...It's time for another edition of Adventures in Shilling, in which we fight shilling the best way we can, by shaming tasteless, unscrupulous shills into submission. Well, that's the plan, at least. Fight shills yourself by dropping offensive links to tips@eater.com.
This week, shilling has been kept down to a reasonable minimum and the Shilling Department hasn't had to deal with too many troublemakers. However, a few managed to sneak by, both in our comments and at the site of the serial offender, Citysearch. Here are some prime suspects from the last week:
We're not sure about the following comment touting DeRobertis over veniero's following the great DOH shitshow last week. It seems innocuous at first, but something about it (including the misspelling of the name) is a tad sinister: "I grew up with DiRobertis and it still has the best pastry, hands down. Veniero can't compare. Their cannoli is always fresh and is true sicilian. I have never understood everyone loving Veniero EVER. I'm glad it's closed, maybe now it will straighten up. Go across the street guys and have DiRobertis teach you a thing or two!"
Shill Probability: 45%There's been some new suspicious activity on the good ol' Islero post from months back, or as we like to call it here in the Shilling Department, the post that keeps on giving: "islero ROCKS!! The new chef Luis Gonzalez has the place under his spell. The new items on the Menu like the (whole fish) blow Chef Floyed out of the water. no pun intended lol midtown needed this place. Keep up the good work guys n gals ola'" There are three more as good if not better than this one.
Shill Probability: 82%
The following is just one of six straight up shameless shill on the Citysearch page for Bowery Wine Company: "The moment you walk in to the Bowery Wine Company you feel a sense of being a VIP even though the ambience is as comfortable as your own living room. The soft earth tones and subtle lighting make it a romantic and fun atmosphere suitable for an after work happy hour or a romantic date. The patio is perfect for a warm evening with friends or lovers (or both). Another upside to this wine bar is you won't be falling off your teak chair when you see the bill. Extremely reasonable prices for food and wine alike make this refined wine bar accessible to the common man as well as a place fit for the bourgeois."
Shill Probability: 98%
