Are the standards of Post food reviewer Tom Sietsema declining? Some local diners seem to think so. Sunday’s Post Magazine saw Sietsema give three stars to Etrusco, the five-year-old Italian restaurant in Dupont Circle. The three-star rating ranks Etrusco among the best restaurants in D.C., including CityZen, Le Paradou, Cashion’s Eat Place, and Palena. eGullet member “BilRus” was surprised by the rating: “A restaurant broke out of the two-star parade and we haven’t picked up on it … We’re slipping.” Other forum members were quick to point out the negative reader reviews of Etrusco in response to Sietsema’s piece, and their own negative experiences with the restaurant:

There were two fish on the menu, rockfish and snapper, prepared three or four ways (all sounded very good). We ordered wine and an antipasti while we decided. It wasn’t until the waiter came to take our order that he bothered to inform us that they were out of rockfish … about 15 minutes later the waiter returns to tell us they are out of snapper with no real apology. We were all dumbfounded that a place praised for its grilled fish had none on a Saturday night.

These aren’t the only sub-par reviews of Etrusco floating around. In March of 2003, The Hoya called Etrusco “not spectacular.” Jason of DCFoodies had a less than stellar meal there in 2004. Granted, these were amateur reviews written before new head chef George Vetsch came on board; Frommer’s gives the restaurant two out of three stars, and the Washingtonian has named it one of D.C.’s hundred best.

Notice the strong disconnect here between the opinions of professionals and amateurs? DCist wonders if owner Vince MacDonald is guilty of giving the pros preferential treatment. But Sietsema’s review is still a little baffling. Gritty chard that tastes “as if someone had forgotten to rinse it thoroughly”? That doesn’t seem like a sentence that belongs in a three star review, does it?

Image from Welcome Tuscany