Kudos to Others!

Brad McCurtain, owner of Others in Monument Square, took issue with Brian Duff's description of his lemon bars as "sort of gummy and the crust was pasty," in a review of various desserts earlier this month (see "Treat Yourself," September 12).

But - in a move we find ourselves eager to encourage in other restaurateurs who disagree with our reviews - McCurtain decided not to call and complain, and didn't opt to write us a letter, either. Rather, he cheerfully stopped by our office bearing gifts.

Specifically, he dropped off a check for $6.31 to honor his business's money-back guarantee. (How expensive are these lemon bars, anyway?) And he dropped off some lemon bars as well as a few chocolate-chip bars - about a dozen in all.

The general verdict here is that they're quite good. So perhaps McCurtain was right, and Duff got one from "a bad batch." (UPDATE: After getting more feedback, the final verdict is much closer to Brian's original description.)

Either way, we'll give Others credit for McCurtain's courage and creativity.