Sayonara Sheehan: Raskin Moving in at Seattle Weekly

No more speculation on who will replace Jason Sheenan after his year-and-change stint at Seattle Weekly. Hanna Raskin, formerly of The Dallas Observer will begin mid-April. Raskin apparently yearns for Seattle's gray, drizzly weather, and is arriving on a more positive note than her predecessor.

We should note that according to Eater, Raskin has a "tempestuous relationship with Dallas," famously describing the city as having a "broken" dining scene. Eager food nerds, start following Raskin's Tweets, as it appears she is already an avid consumer of the social media spectrum compared to Sheehan who just recently joined Twitter.

While we are comparing and contrasting, Sheehan vs. Raskin, Sheehan did maintain relative anonymity in Seattle, whilst Raskin seemingly has not despite pledging to do so when she took the helm as food critic at the Observer. An avid biker, perhaps she'll join our mayor on rides around the city or help promote alternative forms of transportation. As a former crime reporter, we ponder if Raskin will address some of the incestuous relationships in the food and restaurant community and stay abreast of the murmurs and musings that those in the know already know, yet Sheehan mostly failed to report.

Secondly, how will Raskin approach getting to know our beloved city? Sheehan started with tourist traps and wandering the streets. Ironically, both writers held their most recent posts for approximately one year at their respective publications, citing personal reasons for leaving: ragweed allergies for Raskin and family issues for Sheehan.

Seattle, as we bid adieu to Sheehan, what do you want out of the newest food critic to join the "circle jerk" of the Seattle food community?

Yeah, she can write, we get that. But let's get at the heart of the story--no more rambling, self-serving, 10-paragraph introductions. Hopefully our new critic will keep things lively, educate us, and pay homage to what makes eaters in our city tick. 'Til then, we at Seattlest will keep eating and reporting on those meals, likely with a glass of wine (or two) in hand.