Food critic

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Introduction

A food critic is a commentator who analyses food and restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the general public. This may be done through writing, broadcasting, blogging, or personal appearance. Some food critics may also play an important role in communicating information about food to the general public.

Some of the considerations surrounding the value of food critics include:

how well does the critic communicate with their audience
how knowledgeable is the food critic
how dispassionate are they
do commercial considerations affect their writing

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 that have been restaurant reviewers for influential magazines such as Gourmet 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 exception to this would be the Derek Cooper and the BBC's The Food Programme.

Food 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 Guardian) to the "been there done that" approach of Ruth Riechl of Gourmet and formerly of the New York Times. Other notable critics include Patricia Wells of the International Herald Tribune who writes knowledgeable articles about food and restaurants that are very insightful and who occasionally uses the sword rather than her usual suave. Another is R. W. Apple, Jr. from the New York Times who writes long, thoughtful articles about his travels throughout the world in search of great food.

Then there is the myriad of regional food critics ranging from Nancy Leson in Seattle to John Lethlean in Melbourne who grind out weekly 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 [link] and Foodtourist [link] were created in the mid-90s. More recently, a new generation of discussion forums became highly influential such as Chow Hound [link] and egullet [link], as have some food criticism blogs.

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