Beautifully described restaurant review

After being unable to get a meal at either of the pubs by his guest house in St Bees, Bill Bryson writes*

"So I walked into the village where there was one other option, a bistro called Lulu's, and I dined there. I don't know quite what to say other than that the food was beautifully described on the menu."

I must have been really something for Bryson to be stumped for words!

* Bill Bryson 'The Road to Little Dribbling - More Notes From a Small Island'

[Robin Garr]

I think he is damning with faint praise ...

Not sure about the last three words

In a book full of nuggets its that sentence that I keep coming back to.

Would it mean the opposite if he put described beautifully instead of beautifully described. Would described beautifully imply the food on the plate matched the menu description, whereas [i]beautifully described[/] means that it didn't.

It's a most readable book, an American's view of Britain and our quirks that delight or irritate him.

http://www.lulusbistro.co.uk/lulus-bistro-menu/

Well found Dale !

The links from the home page don't work as the restaurant closed Feb 2016

Not sure about the last three words

.
Peter, the phrase "to damn with faint praise" means to offer modest praise for something minor instead of saying anything about the important parts. So, here, he has praised how well-written is the menu and not how well-cooked or tasty or appealing or memorable is the food... which is nominally the main concern about a place to eat, yes?

[Jenise]

Agree with Jeff. It's not the "beautifully described" part you must pay attention to, it's the "I don't know what to say" part. Clearly (to me, anyway), the food was nothing like what he expected it to be, and not in a good way.