class in the Culinary Arts program at Johnson County Community College. I regularly participate in wine-tastings, cooking classes and visiting-chef dinners.

That experience and education come to bear when I review a restaurant. I follow the same criteria, whether I'm in a cinderblock lunch joint or a swanly suburban restaurant that has been lauded in Esquire or Bon Appetit: Are the ingredients fresh? Are the cooking techniques on the mark? Do the flavors work together or is there a promiscuous use of ingredients? How's the presentation? Is the meal worth the price?

I critique service from the first hello to the thank-yous and good-nights. I work anonymously about 90 percent of the time, so my experiences should be typical of any diner's. I, too, have pet peeves: restaurants that are too cold or loud, servers who dismiss a complaint or disappear after dessert, lousy coffee, overpriced wine.

I write for the consumer, as a consumer on a budget. I try to crisscross the Kansas City area, reviewing a variety of restaurants. Whether I'm eating authentic French cuisine or sloppy Kansas City barbecue, I measure quality and integrity. I look for intangibles, for a sense that the chef cares about the food and takes pride in what comes out of the kitchen.

Food is about more than sustenance. It is about culture and customs. Ultimately, though, my love for food goes back to something more personal and far less remote: to a connection I made more than 30 years ago standing in the dirt on my family's farm.