Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

As a big food writing fan, I've been horridly dismayed by the food writing in the NYT magazine. Ever since Mollly O'Neil left they haven't been able to find a consistent writer who can tell a story about people and food with a sense of humor. Amanda Hesser was winning me over with her series about meeting her husband, but seems to have lost her spark soon after her wedding (aren't we entitled to a few years of bliss before things get dull?)

Since then, the only magazine that consistently delivers on the backstory of food - the people, the history - is Savuer. Its a little over the top and impractical as a cooking magazine (I'm not tracking down malaysian fermented shrimp paste), but its generally good writing (if sometimes lacking in humor). I never cared for Bon Appetiet or Gourmet as they always seemed a bit too much in the In Style mode, selling how everything's delicious and perfect. But am I being unfair?

But instead of paying for 80 pages of advertisements, I have been happier to read the great food writing that's popping up in the blog world. Ed, I think you're great and appreciate the tips along with the sense of humor. NY Mag is has some good writing and posts everything online, and Michael Ruhlman's blog is starting to develop. So save some paper and read the crappy glossies with the endless ads when stuck in airports.