Who needs an excuse to dine at the city's finest restaurants? Not a restaurant critic. It's just one of the perks of the job.
But is reviewing restaurants always fun? Just what is it like to be a restaurant critic? How do they stay objective? Decide what to order? Keep their cover? Watch their diet?
Globe Vancouver restaurant critic Alexandra Gill and Toronto critic Chris Johns will be online Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET to take your questions on what it's like to be a restaurant critic. E-mail your question now.
Alexandra Gill is a Vancouver-based restaurant critic for The Globe and Mail. Her column appears in the Life section on Wednesdays. She served as the Globe's Western Arts Correspondent from 2001 to 2007. In 2005, a collection of her feature articles were nominated for a National Newspaper Award.
Chris Johns is an award winning food and travel writer. He has been published in the Best Food Writing compilation and for five years ate his way across Canada seeking out and ranking Canada's Best New Restaurants for enRoute Magazine. His writing has also appeared in Toronto Life, Maclean's, Fashion Magazine, Arrival and Western Living among others. He lives in Toronto and, when not reviewing restaurants, can often be found in the kitchen.
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Andrea writes: I have always taken great interest in the job of restaurant critics and think it's pretty much a dream job. At the age of 24 and coming from a Chemical Engineering background, I often wonder how I change my career path down a similar road to yours. What is your educational background and what hurdles did you overcome to become a restaurant critic? Where is the starting point? What can a young, aspiring individual do to become a food and travel writer!?
Alexandra Gill: Hi Andrea. It is a dream job -- for those who love food. Traditionally, there have been two common paths to becoming a restaurant critic. You either begin as a restaurant professional (who learns how to write for publication) or a professional journalist (who develops a specialization in food). I followed the latter route and started writing about food, beginning with feature articles, about four years into my career. If you are seriously interested in becoming a journalist, I would suggest you enroll in some part-time night courses to develop your reporting skills and see if it's a good fit (I started this way, at Ryerson University). And then write as much as possible for whichever small publications will hire you. On the food front, eat, eat and eat some more. Cook at home, read cookbooks, take cooking classes and follow other critics (be they restaurant, theatre or music) to develop your critical chops. Working in a restaurant (on the kitchen or floor) would certainly help as well. Good luck and happy cooking!
Chris Johns: Hi Andrea, A love of food is the most important factor, obviously, but beyond that I think you need to eat widely and without prejudice. I studied English Lit and Classics at university, but spent my free time teaching myself to cook. As far as a starting point, I think every city in Canada has some kind of a food related publication. If you bring them an interesting story - profiling a talented new chef or farmer, spotting a food trend in your city, developing novel ways to utilize a seasonal ingredient - you will probably get a chance to write about it. Developing professional relationships with good editors, and being open to the process, is your best way to improve as a writer.
O. Yu writes: Chris / Alexandra thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. We all have foods we like and dislike. How do you try to balance a fair opinion when being served a food you don't like? Do you avoid those dishes altogether?
My other question is about changes to classic dishes. What would you say is the most creative (and delicious) variation on a classic dish, such as potatoes or mac and cheese, that you've ever tasted?
Alexandra Gill: Well, I did have trouble swallowing a steamed duck tongue the other day. And I once gagged on a spoonful of jellied oyster, rabbit brain and sea anemone at the legendary El Bulli restaurant in Spain. But those are rare occurrences and would never prevent me from eating something I don't like (or think I may not like). Fortunately, I'm partial to pretty much everything. And I usually go out of my way to try foods that are unfamiliar. When eating something like duck tongue, you have to try to understand why others enjoy it (it's about the texture) and assess the dish objectively - even if it's not something you would rush home to recreate.
As to your second question, Joel Robuchon's pommes puree is the most decadently delicious variation on mashed potatoes that I've ever tasted. He uses a half-half potato-to-butter ratio. If I could perfect his technique -- which involves sieving a particularly starchy variety of boiled potato through a worsted cloth (twice), adding the ice-cold butter and cream ever so slowly and whisking at various stages with the just the right amount of vigor - I would be a very fat and happy camper, indeed.
Chris Johns: Hi O. Yu, I admit to having a dislike for the combination of chocolate and orange, but I recognize that it is a personal bias (although I believe science will one day prove me right). I would probably avoid ordering a chocolate and orange dessert in a restaurant, but if that was the only option, I'd try and put aside my disdain and rate the dish on presentation and how well each individual component was executed. Other than that, I'm pretty flexible in my eating and like just about any food that's well prepared.
I'll never forget the Hangtown Fry (an omelette with bacon and oysters) I had for breakfast at the Shelburne Inn in Washington state.
Susan writes: How did you become a restaurant critic? What has been your best/worst experience as a critic?
Alexandra Gill: Hi Susan. As I mentioned earlier, I was a journalist before I became a restaurant critic. I moved to Vancouver in 2001 to become The Globe and Mail's Western Arts correspondent. But because I had a background in lifestyle writing, my editors wanted me to write for the Style and Travel and Focus sections, as well. I immediately gravitated toward food because I was so impressed by the food culture here. Back in Toronto, I didn't even realize (as many people didn't then) that there was a difference between farmed and wild salmon. But in Vancouver, even the most casual family-style chain restaurants were taking farmed Atlantic salmon off their menus. There was so much lively discussion about eating sustainably and locally - before it became trendy elsewhere. And the even the high-end restaurants, such as Lumiere or West, were affordable to people without corporate expense accounts.
So, I began writing feature articles about local chefs and food and trends. And then during the summer, I occasionally filled in for Joanne Kates when she went on vacation. About 4 ½ years, when the Globe launched a Vancouver entertainment section, I was asked to write a regular restaurant column.
The most gratifying part of the job is whenever a reader writes to tell me that they went to a restaurant I recommended and had a fabulous experience. The worst part, I suppose, is when they don't have such a great time.
Chris Johns: Hi Susan, I started writing about food when I was in university. I lived in Victoria and wrote about the food scene out there, which was really coming into its own at the time. I was able to parlay that into some national gigs and then moved to Toronto after graduation. Identifying and writing about trends in food is a good way to get a foot in the door with different publications.
The 16 course-tasting menu with wine pairings at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion was one of my best food experiences, but it was also one of my worst. After dinner one of my dining companions retired to the restaurant's lounge - for a digestif, allegedly - and pulled a full on Mr. Creosote, projectile vomiting all over himself and the lounge.
Julie Anne writes: I've always thought that being a restaurant critic would be a dream job but on the other hand, how many times a week do you have to critique? Do you ever get sick of having such large, heavy meals and instead want to order a pizza or cook at home? How do you keep under cover at restaurants and how do you know that the restaurants aren't being tipped off before your arrival?
I look forward to reading this interview, what an intriguing and exciting topic!
Alexandra Gill: Hi Julie Anne. Here in Vancouver, my budget only allows for one visit to a restaurant so it's not nearly as onerous as it seems. I do wish I could visit each restaurant twice, but I certainly don't envy the New York Times critics, who visit three or four times and never have the opportunity to eat at home. That said, I do eat out about three times a week to keep on top of things. And when I'm at home, I try to compensate by eating very healthy (lots of fish and vegetables and whole grains).
To keep my cover (which is increasingly hard to do in the age of Google), I always make my reservations under a different name and never pay with a credit card. I also change my hair colour and style quite often.
Chris Johns: Hi Julie Anne, Between one thing and another, I'm out about four or five nights a week. When the meals are good I don't feel like it's a chore at all. In fact, I love it. When they're bad, however, I definitely feel like I'd rather be at home in my kitchen making something better.
I make reservations under an assumed name with a different phone number and do what I can to remain anonymous. Sometimes I'm recognized, but I don't think it makes a huge difference. A kitchen that's using bad ingredients and combining them poorly can't suddenly change the whole menu when a critic comes in while a great restaurant will have confidence in its food and service and won't have to change a thing.
John writes: I once asked film critic Roger Ebert if he ever got sick of his job after seeing a succession of bad or mediocre movies. He replied, No, he never got sick of his job and sometimes he liked reviewing the bad films over the good ones.
Can the same be said of a food critic's job?
Alexandra Gill: Hi John. Good question. No, I never get sick of my job. But I do think that if someone enjoys writing the bad reviews over the good ones, they're in it for the wrong reasons. I agonize over the bad reviews. They haunt me in my dreams. Yet it's the middling reviews that are the most difficult to write. How do you wrap an entertaining column (and this job is partly about entertaining the reader) around a ho-hum experience? An excellent meal, of course, is what we all hope for every time we enter a restaurant.
Chris Johns: Hi John, A bad movie might be awkward or excruciating for a couple of hours, but it won't make you physically ill. A bad oyster on the other hand…
I don't ever get sick of my job even if once in a blue moon I get sick from my job. I would rather eat in and review only great restaurants, but sometimes you have to call out the bad ones. I don't especially like writing bad reviews - particularly as it means I have to eat a few bad meals - and try and be as constructive as possible in my criticism when I do. The hardest places to review, though, are the boringly average ones. It's easy to get fired up about an amazing place or a terrible one, but it's tough to write a compelling review of a mediocre restaurant.
David writes: Hi Alexandra and Chris, Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. Two things about restaurant critics have always puzzled me: (1) How do you stay incognito?, and (2) How do you remember what you ate?
Perhaps the first isn't much of an issue in a large city but if you make repeat visits to the same restaurant, is there not a chance that you will be recognized and therefore given preferential service? As for the second question, I imagine in this day of cell phones it is much easier to surreptitiously make text notes or phone yourself with a message about your meal. Is that what you do? Or do you do it "old school" with a notebook? In any case, how do you take notes unobtrusively?
Alexandra Gill: Hi David. Thanks for taking the time to ask a question. I think it is impossible to remain completely incognito and anyone who tells you otherwise is fibbing. As the New York's Time Frank Bruni recently wrote in his send-off column, even he was often "had" no matter what pains he took to disguise himself. The best we can do is arrive unannounced and try not to attract too much attention. If you suspect you've been recognized, keep a close eye on how other tables are being treated. If I am recognized, I tend to refrain from commenting too much on the service. It is actually very annoying to be fawned over. A professional restaurateur will keep a respectful distance.
As for remembering what I eat: I always go to the bathroom to take notes and write down as much as I can as soon as I get home (or in the car). I have stolen many menus over the years. And I will often (but not always) call a chef or manager after a visit to discuss the meal.
Alexis writes: Do you expect restaurants to pay for your dining experience (wine and all!) when you come to critique them? If a restaurant said they have a policy against paying for critics, would you still review them?
Alexandra Gill: Hi Alexis. I absolutely do not expect restaurants to pay for my meal - and it's actually the Globe and Mail that has a policy that prohibits me from accepting free meals. I have encountered restaurant managers who refuse to give me a bill. And as I politely tell them: no bill, no review. On the other hand, I do have friends who own restaurants. I consider it a conflict of interest and have never reviewed them.
Chris Johns: Hi Alexis, Let me be clear on this, we absolutely do not accept free meals in exchange for reviews. We pay for all of our meals (wine and all) and are reimbursed by the papers or magazines we write for. I think restaurants should have a policy against paying for critics.
Maria writes: Do you go to restaurants alone? Or do you bring a gang so you can try lots of dishes? How do you decide what to order?
Chris Johns: Hi Maria, I always go with at least one other person and go a couple of times so I can try a bunch of different things. I'll often ask for a server's recommendations on what to order and sometimes use that as a guide. I generally avoid specials as I want to write about things that are on the regular menu, so people reading the review can try them. Other than that, I look for dishes that seem most intriguing and unique to that restaurant.
Alexandra Gill: I always go with at least one dining companion, more if the budget allows. I try to bring people who have a particular interest in the type of cuisine we'll be eating (or expertise if it's a cuisine that I am less familiar with). If the restaurant has a certain specialty, such as ordering whole pigs and butchering them on site, I'll try to order a lot of pork. The idea is to try a broad range of dishes that employ different techniques - not just the foods that you or your companions know and love. Some chefs are great with roasting, but stumble with sous vide. And there are sometimes certain dishes that a considered a good test of a kitchen. For instance, when I went for dim sum last weekend. I made sure we ordered the shrimp dumplings, even though it wasn't the dish that was calling me at the time.