CITY OF GOLD (Laura Gabbert). 96 minutes. Opens Friday (April 1). See Listing. Rating: NNN
Laura Gabbert’s documentary love letter to Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold is a little bit too adoring.
The Los Angeles Times contributor is credited with redefining the way people read about food. Instead of covering the fancy-schmancy restos that movie stars love, he finds little holes-in-the-wall specializing in wildly diverse cuisines, introducing his readers to neighbourhoods they didn’t even know existed.
It’s kinda fun going along with Gold while he makes his way to apparently nondescript malls to eat dishes from remote areas of China, Mexico and Korea. And he definitely does love his city.
But let’s get real. He’s a lovely guy and everything, but he’s not a god. His editors talk about him as if he’s the first writer to have an original idea, while chuckling at his inability to meet a deadline. Is this supposed to be an admirable trait?
The whole thing made me miss NOW’s late food writer Steven Davey, who, by the way, did everything Gold does – and met his deadlines.
