Something huge is shifting in the Texas food landscape as veteran Texas Monthly reviewer Patricia Sharpe, who is based in Austin, hangs up her hat. One of the best-known critics in the state — in any area of culture, let alone restaurants — Sharpe has been at Texas Monthly for 50 years.

The magazine announced in a release posted September 12 that Sharpe will retire at the end of the year, so readers haven't seen the last of her, yet. (Plus, most writers never really stop writing when they retire. But this culinary powerhouse deserves a break.)

Sharpe had many writers' dream career, starting almost immediately after the magazine was born as an editorial assistant in 1974. After proofreading the Dining Guide — and then managing and editing it — she developed her own column called Pat's Pick, plus the annual feature Where to Eat Now, which is now more than 20 years old.

The release points out that the Texas dining scene was in relative infancy when Sharpe started. The state's population was less than half of what it is today, and Houstonians who have been here even five years need no introduction to how much the tone of the restaurant scene has changed.

“Pat has covered the fine-dining scene in Texas for so long, and in such a discerning and engaging manner, that she has become a vital part of the scene herself. There is no replacing Pat Sharpe,” said Texas Monthly's editor in chief, Dan Goodgame.

Readers have of course valued Sharpe for more than just her tenure, but also for her wry sense of humor and accessible, personal writing, even if the topic of fine dining is inherently a bit flowery (and ever escalating).

Here's a taste from a 30-year retrospective Q&A Sharpe wrote in 2005, the James Beard Foundation Award-winning feature Confessions of a “Skinny Bitch”:

"Last December 1 I celebrated thirty years at this magazine. That’s a lot of crème brûlée under the bridge, folks. During that time, food fads have risen (fajitas and Southwestern cuisine) and fallen (blackened redfish), and once-fabled Texas restaurants have vanished like a snow cone on the Fourth of July (how many of you remember Mr. Peppe, in Dallas, or the original Naples on Broadway, in San Antonio, or Che, in Houston?). Texas has changed from a state that eats at home to one that eats out, and Dallas and Houston have taken their places on the national culinary stage. Since it was founded, in 1973, this magazine has published more than 28,000 restaurant reviews. If that indicates anything, it’s that people are endlessly fascinated with food and dining. And judging by the queries I get, they’re also curious about the arcane practice of restaurant reviewing."

Now's as good a time as any to dive into Sharpe's lengthy archives, available in places like her Texas Monthly profile and in the 2008 UT Press collection Texas Monthly on...Food.

Catch her until the end of 2024 in more timely Texas Monthly writings. And if you think you can live up to that legacy, check out the newly posted job listing.