Restaurant Critic Roundup: Critic Pete Wells Warns Against The Rise Of Tasting Menus

As always, the ratings range from stars to bells to beans, but every review offers specialized insight into the food, atmosphere, and service of eateries in each city's dining scene and the critics eating at them.

This week in New York, critic Pete Wells warns against the danger in "the rise of small plates and tasting menus." "Chefs," he says, "may be starting to forget how to sustain interest beyond the first few bites." 

Also in New York, the Daily News discusses our 101 Best Restaurants in America for 2013, where New York leads the pack with 27 restaurants.

Near San Francisco, in Healdsburg, Calif., to be exact, critic Michael Bauer tastes the fare at Bravas Bar de Tapas. "At Bravas, much as at their other restaurants," he concludes, "the Starks have avoided a cookie-cutter concept and created a restaurant that fills a void in the Sonoma dining scene."

In Washington, D.C., restaurant Woodward Table's menu screams man food, with salads that are "big gardens," and main courses that "could easily feed two," says critic Tom Sietsema. "The latest dining concept from veteran Washington restaurateur Jeff Buben, whose Southern-themed Vidalia and French-minded Bistro Bis grace the West End and Capitol Hill, respectively," Sietsema concludes, is "still finding its own voice."

From the East Coast to the West Coast, from North to South, the weekly restaurant critic roundup is here for all of your dining out needs.
 

Tyler Sullivan is The Daily Meal's assistant editor. Follow her on Twitter at @atylersullivan.