Monday morning, my friend Bill sent me off an email asking if I'd seen the lead story-- Sharp Bites-- in this week's New York Times SundayStyles section. Well, no. I hadn't. I tend to skip that section in favor of their Sunday Magazine. Of course, I tend to skip most of the magazine and head straight for the crossword puzzle. I sat down with my cup of coffee and read...

"'Food blogs have reached a critical mass with readers in the last six months,' said Phillip Baltz, owner of the restaurant public relations firm Baltz & Company."

God, is that true. Everyone seems to have an opinion on food these days and anyone with a computer can set up a blog, or have one set up for them. Myself included. Critical mass indeed.

I have only recently started to read other bloggers. Especially restaurant bloggers. At first, I was dubious. Why should I trust anyone else's opinion? I'm a food professional, for God's sake.

Why? Because some bloggers are very entertaining, though finding the good ones often feels like panning for gold -- sifting through the bores and frustrated novelists and lonely people with enormous chips on their shoulders. I have been glad of heart lately to know that there are people out there in the blogosphere (a precious few, at least) who are pretty darned clever and who can convey enthusiasm without a heavy reliance upon exclaimation points preceded by the word "awesome".

The first food blog I remember visiting was Adam Robert's The Amateur Gourmet in 2004 His Superbowl post put an enormous grin on my face. Anyone who thinks up Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction cupcakes is my hero. I loved him for it then, and I still do. Please read if you haven't already...

My new favorite non-KQED-linked blog is A Few Reservations. I don't know who the hell she is, but I'd have dinner with her anytime. Her posts are well-voiced and, as the title implies (sadly), few. Read her take on NOPA, it's like a hypodermic needle to the kidney- sharp and precise. Read her love letter to Canteen, too.

That's all you'll hear from me this week. Go read somebody else. Or start your own food blog-- everyone else is doing it.

Labels: foodblogs, michael procopio