Bryan Miller, Restaurant Critic, New York Times

Bryan Miller has restored the luster and admirability of the Time's restaurant critic's column. After Craig Claiborne left the most powerful position in gastronomy, the column languished, first with a series of reporters on the staff who had no business writing about food, and then with Mimi Sheraton, who on the one hand raised food criticism to investigative journalism, but at the same time created a divisive and counter-productive atmosphere, slamming too many good restaurants and exercising ego over intelligence. She was followed by Marian Burros, who lacked the style and stomach for the job. Miller came along 17 months ago with youth, exuberance, and a complete lack of ego. His writing style is superb, witty, and informed . . .and he never tries to show off. His best characteristics are his fair-mindedness, respecting the new and the old while applauding the hard work and reasonable efforts of a very difficult profession, thereby changing the column from one of caustic pettiness to one of magnanimous, educated opinion.