What does ‘The Bear’ get wrong about its big Chicago Tribune restaurant review? From the real food critic

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CHICAGO — “The Bear” is back with a storyline about a surprisingly big restaurant review.

It gets weird when the fictional world of The Bear restaurant bleeds into my real world as a food critic.

“Their fate hangs in the balance pending a review in the Chicago Tribune,” writes my fellow Tribune critic Nina Metz in her mixed three-star review of Season 3.

So what does “The Bear” series get right and wrong about how I would review the Bear restaurant as the real Chicago Tribune food critic?

Spoiler alert! The following includes details from Seasons 1 to 3 of the show. If you want to protect your viewing experience, go watch, then come back.

OK, let it rip!

If you haven’t been watching the Emmy Award-winning dark comedy drama series, you probably still know it has something to do with Italian beef. The show starts with a fictional sandwich stand called the Original Beef of Chicagoland, better known as the Beef. That’s based on the Original Mr. Beef on Orleans Street, better known as Mr. Beef, the real stand in the River North neighborhood.

Eventually, the Beef becomes the Bear, a fine dining restaurant, retaining its chaotic cast of characters.

Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White) and his chef de cuisine Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) lead the transformation. She also collaborates with him on their debut tasting menu. They have help from Carmy’s “cousin” Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), a close family friend who once ran the stand’s counter, but now runs the restaurant’s front of the house.

Season 2 ended after a heartbreaking friends and family testing night. Season 3 begins the next day, with the business officially open.

But let’s go back to Season 1, (Episode 6: “Ceres”) when Sydney gives a dish she’s working on as a special to a diner at the beef shack in transition.

“Hi, um, these are cola-braised short ribs with risotto, and they’re yours,” she says.

He asks, “Really?”

“Yep, I had an extra,” she replies. “And I’m Sydney, if you need anything else.”

He says, “Well, thank you, Sydney.”

Then we learn that the diner wrote a rave review (Episode 7: “Review”) in the fictional Chicago Telegraph newspaper.

“‘The menu is slightly updated and it’s clear more changes are coming,’” reads the Beef’s Somali veteran cook Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson).

“‘The sandwiches are so delicious as ever, but the standout dish that encapsulates all this was the risotto with braised beef,’” he continues. “‘The rice was luscious with a surprising ribbon of brine running through the sauce.’”

That review never should have been based on a free dish!

If Sydney had offered her plate to me, I would have automatically declined, saying I appreciate the offer, but can’t accept, because I want to support a small business. That’s my standard response on those rare occasions. Ultimately, I would’ve gone back to order the dish on my own before ever mentioning it in a review.

But we know that didn’t happen because the risotto with the “ribbon of brine” never made it to the menu even as a special!

Fast-forward to Season 3 (Episode 4: “Violet”) when Carmy’s sister and business co-owner Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott) walks into the kitchen after taking a call.

“Why is the Tribune coming to take pictures?” she asks.

Carmy answers with an expletive.

Sydney says, “Because we’re being reviewed.

Sous chef Bettina “Tina” Marrero (Liza Colón-Zayas) asks, “Like, tonight?”

Sydney says, “Like they’ve already been here.”

What “The Bear” gets wrong here is that Natalie would never need to ask why the Tribune is coming.

I would have sent an email with a subject line that clearly reads “Chicago Tribune review: The Bear.” I would’ve explained that I was working on a review, and asked if our photographer could come to take photos of some food and drink, plus a portrait of the chef, or chefs in this case. It’s a request, not a mystery demand.

What “The Bear” gets right is the timing. The restaurant held its friends and family tasting night on May 26, 2023, according to the calendar shown, and opened to the public the next night. Carmy says he quit smoking 41 days ago, so that brings us to early or mid-July, because time in “The Bear” isn’t always clear.

I still wait at least a month before going for a first review visit. But we don’t know when the fictional Trib critic actually went. I would have waited a little longer for a final review visit since the Bear changes their menu so much based on seasonal farmers market sourcing.

Photo day comes (Episode 5: “Children”) and our chaotic characters get the dining room ready.

Richie asks the photographer, “So, uh, how was the review?”

“Oh, they don’t tell me,” he replies. “I just show up and shoot.”

What “The Bear” gets right is that no, I don’t share a finished review with anyone before it’s published, except my editors.

But what “The Bear” gets so wrong here is that any one of our photographers would “‘just show up and shoot!’” They are award-winning journalists on assignment — who don’t just show up and shoot.

And real Chicago Tribune photographers have faced down more challenges than floor refinisher Sammy Fak (John Cena), brother to handyman and runner Neil Fak (Matty Matheson), who demands, “Hey! What’s it say?”

After Richie defuses the situation, the photographer asks, “Can you ask them to prep the dish?”

“What dish?” asks Richie.

What “The Bear” gets right is that yes, our photographer will have my requests for photos.

What “The Bear” gets wrong is that no one at the restaurant knows about the dish. I would have confirmed it with Natalie and Carmy. They would’ve chosen to re-create the changed tasting menu dish or just make the current version.

Time goes by (Episode 9: “Apologies”) and investor James “Cicero” Kalinowski, better known as Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) asks if Carmy knows when the review is coming.

“No,” answers Carmy.

What “The Bear” gets wrong is that they wouldn’t know. I share the date and time that your review goes live online, and when it’s published in print. I get it, especially as someone who grew up working in my family’s chop suey shop, staged at some of the best restaurants in Chicago and around the world and worked for a screamer chef as part of a team that earned a Michelin star.

Finally, (Episode 10: “Forever”) in a flashback we see Cicero say to Carmy, “I’m telling you that if we get a bad review, I gotta cut the f—ing string.”

After Carmy attends the final service of the fictional depiction of the real restaurant Ever in Chicago, and faces down a former toxic chef from New York, he receives a Google alert on his phone: “Chicago Tribune restaurant review: The Bear.”

Keywords flash by fast as he reads the review: confusing, excellent, culinary, dissonance, innovative, brilliant, sloppy, inconsistent, delicious, simple, complex, disappointed, Berzatto, subtract, overdone, incredible, tired, stale, talent.

His phone also shows notifications for four missed calls from Cicero, and five from Computer (Brian Koppelman), their money guy.

What “The Bear” gets wrong is that one bad review can break a restaurant. I unfortunately had to give a half-star review to the Wieners Circle, the most notorious hot dog stand in Chicago. But in a dramatic redemption story, just months later they earned a Chicago Tribune Food Award.

Plus we know from Cicero and Computer that there’s a lot more going on with money that has nothing to do with the restaurant.

What “The Bear” might get right is the review itself from what we can see about the food.

But I sure as heck would have reviewed the new Italian beef sandwiches too! As I did with the Filipino-inspired combos with fatty longganisa sausage and sliced pork adobo by chefs, owners and spouses Tim Flores and Genie Kwon in my four-star review of Kasama. Kwon appears in the final episode of the new season at the chefs’ table.

My reviews are about much more than the food. They’re about the experience as a whole. And most importantly the stories, sometimes real-life dark comedy dramas, behind it all.

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Pioneer Press celebrates St. Paul’s four MLB Hall of Famers in new book

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With the exception of Mobile, Ala., St. Paul boasts more native sons in the National Baseball Hall of Fame than any other mid-sized American city.

When former Minnesota Twin and Cretin-Derham Hall grad Joe Mauer takes his place in Cooperstown later this month, he’ll be the fourth major league ballplayer from the Saintly City to do so, following in the footsteps of Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Jack Morris.

Through the years, the Pioneer Press chronicled each of their careers from the sandlots of St. Paul to big league immortality in the Hall of Fame, and we’ve compiled the best of our coverage into a new hardcover book that celebrates the legendary baseball legacy of Minnesota’s capital city.

With a foreword by longtime sports columnist Charley Walters, “From St. Paul to the Hall” features more than 50 articles and dozens of archival photos that tell each player’s story as it originally appeared in their hometown newspaper.

The 160-page coffee table book begins with Winfield, maybe the most gifted all-around athlete St. Paul ever produced, who was inducted into the Hall alongside Twins legend Kirby Puckett in 2001.

Like Winfield, Molitor joined the rarified ranks of the 3,000-hit club during his time in a Twins uniform, earning a spot in Cooperstown in 2004 before going on to manage Minnesota for four seasons.

A frequent opponent of Molitor’s in St. Paul’s youth leagues, Morris thrilled Twins fans in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, pitching a 10-inning masterpiece to help his team win its second championship title in five years. Morris waited more than two decades for his bid to the Hall of Fame, which arrived in 2018.

Mauer grew up in the shadow of these three local giants, drawing frequent comparisons to Molitor and Winfield as he built his own legacy as a standout multi-sport athlete from a young age.

Mauer spent his entire career in a Twins uniform, earning him a special place in the hearts of many Minnesota sports fans.

“From St. Paul to the Hall” is now available at a discounted presale price in our online store. Presale orders are expected to ship in August.

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Today in History: July 7, Reagan nominates O’Connor for SCOTUS

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Today is Sunday, July 7, the 189th day of 2024. There are 177 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Also on this date:

In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C. for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.

In 1898, President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution, approving the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii.

In 1930, construction began on Boulder Dam (known today as Hoover Dam).

In 1976, the United States Military Academy at West Point included female cadets for the first time as 119 women joined the Class of 1980.

In 1990, the first “Three Tenors” concert took place as opera stars Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras performed amid the brick ruins of Rome’s Baths of Caracalla on the eve of the FIFA World Cup final.

In 2005, terrorist bombings in three Underground stations and a double-decker bus killed 52 people and four bombers in the worst attack on London since World War II.

In 2010, Los Angeles police arrested and charged Lonnie Franklin Jr. in the city’s “Grim Sleeper” serial killings. (Franklin, who was sentenced to death for the killings of nine women and a teenage girl, died in prison in March 2020 at the age of 67.)

In 2013, Andy Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon title, beating Novak Djokovic in the final.

In 2016, Micah Johnson, a Black Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, opened fire on Dallas police, killing five officers in an act of vengeance for the fatal police shootings of Black men; the attack ended with Johnson being killed by a bomb delivered by a police robot.

In 2021, a squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home.

Today’s Birthdays: Musician-conductor Doc Severinsen is 97. Former Beatle Ringo Starr is 84. World Golf Hall of Famer Tony Jacklin is 80. Actor Joe Spano is 78. Actor Shelley Duvall is 75. Actor Roz Ryan is 73. Actor Billy Campbell is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson is 64. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 61. Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan is 58. Actor Amy Carlson is 56. Actor Jorja Fox is 56. Actor Robin Weigert is 54. Basketball Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie is 52. Actor Kirsten Vangsness (“Criminal Minds”) is 52. Actor Berenice Bejo (BEH’-ruh-nees BAY’-hoh) (Film: “The Artist”) is 48. Actor Hamish Linklater is 48. Olympic figure skating medalist and current US Ambassador to Belize Michelle Kwan is 44. Guitarist Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold) is 43. Pop singer Ally Brooke (Fifth Harmony) (TV: “The X Factor”) is 31. Pop musician Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds to Summer) is 30. Country singer Maddie Font (Maddie and Tae) is 29.

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Without injured Napheesa Collier, Lynx scuffle against Mystics but emerge with victory

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It was far from a pretty win for the Lynx.

Minnesota defeated the Washington Mystics 74-67 on Saturday at Target Center without its MVP and defensive player of the year candidate Napheesa Collier, but Courtney Williams stepped up in her absence.

Williams nearly matched her 10-point scoring average with a nine-point first quarter and ended the game with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and a game-high plus-minus of 16. Kayla McBride added 17 points and Bridget Carleton had 13 points and six rebounds.

“We had to give this a little bit more missing [Collier], that’s 20 [points] and 10 [rebounds],” Williams said. “And that’s just the stats alone. She does so much more for our team. So, we got to be able to come in and just give a little bit more, whatever that looks like.”

Collier reaggravated a foot injury Thursday against Connecticut. She leads the Lynx (15-6) with averages of 20 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals and is averaging 3.7 assists and 1.5 blocks.

Minnesota, one of the best first-quarter scoring teams in the WNBA and the league’s top-ranked defense, owned a 25-14 lead after the opening quarter in which it forced the Mystics into seven turnovers.

But the Lynx followed with one of their lowest-scoring quarters this season, scoring nine points on 5-of-21 shooting from the field and 1 of 10 on 3-pointers. The Mystics put up 22 points to tie the game at 36 heading into halftime.

“We were settling for open shots,” Bridget Carleton said. “We had good looks, it’s not like we can’t knock those shots down. But we know when things aren’t going, we have to be aggressive in the paint… Finding the balance between both things, not just settling.”

Despite the absence of their leading rebounder, the Lynx outrebounded Washington 38-32. Lynx forward Dorka Juhasz led all players with 11 rebounds in 23 minutes and Alanna Smith had eight rebounds.

Smith came into the matchup making 47.7% of her 3-pointers, second-best in the league. She shot an uncharacteristic 2 of 11 from the field and 0 of 3 from distance and finished with seven points.

“I told her I appreciated her playing and getting it out the way that she did because she wasn’t [shooting] well,” head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “And the two blocks that she had were huge. She’s a competitor, and didn’t hang her head.”

Smith made a difference with her defense in the fourth quarter, however. WIth the Lynx leading 65-60 with 6:48 to play, Smith blocked Ariel Atkins’ short jumper. With 3:44 left and the Lynx up 70-64, she rejected Stefanie Dolson’s layup attempt.

Carleton came through with seven timely points in the third. But she picked up four fouls within seven minutes, taking her out of the game just as she began to find her rhythm. Carleton picked up her final foul early in the fourth.

“I thought she gave us an aggression about us and the third quarter that we were lacking earlier,” Reeve said. “She made some big shots like she’s been doing all season.”

Playing a career-high 10 minutes in her first appearance since June 22, rookie forward Alissa Pili’s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Lynx a 58-57 lead.

Minnesota scored 19 points to Washington’s 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting in the fourth.

Minnesota shot 38.6% on 27-of-70 shooting from the field for the game. Washington ended the game hitting 41.7% of its shots after shooting 52% in the first half — a significant decrease due to the Lynx’s added pressure in the second half.

Briefly

Smith was named to the Australian women’s national team that will compete in the Paris Olympics on Saturday. She was also a member of the team for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Smith is averaging career-highs in points (12.1), rebounds (5.0) and assists (3.2) and is second in the WNBA in 3-point shooting at 47.7% (31 of 65).

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