The restaurants were all low rent, and the accolades written as if the guy were hoping to get a free meal. It was embarrassing to read. First of all, when someone only reviews a bunch of cheap joints, you have to assume that the person has never eaten a good meal and therefore has no clue as to what's good, even at the cheap dive. More likely is the possibility that the reviews reflect the taste of Web denizens who eat at similar places. And my personal snooty attitude may represent that of the gourmands who surf the Web looking for foie gras specialists, and we may point and laugh at the guy who thinks a restaurant should have a big bottle of ketchup on the table.
Critical appraisal is used by readers to triangulate the truth.
Different critics come at the truth from different perspectives, and the reader can use the technique of those guys in towers who spot forest fires. One guy sees smoke at one point and a guy at another tower see its at a different point. The exact spot can be triangulated. If the forest ranger sends in bad information, the system fails. I think this ends my little lecture of criticism.