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.

Restaurant Review

Cassis in West Seattle

An erstwhile Seattle bistro classic gets reborn on Alki Beach.

07/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Back Fence

Climate Change in Seattle: To My Future Grandchild

By 2050, what kind of Seattle will we have left you?

07/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Which Seattle Restaurant Turns Eighty-Freakin’-Five This Week?

Hint: Huge portions, reality TV, killer pie. Still don’t have it? How about urinal periscope.

06/30/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Your Big Chance to Cook with Bourdain

ABC’s "The Taste" is holding a casting call for the best Seattle cooks. C’mon, you know you want this.

06/23/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

The Five Rules of Outdoor Dining

It’s alfresco season, folks. Do you know how it’s done?

06/16/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Haunted Restaurants? Yeah, Seattle’s Got Those

(These ghosts may not be quite what you’re expecting.)

06/09/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Five Service Snafus We Never Used to See

Service is a different beast now than ever before. Here’s how I wish it weren’t.

06/02/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurant Review

A Long Way to Aragona

Artiste chef Jason Stratton brings arcane Spanish food to a storied downtown space.

06/02/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurants

Bodrum Bistro's Turkish Delights

Wallingford hosts a classic old-country cafe.

06/02/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurants

Seattle's Next Hot Chefs 2014

Seattle Met toasts its second annual class of up-and-coming culinary stars.

06/02/2014 By Kathryn Robinson and Allecia Vermillion

Relationships

Surprise, You're Married!

Washington state’s marriage equality law magically transforms all registered domestic partnerships into marriages.

06/02/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurants

Red Cow's Yummy Steak Frites

Ethan Stowell’s French bistro in Madrona is just what the neighborhood ordered.

06/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Where Does Ruth Reichl Eat When She Comes to Seattle?

A couple old faves…plus at least one joint where she really likes killing her own food.

05/27/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Drumroll Please: Announcing Seattle Met’s Next Hot Chefs, Class of 2014

You know the deal: Stiff competition, toughest choice ever, yada yada yada. This year it’s truer than ever.

05/19/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Seattle View Restaurants Actually Worth Eating In

Sad how view + food so often = meh.

05/12/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Where To Dine Before Prom?

A dozen Seattle choices high school kids will love. (And maybe even afford.)

05/05/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Picks

What's Good in the 'Hood

A few of our favorite neighborhood restaurants.

05/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Dining Out

Southern Charmers

Two new Fremont restaurants explore cuisines of the South.

05/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Back Fence

Sex and the Millennial Girl

Hookup culture: liberating freedoms or friends with lopsided benefits?

05/01/2014 By Kathryn Robinson

Restaurant Review

Tallulah's: Classy, Glassy, and All Grown Up

The restaurant with creative cocktails is the latest from Linda’s own Linda Derschang.

04/28/2014 By Kathryn Robinson