Q. It's very hard to describe food. Are there adjectives that you are guilty of using and re-using? And conversely, are there words you refuse to use, just cause they're either your pet peeves, or they're over-used? And extrapolating, what are trends in food reviewing of late that you absolutely hate?

— Beth, Santa Monica, CA

A. I’m sure if I ran a word-frequency program over all my reviews to date I’d be mortified by how many dishes were rich, or fragrant, or aromatic, or delicate, or gentle, or crisp, or crunchy. But you’re right to sense that some repetition is unavoidable. I try to stick to short and unobtrusive adjectives whenever I can. I could probably describe a serving size as “large” once a week without anyone noticing, but I doubt I could get away with “brobdingnagian” more than once in a lifetime. If that. I try to stay away from industry jargon, like "price point" instead of prices or "cocktail program" instead of cocktails. There are a few adjectives that just make my skin crawl, like sinful. The Times would probably frown on orgasmic, with good reason.

Q. Manhattan and now Brooklyn monopolize the restaurant columns. Are there no review-worthy eateries elsewhere? When's the last time anyone can recall a dining establishment in the Bronx being assessed? Yes, Manhattan is the overwhelming favorite for discerning dining, with Brooklyn closing fast, but those who choose to dine north of the Harlem River must certainly have more options than are covered thus far, as is the case with Queens and Staten Island too. Thoughts? Thank you!

— Dennis Appleton, Madison, WI (and often NYC)

A. There are review-worthy restaurants all over the city, without question. I’m going to get to more of them as I continue to settle into the job. The Bronx has been a big blind spot for me, admittedly, as has Staten Island, although I’m keeping lists for both boroughs and I hope to do better next year. I reviewed two restaurants in Queens this year and will certainly find others that deserve a review in the coming months. I may even leave the city limits from time to time.

Q. Do you think we in America have taken the food culture too far where we care and think too much about eating and making really great and unique food? I have read some critiques making this point and was wondering your thoughts.

— Dan, Washington, D.C.

A. I’ve read a few of those criticisms, too, and I have found them as puzzling as their authors seem to find food culture. They tend to start well, because they’re mocking the excesses of people who take food too seriously. It’s easy to mock people who take anything too seriously. That’s why mockery was invented.

But when the mockery ends, the pieces I’ve read eventually grow indignant at the very idea that people care about something as insignificant as pleasure. Pleasure is only insignificant if you’re not having any, and I have started to suspect that the people who write these critiques are just upset because everybody else is having too much fun. And then I start to feel sorry for them, and want to send them a dozen cookies from Beurre & Sel in the Essex Street Market. But then I decide that cookies would be wasted on people who don’t know how to have a good time.

Q. What are the economics of a restaurant review? Sometimes a reviewer goes back to an expensive restaurant multiple times. If The Times is paying the freight, the resulting review requires well over a $1,000 in out-of-pocket costs. How is that outlay justified, or how does The Times view that outlay?

— Jack Siegel, Chicago