Critic Roundup: Comfort And Joy

This week, many restaurant critics sampled familiar and comfort food including fried chicken, spaghetti pomodoro, a chili cheese hot dog, biscuits, a classic Rueben sandwich, grits, and risotto. For the most part, they were pleased with what they ate and the experiences they had; some were even thrilled.

Stan Sagner of The Daily News reviewed Root & Bone in New York's Alphabet City, and awarded it three out of five stars. Although he found the restaurant loud and said that the desserts left a bit to be desired, he thoroughly enjoyed the biscuits, declaring "each bite of these golden cubes of steamy, impossibly flaky pastry is bliss." Jonathon Gold visited L.A.'s Ladies' Gunboat Society at Flores, and began his review with the question, "Are there any sweeter words in the English language than 'fried chicken and beer'?" Chef Brian Dunsmoor was able to make even the exotic seem familiar, by cooking a unusual menu item in a very beloved technique, making Gold proclaim "The crisply fried rabbit, brushed with honey, is even better than the chicken — Dunsmoor knows how to fry things." Providence Cicero in Seattle tried Il Terrazzo Carmine, an "old-school Italian" restaurant, and enjoyed her experience so much she awarded it three and a half stars. The critic used descriptors for the food such as "velvety," "creamy," and "fork-tender," and referenced just how classical and perfectly executed the fare is with definitive judgment: "Each item was prepared just as it should be."

Restaurant Critic Roundup: 9/4/14

Critic

Publication

Restaurant

Rating

Pete Wells

The New York Times

Bar Primi

2 Stars

Stan Sagner

The Daily News

Root & Bone

3 Stars

Tom Siestsema

Washington Post

Crane & Turtle

2 Stars

Robert F. Moss

Charleston City Paper

Palace Hotel

Mixed

Scott Reitz

The Dallas Observer

Yukata

Positive

Jonathon Gold

LA Times

Ladies' Gunboat Society at Flores

Positive

Michael Bauer

San Francisco Chronicle

Aveline

2 Stars

William Porter

The Denver Post

Salt & Grinder

2 Stars

Providence Cicero

The Seattle Times

Il Terrazzo Carmine

3.5 Stars

 

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