New York Times goes for Gold*, **

L.A.'s top food critic could be headed to New York.

Larry Wilson at the Public Eye reports that Jonathan Gold, the Pulitizer-prize winning food critic for the LA Weekly, was offered the job of restaurant critic at the New York Times. He would replace Frank Bruni, who left the critic job in May.

Gold's decision was made easier this week when his wife, Laurie Ochoa, "parted ways" with the LA Weekly. She was the paper's editor in chief.

LAist speculated about the move a few days ago, but concluded Ochoa had been fired and Gold was staying. Wilson seems to have heard more current whispers.

*Updated, 6/7: Let's not send out the goodbye cards just yet. Assuming it's authentic, Gold posted a comment on Wilson's blog to say the New York Times has not offered him a job. Here's the comment:

Thanks for the nice words about Laurie. She molded the Weekly into the best alt-weekly on the planet, and Los Angeles is a much poorer place without her at the helm. But I can say definitively that I have neither accepted nor been offered a position at the NY Times.

The ceviche at Mo-Chica is epic, by the way.

**Updated, 6/9: Larry Wilson takes himself to task for jumping the gun.