Robert Sietsema, a singular figure in the New York food world for over three decades, joins Eater today as a regular contributor and columnist. Sietsema entered the scene with his cultishly followed newsletter/food fanzine "Down the Hatch," later worked for Gourmet, and in 1993 joined the Village Voice as its main food critic. Over the last 20 years, in addition to reviewing the notable restaurants of the day, he chronicled the rise of ethnic eateries around New York and New Jersey, obsessively covering a food world beat untouched by many of his contemporaries.
Now that Sietsema's tenure at the Voice has come to an end— he was unceremoniously shitcanned last week alongside fellow Voice legend Michael Musto—we're pleased as punch to have him join us at Eater. Eater has never had a food critic, so Sietsema's pieces will not be reviews. Instead, he'll write microneighborhood dining guides from the outer reaches of every borough and file on crucial overlooked discoveries as he continues his explorations of New York's restaurant universe. Hey, who knows what this could all lead to down the road? Let us find out together—Sietsema's first piece will appear on Eater later this afternoon.
· All Coverage of Robert Sietsema [~ENY~]