Was Keith Lee’s visit to Washington, D.C., a debacle? Eh, not really.
OPINION: Now that restaurant kingmaker Keith Lee has moved on from the nation’s capital, we can assess his assessment of D.C.’s food scene.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Debacle is one of my favorite words in the English language. It sounds so expressive and descriptive. Like, you don’t need to know the definition of “debacle” to know that shenanigans were present; it sounds like shenanigans were present. But let’s look up the definition anyway. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, a debacle is a noun that means, “a great disaster or a complete failure; a fiasco.” Fiasco is also another of my favorite words, for similar reasons.
For discussion of what happened when Keith Lee showed up in Washington, D.C., I like the “great disaster” definition, because to call it anything other than that would be obtuse. Keith Lee is, of course, the viral food critic (“critic” does A LOT of work in that title, but Keith Lee does reviews and those reviews impact restaurants) whose positive stamp can change the fortunes of a food establishment, seemingly overnight. The “Keith Lee Effect” is a real thing. And we know it’s a real thing not only because of the videos we see of restaurant owners being super happy when he shows or the lines around corners we see on social media after he’s put his stamp on a spot but because of the videos we see of store owners pleading for him to come check them out, hoping to get that stamp of approval.
I’m a fan of Keith Lee. I think what he does is great. He understands the power that he has and seems like a truly genuine cat for whom fame (and presumably fortune) has come, and he’s using his tremendous platform to help out others. That pendulum also swings the other way. When Keith Lee went to Atlanta, well, he basically set the city on fire with his observation and criticism of the seemingly random and nonsensical rules he encountered at several Atlanta establishments. He hit a nerve, too; all of a sudden he ignited a conversation about Atlanta’s food scene. Do you know how much influence you have when you drop a video that says, effectively, “Atlanta’s restaurants are trippin’” and it launches a flood of videos, think pieces, beefs and responses? Most influencers can only hope to ever matter that much.
So, as you can imagine, when Keith Lee showed up in D.C., the possibilities were endless, good or bad. I’ve lived in D.C. for over 20 years at this point. I’ve eaten at a plethora of restaurants, both popular and hole-in-the-wall. I think D.C.’s food scene is … fine … but I don’t know that anybody is coming to D.C. because of the food, unlike, say, New Orleans. When I go to New Orleans, I think about eating. When I think of D.C., I think of brunch. And bottomless mimosas and stumbling down U Street on Sunday afternoons with the homies. I think of drinking.
A lot.
If you live and work in the city, you probably do, too. I’m sure you’re also hungry but you’re probably thinking of the drinks you will drink with the food you’re going to eat. Keith Lee seemingly noticed the same thing. He pointed out in an early video that D.C.’s restaurants seemed to be geared towards alcohol, which made it difficult for him because he doesn’t drink. Now, I think that synopsis is both right and wrong. A lot of D.C. restaurants do have amazing drink menus. But I have also never been like, “Man, there’s too much alcohol in here but nothing to eat.” Has food been underwhelming at some of those places? Absolutely. But it was available. Admittedly, I busted out laughing when he said, “I don’t drink so … I’m hungry.” He gets a 9.5 for comedic timing on that one.
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Well, that commentary pissed off a lot of people who felt like he just didn’t know where to go or had been led astray. Maybe even run amuck. And it began the conversation about Washington, D.C.’s food scene. Now, look, I understand being defensive and protective about your city and its culture, but he was making an observation based on his experience, and I can’t fault him for that. Maybe he went to the wrong spots, but ALL of the wrong spots? Eh, unlikely. Well, some people think he’s right. Others think he’s trippin’ and needs to keep D.C.’s name out of his mouth.
People are hilarious. Especially because while most people I know don’t complain much about the food scene here, everybody I know drinks like a fish at the places they’re eating and only on rare occasions trumpet the food as the kind of eating that must happen on repeat occasions. Point is, though, people were critical, and Keith heard and responded to the criticisms, pointing out that he’d been to about 12 restaurants but could only post a few of them because of the quality of the food and/or service at most of them.
He said he wouldn’t name names but he shared pictures, which is basically the same thing in the internet age, and a few restaurants caught strays — Oohs and Aahs and Soul Wingz, in particular — and had to respond, which was funny because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single soul say a positive thing about Oohs and Aahs; most of us have stories that involve varmints. But I ain’t one to gossip so you ain’t heard that from me.
There were some success stories, for the record. Jerk-At-Nite and Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant got understandably stellar reviews (I can vouch for both, but y’all don’t care) from Keith Lee and his family, and well, there are videos of lines at Jerk-At-Nite that are absolutely insane. And he did post several other spots he went to.
So, was Keith Lee’s visit a debacle for the city’s food scene? Probably not. At least not in the way that it seemed to have turned Atlanta upside down. I think his observation about the food scene of the city, while critical, was fair. Especially for the kinds of spots he’s going to. Keith Lee isn’t hitting up the Michelin star-rated restaurants; he’s going to places that maybe need exposure or where he’s been told the wings and comfort foods are exemplary. He’s going to the kinds of places that, let’s be real, also could use a boost from an actual influencer who puts his stamp on the spot, not the kind of place where his review won’t be respected. He’s culturally attuned with his impact and where it can do the most good. I do wish he hadn’t posted pictures of a restaurant he didn’t actually visit to make a point about the quality of food in the city.
I also think, though, that most of us in D.C. are just fine with our food scene. There are plenty of restaurants we can go to to get really good, well-seasoned food. Keith Lee hit up a few of them. And considering how expensive this city is and how draining it can be working in a city that runs on political Kool-Aid, we all kind of need to drink. A lot. The city’s restaurants, maybe, cater to the city’s residents. Also, you can eat just fine if you DON’T drink; everybody isn’t a drinker — you can still find good eats in the city. And there are others where the food underwhelms but who cares when you’re tossing back French 75s with the squad?
I’m glad Keith Lee came to D.C. and incited all of these group chat and Facebook conversations about our food culture. I will always love it when D.C. gets shine in a national capacity of any type. If restaurants feel a need to make changes, fine. If not, that’s fine, too.
Folks eat every day, b. And in D.C., apparently, we also drink. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. So come on and get this bottomless mimosa.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).
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