John Hinterberger: Passing of a Seattle Original

It was with great sadness that I recently read about the death of a true original: John Hinterberger, the pioneering one-time restaurant critic for the Seattle Times. At one time, his Times’ column was second in city readership only to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s “Dear Abby” advice column and, since the P-I had fewer readers than the Times, that made him top draw.

“Hint” as his comrades in newsprint knew him, penned opinions and restaurant reviews for a quarter of a century before finally retiring for a second time in the 1990s. On March 25, he died at 92 at his home in Kirkland.

But oh! how he shone during his news-writing years, more a storyteller than a critic. He had reluctantly taken on the columnist’s role in the 1960s. At the time, Hinterberger was working at the Times as a police reporter – a job taken to pay the rent while he completed a graduate degree in drama at the University of Washington. When columnist Tom Robbins left the Times to write novels, Arts and Entertainment Editor Lou Guzzo picked Hinterberger to take over.

Hint’s initial response was to resist saying that he “hated critics.” But he was finally convinced to take on the job and encouraged to write a “Night Life” column that appeared on the Saturday front page. Later Hint began covering restaurants and was anchored in the Pacific Magazine.

He was a hit with the readers, also gaining respect from his fellow news folk. When it came to “criticism,” he excelled as a tale spinner. Browsing through his columns, found in Seattle Times archives on the Seattle Public Library website, is a treat. Most admirable are his ledes, the initial sentences that captivated readers wanting to know more.

 “It probably was the carrot cake that did it” he wrote when reviewing Julia’s in Wallingford.  Hint explained that, while Julia Miller might not know much about business, she had inherited culinary know-how from Joe Vinikow, her Russian immigrant grandfather. It was the talented Vinikow who sold his truffle recipe to Frederick & Nelson’s in 1918 where it became known as the “Frango.” Some other ledes that Hint used to launch memorable reviews:

•  “The name of the restaurant certainly isn’t impressive: Rover’s, more fetching for a canine than for a gastronome.”
• “Strolling the Westlake Center third floor is a culinary walk on the mild side. Why, I wondered, would anybody want a Hot Dog on a stick.”
• “Bill Gasparetti stood behind the bar at Rosellini’s Four-10 and mixed a dry martini saying, ‘This may be the last week.’”
• “Cooking for a crowd is the easiest thing in the world until they hang a microphone on your neck.”
• “You can learn a lot from restrooms. For that matter you can learn a lot in restrooms.”
•  “The rain swept down Eastlake like November on a vendetta.” Hint told of sheltering from the storm at Serafina. He chatted with a waitress who rescued him with him a basket of bread, a saucer of olive oil and a red wine from Apolia.

Hinterberger launched dozens of iconic Seattle restaurants, helping establish Seattle’s reputation as one of the nation’s best restaurant cities. Among the many he celebrated were Canlis, Momma Melina, Campagne, Chinook’s and the Tom Douglas’ ventures. Hint also introduced Toshi’s Teriyaki grill, believing working-class eateries, too, deserved proper recognition.

When I ventured into restaurant criticism at the rival Seattle P-I, he sent me a warm note of congratulations. Always a gracious competitor, he gently suggested my initial use of the present tense in my review was a bit of a mistake. He was right.

In 1991, Hinterberger enlarged his following with a morning talk show on KING-AM. He aired his views on politics and stoked enthusiasm for building a great city park, one similar to the commons parks that enliven East Coast cities. Hint enlisted famed architect Fred Bassetti and Mayor Norm Rice in the project. He convinced Microsoft’s Paul Allen, who contributed $20 million to help get a park underway. But – alas — voters remained unpersuaded. They twice rejected a $111 million property tax levy for the envisioned Seattle Commons Park on South Lake Union.

Hint was felled by a stroke in 1993 and spent some months at the Kline-Galland home before regaining his health through physical and speech therapy. After rehab, he was able to again pursue his Seattle Times column, this time as a freelancer. It was during those days that I sometimes was invited to compete in bridge games playing against Hinterberger and a colleague. He had never lost his keen card sense.

Hinterberger only stumbled at being unable to convince Seattle voters of their mistake in not approving the Park that Never Was. Finally succumbing to age-related ailments in March, he is survived by his three daughters, Katy Hinterberger, Julie Wheatley and Holly Lynch, and seven grandchildren. He left behind a plea for support of Northwest Harvest, Peace Trees Vietnam and KUOW, and, for some early readers, a go-to recipe for Hinterberger’s clam spaghetti.