Bad Commenters Get Spanked: Outing the Village Idiot

Two days ago, I received a comment about Village Idiot -- a restaurant I like a lot -- that, had it been in print, would have probably qualified for libel.

"Bathrooms that were filthy... overflowing toilets... A 'chicken breast' plate that showed with leg, bone and skin all attached and a medium-well hamburger bloody and cold inside."

I'd just gotten back from Texas when this came in, so I didn't pay much mind. But props to Lesley Balla at Eater LA, who did. She noticed that in addition to the Knife, the identical sentiments appeared the same day on Citysearch, Digital Cities and five times on Chowhound.

For the uninitiated, this bears all the signs of an Antichrist shill alert  -- someone who makes outrageous claims to serve a personal vendetta. (Lesley puts her money on someone who's been screwed by a waiter, but I'm wagering a business deal gone bad.) And I quote: "The menu lacked imagination and truth." Yes, of course; would you like some veritas with your vino? I mean, who the hell says that?

I'll tell you who. According to the comment writer's i.p. address, it's someone at the Re/Max offices in Manhattan Beach. I've written "Carly" asking for comment.

Comments

[Not the commentator]

Pretty fucking weak. You need to do a little brushing up on your blogging etiquette. If you don't like a comment written on your blog, delete it, but posting IP addresses is worse behavior than badmouthing restaurants that you happen to like. Your evidence that this person didn't have a bad experience is slim to none.

How'd you like it if someone set up a blogspot page dedicated to what an insipid twit you are, and how worthless your blog is?

And I'll save you the trouble of checking: my IP address will trace to comcast in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

[Dana Harris]

Hi, Not.

Sorry, I don't buy it. While I don't make it a habit to track down ip addresses, I also don't have a habit of anonymous posting. ("No@no.com"?) And in this case, I didn't have patience for someone who could take the trouble to orchestrate a full-on attack without the courage to take responsibility for it. Blanketing blogs with the identical negative comment *is* evidence of an Antichrist shill, a practice even more obnoxious than the flacks who post identical rave reviews. And if someone wants to set up Theknifesucks.com, god bless them. I love The Bruni Digest.

[Milos]

Agreed with Not -
Your arrogance is astonishing; I would be hard pressed to find an individual who would agree with your side of this argument, though I appreciate your fairness in posting so resounding a trump... to your demise. Stick to slurpees and orange mocha frappacinos, miserablah.

[Dana Harris]

Thanks for writing, Milos. All opinions appreciated. And while I still have little patience for anonymous posters, I've already admitted I was wrong to go for the ip address.
(http://weblogs.variety.com/theknife/2007/04/remember_the_co.html)