The Fearless Critic is the definitive restaurant guide to the Houston area. Acclaimed critic Robin Goldstein has teamed with a secret panel of brutally honest undercover chefs to create a 528-page blockbuster of a book, fiercely independent, relentlessly opinionated, and exhaustively comprehensive. The critics dine incognito, accepting no free meals and no ads from restaurants. Prepare to be shocked by the results: this is a new breed of food writing.

The book includes more than 400 cheeky reviews, rigorous letter grades from A+ to D- (with no grade inflation), and helpful cross-referenced lists that cover every corner of Houston's vast dining scene, from the power steakhouses to the Tamale Man. It's an essential reference for anyone who eats out in the Houston area, from River Oaks to the Woodlands, Downtown to Chinatown.

Previous praise for Robin Goldstein's restaurant guides: "Pulls no punches...even icons get goosed" -Austin American-Statesman

"Talent for turning out zingers" -Boston Globe

"Scathing and scintillating" -New Haven Register

"Written with panache...compelling" -Jane and Michael Stern, columnists, Gourmet Magazine

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great gift, but take it with a grain o' salt
Comment: I loved reading about some of the restaurants I've visited for years and laughing out loud at the reviews. Most are spot on!

Then I used the book to guide me to some unexplored destinations and was hugely disappointed. Their #1 rated restaurant (no, I'm not mentioning it by name) delivered fois gras charred beyond recognition, staggeringly overpriced wine, annoying waitstaff and pointless valet parking. The book's best Thai vendor proved to be inaccessible to those of us who can't speak the language to the counter people at the back of the store, so why would the editors bother including it in the book without that crucial detail?

I've given this book as a gift to fellow Houstonians who appreciated and seemed to absorb it, but based on my lousy experiences with the authors' "A" grades, I wouldn't necessarily use it myself to make decisions on new places to try.

Last comment: It's been almost a year since the book came out which promised an "all-new" website with updated reviews, a global food blog, and a searchable restaurant database at [...]. That content is still not there, which hurts the credibility of Robin Goldstein and his otherwise entertaining guidebooks. If they eventually pull it off, MOVE OVER, Zagat!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Sophomoric not Fearless
Comment: While in theory it would be an amusing and informative read as the authors fearlessly critique Houston restaurants, I find it quite interesting that the authors reviewing the local restaurants are local chefs supposedly giving an impartial view of their neighboring restaurants. I disagree with the reviews of many restaurants in this book. Maybe it is an ax to grind with a former employer or ex coworker while giving the restaurants their buddies work in good marks? This book sorely misses the mark. Clearly these guys don't have much talent or they would be chefs/propietors of their own restaurants and wouldn't have to write this sort of stuff. For an impartial guide check out Zagat

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I agree with other reviews
Comment: I am the 4th to review this and agree with those who went before -- this is a very helpful guide with very detailed and well-written reviews. I disagree with a couple of the reviews of favorites of mine, but I can live with that. I also second the recommendation of the Houston Cheap Eats guide -- many more hole-in-the-wall places are reviewed there.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Every Houstonian Who Eats Out Should Own This Book
Comment: This is a terrific book and you need to buy it. Today. 'Nuff said.

I plan to give copies to everyone on my Christmas gift list this year.

I think every Houstonian who dines out regularly should ALSO own Mike Riccetti's "Houston Dining on the Cheap". Also terrific.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A revolutionary must-have restaurant guide for people who eat out in Houston
Comment: This book is shocking, funny and incredibly informative. I love to eat out and can't stand it when I am unhappy with the food or the service - especially if I've paid a lot. This book is my salvation with delightfully written, incredibly candid full-page reviews of hundreds of Houston restaurants. The chef-authors give irreverent and as they say, "brutally honest" reviews of restaurants that other reviewers seem to automatically praise. They reveal their favorite, often-not-on-the-radar, little (and not so little) restaurants, many of which I'd never heard of or had avoided. And so far, for the ones I've tried, they were right on the money. I'm so excited about finding this book. It is worth ten times the price they're charging. Avoiding one bad meal in an expensive restaurant will more than pay for the book. I'm so looking forward to trying the (many) restaurants that got good grades and will be happily avoiding those that didn't make the grade. I'm planning to give it to all my foodie friends for Christmas.

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