Lazy criticism undermines New Orleans restaurateurs' efforts to restore the city

Nearly a year and a half after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans, the physical and psychological wounds remain, and the restaurant industry, which is vital to the region's tourism and culture, struggles to return to the vibrancy that it enjoyed before the storms. But the November issue of GQ magazine picked at the scab. A scathing survey of New Orleans restaurants and cuisine by writer Alan Richman continues to cause a contretemps on the Vieux Carre. The article tore into New Orleans, both culinary and culturally. Rebuilding one of America's jewel cities will require more than platitudes. The chef, cooks, waiters, hosts and owners are doing more than their share to rebuild the city. Americans should come to praise them, not to bury them.