Restaurant Critic Roundup: Reading The Menu 'Like Popping Zolpidem' At The Grill Room

This week in restaurant reviews, The New York Times critic Pete Wells announces that his restaurant reviews will cover more than just the New York City area. This week, he recounts his travels to San Francisco, reviewing restaurant Saison. After two "maddening" visits, he is left with the same question, "How much are we willing to pay for an extraordinary dinner?"

In Washington, D.C., critic Tom Sietsema concludes that The Grill Room, the new restaurant of the Capella Washington, is "as exciting as its name: not very." The "terse" wine list is "actually irritating," and "reading the menu is like popping Zolpidem," he says. 

In New York, Bloomberg critic Ryan Sutton reviews Carbone, where "your $400 date ... doesn't begin with anything fancy," he says. "Instead, your waiter appears in a red Zac Posen tuxedo, looking and sounding like Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny."

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.
 

Restaurant Critic Roundup: 5/1/2013

Critic	Publication	Restaurant	Rating
Katie Johnston	Boston Globe	Aria Trattoria	2 stars
Michael Kaminer	New York Daily News	The General	3 stars
Ryan Sutton	Bloomberg	Carbone	3.5 stars
Pete Wells	The New York Times	Saison
Michael Bauer	San Francisco Chronicle	Hutong	4 bells
Brad A. Johnson	Orange County Register	Juliette	3 stars
Tom Sietsema	Washington Post	The Grill Room
William Porter	Denver Post	Hot Cakes	2 stars

 

Click here for The Daily Meal's "Top Chefs Review — and Rate — America's Food Critics."

 

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