Women in the D.C.-area wine industry were quick to raise their hands after Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema didn’t name any female sommeliers during a recent live chat.

Sorry, La Vie.

The Washington Post food critic says the newly opened posh Japanese chain is “already the most pretentious restaurant in Washington.”

“In regards to the Washington Post review, everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” they wrote on Facebook.

Tom and Robert Sietsema are distant cousins working as food critics for two different publications in two different cities—but they agree on the places in D.C. you should eat.

Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema’s Fall 2010 Dining Guide hit the intertubes today, and on the list were a number of surprises: from food truck Red Hook Lobster Truck (whoa, a food truck) to BGR: The Burger Joint (whoa, where’s Ray’s?) to The Columbia Room (whoa, a cocktail joint).

The anonymity of a food critic is viewed as an essential part of writing an unbiased review. Like it or not, many times reviews make or break a spot, and restaurants will go to great lengths to ensure that if they have a critic on the premises, the food and service is flawless. That’s what makes Eater.com’s decision to post photos of top food critics around the country, including the Washington Post’s Tom Sietsema,…

Image courtesy of La Tur October’s issue of Gourmet magazine asks six restaurant critics how they would spend a theoretical $1,000 on a meal for two in their home town. Tom Sietsema of the Washington Post is their go-to guy for the District. The spirit of the challenge would seem to be concocting a decadent meal or series of eating experiences that can fit into a reasonable evening and a reasonable stomach. Reasonably large,…

Everyone knows the perils and regrets of drunk dialing. There’s that awful feeling of waking up the next morning remembering the nastygram you left on someone’s answering machine. Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema must be feeling that way today after the paper retracted his review of Commissary, citing that he and one of the owners has a previous “personal relationship” and should have recused himself. This morning the owners of Commissary also sent out an…

Dish of the Week: Mascarpone-stuffed dates with sea salt Where: Komi Congratulations to Komi, which received a fourth star in the 2008 Washington Post Dining Guide. A definite splurge for most diners, most visitors to Komi find themselves wowed by the clean, simple flavors of the dishes and great technique. More than just fine dining, it is a place to take pleasure in really good, simple things. One of Komi’s signature dishes is the mascarpone-stuffed…