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[January 23rd, 2008]
Plagiarism can really ruin a meal.
Just ask the furious foodies and bloggers at portlandfoodanddrink.com about Stu Stein , the chef and owner of Terroir Restaurant and Wine Bar on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. They’ve collected another heaping round of allegations that Stein is plagiarizing websites and newspapers to find blurb-ilicious content for his own upscale Northwest restaurant’s website (terroirportland.com).
And their record shows he didn’t steal any old junk. Among many outrages, he looks to have plagiarized two of the nation’s most prominent restaurant critics—The New York Times ’ Frank Bruni and the San Francisco Chronicle ’s Michael Bauer—in hyping his own eatery.
One description on Terroir’s website nearly matches two sentences from Bauer’s 2006 review of a restaurant called Terzo. (To see that comparison and many more, as chronicled by WW critic Heidi Yorkshire and reported on portlandfoodanddrink.com by local writer Kevin Allman, see below or go to portlandfoodanddrink.com.)
“That’s funny,” Bauer told the Rogue Desk. “I guess I’m ambivalent. I mean, it’s very lazy and very unprofessional on his part.”
Stein didn’t return messages seeking comment, and his representative at Randall Public Relations didn’t either. The kerfuffle is just the latest serving of plagiarism accusations against Stein. As a guest writer for the Ashland Daily Tidings , in 2005, Stein was caught copying portions of Tami Parr’s Pacific Northwest Cheese Project blog. That same year, a news editor removed his radio show, Sustainable Kitchen, from Jefferson Public Radio after listeners said Stein’s commentaries mirrored material in blogs and food reviews.
Stein later moved to Portland, opening Terroir in June .
“That’s doubly egregious,” Bauer said when told that history. “I can see why people are so mad.”
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From the “about” section of Terroir website’s:
“It’s a copasetic blend of good design and focused intent.”
And: “A place that will convince you that small plates, civilized dining and reasonably priced food can coexist.”
»From Bauer’s June 2006 review of Terzo in the San Francisco Chronicle :
“Terzo is perfect for its Cow Hollow neighborhood, with a copasetic blend of good design and focused intent.”
And: “Terzo has renewed my enthusiasm, proving that small plates, civilized dining and reasonably priced food can coexist.”
Terroir’s site states that they “play [sic] clean, pure homage to nature’s remarkable bequests,” exactly the words used by New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni to describe chef Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Well, almost exactly the words: Rich wrote “pay homage,” not the nonsensical “play homage.”
»Seattle Times wine critic Paul Gregutt wrote that the expression of terroir comes “from an ongoing process of discovery, stewardship and passionate art,” a sentiment also found on Terroir’s own site.
»As Cascadia restaurant in Seattle describes itself on its own website, it is “a respite from the elements when cloudy and cool, a celebration when sunny and warm,” and “a place to enjoy the company of one or to share with many.” So says Terroir.
»At North Pond restaurant in Chicago, “We believe it important to link concern for sustainable cuisine to the pleasures of everyday fine dining.” They think the same thing at Terroir...exactly.
»At Taste restaurant, in the Seattle Art Museum, “We believe that we have the power and responsibility to make a true difference.” Terroir does, too.
Looks like Greg B. has very little company in his effort to circle the wagons. To answer your question though Greg B. about who cares, well certainly quite a few people care. The article in San Fransisco has generated plenty of response as has the discussion over at PFD... so yes it does matter and judging from Terroir being closed this evening and the fact Stu is hiding from the media and refusing to stand up and answer or accept responsibility for his restaurant and what goes on with it wether it be online or not... it would appear that even ol' boy Stu seems to sense that it MATTERS.
Greg B.
Yes, those reviews are copyrighted and it is plagiarism. The copyright symbol does not need to be displayed. You create it and its yours. As a freelance creative I know a little something about copyright and understand how it damages you when your work is "stolen" by others.
And you ignore that he has been caught in the past stealing others work.
Greg B: Mr. Stein has been let go before over this sort of behavior. Also, if the people he's plagiarized, including Michael Bauer (whose work in the SF Chronicle is surely owned by him or the paper) and Frank Bruni (NY Times; ditto) so choose, Stein can be taken to court. Having a medium (the web) where content is free -- a great, great thing -- does not mean it's yours to steal. You cannot go on my site, take an article I've written, and say you've written it. Well, you can, but I'm going to call you on it, and probably on said same web, and then let justice take its course, as is happening in the case of Stein.
Food Dude is reporting that Terroir has closed: www.portlandfoodanddrink.com/?p=114...
Ian/Nancy -
After spending some considerable time today, more than I'd actually like to admit, it appears that there has been a campaign to vilify Stu and Terroir since the doors opened last summer, or even before the first drink was poured. I just don't get the "why" though. I can't help but wonder if the "reviews" in PM, WW and the Tribune were part of some bigger plan. I'm saddened by this turn of events and, yes, Terroir's closing. I just know how much hard work Stu and his wife put into the operation. I don't know if these recent events have much, if anything, to do with the closing, but I think it's a loss to those who enjoyed a good meal at a fair price - and in an area that is starving for a decent restaurant as pointed out by Nancy's piece on 7/16/07. As for the allegations (and they are not insignificant) of plagiarism, any lawyer would tell you that liability and damages are two different concepts to consider when determining whether to bring suit. Here, I find it hard to imagine that the monetary damages, if any, are significant or worth pursuing. I'm sure if HCI or NYT legal staff thought there was a legal basis or an avenue to prove damages, something would have been done long ago. Rather, it seems like the local "in the know" folks had an agenda from the beginning. And yes, Ian, I am a lawyer, but you already knew that.
Greg,
I don't think there has been any "campaign" and I actually doubt that you truly believe that either. Or maybe you do?
In which case, I must highlight that it makes you sound crazy. You say "I can't help but wonder if the "reviews" in PM, WW and the Tribune were part of some bigger plan."
What do you mean here? That these publications and the online community arranged and conspired with malice a 'bigger plan" to take down Terroir?
Give me a break.
Signing the lease on that poor poor location was the beginning of the end for Terroir. The French Laundry couldn't make that corner fly.
Truth -
You may be right about the location, but Terroir should have been given a chance on the merits of the food, not what was in print on the website. The reality is that Terroir wasn't about the website content - it was about the menu offerings. This is why I question the objectivity (even now) of the reviews. I think it was or must have been difficult, if not impossible, for those journalists to separate the past from the task at hand - an honest critic of a new restaurant. Bad and poor reviews do have an impact - I doubt you'd disagree.
Greg B wrote on the wall in glittering crayon "and in an area that is starving for a decent restaurant as pointed out by Nancy's piece on 7/16/07."
*cough* toro bravo *cough*
he had his chance, if his food and resturant rocked this would all be overlooked. he should have kept his trap shut and let the food do the talking. but no he couldn't. couldn't keep off the internet, and didn't have the intellectual chops to pull it off. so he plagarized, appears he also plagarized much of his food. but being discovered as a plagarist didn't cause his resturant to shut down.
I can't say first hand, but all my food friends advised against going to Terrior exactly because the food wasn't that good. It is all personal preference, but what I heard was not good. It was reinforced every time I drove past on my way to dinner some where else, and Terroir sat empty.
Greg, one other point. As a creative myself, I understand that monetary damages my not be worth pursuing. That doesn't make Stein any less of a slime ball for stealing the other writers words nor minimize what he did.
Even if the reviews were unjustly tainted, he created many of his own problems by plagiarizing, not only now but in the past. Sorry but I have no sympathy for him.
"Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters." - Albert Einstein
I read his food blog and he certainly talked the talk when it comes to running a restuarant - bad mouthing his staff, blaming his PR firm, pointing the shame finger everywhere except where it should have been aimed...the center of his own chest.
It seems to me that the restaurant failed for typical reasons (food, location, etc). Using short phrases to describe your own restaurant, which were coined by others to describe restaurants in a different city--big deal! I think a few people who spend their days online focused on creating silly controversies made this more of an issue than it really is.
Greg B. = Stu Stein?
Stuart -
The answer is "no." I'm sure WW can and will confirm. I have no "ghost" writers. Take care.
First, who cares if Terroir used similar or identical phrases from other reviews or newspapers for it's website content - are the reviews or other websites even copyrighted? I noticed Terroir's was not. Second, where is the proof, not conjecture, that Mr. Stein was the one actually responsible for the content - maybe it was someone working with or for the PR firm or the website design firm. And third, with the less than glowing review in November, and now this, it raises valid concerns as to the objectivity of Ms. Yorkshire's earlier rant - I mean, review. And what is the real reason why Mr. Stein is in your cross hairs anyway? Find a different cause and write about something that really matters.