Critic Roundup: Down The Rabbit Hole

There seems to be a trend of restaurants-in-disguise happening in this country.

Devra First of the Boston Globe gave us her take on Liquid Art House, a part-restaurant, part-gallery that's melding art, commerce, and food. The courage of owner Ruta Laukien cannot be overlooked, as the varied focus of the establishment makes the project a very risky undertaking. As First points out, "Like the place or not — because what is more subjective than art or food with a point of view? — its nerve is admirable." The food, for the most part, doesn't seem to suffer, as there's "oohing and aahing over sweet pea velouté," and the "[w]ild mushroom dumplings are also objects of admiration." She does critique some of the dishes for overreaching as they compete with their artful surroundings, but overall judges that "[t]he work on the table often outshines that on the walls, but then food is today's favored art form."

LA Times' Jonathan Gold reviewed Pot, well-known chef Roy Choi's new restaurant in Koreatown's Line Hotel. The eatery may be housed in a chic hotel "but it is meant to resemble a faded high-volume joint in an unfashionable neighborhood of Seoul." Whether Choi succeeds in delivering this authenticity in his food is debatable, however, as Gold calls out only one dish, The Beep Beep, as "the closest thing to a must-order here." Overall though, he does mostly enjoy his dining experience, and flatters Choi in the end: "Pot isn't a careful re-creation of a Seoul buljip. It is a sizzling, loving creature of Koreatown L.A."

Restaurant Critic Roundup: 7/09/14

Critic	Publication	Restaurant	Rating
Devra First	Boston Globe	Liquid Art House	2.5 stars
Richard Vines	Bloomberg	Mr Cooper's House & Garden	7/10
Gael Greene	Insatiable Critic	Palo Santo	Positive
Tom Sietsema	Washington Post	Noelia Italian Kitchen	Mixed
Scott Reitz	The Dallas Observer	The Whistling Pig	Positive
Jonathan Gold	The LA Times	Pot	Mixed
Brad A. Johnson	Orange County Register	Watermarc	2 Stars
Michael Bauer	San Francisco Chronicle	Archetype	2.5 stars
Providence Cicero	The Seattle Times	The Saint	2.5 stars

Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant/City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @theconversant.