Tom Sietsema
@tomsietsema.bsky.social
I write about restaurants and love/live to travel. Home is DC. The Washington Post is my boss.
Its been a great ride, but every 25 years or so, a change of scenery is good. Farewell, Washington Post! (But not to readers.) www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
Column | Food critic Tom Sietsema is stepping down — and dropping his anonymity
After a quarter-century of reviewing restaurants, donning disguises and turning down photos, The Post’s food critic is ready for his next course.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Its been a great ride, but every 25 years or so, a change of scenery is good. Farewell, Washington Post! (But not to readers.) www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
Dining chat: Can I tip less now that Trump’s bill has mostly done away with taxes on gratuity? wapo.st/408k7Rw
Dining chat: Can I tip less now that Trump’s bill has mostly done away with taxes on gratuity?
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
wapo.st
July 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Dining chat: Can I tip less now that Trump’s bill has mostly done away with taxes on gratuity? wapo.st/408k7Rw
Dining chat: Is it ‘causing a scene’ to tell a server the food was bad? wapo.st/44t8ru1
Dining chat: Is it ‘causing a scene’ to tell a server the food was bad?
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
wapo.st
July 2, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Dining chat: Is it ‘causing a scene’ to tell a server the food was bad? wapo.st/44t8ru1
One of the DMV’s best new places to eat, Sorn Thai toasts a grandmother’s cooking in modern digs in McLean www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/05...
Review | Sorn Thai toasts a grandmother’s cooking in modern digs in McLean
At Sorn Thai, the owner of the popular Donsak in D.C. offers dishes to obsess over.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
One of the DMV’s best new places to eat, Sorn Thai toasts a grandmother’s cooking in modern digs in McLean www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/05...
“What’s new?” people often ask me. Right now, I’ve got 20 answers for them, in the form of a spring dining guide celebrating the best of DC’s current crop of restaurants. www.washingtonpost.com/food/interac...
Review | The 20 best new restaurants in the D.C. area
D.C.’s best new restaurants feature a Middle Eastern gem, Mission-style burritos and an ode to Afro-Caribbean cuisine.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 8, 2025 at 11:58 AM
“What’s new?” people often ask me. Right now, I’ve got 20 answers for them, in the form of a spring dining guide celebrating the best of DC’s current crop of restaurants. www.washingtonpost.com/food/interac...
A taxi driver in Butte tells me her town is mostly “pawn shops, bars and casinos.” True. It’s also about mining, Cornish pasties the size of footballs, a statue bigger than the Statue of Liberty on a nearby mountain, one very old Chinese restaurant — and kindness everywhere you go.
April 11, 2025 at 5:49 PM
A taxi driver in Butte tells me her town is mostly “pawn shops, bars and casinos.” True. It’s also about mining, Cornish pasties the size of footballs, a statue bigger than the Statue of Liberty on a nearby mountain, one very old Chinese restaurant — and kindness everywhere you go.
With the help of a Japanese diplomat, I reviewed the new Marufuji Japanese Market (and cafe) in Tysons. Go!
Review | At a new Japanese market, shop all you want — but don’t miss the cafe
Marufuji Japanese Market in Vienna sells wares from the home country and a menu of donburi, curry, cream puffs and beef bowls.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
With the help of a Japanese diplomat, I reviewed the new Marufuji Japanese Market (and cafe) in Tysons. Go!
I love the whimsey of the menu created by the Voltaggio brothers at the (truly) divine new Wye Oak Tavern in Frederick, Md. Worth the journey from DC. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/03...
Review | The Voltaggio brothers deliver steak and sizzle in a divine space
Brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio are the dynamic duo behind the creative American menu at Wye Oak Tavern in Frederick, Maryland.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 21, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I love the whimsey of the menu created by the Voltaggio brothers at the (truly) divine new Wye Oak Tavern in Frederick, Md. Worth the journey from DC. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/03...
The alluring new Alara brings late-night dining — and lots of mezze — to Georgetown. Focus on the dips, the look, anything with lamb. My review: www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/03...
Review | Alara brings late-night dining to Georgetown with a menu of mezze
Alara, from veteran restaurateur Hakan Ilhan, is a beauty, and it’s open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 6, 2025 at 6:56 PM
The alluring new Alara brings late-night dining — and lots of mezze — to Georgetown. Focus on the dips, the look, anything with lamb. My review: www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/03...
Anyone out there know the Tucson food scene well? I welcome dining tips.
February 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Anyone out there know the Tucson food scene well? I welcome dining tips.
Dining chat: How do I deal with in-laws who under-tip at restaurants? Plus other rants and raves from readers. t.co/wjvX5GPoE3
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/02/26/tom-sietsema-live-chat/
t.co
February 26, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Dining chat: How do I deal with in-laws who under-tip at restaurants? Plus other rants and raves from readers. t.co/wjvX5GPoE3
Imagine a restaurant where cell phones are forbidden, there’s no tipping and the chef goes by one name for security reasons. Welcome to the Agency Dining Room at the super-secure @CIA Spoiler alert: the cooking trumps that at the White House Mess www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/02...
Column | Short ribs, soup and secrets: Our critic’s exclusive lunch at the CIA
At the CIA’s dining room, cellphones and credit cards are banned and the chef’s name is under wraps.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Imagine a restaurant where cell phones are forbidden, there’s no tipping and the chef goes by one name for security reasons. Welcome to the Agency Dining Room at the super-secure @CIA Spoiler alert: the cooking trumps that at the White House Mess www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/02...
Got a restaurant question, rant or rave? Send it to me ahead of my live online chat tomorrow at 11 a.m. and I’ll try to answer. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/01...
Have questions about dining out? Ask our food critic.
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 21, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Got a restaurant question, rant or rave? Send it to me ahead of my live online chat tomorrow at 11 a.m. and I’ll try to answer. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/01...
Dining chat: Are branches of famous restaurants as good as the original? Plus other questions from readers around the country. wapo.st/40xh8mh
Dining chat: Are branches of famous restaurants as good as the original?
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
wapo.st
January 15, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Dining chat: Are branches of famous restaurants as good as the original? Plus other questions from readers around the country. wapo.st/40xh8mh
Dining chat: How should a diner deal with a dirty-talking neighboring table? Plus other rants (and raves) from readers. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/01...
Dining chat: Was this reader right to tell fellow diners to stop swearing in public?
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema entertains your dining questions, rants and raves.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 9, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Dining chat: How should a diner deal with a dirty-talking neighboring table? Plus other rants (and raves) from readers. www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/01...
Someone forgot to pick up flowers. Owl art to the rescue!
November 28, 2024 at 5:44 PM
Someone forgot to pick up flowers. Owl art to the rescue!
Searching for my peeps on a new playground. Come say hello.
November 27, 2024 at 1:33 AM
Searching for my peeps on a new playground. Come say hello.
I just went to buy the well-reviewed “Mango Tree” and the clerk said they didn’t sell plants.
November 27, 2024 at 1:32 AM
I just went to buy the well-reviewed “Mango Tree” and the clerk said they didn’t sell plants.