Crave DFW Comes Clean About Comped Meals

The latest chapter in Doylegate may have been written at least in part by Steven Doyle himself, the man behind the newly controversial Crave DFW food and nightlife blog.

Doyle's the recent subject of a D Magazine article that called his ethics and writing skills into question--he had a habit, a serious one, of not revealing when meals and drinks have been comped--while simultaneously highlighting his deep love of, and sometimes VIP status in, the Dallas food scene. Doyle was unhappy with the piece, which he called "mean-spirited and odd," but D food critic Nancy Nichols defended it yesterday on SideDish (she didn't write the original piece) saying, "Doyle is a cheerleader masquerading as reporter and he is setting a dangerous precedent for food bloggers following his lead." Her blog post drew 117 passionate comments.

Today, finally, a post called "Who We Are," authored by "Crave Staff," appeared on the blog. It reads, in part:

Recently we have been under fire for not disclosing comped meals. We do get invitations to restaurants on occasion to sample a new menu, or perhaps an invitation to an establishment opening soon. We admit there has not been a clear distinction in the past which might be gratis and which we paid for. We will do better to draw those lines.

The Crave staff also says their policy of only writing positive news and reviews helps things stay on an even keel: "There are plenty who can draw negative conclusions for most anything, thinking that brings with them a sense of balance. We like to think we balance out those people."

· Who We Are [Crave DFW]
· D Profiles the "Insatiable Steven Doyle" [-EDFW-]
· All Steven Doyle Coverage on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]

The D profile of Doyle started off at the Grapevine, and it was downhill drama from there. [Photo: The Grapevine Bar/Facebook]