Pete Wells Defends Star System And More News

The Daily Meal's Media Mix brings you the biggest news around the food world.

Pete Wells on Star System: After the LA Times dropped the star-rated system for their restaurant reviews, Pete Wells took to Diners Journal to argue on behalf of stars in the Times. "If you understand that the stars accompany a review of at least 1,000 words, I hope you'll believe that they do have meaning," he writes. [NY Times]

Girl Scout Cookies Served as Cupcakes: Although mommy bloggers have been doing this for ages, two New York restaurants are now serving cupcakes made from Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs, plus a Thin Mint shake. [Grub Street]

Are Kids Becoming Too Germaphobic? Sure, the five-second rule might be bust, but do our kids need to know that? It seems like a ton of parents have kids who are too concerned with germs. [Boston Globe]

Restaurant Diners Are Just Like Babies: A mother and former waitress shares how a toddler is just like a restaurant patron — "demanding, impatient, needy as hell and possibly constipated." [Jezebel]

Starbucks Gets a TV Ad: The coffee chain's first TV commercial is airing in the U.K. now, a shift in their normally social media-dominated marketing strategy. [BusinessWeek]