Legendary New York Magazine restaurant critic has been fired as a cost-cutting measure after 40 years on the job. Via Feedbag:

Gael Greene, the brand name of restaurant journalism for 40 years at New York magazine has been fired by the magazine effective immediately. The magazine gave her one last hurrah with a coverline on “The Most Important Restaurants in 40 Years” in its 40th anniversary issue October 6, 2008, and said goodbye six weeks later.  “I describe it as cutting off your nose to spite your face,” Greene said. At her premature “retirement” Greene was no longer the weekly critic, having asked to be replaced in 2000, setting off an 18-month search for a replacement that brought on Adam Platt in January 2002. She remained on the masthead as a contributing editor to write a weekly column called “Insatiable Critic.”

Ouch.