Round One of Counterpunch, a new weekly Calendar feature of commentary and opinion. Leaders in arts and entertainment and related fields will offer their perspectives on vital issues of the day and their responses to columns and reviews. : Restaurateurs Give a Second Opinion and a Third, Fourth

“I do not resent criticism, even when, for the sake of emphasis, it parts for the time with reality,” wrote Winston Churchill in 1941. We couldn’t agree more. Criticism is healthy when properly directed. If we thought La Serre were perfect, we wouldn’t strive to improve it daily. We expect restaurant critics to be tough and professional--and to be fair. And to do their homework.

We believe that the goal of criticism is to leave the person criticized with the feeling that he or she has been helped, not just attacked. La Serre and the two other restaurants singled out for re-review because they had so many “defenders” looked like they were worked over by piano movers, not reviewed.

Why use belittling phrases that do nothing to tell the reader what a restaurant is really like? Does describing our French dinner roll as a “mealy bit of bread” intentionally create the impression that this “bit of bread” would be rejected by a homeless person? That hungry pigeons wouldn’t give it a peck? Shouldn’t a professional critic give the reader a more educated view?

Reichl says she was instantly suspicious of having been spotted in La Serre. “Why are they being so good to us?” Why be suspicious of hospitality? If a critic prefers anonymity, why write about owners and chefs of other restaurants as if they were relatives?

Next were the “sad croutons.” Where does one get happy croutons? What about the salad itself? How was the vinaigrette? Was the lettuce fresh? Was it crisp? Why not tell us what is wrong with the croutons, so that we can correct the taste or the size or whatever it is that is making them “sad.”

“Soupe au pistou is just an unimpressive puree of vegetables.” Perhaps Reichl had something else. The pistou at La Serre is made with chopped vegetables and basil.

The foie gras was “skimpy”? Just how thick does foie gras have to be in order to be “up to snuff,” as Reichl says?

The rose sorbet tasted like “iced perfume.” Wrong again. If Reichl had asked, she would have discovered that the sorbet is not made with concentrate, but by marinating fresh rose petals. It has a very subtle taste, like the fragrance of a rose.

Although La Serre has been open for 16 years, it appears that Reichl has never been here prior to this year. Is this because La Serre is a Valley restaurant? We raise this point since no Valley restaurant was among her Top 40 selections. Is this a Valley of substandard palates or a critic who is not aware that the Valley is part of Los Angeles?

We thought seriously about the “what ifs” before responding to Reichl’s article. We decided that the intelligent restaurantgoer doesn’t judge a restaurant by the shortcomings of one busboy . . . or the review of one critic.