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A few years ago I went to New York to sample hot dogs. Three of the places I went to served the same recipe Sabrett all beef dog; Papaya King, Gray's, and Katz's. That particular day the Katz's dog didn't spend enough time on the griddle, Gray's dog was fine, Papaya King's dog seemed fresher and better. This past summer, I went to New York again with the Newark Star Ledger. This time, all 3 were equally as good, except the bun at Papaya King fell apart. I would go with Gray's since they are cheaper. But all 3 use the same recipe dog; the Papaya places use a 10 to a lb dog, while Katz's is slightly bigger. But the exact same recipe. I have this on authority of several Sabrett distributors as well as the person in charge of private label at Sabrett, now owned by Marathon Enterprises.

I prefer the spicing in these dogs to the natural casing Nathan's in Coney Island. But all 4 are excellent. For an all beef dog that surpasses these, I suggest making the trip to N.J. to go to Syd's. They recently moved from Union to Springfield. The dog served is a 5 to a lb natural casing dog from Best Provisions that is simmered in water, then charbroiled. The result is a dog that was named best in Jersey by the Star Ledger (we went to N.Y. as well) and a bus load of hot dog fanatics that attended my 3rd annual New Jersey Hot Dog Tour. Did you know that Sabrett, while considered by many to be the quintessential New York hot dog, actually began in New Jersey. On Cole and Henderson St. in Jersey City, until the company was sold to Marathon in East Rutherford N.J. The dogs are produced at the Stahl Mayer plant in the Bronx. They also make a beef/pork dog that is used by The Hot Grill, Callahan's, and The Windmill; all New Jersey hot dog joints.

I love Trillan, Apple and the Sterns, but they don't write about restuarants I eat at, so my favorite food writer is...me! That sounds cocky, but I honestly feel I'm a damn good writer. I know about food, I'm always learning about wine and I love my job (one of the food writers for "The Tucson Weekly").

Local food critics at other publications don't share the passion, talent or knowledge I bring to my work. I've done other food related work and people always tell me that my articles make them hungry. What better compliment for any food writer?

I’d like to mention a food writer who has set higher standards for fearless honesty in the medium I work in, the internet. In Regina Schrambling I trust. She knows how to cook and it shows. She’s not afraid to call out a naked emperor when PR flacks are trying to sell us new clothes. She answers the simple question those of us who don’t have bottomless expense accounts ask: Will I go back? No florid sycophantism, no tenuous metaphors, just a sense of place, service, and taste in a pithy package.

Last year, I moved to New York shortly before my birthday. It proved to be a truly awful birthday - I had to wake up at 5 am to dress up as the Pillsbury Doughboy (no joke!) for a temp job. Coming to New York seemed like the biggest mistake of my life: what city could be worth the humiliation I'd just suffered through? Then my roommate gave me a birthday present - a copy of Robert Sietsema's Food Lovers Guide to the Best Ethnic Eating in New York City. I started flipping through the chapters, and I think I just about read the whole thing cover to cover that night. Sietsema introduced me to the city as a collection of edible jewels, to be sought out and prized, there for the brave diner to seek out and enjoy. I found several listings for eateries in my own neightborhood of Crown Heights, and a few days later I made my way to AA Bake & Doubles to try the cheap Trinidadian chickpea sandwiches known as doubles. Thanks to Sietsema, I knew I that "doubles" applies even if one is only buying a single sandwich ("I'll have a doubles, please"), and I felt at ease in the tiny storefront even as I stood out like a sore thumb. But on a larger scale, I knew that I was in the right place, that the sacrifices I would make to survive in New York would be well worth it. A year later, whenever I feel frustrated or dispirited by a crowded train or the sight of another Starbucks, I pull out that slim yellow book and set off, in person or in my mind, to try the best dish I've never heard of.

Linda Bladholm writes about global cuisine for The Miami Herald with a sense of adventure, and she expertly uses language to convey the sense of the restaurant, the feel of its menu and ambiance, and the taste of its food. Her warmth jumps off the written page and her columns are extremely compelling.

I have been to several restaurants that she reviewed and found her reviews to be right on base. She is knowledgeable about the cuisine of the restaurant, and in terms of the larger context, how that cuisine fits into the uniqueness of Miami.

Every time I've been to Blue Smoke, the fries have indeed sucked. Sure, the rest was pretty good, but they fries really stood out.

I'm glad Ed took it right to them. They need to get their act together. Plenty of dumpy joints with tiny kitchens make good to great fries. Blue Smoke is a huge place. None of their defenses for the lousy fries is believable.

I'm not really a French fry person, but I find the Shake Shack fries tolerable if doused in cheese sauce. Perhaps Blue Smoke should do the same.

My favorite food critic is you Mr. Levine! and of course Mr. Steingarten!

Really!!

I just sat down to read my email and ended up here within five minutes as a result of going to the food section website and saw your website listed and had to click in. Then I read about this dinner you are offering - registered and wha - la - sending you this posting. Had no idea what I was doing and posted 3 photos of this foodie cutie - apologize for the "x" as I said I did not know what I was doing.

I absolutely know what I am doing now.

So you and Jeffrey used to be on one of the PBS stations years ago and I watched the show religiously. I even ventured up and down Sullivan Street to look for the best baguette per you and you were right!! Then I bought your book - New York Eats (More) - carried it with me each weekend driving all over the city with my boyfriend in search of all your picks.

Then sadly to say, you and Jeffrey were missing.

Then success (for me and you)see you are writing for the New York Times - stilll have no idea where Jeffrey is - Is he still with Vogue or am I confused?

I finally got to meet my food idol. A couple of years ago ironically after cleaning my house and prepraring for passover I had the idea to to to have pizza in Totonnos (you know no leavin things for 10 days) I walk in and saw you Mr. Levine (not to be confused with leavin) and I totally flipped out saying to my boyfriend and father - THERE'S ED LEVINE - THERE'S ED LEVINE ! (It was also the day SLICE was there - photos of you and the crew on the SLICE website). I felt embarrassed to go up to you - but had to - cause you were my FAVORITE FOOD CRITIC- IT WAS GREAT - WE ENDED UP SHARING A CANNOLI WITH MR. TOTONNO (stated he bought them from Fortunatos - the best - he must be right cause my lifelong Italian friend who was raised in Greenpoint only bought her cakes there).

Dinner with you and Jeff would totally flip me out - we already had dessert together - and you know what they say - why not have dessert first?

Estelle

Jonathan Gold is:

Versatile. Reviewed art, music, and architecture in past critical incarnations.

Nuanced. Delves deeply into regional cuisines and discusses the impact of agriculture and economics on cooking.

Virtuosic. Reviews have visceral immediacy: blowfish like a “treacherous, iridescent flower,” a “seething, volcanic mass” of tofu, “garlic-reeking Alps" of short ribs.

Entertaining. You can read “Counter Intelligence,” his anthropology of L.A. foodways, like a book of short stories.

Intrepid. If the health department closes a restaurant, he’s probably eaten pig uterus, goose intestines, or crispy frog skin there.

Indefatigable. Who else would eat at every Pico Boulevard restaurant?

Jeff Steingarten, author of “The Man Who Ate Everything” and “It Must’ve Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything” is a star among contemporary food writers. Jeff indulged his obsession with food by giving up a law career and becoming a food critic. He is the winner of numerous awards from the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Jeff approaches food writing with discipline and gluttony, and his writing is entertaining, thought-provoking, authoritative and witty. Jeff has been called our most original investigative food writer and I could not agree more.

- Pam@erogers.net

There's one more criterion I'd like to add to your list: infallibility. In other words, if you follow the writer's advice, are you ever likely to have a bad meal?

By that measure, in my experience -- and I've followed his taste recommendations in both New York and San Francisco, in high-end restaurants as well as holes-in-the-wall -- the best food writer I know of is Ed Levine.

It isn't sucking up if it's true.

Self-proclaimed love child of James Beard and Julia Child, Jim Harrison brings a poet's voice to food writing filtered through the lens of a writer of screenplays. He describes his meals with an almost mysticism as he hunts game birds in the woods near his Michigan home and prepares them utilizing classic French technique or dining at the top restaurants in LA and NY on the movie studio's dime. Sharing the gourmand's disease with him , i.e. gout, he made me laugh and cry when he mourns about having "one foot in the grave" (technically one toe) after overindulging.

-Guttergourmet