So that's why Bruce sued his own girl! Wow, "Daddy's Girl" (Kelly Cramer, September 28) was a great article. My company's been involved in litigation with an offshore company this guy controls for some time now, and I did a lot of background research on him. I actually commented to my boss, "Wow, this guy's own daughter sued him!" But we had no idea why she sued him. ¡Ay caramba!
Ron Stock
Chicago
Talk about a sugar "daddy": The article about the father who married his daughter was, for a man with two adult daughters, puke-inducing!
Why did the daughter have to have sex with dear old dad to get lavished with goodies? Wasn't being his own flesh and blood enough for Pops to come across?
Harvey Slavin
Hollywood
Teens on the 'Coastal
What's wrong with using pregnant girls for a real-estate deal? Bob, could you have spun that story any more against Calvary Chapel ("Tanning for Jesus," September 28)? You should be ashamed of yourself if not only for the smackdown on a church but also for your horrible literary skills. Man, take a course or something and learn how to weave a story that actually makes sense. I could have almost felt sorry for the wealthy folks who now have to suffer through having to look at the at-risk teenaged pregnant monster girls from heaven (hell) had your writing actually had any straight lines at all. Man, there is a difference between keeping an entity accountable and an obvious shellacking. Your article wreaks with ire at the church. What, did you get spanked by a nun as a kid or something?
Thanks for the laugh. It was a truly unbelievable story.
Rian Gittman
Via the Internet
The Shepherd Gets Shorn
It's the details that count: If you are going to be critical of a restaurant, you might want to first consider spelling the name correctly. I have dined at many fine restaurants, including La Vielle Maison, which you mentioned in your article ("Parlez-vous American?" by Gail Shepherd, September 21). La Vielle Maison offered French cuisine; Spontané (spelled correctly) does not. It offers a contemporary American cuisine. I agree with you regarding the Guinea Fowl. It is perfect. Everything else you said was way off. I am not sure how long you have been critiquing food, but anyone with the slightest knowledge of food and restaurants knows the two-bite rule. If after two bites you are unsatisfied with your meal, you send it back. I am referring to the "beach" you claim to have consumed while you were trying to eat your sea scallops. It is absurd for you to think that anyone would believe that you continued to eat all of the scallops looking for one without sand. You also mentioned your disappointment with the key lime gazpacho because you said it was the same color as V8 or tomato juice. Have you ever had gazpacho? Red is the most common color of gazpacho. Also, have you ever eaten key lime pie? It's not always green, is it? The strips of "fried tortilla" that, in your words, tasted like they were cooked in "rancid oil," were not fried tortilla; they are wontons. Again, like spelling the restaurant's name, know what you are talking about before you criticize.
Name withheld by request
Where's the good ethnic cheap eats? So you wish to find good, cheap Cuban cuisine? ("Unsolved Mysteries of the [Foodie] Universe," Gail Shepherd, September 14). I'd love to find any kind of good, cheap ethnic cuisine. Thus far, I have yet to find any in South Florida. You can imagine my disappointment when I had to pay more than twice as much as I was used to paying in Chicago for food that wasn't half as good. And I never imagined the challenge it would be to find some decent cheap Mexican food down here. Mexican food does not involve black beans and yellow rice! One should be able to enjoy an authentic Thai or Mexican lunch deal, soft drink, tax, and tip for under $10 in America. However, here in Palm Beach County, you're looking at twice that amount. Whoops... I almost forgot. I did discover one decently priced quality Mexican place. El Paso Taco, located in a drab anonymous strip plaza on the northeast corner of Military and Southern. Besides that, I save my beloved ethnic dining adventures for my road trips up north to Chicago and Detroit.
Kurt Kelly
West Palm Beach
This place is fine for Tapas 101: We have been to La Barraca many times and enjoyed ourselves immensely every time. I found the wine list to be reasonable and varied, the food to be very good, the entertainment topnotch, and the staff excellent. My wife is from Spain, and we have eaten at almost every Spanish restaurant in South Florida. Where exactly do you feel you can get better Spanish food? ("Dali, Back to Your Drawing Board," Gail Shepherd, August 24) I have never found authentic paella in America, but La Barraca's is more than adequate for the average first-timer. The rest of the tapas are certainly on par with any I have had in Spain. I feel your review comes more from a personal dislike of the chef than from an objective examination of this restaurant. The bread has never been bad, the butter never rancid. These are cheap shots, not something I would expect in a real restaurant review. You don't like the chef. OK, but people need to know that they can have a great night out at La Barraca. La Barraca is a great introduction to Spanish culture, and your review is too personal and not accurate.
Grant Hemingway
Pompano Beach
Kudos
New Times restaurant reviewer Gail Shepherd has received national recognition, being declared third best restaurant critic among newspapers with a circulation of 150,000 or less by the 275-member Association of Food Journalists
