re: Anybody listen to Tom Fitzmorris lately?

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Craig Claiborne's life.

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He was pretty drunk and bitter, and his health declined terribly.

It’s sad. I enjoy his show. Hope somebody can carry it on when he’s done.

I’m not familiar with who you’re speaking about

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I’m not familiar with who you’re speaking about

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Looked it up:

IAN MCNULTY

2ta

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Weren’t you the one that sent him an email about the HD radio thing?

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Yep, and I was right. He gets few callers now on weekdays (or so I've heard here.) I have only heard a total of about 30 minutes on the weekends since the switch.

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And it's hard to take his reviews of restaurants seriously when he gets compensated by some for advertising.

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I think he does a pretty good job of not flagrantly recommending sponsors when callers ask for a recommendation. To this point, though: Tom has a very limited knowledge of restaurants that have become good since Katrina. He hardly ever recommends Cochon, Herbsaint, Peche (does he have a grudge against Link?), Boucherie, etc. If someone calls in and mentions one of those places it's like it's the first time he has heard of it in decades and he suddenly remembers that it is very good.

You can tell he doesn't live in New Orleans because he only talks about dining in places in/around the CBD and Quarter. Hardly ever a mention of Clancy's, Carrollton Market, or Gautreau's on the show. He might be vaguely aware that places like N7, Red's, and Bratz Y'all exist, but I've never heard him mention them without a caller prompting him.

It might be his perception that all new restaurants are informal places that serve only small plates, his residence elsewhere, or just that his memory isn't what it was and he can more easily recall places he has patronized for decades, but he definitely gets into a rut of making the same few recommendations.

Edit: hungryone said it much better and more succinctly than I did. And does anyone know the caller Stephen who has a really affected Uptown accent and about whom Tom hints at extravagant wealth?

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He didn’t know what Blue Oak was until a month ago

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I remember that day. He finally was able to place it, but then said he hadn't made it there because it had only been open a few months.

Yeah, I don't listen to him on HD either, because I don't have an HD radio, no desire to get one, and our work network blocks streaming video and radio.

I do occasionally catch him on weekends. I haven't noticed any mental decline - probably don't pay close enough attention - but it's very clear he is very old school and very set in his ways. The only new places he seems to mention are the ones that pay for ads. Dining is evolving and he stays old school. For example... I have heard him rant multiple times about Uber Eats, Waitr, etc. I understand that eating food via Waitr is not the same as the restaurant... but it's still pretty darn good, and it helps the restaurants stay in business.

Times are different... not everyone can sit down in a restaurant every night.

That’s true