Leave it to Michael Landrum, the self-proclaimed “Improprietor” of Ray’s the Steaks, Ray’s the Classics, and Ray’s Butcher Burgers, to post this love note to Tom Sietsema after the Washington Post critic’s recent dust-up over a First Bite review of the Commissary:

The one thing that doesn’t make sense to me about this whole thing is what was Tom doing dating someone from Logan Tavern/Merkado/Grillfish in the first place? I mean, isn’t that a little like Louis Menand dating Danielle Steele? Or Pauline Kael dating Michael Bay? (Don’t get me wrong, Danielle Steele and Michael Bay are very successful at what they do and very good at their craft, but imagine how the conversation would go when Michael Bay has a new movie out…”So, honey, seen any good movies lately? No? Well, what should we go see? You know, I heard about this really good new movie that just came out. It’s a provocative, insightful, layered post-modern hommage to a classic Hollywood masterpiece. Except instead of a dark, wild, disturbing projection of our deepest psycho-sexual fears and un-tamed longings in the form of a giant ape named Kong, it’s got cars that turn into giant robots from outerspace…Whaddya mean you won’t see it…You never want to go to ANY of my movies…I’ll be on the couch.”

Not that I’m jealous or anything, but if Tom really wanted to date someone in the restaurant business, would it have hurt him to at least call?