Mike Sutter, self portrait

Some people are what they eat. Mike Sutter is what he writes: intelligent, witty, charming and disarming.

I’ve enjoyed Mike Sutter’s restaurant reviews and views since he was a restaurant critic at the  Austin American Statesman.

If it is possible to like his work more now that he’s undertaken his own venture FedManWalking.com, then stick a fork in me–I’m guilty. Or something like that.

My increased appreciation of Mike’s commentary on comestibles comes from an increased appreciation for the man, having finally met him.

As the Statesman’s restaurant critic Mike’s identity was shrouded in mystery. Fortunately he outted himself and now moves freely about the dining universe.

I asked Mike to share a bit more about himself for Field & Feast listeners and readers.

We like to blame the newcomers for ruining Austin, and I started ruining the place when I came here from Fort Worth in 1981 to attend the University of Texas. I had lied about my age to start working fast food at age 15, so I kept right on doing it for nine years, all the way through journalism school and three years into my career with the Austin American-Statesman. There’s nothing like going to an 8 a.m. calculus class in your graveyard shoes, unless it’s working the bar rush after a night putting out the paper.

In 25 years with the Statesman, I was a copy editor, front-page designer, Sunday editor, art director and for three years before I took a buyout this summer, I was the paper’s restaurant critic. In that time, I visited more than 500 trailers, cafes, diners and high-tone restaurants, won state and national writing awards, made fried catfish spring rolls with “Top Chef” contestant Paul Qui of Uchiko and worked shifts at P. Terry’s, Pizza Nizza, Backstage Steakhouse and Three Little Pigs. I started FedManWalking.com this August when an entrepreneurial friend suggested we build a brand around my food writing.

 Since then, I’ve built up FedManWalking.com with 200 more restaurant visits, including accounts of every place to eat on Airport Boulevard, a Trailer-Made series, a steakhouse roundup and reports on more than 90 Austin hamburgers so far. Knock on wood, but I’ve yet to suffer a bout of food poisoning.

Here’s the video by Jim Flores that Mike used to out himself: