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

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