Kaitlin Steinberg IN as Houston Press Food Critic

According to her updated twitter bio, Riverfront Times contributor Kaitlin Steinberg is the new Houston Press food critic. Steinberg replaces Katharine Shilcutt, who left the paper in May to become the features editor of Houstonia magazine. Although Steinberg changed her Twitter avatar to mask her appearance, her old one is included on the right. In a tweet, Shilcutt, who first noticed Steinberg's new position, advises her successor to "invest in yoga pants and Tums, and have an awesome time."

Reached for comment, Steinberg says that she'll begin her job on July 8 and is "super excited to eat all of the food" in Houston's "great food scene." As for whether she'll be anonymous, Steinberg says that something she'll discuss with Press editor-in-chief Margaret Downing but notes that the critic she worked with in St. Louis "tried to stay anonymous."

In terms of her background, Steinberg grew up in Corpus Christi and attended Trinity University in San Antonio, where she studied art history and theater. She moved to St. Louis to earn a graduate degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and is currently finishing a thesis about the differences in wine writing between men's and women's magazines. She summarizes her conclusion as "wine writing in women's magazines is really lacking."

For those looking to get a sense of Steinberg's style, she wrote the Brooklyn Athletic Club review that the Press published last week. Her Riverfront Times author page shows that she should be well adept at the listicles, neighborhood guides and 100 favorite dishes posts that will be her main responsibilities apart from a weekly review.

Any thoughts on how long it will take someone who's new in town to learn her way around Houston's dining scene? Hit the comments.

Update: Here's the Eating Our Words post with the announcement. Downing says that Steinberg "stood out from other applicants because of her extensive online food reporting as well as her graduate-level training in long-form narrative."

· Kaitlin Steinberg [Twitter]
· Houston Press Fills Food Critic Position [Houstonia]
· God Bless Americana: Brooklyn Athletic Club's Sinful Blend of Comfort Food and Class [Houston Press]
· Holy F***ing S***!! Katharine Shilcutt Resigning From the Houston Press, Heading to Houstonia [-EHOU-]
· Incoming: Kaitlin Steinberg, A New Food Critic For the Houston Press [Eating Our Words]