Latest news with #restaurantcritics
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
The New York Times is changing the recipe behind its iconic Dining brand
The New York Times on Wednesday announced major changes to its iconic Dining beat: the appointment of two co-chief restaurant critics and an expansion into video reviews. The newspaper is also more seriously turning its gaze nationwide, marking a critical turning point for a section that has long been a kingmaker of the New York City culinary scene. The Times announced Wednesday morning that Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan will be its new chief restaurant critics. In naming two top food critics, a first for the Times, the storied newspaper signals ambitious growth for the beat as it tasks the pair with 'capturing this moment in American dining.' The news comes almost one year after Pete Wells, the Times' legendary food critic who served up reviews for 12 years, shared that he was stepping down from his role. The Dining beat has long been a major draw for the Times. Under Wells, the section developed a reputation for making or breaking a restaurant's business with a single review, leading many to consider the section the gold standard for dining coverage. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. In tinkering with the recipe, the Times aims to reproduce the massive successes it has seen in other sections that have diversified storytelling media to meet audiences where they are, notably Cooking. While many have turned to the Cooking section for everyday recipes since its 2014 launch, the section's stories and videos have also proved immensely popular. In 2024, the Cooking website raked in 456 million visits, while the NYT Cooking YouTube account saw more than 4.3 million hours streamed. Younger digital publications such as Eater and Infatuation have capitalized on consumers' appetite for video, producing reviews for YouTube and social media platforms that rake in thousands of views. The Times' new approach echoes those of its peers while also helping to set it apart from its Dining rivals across legacy media. Since Wells' departure, Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark — known to many as stalwarts of the Times' Cooking app — have operated as interim critics. As co-chief critics, Rao and Mishan will be deployed to review restaurants nationwide, allowing the Times to review more restaurants outside the five boroughs. Mishan will be based out of New York City, while Rao will operate out of California, and the pair will review restaurants in their respective cities. To better whet audiences' palates, the Times will produce videos with Rao and Mishan that will appear across its app and off-platform channels. The videos will feature interviews with people about 'restaurants, criticism, places that excite them and how they do what they do.' 'It's a tool in building trust, and a way to bring a whole new level of transparency and humanity to our criticism,' the Times said in its announcement. Despite adopting a less New York-centric approach, the Gray Lady signaled that it will keep its fingers on the city's culinary pulse. To do so, the Times will work with critic-contributors to recommend a wider array of restaurants and provide brief starred reviews to its audience each month. But stars, previously exclusive to New York dining, will now also be awarded to restaurants across the country. While the co-chief critics will still work to operate undetected, the Times will no longer try to hide critics' faces publicly. Traditionally, the Times maintained its critics' anonymity to avoid special treatment and more honestly assess the average dining experience. The policy has been deemed impractical since restaurants have been able to identify critics despite these efforts. The newspaper will continue to foot the bill on meals for ethical reasons and decline dining invitations from restaurants and publicists alike.
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
The New York Times is changing the recipe behind its iconic Dining brand
The New York Times on Wednesday announced major changes to its iconic Dining beat: the appointment of two co-chief restaurant critics and an expansion into video reviews. The newspaper is also more seriously turning its gaze nationwide, marking a critical turning point for a section that has long been a kingmaker of the New York City culinary scene. The Times announced Wednesday morning that Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan will be its new chief restaurant critics. In naming two top food critics, a first for the Times, the storied newspaper signals ambitious growth for the beat as it tasks the pair with 'capturing this moment in American dining.' The news comes almost one year after Pete Wells, the Times' legendary food critic who served up reviews for 12 years, shared that he was stepping down from his role. The Dining beat has long been a major draw for the Times. Under Wells, the section developed a reputation for making or breaking a restaurant's business with a single review, leading many to consider the section the gold standard for dining coverage. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. In tinkering with the recipe, the Times aims to reproduce the massive successes it has seen in other sections that have diversified storytelling media to meet audiences where they are, notably Cooking. While many have turned to the Cooking section for everyday recipes since its 2014 launch, the section's stories and videos have also proved immensely popular. In 2024, the Cooking website raked in 456 million visits, while the NYT Cooking YouTube account saw more than 4.3 million hours streamed. Younger digital publications such as Eater and Infatuation have capitalized on consumers' appetite for video, producing reviews for YouTube and social media platforms that rake in thousands of views. The Times' new approach echoes those of its peers while also helping to set it apart from its Dining rivals across legacy media. Since Wells' departure, Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark — known to many as stalwarts of the Times' Cooking app — have operated as interim critics. As co-chief critics, Rao and Mishan will be deployed to review restaurants nationwide, allowing the Times to review more restaurants outside the five boroughs. Mishan will be based out of New York City, while Rao will operate out of California, and the pair will review restaurants in their respective cities. To better whet audiences' palates, the Times will produce videos with Rao and Mishan that will appear across its app and off-platform channels. The videos will feature interviews with people about 'restaurants, criticism, places that excite them and how they do what they do.' 'It's a tool in building trust, and a way to bring a whole new level of transparency and humanity to our criticism,' the Times said in its announcement. Despite adopting a less New York-centric approach, the Gray Lady signaled that it will keep its fingers on the city's culinary pulse. To do so, the Times will work with critic-contributors to recommend a wider array of restaurants and provide brief starred reviews to its audience each month. But stars, previously exclusive to New York dining, will now also be awarded to restaurants across the country. While the co-chief critics will still work to operate undetected, the Times will no longer try to hide critics' faces publicly. Traditionally, the Times maintained its critics' anonymity to avoid special treatment and more honestly assess the average dining experience. The policy has been deemed impractical since restaurants have been able to identify critics despite these efforts. The newspaper will continue to foot the bill on meals for ethical reasons and decline dining invitations from restaurants and publicists alike.
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
The New York Times is changing the recipe behind its iconic Dining brand
The New York Times on Wednesday announced major changes to its iconic Dining beat: the appointment of two co-chief restaurant critics and an expansion into video reviews. The newspaper is also more seriously turning its gaze nationwide, marking a critical turning point for a section that has long been a kingmaker of the New York City culinary scene. The Times announced Wednesday morning that Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan will be its new chief restaurant critics. In naming two top food critics, a first for the Times, the storied newspaper signals ambitious growth for the beat as it tasks the pair with 'capturing this moment in American dining.' The news comes almost one year after Pete Wells, the Times' legendary food critic who served up reviews for 12 years, shared that he was stepping down from his role. The Dining beat has long been a major draw for the Times. Under Wells, the section developed a reputation for making or breaking a restaurant's business with a single review, leading many to consider the section the gold standard for dining coverage. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. In tinkering with the recipe, the Times aims to reproduce the massive successes it has seen in other sections that have diversified storytelling media to meet audiences where they are, notably Cooking. While many have turned to the Cooking section for everyday recipes since its 2014 launch, the section's stories and videos have also proved immensely popular. In 2024, the Cooking website raked in 456 million visits, while the NYT Cooking YouTube account saw more than 4.3 million hours streamed. Younger digital publications such as Eater and Infatuation have capitalized on consumers' appetite for video, producing reviews for YouTube and social media platforms that rake in thousands of views. The Times' new approach echoes those of its peers while also helping to set it apart from its Dining rivals across legacy media. Since Wells' departure, Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark — known to many as stalwarts of the Times' Cooking app — have operated as interim critics. As co-chief critics, Rao and Mishan will be deployed to review restaurants nationwide, allowing the Times to review more restaurants outside the five boroughs. Mishan will be based out of New York City, while Rao will operate out of California, and the pair will review restaurants in their respective cities. To better whet audiences' palates, the Times will produce videos with Rao and Mishan that will appear across its app and off-platform channels. The videos will feature interviews with people about 'restaurants, criticism, places that excite them and how they do what they do.' 'It's a tool in building trust, and a way to bring a whole new level of transparency and humanity to our criticism,' the Times said in its announcement. Despite adopting a less New York-centric approach, the Gray Lady signaled that it will keep its fingers on the city's culinary pulse. To do so, the Times will work with critic-contributors to recommend a wider array of restaurants and provide brief starred reviews to its audience each month. But stars, previously exclusive to New York dining, will now also be awarded to restaurants across the country. While the co-chief critics will still work to operate undetected, the Times will no longer try to hide critics' faces publicly. Traditionally, the Times maintained its critics' anonymity to avoid special treatment and more honestly assess the average dining experience. The policy has been deemed impractical since restaurants have been able to identify critics despite these efforts. The newspaper will continue to foot the bill on meals for ethical reasons and decline dining invitations from restaurants and publicists alike.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Meet Our New Restaurant Critics
This morning, The Times announced that Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan are our new chief restaurant critics. It's the first time the job is being shared by two people and the first time we're not trying to hide their faces. Also, they will be filing full-length, starred reviews from around the country, not just New York City. You can read more about how it will all work here. Tejal lives in Los Angeles, and joined The Times in 2016 after working as a restaurant critic at The Village Voice and Bloomberg News. Ligaya, who wrote our Hungry City restaurant column from 2012 to 2020 and has been an Eat columnist at the Times Magazine and a writer at large for T Magazine, is in Manhattan. I asked them about their early restaurant memories, how they read menus, what they eat at home and what scares them about the gig. First of all, congratulations! This is both a dream job and very daunting. How's it feel? What are you most looking forward to — and what are you most worried about? Tejal: It's exactly that: dreamy and daunting. I have a running list of all the things I'm worried about, and my therapist is on vacation this week — I'll save it for her! Ligaya: What I've always loved most in writing about restaurants is how much I learn. It's an entry point not only to a particular cuisine, but to a part of New York — and, now, of America — I might not otherwise have a chance to know. As for worries: I want to do justice to every place I visit, and I hope I will. It doesn't matter that I've been a writer for years — the blank page is always slightly terrifying. I'll try to keep in mind what the head of my daughter's school once told me: 'I don't worry. I do the work.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Times Has Appointed Two Chief Restaurant Critics. Here's How That Will Work.
On Wednesday, The Times announced that Tejal Rao and Ligaya Mishan are the new chief restaurant critics, filling — and expanding — the role Pete Wells left in 2024. This appointment is one of a few changes we're making as our food criticism becomes more national, and as we bring it to life in new ways. Who Are the Critics? Both Rao and Mishan are longtime reporters and critics for The Times, though this is the first time either has been chief critic. Most recently, Rao has been a California-based critic at large, writing broadly about food culture. Mishan was an Eat columnist for the Times Magazine and a writer at large at T magazine. She also wrote the Hungry City restaurant column from 2012 to 2020. Why Does The Times Need Two Critics? For decades, the restaurant critic for The Times focused almost exclusively on New York City, writing weekly reviews and notebooks and awarding star ratings to individual restaurants. But with subscribers in every state, and great restaurants in each of them, we'll now use two critics to deliver starred reviews of restaurants all over the country. The idea is to expand upon the work we started with the Restaurant List, our annual national roundup of the 50 places our staff is most excited about, and our lists of the best restaurants in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Austin, Texas. Who Does What? Rao will be dedicated entirely to the national dining scene. Mishan will split her time between reviewing the best and most newsworthy restaurants in New York City and covering the rest of the country with Rao. The goal is to capture particular moments in American dining — the restaurants that are most interesting, exciting and emblematic of our times. With All That Travel, Will There Be Fewer New York Reviews? New York is one of the world's great restaurant cities. It's where The Times built its authority on the subject of where best to eat. We have no plans to back away from that, and in fact will offer even more New York restaurant coverage. In the coming months, we'll start publishing brief, starred reviews from other Times critics. The Where to Eat newsletter will continue to send restaurant recommendations to subscribers' inboxes every week. And, of course, we'll keep producing The Times's annual list of the 100 Best Restaurants in New York City. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
