Letter to the Editor: Review Rebuttal

I have read the article published by your paper (March 23, 2006) regarding MACONDO’S CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT. The article is full of inaccuracies and it seems that the author was not well informed at all. Let me begin by saying that Macondo’s is a well known restaurant in the city by students, tourists and locals. We have been in business for three years and our clientele is growing every day. The service is always prompt, no matter if there is a waiting line at the door. Our menu is one of the most varied menus in the city, giving choices for everyone, even for the “picky” eaters. The food is always freshly cooked on premises. The author complained that the chicken might have been from earlier in the day; I tell you that if you are baking more than 50 chickens a day, then you need to start early. The author complained that no rice came with the fish; well he had the choice of soup or salad and one side, which could have been rice. The author had wrong information regarding the prices. The prices of the entrees begin at $7.95 and the more expensive item in the menu, a beef filet with shrimp and garlic cream sauce, is $19.95. Now, please tell me where in Harrisonburg you can get these prices. Moreover, we have a Tapas menu with price range from $2.25 to $7.25. It seems that many students do not mind paying the food price in chain restaurants, but when it comes to an individually owned one, it is tough to pay the price.

In the past three years we always have welcomed the EMU community and we have been supporters of many of their activities. We feel that the present article does not do justice to the quality of Macondo’s and that the author was not well informed. To put things in perspective, an article was written in the Weather Vane issue of September 11, 2003 and we got great reviews (4 out of 4). It can be said that as food critics change, so their tastes. I am asking of you, the editor, that next time an article is approved for print, to make sure that it is accurate and unbiased.