Once upon a time, the food critic of the Washington Post was an all-powerful — and totally anonymous — figure in the local restaurant industry. But the paper’s new critic, Elazar Sontag, takes over at a very different moment. We had a long chat with Sontag about the Washington dining scene, the role of a critic, and how to communicate about food in 2026.

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Learn more about the sponsors of this April 9th episode:

Alliance Française Washington DC

Olney Theatre

Mosaic Theater

Nace Law Group

Window Nation

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Dirt Bike Debate, Penn Ave Redo, Goodbye (Maybe?!) to Ovi

City Cast DC is the daily, local audio companion you knew DC needed.. Washingtonians are deeply passionate about our city, whose story is still being written, and City Cast DC is here to tell it.

Every weekday morning, our hosts Michael Schaffer and Bridget Todd will engage people from all over the eight wards in conversation about DC’s crises and its beauty, both literal and figurative. It’ll have the feel of eavesdropping on an energetic and informative coffee shop chat, except that with City Cast DC, consider this your official invitation to listen in. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter at dc.citycast.fm.