Los Angeles-based food critic and restaurant lover, Danielle N. Salmon, is wholly dedicated to introducing (and reintroducing) people to the amazing restaurants Southern California has to offer. Her online platform, Follow My Gut, launched in 2014 and has since grown into a recognized restaurant discovery site, as well as a space where foodies of all types can discover their next favorite spot.
But what does a food blogger do in the age of Coronavirus? In a recent blog post, Salmon shares her experience. “Back in the day, reviewing restaurants was easy,” she reflects. “We would drive to the location, be seated, take pictures, tip, and toodles—go home. Those were the days where we could invite a friend to come along as our plus one and linger in a restaurant for more hours than necessary. They were great, right?”
“If that feels like it was ages ago, remember it’s only August and those good ol days happened in February,” she adds, jokingly. “What changed five months ago has only led us to days where there’s no end in sight for the pandemic and we may be diving further into it. I would love to say that I’m comfortable dining out in Los Angeles like it was first quarter 2020, but I’m not. I follow the news too closely and I work in a hospital, neither of those are quelling any fear about being in public. The challenge is that I still want to review restaurants because it makes me happy. At a point, I realized that I missed photographing food and being in the creative culinary space. While COVID isn’t changing just yet, how I’m reviewing restaurant has.”
One huge change is where she actually eats – taking her work home rather than sharing her restaurant experience. “If you caught that I didn’t mention eating in the restaurant, you would be right!” writes Salmon. “I suggested that you photograph the plated food, box it up, tip, and that was it. Yep, after you tip you bounce with your food, head home, and eat it there.” Her candid, down-to-earth approach when it comes to reviewing food, is a breath of fresh air for those of us looking for a silver lining in the pandemic.
Her reviews often include photos of the restaurant’s interior, along with a detailed description of her dining experience. You’d want to check her out:
