Food critic
Encyclopedia
The terms food critic, food writer, and restaurant critic can all be used to describe a writer
who analyzes food or restaurant
s and then publishes the results of their findings. While these terms are not strictly synonymous they are often used interchangeably, at least in some circumstances. Those who share their opinions via food column
s in newspapers and magazines are known as food columnists.
is often described as a food writer/editor, who in the course of her career served as the "restaurant critic" for The New York Times
and for the Los Angeles Times
. R.W. "Johnny" Apple
was also described as a food writer, but never served as a designated restaurant critic. Nonetheless, he wrote frequently about restaurants as he traveled in search of good eats. Calvin Trillin
writes a great deal about food (among other things) and has been known to write occasionally about specific restaurants, e.g., Arthur Bryant's
and Diedee's. But restaurants figure less prominently in his writing than in Apple's. Finally, Richard Olney
was also a noted food writer, but rarely if ever wrote about restaurants.
Food critics and "restaurant critic" are synonyms, in practice, although there is still a distinction to be made. Both suggest a critical, evaluative stance that often involves some kind of rating system. The distinction, if any involves the range of possible investigation. "Food critic" has a more contemporary vibe, suggesting that restaurants, bakeries, food festivals, street vendors, and taco trucks are all fair game. Jonathan Gold, of the L.A. Weekly, exemplifies this trend. "Restaurant critic" is the more traditional title and can connote a more restricted sphere of operations — traditional restaurants, with perhaps those serving French cuisine
being the examplars. The change in practice, if not in terminology, is often attributed to Reichl's arrival at The New York Times, replacing Bryan Miller. In a series of well-documented incidents, Miller complained that Reichl was, "...giving SoHo noodle shops 2 and 3 stars" and destroying the rating system that had been built up by Craig Claiborne
, Mimi Sheraton, and Miller.
in the United States. The ephemeral nature of radio and television has meant that very few food critics have used this medium effectively (as opposed to chefs who have used all media to great effect). An example is the BBC's The Food Programme. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has also used both broadcast media and print to concentrate on food production rather than presentation, starting a new column in The Guardian
in September 2006.
Restaurant critics range in their approach to writing from the acerbic (such as A. A. Gill from London), to the witty/humorous (such as Terry Durack from "The Independent on Sunday") to the "been there done that" approach of Ruth Reichl of Gourmet and formerly of The New York Times. Other notable critics include Patricia Wells of the International Herald Tribune
, who writes knowledgeable and perceptive articles about food and restaurants and who occasionally uses the sword rather than her usual suave style. Another was R. W. Apple, Jr., from The New York Times, who wrote long, thoughtful articles about his travels throughout the world in search of great food. Brad A. Johnson in Los Angeles is the only American restaurant critic to win both the coveted James Beard Award and the Le Cordon Bleu
World Food Media Award for restaurant criticism.
Then there are myriad regional food critics, ranging from Nancy Leson in Seattle, to Pat Nourse
in Sydney, and Stephen Downes and John Lethlean in Melbourne, who pen weekly and monthly reviews of the best of their respective cities.
More recently, a new generation of discussion forums and rating systems have become influential such as Mouthfuls, Yelp, and eGullet, as have some food criticism blogs like GrubGrade, The Impulsive Buy, Foodette Reviews and Robin Goldstein
's consumer-oriented website and book series Fearless Critic
.
Food criticism on the Internet has also allowed creation of shows with specific audiences, such as the frozen food
web show, Freezerburns
, hosted by Gregory Ng.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who analyzes food or restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s and then publishes the results of their findings. While these terms are not strictly synonymous they are often used interchangeably, at least in some circumstances. Those who share their opinions via food column
Food column
A food column is a type of newspaper column dealing with food. It may be focused on recipes, health trends, or improving efficiency. It is generally geared towards gourmets or "foodies". Since 1994, food writers have also written columns and blogs on the web...
s in newspapers and magazines are known as food columnists.
Terminology
"Food writer" is often used as a broad term that encompasses someone who writes about food and about restaurants. For example, Ruth ReichlRuth Reichl
Ruth Reichl - pronounced RYE-chil - is an American food writer, co-producer of PBS's Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, culinary editor for the Modern Library, host of PBS's Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth, and the last editor-in-chief of the now shuttered Gourmet magazine...
is often described as a food writer/editor, who in the course of her career served as the "restaurant critic" for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. R.W. "Johnny" Apple
R. W. Apple, Jr.
Raymond Walter Apple, Jr. , known to all as "Johnny", but bylined as R.W. Apple Jr, was an associate editor at The New York Times, where he wrote on a variety of subjects, most notably politics, travel, and food....
was also described as a food writer, but never served as a designated restaurant critic. Nonetheless, he wrote frequently about restaurants as he traveled in search of good eats. Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist.-Biography:Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and was a member of Scroll and Key before graduating...
writes a great deal about food (among other things) and has been known to write occasionally about specific restaurants, e.g., Arthur Bryant's
Arthur Bryant's
Arthur Bryant's is a restaurant located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is considered by many to be the most famous barbecue restaurant in the United States.-History:...
and Diedee's. But restaurants figure less prominently in his writing than in Apple's. Finally, Richard Olney
Richard Olney (food writer)
Richard Olney was an American painter, cook, food writer, editor, and memoirist, best known for his books of French country cooking....
was also a noted food writer, but rarely if ever wrote about restaurants.
Food critics and "restaurant critic" are synonyms, in practice, although there is still a distinction to be made. Both suggest a critical, evaluative stance that often involves some kind of rating system. The distinction, if any involves the range of possible investigation. "Food critic" has a more contemporary vibe, suggesting that restaurants, bakeries, food festivals, street vendors, and taco trucks are all fair game. Jonathan Gold, of the L.A. Weekly, exemplifies this trend. "Restaurant critic" is the more traditional title and can connote a more restricted sphere of operations — traditional restaurants, with perhaps those serving French cuisine
French cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
being the examplars. The change in practice, if not in terminology, is often attributed to Reichl's arrival at The New York Times, replacing Bryan Miller. In a series of well-documented incidents, Miller complained that Reichl was, "...giving SoHo noodle shops 2 and 3 stars" and destroying the rating system that had been built up by Craig Claiborne
Craig Claiborne
Craig Claiborne was an American restaurant critic, food writer and former food editor of the New York Times. He was the author of numerous cookbooks and an autobiography...
, Mimi Sheraton, and Miller.
Notable food critics
For most of the past century, the most highly visible food critics have been those who have written for daily newspapers throughout the world and a few who have been restaurant reviewers for influential magazines, such as GourmetGourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....
in the United States. The ephemeral nature of radio and television has meant that very few food critics have used this medium effectively (as opposed to chefs who have used all media to great effect). An example is the BBC's The Food Programme. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has also used both broadcast media and print to concentrate on food production rather than presentation, starting a new column in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in September 2006.
Restaurant critics range in their approach to writing from the acerbic (such as A. A. Gill from London), to the witty/humorous (such as Terry Durack from "The Independent on Sunday") to the "been there done that" approach of Ruth Reichl of Gourmet and formerly of The New York Times. Other notable critics include Patricia Wells of the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, who writes knowledgeable and perceptive articles about food and restaurants and who occasionally uses the sword rather than her usual suave style. Another was R. W. Apple, Jr., from The New York Times, who wrote long, thoughtful articles about his travels throughout the world in search of great food. Brad A. Johnson in Los Angeles is the only American restaurant critic to win both the coveted James Beard Award and the Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu is the world's largest hospitality education institution, with 35 schools on five continents serving 20,000 students annually. Its primary education focus is on hospitality management and the culinary arts...
World Food Media Award for restaurant criticism.
Then there are myriad regional food critics, ranging from Nancy Leson in Seattle, to Pat Nourse
Pat Nourse
Pat Nourse is an Australian restaurant critic and food writer. He is currently employed by Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine as their chief restaurant critic and features editor. He also writes about Australia for the American food magazine Gourmet, and is the Australian member of the voting...
in Sydney, and Stephen Downes and John Lethlean in Melbourne, who pen weekly and monthly reviews of the best of their respective cities.
Food criticism on the internet
The internet has slowly become more important in forming opinions about restaurants. The first generation food sites such as Epicurious http://www.epicurious.com and Chowhound http://www.chowhound.com were created in the mid-1990s.More recently, a new generation of discussion forums and rating systems have become influential such as Mouthfuls, Yelp, and eGullet, as have some food criticism blogs like GrubGrade, The Impulsive Buy, Foodette Reviews and Robin Goldstein
Robin Goldstein
Robin Goldstein is an American author and food and wine critic. He is known for his offbeat academic papers questioning conventional wisdom in the food and wine industries, including a controversial exposé of Wine Spectator magazine...
's consumer-oriented website and book series Fearless Critic
Fearless Critic
Fearless Critic is a series of restaurant guides to US cities. The series was founded in 2003 and currently has eight restaurant guides—most notably Austin, Texas, Houston, Texas, Dallas, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and New Haven,...
.
Food criticism on the Internet has also allowed creation of shows with specific audiences, such as the frozen food
Frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved their game and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows down decomposition by turning water to ice, making it...
web show, Freezerburns
Freezerburns
Freezerburns is a frozen food review web show hosted by Gregory Ng. Calling himself the "Frozen Food Master," Ng eats and reviews various brands of frozen food, and assigns it a rating based on his opinion...
, hosted by Gregory Ng.
See also
- Culinary Arts
- List of James Beard Award winners for Best Restaurant Review or Critique
- Restaurant ratingRestaurant ratingRestaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...
- Food columnFood columnA food column is a type of newspaper column dealing with food. It may be focused on recipes, health trends, or improving efficiency. It is generally geared towards gourmets or "foodies". Since 1994, food writers have also written columns and blogs on the web...