Restaurant Reviewing

Restaurant Critics Respond to Sexual Harassment

February 20, 2018 by diannejacob Leave a Comment

As allegations of harassment or assult by chefs and restaurateurs in the food industry surface, where does this leave the critic, whose job has been — traditionally — to write about food, service and decor? How do restaurant critics respond?

I bet many restaurant reviewers — and their editors — have lost sleep over their changing roles.

And that’s great! People in our industry should wrestle with sexism, power and abuse. These are the issues of today, not just [Read more…] about Restaurant Critics Respond to Sexual Harassment

I Met a Yelp Elite Reviewer and He Changed My Mind

February 6, 2018 by diannejacob 6 Comments

Image for post on Yelp Elite Reviewer I was prepared to not like him. After all, Yelp restaurant reviewers singlehandedly ended the careers of many restaurant reviewers by writing for free, right? That’s what a friend said, who was once a professional critic.

And what did this guy know about writing a good review, I wondered? Not to mention, who gets to be Elite and what does that mean? A free meal?

To find out, I called Chris Sladky, 29, a Yelp Elite reviewer and software product manager, to interview him. Then he suggested meeting him for lunch. I had not [Read more…] about I Met a Yelp Elite Reviewer and He Changed My Mind

Former Restaurant Reviewer Says Reviews are Irrelevant

May 30, 2017 by diannejacob 2 Comments

Todd Kliman doesn’t miss being a restaurant reviewer.

“It becomes tiresome after a while to eat lavish food,” he explains. “No matter where you go, everything’s plated the same way and it starts feeling like you’re in this very strange little bubble. You’re [Read more…] about Former Restaurant Reviewer Says Reviews are Irrelevant

“Memoir Has to Risk Something,” says John Birdsall

August 30, 2016 by diannejacob 18 Comments

Food writer John Birdsall has won two James Beard Foundation awards for intensely personal essays.

A few years ago, I went outside my comfort zone. I contacted a stranger and asked to meet.

The stranger was John Birdsall, now a double James-Beard winning writer and essayist. At that time he was a restaurant reviewer for a local newspaper here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I loved his restaurant reviews.

John has since moved on to narrative non-fiction or personal essays, often about the intersection of gay culture and food. I know he’s already won awards and was published in prestigious places, but I feel like he’s just getting started and has so much more to offer us.

Here’s his take on restaurant writing, personal essay writing, and taking risks. He also has good insights about his former writing and the role of an editor. I asked him to write his answers (rather than me interviewing him), so you can get a sense of his style:

Q. How does your background as a restaurant and catering cook influence your food writing? Do you believe that people who write about food should have professional experience or culinary training?

A. For a long time I didn’t think it did: Cooking seemed a prelude disconnected from [Read more…] about “Memoir Has to Risk Something,” says John Birdsall

What Happened When I Approached Jonathan Gold

April 12, 2016 by diannejacob 41 Comments

Scott Warner snapped this shot of me and the affable Jonathan Gold, restaurant critic of the Los Angeles Times, as our talk began.

When I walked up, Jonathan Gold stood talking with a small group of food writers. It was after his keynote presentation at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference in Hollywood, CA, and I was late for a session. I didn’t care. One of my food writing idols seemed to be available in the cavernous ballroom.

How often does that happen? At IACP, quite often. If you’ve been to their conferences, you probably remember when Julia Child and Jaques Pepin [Read more…] about What Happened When I Approached Jonathan Gold