The article further states that Wells is actually uncomfortable with this dichotomy and has been throughout his duration at the Times.
This is not true; in fact, Wells is somewhat famous for reviewing more blue-collar restaurants, in contrast with previous Times critics. For example, here is his review of Guy Fieri's restaurant in Times Square: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-...
I assume this is a new york thing?
No, I don't think everyone is. A lot of people, maybe. Certainly not most. Definitely not everyone.
And this is HN where I would be pretty confident that most who aren't students make 2x the median household income themselves, and the vast majority make 2x the median individual income.
And even my parents who are objectively working class people will still splurge for special anniversaries and go to a very, very nice restaurant for dinner. And if you're going somewhere that you can only afford once every 5-10 years, you are probably going to read every review you can get your hands on. They become extraordinarily important.
Yes, he does review cheaper places occasionally (the comment about Senor Frogs being one).
However, the article does point out that there is a different NYT critic who mostly does the cheaper restaurants.