My name is Tom Noe and I am a food blogger writing mostly about my culinary experiences in the northeast Ohio area. Sometimes I travel to other parts of the country to visit friends and family and when I do, I usually try to include a few blog entries about some of the local cuisine, too. While I do eat at national chain restaurants from time to time, you generally won't find reviews here of the food at these types of establishments because everyone has access to them, and as such, aren't particularly interesting places about which to write.
Instead, I prefer to write about locally owned restaurants, including local chains, that make this area of Ohio unique and interesting. While a locally owned restaurant doesn't always guarantee great food and immaculate service, I feel like my dining dollars are better spent reinvesting in the community in which I work, live, and play.
One of the goals of this blog is to provide an accurate description of my food experiences. The secondary goal is to provide you with the "Everyman" experience. When I review restaurants or food establishments, I do not announce up front that I am doing so. To that end, I pay for all of my meals out of my own pocket. I also believe in full disclosure and on the rare occasion that I do get a dish or meal "comp'd", I will announce the fact.
You are encouraged to comment on any blog post where you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with what I or another commenter have said. My only request is that comments remain on topic and civil. I have discovered many new and wonderful restaurants because of suggestions left in the comments section or sent directly to my email address and for that, I am very grateful. Please keep the suggestions coming!
I will make mistakes from time to time and I always welcome constructive feedback in either the comments section of a post or as a direct email to me. My blog entries will use the Food Blog Code of Ethics as their template, although since I am paying for almost every meal out of my own pocket, I can't usually afford to eat at a single restaurant multiple times before writing one review. I realize that this means that I might end up going on a day when the kitchen is either doing really well or really poorly and I might miss a more balanced experience. Sadly, until I start getting paid to go out to eat, that's just a shortcoming with which you'll have to live.
Finally, a single sentence or two to sum me up:
Someone with a passion for all things food: whether cooking, teaching, or eating. Nothing thrills me more than finding others out there with the same passion as me.
Thanks for reading.
Tom
