New York Times photo / Tony Cenicola
Sam Sifton's Sesame Noodles.

Sam Sifton, cultural news editor of the New York Times, has been named to succeed Frank Bruni as that news organization's restaurant critic.

His Wikipedia biography:

Sifton graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with an A.B. degree in history and literature in 1988. He began his journalism career as assistant editor for American Heritage magazine in 1988. From 1990 to 1994, he taught social studies in the New York City public school system.

Sifton held a number of positions at the weekly New York Press during his tenure there from 1990 to 1998, including restaurant critic, contributing editor, senior editor, media critic and managing editor.

Sifton was a founding editor of Talk (magazine) in 1998. He came to the Times in 2001.

The Times has taken his photo off the site, trying to maintain the time-honored tradition of the critic being treated just as you would. But you can bet his mug is being faxed all over town right now, circulated among waitstaff and memorized by maitre d's.

As for street cred, here's his Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles recipe.

His genetic cred is even cooler: Sifton's grandfather was noted theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who is credited as author of the oriiginal Serenity Prayer: "God give us grace, to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."

Inheriting his ancestor's attitude might prove a handy trait when his phone is smoking from the outrage of a miffed chef on the receiving end of a crushing review.