Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

The Atlantic: In one of the most-discussed articles of the week, The Atlantic asks: "Who wants to be a career food critic anyway?" Citing mounting pressures to blog, Tweet, Facebook and perform a million other small tasks in addition to writing restaurant reviews, author Adam Martin questions if this workload -- as well as the emergence of Fifth Estate food websites and blogs -- has diminished the classic role of the food critic.

Alton Brown: Alton Brown seems to struggle not only with Twitter, but with fame in general, writing this "fanifesto" on how fans should behave around celebrities large and small. Brown rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but it's also easy to see how the pressures of modern fame -- social media being one of the largest factors -- can be overwhelming to even the most level-headed of people.

Tasty Bits: Nicholas Hall wasn't the only blogger to recently enjoy a fantastic meal at Feast. Misha went there recently, reaffirming his belief that "if you're ever in Houston, Feast should be one of the restaurants at the top of your list."

Food Republic: Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan are still hard at work getting their restaurant group off the ground, but are hard at work blogging, too, documenting the process as well as their driving ambitions. In their latest post, the duo answer the question of Why Houston?

H-Town Chow Down: It's not The Geometry of Pasta, but this nifty chart that Albert linked to from his blog is a fun and handy guide to figuring out what type of pasta is on your plate.

Houston Beer Week: Homebrewing is easy! At least that's what "Chad" and his "yeasts" want you to believe. Check out this hilariously Onion-esque article from Houston Beer Week and see if you can figure out which local blogging all-star ghostwrote it, tongue firmly in cheek.