Tim Carman
@timcarman.bsky.social
Food writer for The Washington Post.
I've known Elazar for a couple of years now. He's an exceptional human being and a wonderful food critic. You're in good hands, D.C. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/11...
Column | Meet The Washington Post’s new food critic
Elazar Sontag is The Post’s next food critic — and he won’t be anonymous.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I've known Elazar for a couple of years now. He's an exceptional human being and a wonderful food critic. You're in good hands, D.C. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/11...
Three restaurateurs, three memoirs, three very different perspectives on what makes a successful life, in and out of dining rooms.
wapo.st/47wCPX5
wapo.st/47wCPX5
Review | Three celebrated restaurateurs dish about life behind the scenes
Memoirs by Keith McNally, Drew Nieporent and Andy Shallal give readers an inside look at the restaurants they built — Balthazar, Nobu, and Busboys and Poets.
wapo.st
November 9, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Three restaurateurs, three memoirs, three very different perspectives on what makes a successful life, in and out of dining rooms.
wapo.st/47wCPX5
wapo.st/47wCPX5
Reposted by Tim Carman
"Tim Carman ALMOST makes me want to go to Arby's," my husband says to me this morning.
This is why. Terrific piece. @timcarman.bsky.social writes so well about food..
www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
This is why. Terrific piece. @timcarman.bsky.social writes so well about food..
www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
Review | Arby’s steak nuggets may be as close to real barbecue as fast food gets
These protein-packed nuggets are better than they look.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:08 PM
"Tim Carman ALMOST makes me want to go to Arby's," my husband says to me this morning.
This is why. Terrific piece. @timcarman.bsky.social writes so well about food..
www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
This is why. Terrific piece. @timcarman.bsky.social writes so well about food..
www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
We interrupt your regularly scheduled scrolling for this lark of a review on Arby's new steak nuggets.
wapo.st/3WPNbLL
wapo.st/3WPNbLL
Review | Arby’s steak nuggets may be as close to real barbecue as fast food gets
These protein-packed nuggets are better than they look.
wapo.st
October 30, 2025 at 5:29 PM
We interrupt your regularly scheduled scrolling for this lark of a review on Arby's new steak nuggets.
wapo.st/3WPNbLL
wapo.st/3WPNbLL
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike and Ian from NPR's How to Do Everything. We chatted about whether the Pentagon Pizza Report can actually predict major military actions. www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...
AI, War, and Exercise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger : How To Do Everything
On today’s episode, how to get rid of Google’s AI summaries, and we help a listener who wants to exercise in her car during a long commute–with an assist from a very overqualified exerciser and a very...
www.npr.org
October 2, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I had the pleasure of speaking with Mike and Ian from NPR's How to Do Everything. We chatted about whether the Pentagon Pizza Report can actually predict major military actions. www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...
We didn’t realize how good we had it in 2015. A look at a group of restaurants that helped reshape DC dining. Gift link: wapo.st/3WdFRsH
These restaurants opened 10 years ago — and redefined D.C. dining
Washington’s restaurant class of 2015 introduced new cuisines to the city, helped revive neighborhoods and raised D.C.’s national profile.
wapo.st
September 30, 2025 at 11:49 AM
We didn’t realize how good we had it in 2015. A look at a group of restaurants that helped reshape DC dining. Gift link: wapo.st/3WdFRsH
Some thoughts on last night’s dinner in DC. Gift link: wapo.st/3KezhPU
Column | Trump was dared to dine in D.C. He played it safe at a chain steakhouse.
In a city awash with dining options, the president dined within his comfort zone, one block from the White House.
wapo.st
September 11, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Some thoughts on last night’s dinner in DC. Gift link: wapo.st/3KezhPU
More than 20 workers have been detained. Countless more have quit, called out of their shifts or scrambled to find alternative ways to get to work. The immigration crackdown in DC has the restaurant industry reeling.
Gift link: wapo.st/3VIggIc
Gift link: wapo.st/3VIggIc
ICE detentions roil D.C.’s already struggling restaurant scene
Restaurant owners say their workers are being targeted, picked up by immigration authorities while commuting to work.
wapo.st
September 10, 2025 at 11:47 AM
More than 20 workers have been detained. Countless more have quit, called out of their shifts or scrambled to find alternative ways to get to work. The immigration crackdown in DC has the restaurant industry reeling.
Gift link: wapo.st/3VIggIc
Gift link: wapo.st/3VIggIc
I got a lesson in the hard economics of plant-based restaurants. It helps to explain why Eleven Madison Park added meat back to the menu.
Gift link: wapo.st/3JRZ7Jj
Gift link: wapo.st/3JRZ7Jj
Is Eleven Madison Park’s return to meat a sign of the times?
Eleven Madison Park is retreating on its vegan menu, proving the uphill battle plant-based fine dining can face.
wapo.st
August 27, 2025 at 2:33 PM
I got a lesson in the hard economics of plant-based restaurants. It helps to explain why Eleven Madison Park added meat back to the menu.
Gift link: wapo.st/3JRZ7Jj
Gift link: wapo.st/3JRZ7Jj
Reposted by Tim Carman
Some y-o-y data herein. Not great!
The administration argues that its crackdown on crime in DC has been good for restaurants. Numerous owners say otherwise.
Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X
Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X
‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown
August restaurant week can be a lifeline for D.C. food businesses, but high-visibility arrests and heavy law enforcement presence are driving some diners away.
wapo.st
August 20, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Some y-o-y data herein. Not great!
The administration argues that its crackdown on crime in DC has been good for restaurants. Numerous owners say otherwise.
Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X
Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X
‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown
August restaurant week can be a lifeline for D.C. food businesses, but high-visibility arrests and heavy law enforcement presence are driving some diners away.
wapo.st
August 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The administration argues that its crackdown on crime in DC has been good for restaurants. Numerous owners say otherwise.
Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X
Gift link: wapo.st/4mzcb4X
Reposted by Tim Carman
Excellent deep dive by Tim Carman and Warren Rojas into the impact on **all this** on DC restaurants this month.
contextualize the % opentable drops better than anyone I’ve seen (restaurant week in 2024 was Aug 12-18) but still shows the impact
wapo.st/4mzcb4X
contextualize the % opentable drops better than anyone I’ve seen (restaurant week in 2024 was Aug 12-18) but still shows the impact
wapo.st/4mzcb4X
wapo.st
August 20, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Excellent deep dive by Tim Carman and Warren Rojas into the impact on **all this** on DC restaurants this month.
contextualize the % opentable drops better than anyone I’ve seen (restaurant week in 2024 was Aug 12-18) but still shows the impact
wapo.st/4mzcb4X
contextualize the % opentable drops better than anyone I’ve seen (restaurant week in 2024 was Aug 12-18) but still shows the impact
wapo.st/4mzcb4X
What does a lobster roll in Iowa and the White House have in common? Gold!
I have thoughts. Gift link: wapo.st/4mgSz5m
I have thoughts. Gift link: wapo.st/4mgSz5m
Column | Gold leaf lobster rolls in Iowa? Our tasteless obsession with gilded food.
Paired with caviar or a lobster roll at a state fair, edible gold remains a flavorless shorthand for status.
wapo.st
August 14, 2025 at 4:47 PM
What does a lobster roll in Iowa and the White House have in common? Gold!
I have thoughts. Gift link: wapo.st/4mgSz5m
I have thoughts. Gift link: wapo.st/4mgSz5m
When a sandwich is not sandwich: The new symbol for DC protesters.
Story for context: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Story for context: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
August 14, 2025 at 11:36 AM
When a sandwich is not sandwich: The new symbol for DC protesters.
Story for context: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Story for context: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
For those who enjoy a good, bracing IPA, all jacked up with cascade hops, you owe a small debt of gratitude to Jack McAuliffe, the co-founder of New Albion brewing. He died last month at age 80. Gift link: wapo.st/4fqhtgd
Pour one out for Jack McAuliffe, who revolutionized craft beer
His company, New Albion, was the first American microbrewery since Prohibition. It helped inspire the creators of Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams and Dogfish Head.
wapo.st
August 6, 2025 at 8:28 PM
For those who enjoy a good, bracing IPA, all jacked up with cascade hops, you owe a small debt of gratitude to Jack McAuliffe, the co-founder of New Albion brewing. He died last month at age 80. Gift link: wapo.st/4fqhtgd
Reposted by Tim Carman
"Genre movies often require a suspension of disbelief — which is just another way to say they require you to dial down your critic — to be fully enjoyed. The same can be said of restaurants." - @timcarman.bsky.social wapo.st/4ff7VEP
Review | When everybody’s a critic, they miss what makes restaurants special
Reader comments about Ben’s Chili Bowl show that to understand and even enjoy a restaurant, you may need to evaluate your evaluations.
wapo.st
July 29, 2025 at 6:16 PM
"Genre movies often require a suspension of disbelief — which is just another way to say they require you to dial down your critic — to be fully enjoyed. The same can be said of restaurants." - @timcarman.bsky.social wapo.st/4ff7VEP
The D.C. Council didn't repeal I-82. But council members modified it in a way that, according to labor advocates, subverts the will of D.C. residents who approved the ballot measure with 74 percent of the vote. Gift link: wapo.st/4oqB4kO
D.C. Council’s compromise on tipped wages undermines voters’ will, advocates say
The council’s budget amendment will modify Initiative 82, which voters passed by an overwhelming majority in 2022.
wapo.st
July 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The D.C. Council didn't repeal I-82. But council members modified it in a way that, according to labor advocates, subverts the will of D.C. residents who approved the ballot measure with 74 percent of the vote. Gift link: wapo.st/4oqB4kO
Sad news out of Wheaton. One of my favorite restaurants is closing after 29 years. The Yu family let me follow them for many months to show the damage, financially and emotionally and personally, that the pandemic had on them. You can read the story here: www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/202...
July 25, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Sad news out of Wheaton. One of my favorite restaurants is closing after 29 years. The Yu family let me follow them for many months to show the damage, financially and emotionally and personally, that the pandemic had on them. You can read the story here: www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Tim Carman
I am pleased about the wrap comeback, which I will be calling the wrapback
Wraps, like just about everything else rn, are divisive. Some wish they'd go the way of Doc Martens and the macarena. Some write love letters to corporate heads, hoping to bring them back.
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e
Review | Who has the best chicken wrap? We ranked 8 fast-food brands.
For the top tortilla-wrapped option, look beyond McDonald’s and Popeyes.
wapo.st
July 23, 2025 at 8:49 PM
I am pleased about the wrap comeback, which I will be calling the wrapback
Wraps, like just about everything else rn, are divisive. Some wish they'd go the way of Doc Martens and the macarena. Some write love letters to corporate heads, hoping to bring them back.
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e
Review | Who has the best chicken wrap? We ranked 8 fast-food brands.
For the top tortilla-wrapped option, look beyond McDonald’s and Popeyes.
wapo.st
July 23, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Wraps, like just about everything else rn, are divisive. Some wish they'd go the way of Doc Martens and the macarena. Some write love letters to corporate heads, hoping to bring them back.
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e
For better or for worse, wraps are back. I dove into the fray. wapo.st/4kUqz6e
Some thoughts on the culture of criticism that dominates our daily life -- and how it affects our relationship to restaurants.
Gift link: wapo.st/46d2xzG
Gift link: wapo.st/46d2xzG
Review | When everybody’s a critic, they miss what makes restaurants special
Reader comments about Ben’s Chili Bowl show that to understand and even enjoy a restaurant, you may need to evaluate your evaluations.
wapo.st
July 18, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Some thoughts on the culture of criticism that dominates our daily life -- and how it affects our relationship to restaurants.
Gift link: wapo.st/46d2xzG
Gift link: wapo.st/46d2xzG
You have a week to eat at the original Ben’s Chili Bowl before it closes for months for renovations. The family wants to retain the diner’s original character but they don’t yet know the extent of the repairs. wapo.st/40ItCXN
As Ben’s Chili Bowl closes for repairs, owners hope to keep its spirit
The family that owns Ben’s Chili Bowl wants to make sure the much-needed renovations don’t damage the diner’s nostalgic character.
wapo.st
July 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
You have a week to eat at the original Ben’s Chili Bowl before it closes for months for renovations. The family wants to retain the diner’s original character but they don’t yet know the extent of the repairs. wapo.st/40ItCXN
To say I was skeptical about Pentagon Pizza Report would be an understatement. So I put on my reporter's pants and dug into the account. I talked to Pentagon sources. I traded emails with the Pentagon police. I even managed to track down the account's founder. Here's the full report: wapo.st/4exjPtl
Can pizza orders predict military action? One man keeps track.
The Pentagon Pizza Report’s founder says, “It’s stupid, it’s funny, but you can’t help but feel there’s also something there.”
wapo.st
July 1, 2025 at 7:58 PM
To say I was skeptical about Pentagon Pizza Report would be an understatement. So I put on my reporter's pants and dug into the account. I talked to Pentagon sources. I traded emails with the Pentagon police. I even managed to track down the account's founder. Here's the full report: wapo.st/4exjPtl
New York’s celebrated bagel shop dropped anchor in DC with a commissary model that allows the company to ship parbaked and frozen rounds straight from Queens. Our panel had widely divergent opinions on how H&H compares to Pearl’s, one of the best bagel shops in DC.
Gift link: wapo.st/3SJSQkm
Gift link: wapo.st/3SJSQkm
Review | New York’s H&H Bagels just opened in D.C. Does it live up to the hype?
The New York bagel shop has cultural cachet, but the rounds from its first D.C. outpost didn’t wow us.
wapo.st
June 12, 2025 at 4:56 PM
New York’s celebrated bagel shop dropped anchor in DC with a commissary model that allows the company to ship parbaked and frozen rounds straight from Queens. Our panel had widely divergent opinions on how H&H compares to Pearl’s, one of the best bagel shops in DC.
Gift link: wapo.st/3SJSQkm
Gift link: wapo.st/3SJSQkm
Every story is a learning experience. But putting together this seemingly simple quiz was, for me, like taking a master class on U.S. food imports.
Take the quiz, and see how much you know: wapo.st/451OQD6
Take the quiz, and see how much you know: wapo.st/451OQD6
Do you know who exports these foods to the U.S.? Test your knowledge.
The sources of America’s imports of sugar, coffee, tea, oil and other common foods potentially subject to tariffs might surprise you.
wapo.st
June 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Every story is a learning experience. But putting together this seemingly simple quiz was, for me, like taking a master class on U.S. food imports.
Take the quiz, and see how much you know: wapo.st/451OQD6
Take the quiz, and see how much you know: wapo.st/451OQD6