Eric Asimov

Infobox journalist
name = Eric Asimov
birth_date = Birth date and age|1957|7|17|mf=y
birth_place = Bethpage, New York
occupation = Journalist, "New York Times" Chief Wine Critic, Author
gender = Male
spouse = Deborah Hofmann (since 2001); Editor, New York Times Bestseller List
children = Two
credits = "The New York Times"

Eric Asimov (born July 17, 1957 in Bethpage, New York) is since June, 2004 the chief wine critic of "The New York Times", subsequently published in the "International Herald Tribune".

Biography

Asimov was born in Bethpage, New York. He is the son of Stanley Asimov, former vice president for editorial administration at "Newsday", and Ruth Asimov, a ceramic artist. He is a nephew of the late author Isaac Asimov. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE6DF153CF93BA25754C0A96F948260|title=July 1989: Eric Asimov Wed To Jacalyn Lee|accessdate=2007-09-21] Asimov attended Wesleyan University, graduating in 1980. He did graduate work in American studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Asimov married fellow Wesleyan graduate Jackalyn Lee in 1989; the couple later divorced. Asimov has been married to Deborah Hofmann, editor of the "New York Times" Best Seller List since 2001. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/ref/dining/asimov-bio.html Biography: Eric Asimov. From www.nytimes.com] ]

Career

"The New York Times"

Eric Asimov began working for "The New York Times" in 1984, as an editor in National News. From 1991 to 1994, he was the editor of the Living Section and, from 1994 to 1995, he edited the Styles of The Times section. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/ref/dining/asimov-bio.html Biography: Eric Asimov. From www.nytimes.com] ]

In 1992, Asimov conceived and wrote the "$25 and Under" column, dedicated to "restaurants where people can eat lavishly for $25 and under. For that price, you should be able to get a complete meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert. Beverages, tax, and tip are not included in the calculation." [$25 and Under: A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, 1995] After several years of penning the column, however, the term "$25 and under" became less literal and more suggestive of inexpensive. Until 1997, the column appeared in the Weekend Section. It then moved to Wednesdays in the "Dining In, Dining Out" section. The popularity of his reviews and articles led to Asimov's yearly compilation books of the $25 and Under columns, published from 1995-1998 by HarperCollins. Asimov became Chief Wine Critic of the "Times" in 2004, and the "$25 and Under" column was assigned to other critics.

From 2000–2004, Eric Asimov co-authored the annual "New York Times Guide to Restaurants in New York City" with Ruth Reichl and William Grimes.

Although it was not until 2004 when Asimov took on the mantle of Chief Wine Critic at "The Times", he had been writing about wine since 1999. As Chief Wine Critic, he writes two columns, "The Pour," and "Wines of the Times" (or, as it may be, "Beers of the Times"), both of which appear in the paper on an alternating bi-weekly schedule.

In March 2006, Asimov started a wine blog also called "The Pour".

Radio

Between 1999 and 2004, Eric Asimov had a daily spot on the "New York Times"-owned radio station WQXR for which he critiqued food and wine. Since becoming Chief Wine Critic in 2004, he reduced his time on WQXR to a weekly spot on wine.

Other

In addition to working for "The Times," Asimov has also done freelance work for "Food & Wine Magazine", "Details", and "Martha Stewart Living".

Bibliography

*"$25 and Under": A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, 1995
*"$25 and Under": A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, 1996
*"$25 and Under": A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, 1997
*"$25 and Under": A Guide to the Best Inexpensive Restaurants in New York, 1998

Co-authored with Ruth Reichl and William Grimes:

*"The New York Times Guide to Restaurants in New York City, 2000"
*"The New York Times Guide to Restaurants in New York City, 2001"
*"The New York Times Guide to Restaurants in New York City, 2002"
*"The New York Times Guide to Restaurants in New York City, 2003"
*"The New York Times Guide to Restaurants in New York City, 2004"

ee also

*List of wine personalities

References

* [http://www.nytimes.com/ref/dining/asimov-bio.html Eric Asimov biography] "The New York Times"

Notes

External links

* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/eric_asimov Eric Asimov "The New York Times" article archive]
* [http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com "The Pour", Dining & Wine blog by Eric Asimov]