Restaurant critic is limiting.
Food critic gives you the opportunity to write about all sorts of things.
That's one thing I love about my job.
Food involves politics and health and the economy and there's just — it's unlimited
what you write about.
This is not exactly how you look.
This is not exactly how I look.
Correct.
I still think the element of surprise is really important to what I do, and if they know I'm
going to be coming, they can set things up in a way so I'll have a better experience,
perhaps, than I otherwise would.
How did you wind up here at the post with one of the most successful and loved/feared
sections of the newspaper?
I graduated, I was waiting to take the Foreign-service exam, and one of my professors at Georgetown
who took a shine to me said, hey, if I can ever help you out, let me know.
He was an investigative reporter at the "Washington Post" and worked for Bob Woodward and got
me a job there as a copy boy.
About a year into this job, both the food critic and Bob Woodward were looking for assistants.
I love to eat.
I follow the restaurant reviews at the "Washington Post," and the critic was the much feared
Phyllis Richmond.
So I applied for both jobs.
I got a very nice thanks but no thanks from Bob Woodward, and Phyllis Richmond became
my boss.
That job entailed answering phones, dealing with angry readers, or happy readers and testing
the bulk recipes of the food section, so that was really my cooking background.
When you go to a restaurant, if you're going to, say, a new restaurant that's opening or
even to a restaurant that you want to review and want to do another review, let's say you're
going to go — you don't just go once usually?
For starred reviewed, I go at least three, if not five or six times.
I couldn't possibly rate the restaurant at the one visit, even if I went with, like,
four people, and going multiple times, Monday nights are different than Tuesday lunches
which are different from Saturday nights from Sunday brunches.
By going two or three times, you get a sense of the rhythms and patterns of different restaurants.
You looked at the top 10 corporate restaurants, the chains.
No. 1, unsurprising to anyone who has ever walked into an old time country store/cracker
barrel — I was surprised I liked it as much as I did!
I hadn't been in, oh, gosh, 15 years or so.
In these places, back-to-back and multiple times, to see what the attraction was for
some people.
How the heck are you this skinny?
Well, I don't know if I am.
I think I put on eight pounds with the chain restaurant story, but I do — you know, I'm
pretty disciplined at home.
I do that food pyramid breakfast.
But something that's truly delicious, I'm not going to leave it on my plate.
I'm rarely hungry because I'm always anticipating the next meal.
What is your best piece of advice for someone who might be thinking this is something I
would like to do?
Learn to cook.
Learn the basics.
Learn how to write, too.
Be a good writer.
That's so important.
Because you can learn the technical aspects of what I've done, you know, I mean, I certainly
did, but I think write, write, write, like practice, practice, practice, and then show
it to someone you respect, an editor or friend who is a good writer.
I'm writing about things I put in my mouth week after week, and you have to turn all
that — all your notes into a story that people want to read.
So you don't just recite, you are really doing analysis, a critique of the entire experience?
Sure.
Increasingly — I used to think food was everything, and food still accounts for half
the star rating that I give a place, but increasingly, people go to restaurants, not just for soup
or sushi or something; they go to forget about their workday, to catch up with friends, to
be taken care of or amused or entertained.
My ultimate job is to look after the consumer, you know?
I mean, I don't see my job as being a cheerleader in the restaurant industry but to look out
for people who work really hard.