This Time, Just a Spoonful of Critique

By Sam Strike

Mike Madaio used to be an anonymous restaurant critic whose website Main Line Dine filled a niche in giving press, some of it critical, to restaurants in the western suburbs of Philadelphia.

Now the Radnor High School alum is changing the course of his focus, cutting back some of his critique and letting the world (or at least the Main Line) know who he as he explores the artisanal food movement.

“It’s a way to share my favorite things,” the Paoli resident told Radnor Patch about his new venture Small Food, described as “a guide to small food artisans, growers and markets on Philly’s Main Line and Western ‘Burbs.” The website designer also runsPennsylvania Vine Company, which focuses on “wine writing from a PA perspective.”

Madaio started Main Line Dine back in a time when many restaurants did not have their own web sites and the Main Line eateries did not get as much publicity as they do now. It was also a time in his life when he was eating out a lot, he said. “It was getting a lot of traffic. People were looking for information on these restaurants. It was a lot of fun so I kept doing it,” Madaio said.

While he maintained his anonymity, Madaio said the site was not meant to publish harsh reviews of restaurants. “I really just wanted to share good experiences with people. If someone wasn’t providing good value I wanted people to know that, but I wasn’t taking pleasure in it.”

Unlike Main Line Dine, Small Food’s editors and contributors will not write reviews of local businesses, according to a press release on the new website. “Instead, they’ll utilize a system of “Editor’s Picks” that will indicate favorite artisans, farmers and markets to readers. In addition, regularly-published feature articles will profile business owners, comment on local food news, and cover other related topics of interest.”

Items currently on the website’s home page include The Great Pesto Challenge and  Di Bruno Brothers Private Tasting.  "It's for people who like food and for people who are interested in finding new foods," Madaio said.

“There’s been this groundswell of small, artisanal food producers that's been slowly growing over the past few years that [excites] the heck out of me,” Madaio in a statement on Main Line Dine’s homepage. “In my humble opinion, this is where the exciting, innovative stuff is happening in the local food scene, and what I want to talk about, read about, write about.”