Critic Leslie Brenner Dressed Up Like a Mummy For a Review Meal

Halloween was two weeks ago, so there must be another reason the Dallas Morning News has a mummy and a pirate splashed on the front page of their online dining section, right? Ah yes — it's because Leslie Brenner oh-so-cleverly decided to make her second review visit to Proof + Pantry disguised in a Halloween costume, and the paper apparently found it so hilarious they decided to make that the focal point.

Following the recent, very public dispute in which Proof + Pantry owners Michael Martensen and Sal Jafar II attempted to comp the check from Brenner's first visit in order to prevent her from reviewing the restaurant, folks wondered whether or not the critic would walk away from the review. (Newspaper policy dictates that the critic must make at least two visits before filing a review.) Brenner affirmed a few days ago in an Eats Blog post that yes, she would indeed be reviewing Proof + Pantry. The whole situation isn't sitting too well with D's Nancy Nichols, who penned a post on SideDish today declaring that "Leslie Brenner has not only shed her shroud of anonymity, she has crossed the journalistic line she drew in the sand when she moved here almost six years ago."

Oh, and about that review: It's a rather middling three stars, with 300 of the 1300 words devoted to giving backstory as to why she felt the need to bust out a Halloween costume. That being said, Brenner seemed to enjoy the restaurant quite a bit, declaring it "a sexy, fun addition to One Arts Plaza." In the end, it seems like both Proof + Pantry and Brenner came out of the situation unscathed — the restaurant now has three mostly positive reviews under its belt, and Brenner's gotten herself a recent radio spot and PR representation to boot. (Now if only John Tesar would quit writing letters to her boss.)