This Time magazine piece on Charlie Trotter's anniversary wingding last week doesn't disappoint, proudly hitting the cliche now required of all writing about Chicago's emergence as a culinary capital:

"And by coming to Chicago, they paid tribute to the city's transformation from a steak-and-potatoes no-man's land into a world-class hot spot for haute cuisine."

To which all I can say is, if it was a no-man's land, who was eating all that steak?

The writer, Steven Gray, also commits a classic sin of journalism shorthand--a venal offense, but a pet peeve all the same. To wit: "So the diners — retirees, corporate execs, lawyers and thin blondes in five-inch stilettos — went along for the ride."

Because everyone knows a thin blonde in fancy shoes can't possibly also be a lawyer.