Senior Writer

Seattle native Kathryn Robinson, award-winning restaurant critic and senior writer at Seattle Met, has been anonymously reviewing restaurants for over 30 years—first as editor of the Best Places guidebook series, then as staff critic at Seattle Weekly and contributing critic at The Seattle Times and Seattle magazine.

Midcareer she spent a year-long sabbatical studying comparative religion as a Knight Fellow at Stanford University where she had been an undergrad 10 years earlier, gaining a knowledge base she now calls upon for her monthly “Back Fence” column on our collective urban existence and the meaning it holds for our personal lives. In her off hours she is a partner and a parent—which means she has no off hours.

Critic's Notebook

Welcome to the Culinary Epicenter of Seattle

And what it’s like to open a restaurant there. Restaurant Marron’s Eric Sakai dishes.

10/13/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

A Farewell to John Sarich

A quiet culinary force leaves us too soon.

10/08/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Announcing Seattle Met’s 2014 Secret Supper

It’ll be held at the best restaurant of the year, folks. You want to go to this.

10/06/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Caprial Pence Comes to Bookstore Bar and Cafe

Name mean anything to you? It should.

10/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Trends

A Guide to Six New Bars in Pioneer Square

These newcomers are technically bars. So why can’t we stop talking about the food?

10/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson Illustrations by Melissa Martin

Back Fence

Seattle's Small Time Criminals

What petty crime has taught me about community.

10/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurant Review

Restaurant Marron’s Grand Ambitions

There’s an enthusiastic new vibe in one of Seattle’s most historic dining rooms.

10/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

The Dining Variable You Never Think About

Sure there’s cuisine, atmosphere, wine list. But this variable is much likelier to determine whether or not you’ll enjoy a restaurant.

09/29/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

The 10 Seattle Pork Plates You Cannot Miss

Unless you’re a vegan. (And maybe not even then.)

09/25/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Best Lunches Near Your Office

We know where you work. We know what you like for lunch. We picked 90 spots—just for you.

09/22/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Best New Bar in Seattle

What do you think of these nominees?

09/18/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Four Mexican Cantinas on Capitol Hill

It is tortilla season, right?

09/15/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

French Fries that Taste Like Bacon

And other happy marriages of fried potatoes + meat fats.

09/11/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Best Seattle Restaurants for September Dining

Fall means harvest—and you know what harvest means. Our picks for Seattle’s best farm-to-table dining experiences.

09/08/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

The 10 Most Confusing Restaurants in Seattle

If you’ve been confounded in these joints, you’re so not alone.

09/04/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

What Matt Dillon Really Thinks of Pioneer Square

So. Many. Restaurants.

09/02/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Back Fence

Will Universal Preschool Cure the Common Core?

This fall brings the infamous Common Core to Seattle classrooms—and a possible corrective to the ballot box.

09/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurant Review

Cantina Cuisine: Authentic Mexican Food on Capitol Hill

Tacos, margaritas, and mole have proliferated on Capitol Hill of late. Here’s a handy guide to who does what well.

09/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurant Review

The London Plane: Pretty and Potent

Matt Dillon’s new lunch-and-brunch space may be a masterpiece of delicacy—but its food swaggers.

09/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

The Best Kale Salads in Seattle

They’re lots of places. Here’s where they’re mandatory.

08/28/2014 By Kathryn Robinson