Jonathan Gold is a fascinating man. He grew up in Los Angeles, where he listened to a lot of classical music and opera. He had an obsession for the cello. He also witnessed the riots in L.A. and saw tanks driving through the streets. Now he is known as the most well-known food critic of the city, but he also was present in the studio when Dr.Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg were making the hip hop classic Doggystyle. He won a Pulitzer price for his restaurant reviews and you could name him the Roger Ebert of the culinary world, a man who is able to describe the ideas, motivation and feelings behind a dish in almost a poetic way, simply by tasting it. He’s also the subject for this documentary, City of Gold.
Something which also stands out about Gold, besides his history, is the type of restaurants he writes about. He’s not a food critic who will head to the famous restaurants with their Michelin stars, but to the local ones. It might be a simple family run place which has specialised on one specific dish. After a couple of visits he writes what he thinks of it and when he loves a place it will greatly affect it. During this film the owner of a Mexican restaurant tells how she suddenly saw such an increase in customers thanks to Gold that she was able to expand.
The knowledge he has about food is something he learned when he challenged himself to have eaten at all the restaurants present on a street which stretches several miles. By doing that he didn’t only learn about the food, but also the people living and working there. It also meant that he ended up in some dangerous situations, various times. Something which you can clearly see in this documentary is that Gold loves food AND Los Angeles. He radiates it. During a trip by car he lovingly tells about all the restaurants they are passing. If you are planning a trip to L.A. you have to make sure you read his review, because you’ll be assured of great food and knowledge about the culture behind that delicious food. A wonderful documentary about an impressive critic.
