DaFoodie

Ok! So… cue the “professional” interviewer bit! ahemm: “Today we’re chatting with Scott Joseph from Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide” (as if the image above didn’t give it away!) and boy does he have some interesting things to share about what he does. Read on!

Please give us a description of your blog

My flog - food blog - features restaurant reviews and news of local eateries, chefs and food trends, plus wine, beer and cocktails. In addition, the Web site features a full, searchable database of restaurants and archives of reviews, a Calendar of Events that lists upcoming wine tastings, seminars and food events, and a new feature: SJO Deals, where readers can purchase special restaurant gift certificates.

What do you do for a living? Is this your job, a hobby, etc.?

My full-time job title is Restaurant Critic, and it has been for nearly 23 years.

How did you first get into food blogging?

After 20 years as the senior restaurant critic at the Orlando Sentinel, I left to start my Web site. It was meant at first to be a more minor aspect of my venture, but it turned out to be a major project.

How long have you been working on this blog and about how much time to you spend blogging?

The site originally launched in August of 2008 as “Food. Drink. Other Stuff” and was indeed strictly a blog. The name soon changed to “Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide” (which was easier for Mr. Google to rank) and in April of 2009 became a full blown CMS Web site. I strive to publish at least one article or review every day, but there are other aspects of maintaining the site — keeping lists up to date, dealing with advertisers and graphics — that keep me occupied all day and most evenings. (Weekend? What’s a weekend?)

Do you have a favorite restaurant and/or dish?

The is one of the most difficult — and most common — questions a restaurant critic is asked. The definition of a favorite restaurant is one you frequent. But for a critic, going back to a restaurant I’ve enjoyed is a rare occurrence. Instead, I use my dining-out occasions to try something new. That said, current favorites include The Ravenous Pig, K Restaurant, Luma on Park, Rocco’s, Park Plaza Gardens, Logan’s Bistro, Bananas Diner…

Has being a food blogger change your experience at restaurants?

Going to a restaurant is work. I know, I know - there are worse gigs. It’s hard to convince people that when I’m dining out I’m constantly analyzing and observing. The people who dine with me know that at times I will mentally “wander away” from the conversation and pay attention to something going on in the restaurant or at another table. It’s impossible to pick up a menu without trying to dissect it.

Are there other topics you would want to blog about?

Travel. Actually, I do incorporate some of that in my Web site under Scott’s Travels, although mainly I focus on restaurants in the cities I visit. So far this year I’ve written about recent visits to New York, New Orleans, Chicago, London, Oxford, Stratford, Reims and Paris, and before the year is out I’ll add Vienna, Prague and Berlin.

What are your favorite blogs?

Pogue’s Posts (NYT) because I like gadgets; Times Topics, because I appreciate proper grammar and word usage; and Dick Cavett, because I love good writing and storytelling.

What advice would you give to out-of-towners looking to try the Orlando food scene?

Orlando has an undeserved reputation for being the capital of chain restaurants (actually, that would be London, but don’t get me started). That may have been true at one time, but we now have a rich array of independently owned restaurants representing a multitude of cuisines. If you get outside the tourist areas, you’ll find the places the locals eat, including those I mentioned above. But even if you’re stuck around the theme parks, you can still find great restaurants such as Victoria & Albert’s, Flying Fish Cafe, Emeril’s Tchoup Chop, Memories of India and lots of others. How do you find them? Visit my website, of course.

What’s next up in the queue for you? Any projects coming up that you’re particularly excited about?

I just published a paperback version of the book, available at Amazon.com, and I have an iPhone app that should be ready soon. And more eating and keeping tabs on the local restaurant scene.

Thanks so much Scott for being so generous with your time in this interview and for all the yummy eating you do for our fellow Orlandonians!