Dallas Observer Critic Hanna Raskin Departs to Seattle Weekly

Critic musical chairs! The Dallas Observer's very unanonymous restaurant critic Hanna Raskin, who's been with the paper since June 2010, is leaving the Dallas Observer and headed to Seattle, replacing the Seattle Weekly's Jason Sheehan. Citing allergies as the reason for her departure — a "nightmarish reaction to short Texas ragweed" — she is "heartsick about leaving Texas."

Raskin has had a tempestuous relationship with Dallas, having recently written a mighty 4,700 word story about how the city has a "broken" dining scene. Even in her departure post, she writes about how restaurants are "shackled by pettiness and posturing" and how "mean-spiritedness pervades the local food scene."

Raskin, who's set to start in mid-April, replaces the Seattle Weekly's current restaurant critic Jason Sheehan. Sheehan, the author of the well-received Cooking Dirty, got a deal for a book about the "farm-to-table movement" back in November. Reached for comment about his plans, Sheehan told us, "I am leaving Seattle and headed East once more for personal reasons, but will be staying in the trade."

Which means there's an opening, again, for a Dallas restaurant critic. Fire up those resumes, people. Just make sure you don't have bad allergies first.

· Hanna Raskin To Leave Observer, Taking Her Opinions to Seattle [Dallas Observer]
· Hanna Raskin to Replace Jason Sheehan as Food Critic [Seattle Weekly]
· All Critics Coverage on Eater [-E-]