Brian Freedman, former director of education at The Wine School of Philadelphia, has replaced Adam Erace as Philadelphia Weekly’s restaurant critic. As mentioned yesterday, Erace replaces Citypaper’s Trey Popp, who replaces Joy Manning at Philadelphia magazine. (Are you keeping track of all of this? There will be a quiz later.) Freedman is an accomplished writer who contributes to John Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet, Philadelphia Style and Where magazine. He’s also currently the restaurant critic and drinks columnist for Suburban Life and South Jersey magazines. “Adam leaves some big shoes to fill,” Freedman told Grub Street. “I’m thrilled to even be considered.”
In addition to writing about food and wine, Freedman is also a trained sommelier and wine consultant. He was recently brought on to select wines for the Talula’s Table pop-up at Stephen Starr’s Washington Square. As PW’s critic Freedman plans to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, covering a broad range of restaurants, from neighborhood BYOBs and pubs to glitzy and upscale dining destinations. “One of the great things about Philadelphia restaurants is the sheer range and the passion that restaurateurs are showing at every single level of restaurants,” Freedman said. “You see just as much passion and attention to detail at small 25-seat spots as you do at these temples of gastronomy. And that makes it really interesting to be involved in food journalism and food criticism right now.”
Earlier: Who Will Be Citypaper’s Next Restaurant Critic?
