Texas Monthly’s award-winning restaurant critic, Patricia Sharpe, has decided to officially put down her knife and fork. After fifty years at Texas Monthly, Sharpe—who’s spent decades inspiring readers to explore a culinary landscape that’s as wide-ranging as the state she loves—will retire at the end of the year.Sharpe joined Texas Monthly as an editorial assistant in December 1974, nearly two years after the storied magazine launched. She proofread the Dining Guide and calendar of events and also helped keep the office running smoothly. But the restaurant reviews were what opened Sharpe’s eyes to the possibilities of the state’s developing restaurant scene. Sharpe worked her way up to managing and editing the Dining Guide at a time when ambitious chefs in the state were just beginning to gain national…