Leslie Brenner, the talented restaurant critic at the Dallas Morning News, has started a new, web-only feature this week called the Backstory that serves as a kind of extended footnote to each printed review. It is, as she writes, “a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what went into the researching or writing of the review, or a relevant aspect of the reviewing process.” 

Brenner, the former food editor at the Los Angeles Times, balances good humor and fearlessness in her writing, making her reviews a pleasure to read. In other words, she pens some of the best pans out there. Read them both. 

Brenner replaced Bill Addison, who left that job for Atlanta Magazine. By the way, check out the spiffy new look of his food blog, Covered Dish.