A Restaurant Critic (Ours) On the Year That Changed Him Forever

<p>During his time as a restaurant critic for The Times, Pete Wells has become both feared and revered in the world of dining — crowning those at the top and dethroning those whose time has passed.</p><p>But when the pandemic arrived, handing out stars to fancy restaurants made no sense anymore. A fundamental change was needed.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/pete-wells?smid=pc-thedaily">Pete Wells</a>, a restaurant critic for The New York Times. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>For the return of The Times’s star ratings this year, Pete Wells visited<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/21/dining/la-pirana-lechonera-review-pete-wells.html?searchResultPosition=1"> La Piraña Lechonera</a>, a weekend party in a Bronx trailer where one man serves up the rich flavors of Puerto Rico.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>