Alan Richman Explains Rigorous GQ Rating Process

After noting the rather flaccid use of the word "new" in GQ 's 10 Best New Restaurants List, we asked food critic Alan Richman, who curates the yearly roundup, what exactly qualifies a restaurant for consideration. His response:

Chef pedigree? Anybody qualifies, as long as he, she or it can cook. Geographic location? As many places as I can get to without dropping exhausted, like a wounded wildebeest that can't make it to the end of the migration. Opening date? Now that's interesting. In general, we would love to include only restaurants that open within a year prior to the day I submit copy for Best New Restaurants. However, there are many exceptions. There has to be [sic]. I'm one guy covering the whole country. Out of fairness, we are going to include any excellent new restaurants that might have opened after I last visited the city. That was the case with both Commis and Flour & Water.

So the rules are...there are no rules! Ah, to be a critic. One can dream. One can always dream. [EaterWire]

· Flour + Water and Commis Make GQ 10 Best New Restaurants List, Even Though Both Opened in 2009 [~ ESF ~]
· All Previous Alan Richman Coverage [~ ESF ~]

[Photo: GrubStreet]