Jon Cheng's path to the Twin Cities wasn't direct, but it was delicious.
Before landing in Minneapolis, he lived and wrote about food in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. His career as a restaurant critic started long before.
By age 9, Cheng, who grew up in Singapore, was the person his family relied on to order at restaurants, because he unerringly found the best dishes on the menu. While other children played games, Cheng wrote reviews on TripAdvisor, where many people rated his reviews as helpful, encouraging him to continue seeking out food and opportunities to write about it.
Now that he's been eating his way through the Twin Cities for three years — his first Star Tribune review appeared in November 2021 — he put his fork down to answer reader questions about his methodology, the one food he can't resist and what food he thinks is overrated.
Q: Why did you become a restaurant critic?
A: My love for restaurant criticism first and foremost stems from my love of food, and my desire to tell people about it. Having moved frequently — abroad, as well as different cities in the U.S. — I've always found the best way to get to know a city is through its cuisine. That it tells a unique story about individuals and the subcultures they represent is even more of a reason to write about them. I am not a chef, nor do I have formal culinary training, but the way I evaluate, hopefully, telegraphs the experiences I've accumulated as a diner at large. My goal was to be fair and exacting.
Q: How do you choose restaurants to review?
A: Any new restaurant is eligible for a review. We — my editor, Nicole, and I — prioritize eateries that offer something new to the dining public; therefore, chain restaurants are often excluded. As a rule of thumb, most restaurants that have been written up as a "First Look" will get a review. If an older restaurant repositions (new chef, new menu, new concept), we will consider it, as well. The Kenwood is an example. And if a restaurant that I reviewed earlier during my tenure as critic changes its food dramatically, I will consider a revisit.
These rules do not apply to restaurant features, which include stories like the 10 best tacos in the Twin Cities and the best places to get pho. If it doesn't have a star rating, it's technically not a restaurant review.
Q: What is your thought process behind star ratings, and why do you give stars?
A: My "new" rating system caused a stir when I came on as a critic. Oftentimes, what I put in words may not directly translate to the rating I decide on. But creating more variance between restaurants, in my view, better separates the truly good from the merely good. So let me put this uncertainty to rest: A two-star restaurant is a good restaurant. It's a restaurant that I recommend diners visit. Many restaurants nationwide — including in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles — are two-star eateries that I would happily return to. A three-star restaurant underscores that recommendation, and anything above that — 3½ or four — is worth a special journey.
