Rant and Rave!

This week's rants and raves offer a smorgasbord of opinions. And speaking of food, we've stirred the pot with our review of a popular neighborhood eatery, while another reader gives four stars to a fine dining experience. Send your rants and raves our way at rantandrave@seattletimes.com or 206-464-3279.

— Tina Potterf, Seattle Times staff reporter

Do you want a side of sarcasm with that?

Thank you for bringing the terrible service and dubious quality of the food at the Maddox Grill (Seattle Times restaurant review, July 25, 2003) to my attention. I had been laboring under the delusion that I was getting first-rate food from a menu that presented dishes unavailable in most restaurants. I wasted precious fuel traveling from Ballard twice a week for many years to dine on what I now know was not fit for those of us who enjoy the status of royalty of the press. Thank you for striking a blow for the more deserving upscale downtown eateries.

Local favorite

My husband and I are residents of Richmond Beach and enjoy eating frequently at the Maddox Grill. In our opinion, your article was way off base. But we're glad that your article appeared so prominently. We can only hope that it will turn away the snobs and leave more room for us "locals" who so appreciate eating there.

Touching tribute

As a monthly traveler to Seattle to visit Boeing sites, I read The Seattle Times Web page at least two to three times per week. Patrick MacDonald's article about Bob Hope and Seattle combined two of my favorite subjects. Well written and much enjoyed!

I'll have what they're having

I would like to rave about the staff at the Pink Door at Pike Place Market for providing excellent customer service. My party and I enjoyed drinks and appetizers on the Pink Door's outside deck, on a warm busy night. They were perfectly content to let us take our time and enjoy the food, drink and song, provided by their fabulous roving opera singer.

Have you ever considered therapy?

Oh, get over it, people. So what if a Seattle Times movie critic doesn't like a movie that you did? They didn't. You did. Use reviews as constructive criticism. Read multiple reviews. Make up your own mind. Maybe a review will challenge your thinking. That's healthy. Discuss. Their tastes and life experiences are different than yours. If you need Seattle Times reviewers to like every movie you do, perhaps therapy should be considered.

Young starting to sound old

I have been a longtime fan of Neil Young and have enjoyed (for the most part) every time he has reinvented himself over the years. I just want to thank you for telling the truth. "Greendale" is exactly the dog you described. If this show was billed as Neil Young and Crazyhorse present "Greendale," a rock opera, I would have accepted it for what it was. Neil Young and Crazyhorse have always been feedback-driven, garage/grunge rock 'n' roll, not Bob Fosse meets O. Henry. I never want to pigeonhole someone as great as Neil Young, but "Greendale" was boring, vague and, at times, heavy-handed.