Tom Sietsema
@tomsietsema
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Food critic for the Washington Post and James Beard award winner ("America's Best Food Cities")
Washington, D.C.
Joined March 2009
It’s been a great run. And you’ve been a great audience. Today I say goodbye as the Post’s food critic, in my final restaurant chat.
washingtonpost.com
After 25 years, Sietsema is signing off. Read his last dining chat transcript.
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Tom Sietsema on Disguises, Memorable Reviews, and What’s Next
washingtonian.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema is stepping down after more than 25 years on the job and revealing his face publicly for the first time. We chatted with him about the most memorable of his...
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Some personal news, as they say. It’s been a great ride at The Washington Post, but I’ve got more fish to fry.
washingtonpost.com
After a quarter-century of reviewing restaurants, donning disguises and turning down photos, The Post’s food critic is ready for his next course.
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It’s fall! That means another collection of 40 of my favorite restaurants in and around the DC area. Plus some new names have been added to my Hall of Fame. Dig in! #dceats #dcfood
washingtonpost.com
Tom Sietsema celebrates the top dining draws in the Washington region in this, his final fall dining guide for The Post.
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If I wasn’t reviewing restaurants, I’d order nothing but appetizers. Preferably at the bar.
washingtonpost.com
Eating nothing but appetizers away from home is our food critic’s dream. Here are his go-to starters in the D.C.-area.
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My dream someday: order nothing but appetizers at restaurants (and preferably at the bar).
washingtonpost.com
Eating nothing but appetizers away from home is our food critic’s dream. Here are his go-to starters in the D.C.-area.
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Dining chat: After a mistake on our bill, the updated total included unmentioned gratuity
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
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Dining chat: How our critic decides where to eat.
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
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When Convivial in Shaw closed, Cedric Maupillier considered throwing in the towel. Instead, the French chef launched the splashy, Riviera-themed Barbouzard in downtown DC. The food is as beautiful as it is delicious. #dceats @Cedricfrenchie
washingtonpost.com
Chef Cedric Maupillier delights with French-Mediterranean indulgences and humble memories from his past.
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Dining chat: I wish my server stopped calling me ‘dear!’ And other restaurant rants, raves and questions
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
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I gave this popular D.C. restaurant zero stars in 2016. Has @FoundingFarmers improved? #dceats
washingtonpost.com
Our food critic returns to Founding Farmers, one of Washington’s most popular restaurants, for a pulse check.
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The awesome owners at Chicanta — my Restaurant of the Year in 2024 — had to relocate after a fire recently. Their temporary roost is the second-floor dining room at 1400 Meridian Place NW. The food, drink &service makes me feel like I’m at the original: at home! #dceats
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Dining chat: A DC diner thinks the best response to the occupation is to … boycott restaurants.
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
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Something I’ve noticed — and appreciated — over the years is this: truly confident/powerful/smart people don’t need to broadcast their power/wealth/status. They look at people in the eyes and they listen (don’t interrupt). They ask strangers good questions. They’re polite.
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Turkish chef Cagla Onal-Urel serves just what DC needs now: soothing, soulful small plates. Look for her exquisite dumplings, seasonal vegetables, and lamb skewers at the tucked-away My Little Chamomile in Georgetown. #turkishfood #georgetown
washingtonpost.com
Turkish chef Cagla Onal-Urel serves up a vegetable-focused menu in Georgetown, featuring delightful dips and dishes from back home.
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Dining chat: We watched a manager berate our server. How should we respond?
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
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If you want to see how far Korean food has come in DC, check out Shia (“seed”) from @chefedwardlee. His tasting menu is inventive, sustainable, low-waste — and delicious. #koreanfood #dcfood
washingtonpost.com
Edward Lee promotes sustainability and minimal waste at the nonprofit Shia, a gem of a Korean restaurant in the Union Market District.
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Dining chat: If my server is the owner, should I tip? And other questions from readers around the country.
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
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Just had some minor hand surgery at the Massachusetts Avenue Surgery Center in Bethesda. (Awesome car team there.) After the nurses finished with prep, one of them whispered, “Your server will be with you shortly.”
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Chef Dan Gleason is cooking beautiful, seasonal food over live fire in a shabby-chic food truck in Sperryville, Va. Road trip, people! My only regret: the fun isn’t closer #rappahannockcounty #blueridgemountains #sperryvilleva
washingtonpost.com
At Sumac, chef Dan Gleason is serving a creative tasting menu that relies on live fire at a Virginia brewery.
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