Our Authors

Carey Jones

Former Managing Editor

I've been a part of Serious Eats since 2006, when I was Ed Levine's first intern. After years as the New York editor and then the Senior Managing Editor, I'm now a freelance writer and author of Brooklyn Bartender: A Modern Guide to Cocktails and Spirits.

Location: New York, NY
Favorite foods: Anything with an egg on it; anything sold in a patisserie.
Last bite on earth: Motorino's Brussels sprout pizza, fresh ricotta drizzled with honey, and a huge gooey cinnamon bun for dessert.

Comments

Easy One-Pot Chicken Tinga (Spicy Mexican Shredded Chicken)

Would this be a good candidate for a pressure cooker? I think of anything stew-y as perfect in a pressure cooker, though there would be a lot of additional steps (browning, etc)

Does Mission Cantina Make the Best Burritos in NYC?

YARRRRRRRR EVERYTHING YOU WROTE ABOUT BURRITOS IS WRONG

Oh wait, sorry, I thought that's what I was supposed to comment when someone writes about burritos / any Mexican-or-Mexican-inspired food in NY. Anyway. These look quite tasty. It's good to hear the tortillas are great, because you're right, that's where so many fail (in NYC or elsewhere). Also, because by birthright I'm obligated to drop my "California native" cred in any burrito discussion: get over yer this-is-overpriced bellyachin'. Plenty of burritos in SF are $7+, $8+ by the time you load them with avocado. An extra buck or two is really not that consequential. Yeah, I used to get $5 burritos in California too, but that was in 1993 and wasn't in a trendy city neighborhood. And I'd bet Bowien is using higher-grade meat than my beloved Taqueria La Bamba.

Measly $5 tacos in sub-par tortillas, we can all keep bitching about, but a burrito this size is a meal, and those whining about the price surely could find bigger injustices to weep over.

Where to Eat and Drink in Williamsburg When St. Anselm Quotes a 2-Hour Wait

Yep, Spuyten Duyvil is the most convenient -- great beer, shared backyard. But for whiskey I'm a big fan of Post Office.

9 Brooklyn Restaurants With Great Cocktails

I have. In fact, I lived in Prospect Heights for the last couple of years. I think both James and the Vanderbilt make lovely drinks, particularly for the neighborhood, but in terms of inventiveness and quality, wouldn't put them up there with the ones on this list.

Ask the Critic: My Brooklyn 'Vacation,' a Guide for Manhattanites

Hey guys, don't hate on the question-er. She was very clear in her email -- they're an older couple who want to get to know Brooklyn, but it's a ways for them. I'm guessing they don't live on the L and it's two stops back to the East Village. It's not that crazy that an older couple doesn't want a 90-minute subway ride or $45 cab ride (depending on where they live) on a Saturday night; I wouldn't ask my parents to make that trek for one dinner, if they were in town. This isn't some 23-year-old naïf who's too myopic Manhattan for the outer boroughs.

I liked this question because it was so genuine. I roll my eyes at the "Oh gosh, there's stuff to do in faraway Brooklyn!" trend pieces too, but when I got this email I thought—oh! It makes sense that she might want to do that.

A Tasting Tour of Sunnyside's Top-Notch Turkish and Lebanese Food

I LOVE YOU FOR WRITING THIS. look out sunnyside, i'm gonna eat you!

What Regional Sandwiches Do You Wish You Could Find in New York?

Massive oyster po' boys for $8.
... a girl can dream right?

Ask the Critic: A Farewell Food Tour of NYC

Good call on the foie gras, Maggie!

Ask the Critic: Here's How Tipping Actually Works

@phobos512: Hah. Well, that's not SO terrible. I was sort of envisioning someone sitting there with his wallet thinking "Well, you get $3, you were slow in refilling my water so you only get $1," and so on. In your example, it's actually nice to think that someone wanted to actively tip the runner at all.

@smprada: Good point. When I'm talking about specific tip distribution schemes, I'm talking about New York City ('cause that's what I know); but a tip-based system in the service sector is the reality across America, so if you're eating at a restaurant anywhere in America other than a very few, mostly very high-end spots, 15-20% is expected.

10 Lesser-Known Cocktails You Should Be Drinking

Does a Seelbach count as lesser-known? I've been super into them recently.

Great post!

Ask a Bartender: What's the Most Unlikely Place You've Ever Had A Great Drink?

@RaptorEsq I have it on good authority that it was the Scores on W 28th...

Taste Test: The Best Sourdough Bread in San Francisco

@jlargentaye: Mayfield Bakery is fabulous, totally agreed.

@JKLA: Did you get Acme from an actual Acme location, or from a different retail location? Have always found their bakeries' bread better than what you get at a random market.

International McDonald's Items We Wish Were in the USA

McDonald's Chile empanadas: not so good.
McDonald's Chile soft-serve ice cream: SO GOOD. markedly better than the US version. at least it was last time I was down there!

Ask the Critic: 'Real' Chinese Food in NYC

@SteveSCT: Yes, great point. A number of these restaurants have extraordinarily long menus, trying to appeal to everyone, but they don't do everything well.

Click on the Serious Eats reviews linked above for an idea of what to order! ;)

Where should I eat in Kentucky? Which distilleries to visit?

I really enjoyed Hillbilly Tea -- just had a quick sandwich but it was one of the better catfish sandwiches I've ever had.

Jim Beam does an incredibly professional, detailed tour; Maker's does a tour that's a bit less involved, but the place itself has tons of charm, bright red barns and all the rest of it. Beam is much much closer to Louisville, so depends on where you're staying and how much you're driving.

Ask the Critic: Where to Eat in Downtown Brooklyn, Best NYC Pizza

@beccas & rachel5453: Thanks, guys! Keep the suggestions coming!

We Raise Our Glass to Managing Editor Carey Jones!

@all: thanks so much for the comments! I'm planning to stay in the food-beverage-travel writing world -- specifics still to be worked out. But I'll still be poppin' up here with Ask the Critic and Ask a Bartender, and jump on my Twitter if you want to keep up on my other goings-on!