Gapers Block has ceased publication.

Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
 Thank you for your readership and contributions. 

TODAY

Tuesday, March 19

Gapers Block
Search

Gapers Block on Facebook Gapers Block on Flickr Gapers Block on Twitter The Gapers Block Tumblr


Drive-Thru
« Wednesday Night is a Big Night (for Foodies and Animals) Suzy's Samosas Launches »

News Tue Sep 13 2011

Goodbye Pat Bruno, Food Critic & Punching Bag

Pat Bruno, the Sun-Times' longtime restaurant critic, was fired on Monday. His last pieces for the paper will be published Friday. Eater reports a rumor that his replacement has already been chosen.

Bruno has gotten plenty of flack over the years for being less than fresh in his reporting. Grub Street and Chicagoist have been particularly hard on him, noting his very public outing via "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and his reviewing two locations of the same restaurant in the same year. His reputation (at least among food media and enthusiasts I've talked to) has been for phoning in his reviews. One might have figured the writing was on the wall.

Still, a summary dismissal by a "mid-level editor" after nearly three decades of service seems a little harsh. As he told Phil Vettel, "I've known (publisher) John Barron for 28 years. All he had to do is pick up the phone and tell me himself. He didn't have the balls to do that. I wasn't expecting roses at my feet, just a phone call from someone who appreciated what I did all these years."

For those itching for a Bruno fix, he will continue to contribute restaurant reviews to WBBM News Radio and Pizza Today magazine. He told Feder and Vettel that he plans to develop a website of his own on which to post his reviews, as well. I guess we'll see if he can beat the nattering nabobs of the blogosphere at their own game.

 
GB store

Andie / September 16, 2011 7:46 AM

...There's a Pizza Today magazine??

GB store

Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
Read this feature »

GB store

 

Events


Drive-Thru on Flickr

Join the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.


About Drive-Thru

Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
Please see our submission guidelines.

Editor: Robyn Nisi, rn@gapersblock.com
Drive-Thru staff inbox: drivethru@gapersblock.com

Archives

 

 Subscribe in a reader.

GB store

GB Store

GB Buttons $1.50

GB T-Shirt $12

I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15