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Dominic Armato

@darmato.bsky.social

2.3K followers 170 following 2.4K posts

Voice of Guybrush Threepwood. Homeless dining critic. Old-school community food guy. Influencer culture can get bent. Defender of pears. Cubs devotee. On the path of devolution back to Web 1.0.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · Nov 12

Howdy, all!

With BlueSky having a moment, here's a shameless request:  

If you live in AZ, care about restaurants, and like what you read below (or just enjoy pretty pictures and food talk), I hope you’ll consider helping me find like-minded folks by lending this a repost. Lemme 'splain... (1/9)

A bowl of Mexican caldo de res brimming with chunks of beef and vegetables.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 12h

Well, it was in response to a Phoenix influencer who was just caught extorting a bakery and has now become a (small) national news story. But the sentiment is universal. (And the format is, indeed, timeless.)

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 22h

The sweetness is waaaaay over the top by even the most liberal Italian standards, but if you apply good pasta techniques to it, it can be a really tasty dish.

Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 22h

I do an adaptation of this recipe. (Just One Cookbook is a great site for homestyle Japanese recipes):

www.justonecookbook.com/ketchup-spag...

Napolitan (Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti) ナポリタン

Need a family meal ready in 30 minutes? Try this easy Japanese Ketchup Spaghetti (Napolitan) recipe with bell pepper, mushrooms, and sausage.

www.justonecookbook.com

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 22h

It’s sautéed onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and sliced Kurobuta pork sausages (basically fancy little hot dogs) in a sauce that is literally Japanese ketchup (I stock Kagome just for this dish) with a little Worcestershire. It works shockingly well.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 22h

Nah, this is a really classic Spaghetti Napolitan, which is an itameshi (Italian-Japanese fusion food in Japan) dish that I think dates back to the ‘80s. Same little subgenre as dishes like mentaiko spaghetti and miso carbonara and such…

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

If you'd told 14-year-old me that Future Dom would sometimes cook and enjoy a pasta that is literally made with ketchup and hot dogs, I'd have told you to get the hell out of my dorm room.

A plate of Spaghetti Napolitan sitting on a cutting board.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Setting aside journalistic integrity, another reason I haven't betrayed the confidence of off the record comments. I might be disappointed or even angry that somebody won't go public with what they know. But it's their neck and their decision, not mine.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

So I call out behaviors, point out shady doings, illustrate how they operate in general to help people connect the dots. But when it comes to calling out *specific* people with a money trail, you usually have to wait for a restaurant to get fed up, say fuck it, and out them.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

And as they say at the paper, there’s a difference between what you know and what you can publish. I’ve got enough off the record comments to bury a pile of them. But if I violated that ethical standard, I’d be no better than they are.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

The general public is definitely ready to turn on the villain du jour. But the industry isn’t ready to relinquish access to the influencers who do shady shit if it’s to their benefit.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

The wrong call, in hindsight. Now I just lob grenades from the sidelines every now and again and wait for everybody to get to a point where they’re receptive to the message.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Considered writing a big, researched expose for the paper c. 2017 or so, started gathering info, but eventually decided that coming from me — at the time a big paper dining critic — it would play like Goliath trying to squash David. Especially since influencer backlash wasn’t a thing at the time.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

I have! And do! I spent years screaming about it a decade ago. Got tired of being the only person to do so.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

(Burying a “hosted” tag in the middle of a wall of tag salad or in a video’s text caption that nobody will ever see is a fig leaf. The intent and the effect is the same.)

Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Someone who takes cash or free food on the sly to post raves is just as devious, just as fake, just as self-interested, just as destructive, and just as worthy of your scorn.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

The problem isn’t the clumsy, ham-handed ones like this. The problem is that we ride people like this out of town on a rail, then turn right around and like and share and follow “good ones” who do stuff just ethically bankrupt out in the open, but with a smile.

Amy Donohue @thefabulousone.bsky.social · 1d

These influencers are bullshit. JL Patisserie is one of the best pastry shops in Arizona! (You've seen my pics!)
This food "influencer" is nothing more than a spoiled brat and I'm glad she's leaving AZ. GTFOH
www.12news.com/article/life...

Foodie feud: What’s behind the tension between a local bakery and influencer?

A James Beard-nominated chef and a Phoenix food influencer shared words after a viral video sparked debate over the role of influencers in small business reviews.

www.12news.com

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Anecdotal economic indicator: The Goodwill parking lot is more and more of a zoo every time I go to make drop offs.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Tired: Dragging nasty, mean influencers who get caught doing shitty, unethical things.

Wired: Dragging nice, friendly influencers who are doing shitty, unethical things right out in the open.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Star Trek is kinda going the way of the MCU and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

I remember the days when the Autodraft meant you got four QBs and a kicker in the second round.

Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

(Not too long after that, I decided I liked the theme song more than the show and gave up. Buncha dull as shit Boy Scouts crewing that ship. Golly gee willikers, let’s go explore some more space today! Aw, shucks, first contact sure is hard.)

Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 1d

Repeating an earlier post:

E1: “Whaaaaat is with is this theme music?”
E4: “Man, this song is annoying.”
E9: “OMFG, this is the WORST fucking theme song ever.”
E17: “WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I’VE GOT **FAITH**…. OF THE HEEEEEEEEART!!!!!!”

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Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 2d

Cue Vangelis.

Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 3d

letterboxd.com/dmnkly/film/...

A ★★★★ review of Tron (1982)

If I'm being honest, this is not a good film. I'm not being honest. 8-year-old me says this is the best. Seriously, though, if you set the visuals aside and take the story on its own, minus Bridges th...

letterboxd.com

Dominic Armato @darmato.bsky.social · 4d

Would you even know what to *do* with that?