Restaurant Critic Roundup: Los Angeles Restaurant El Corazon 'Not Worth The Wait'

This week in restaurant reviews, critic Tom Sietsema ventures to Washington, D.C. restaurant Table with skepticism, recalling his memories of Smith Commons on H Street NE, a former spot of chef-owner Frederik De Pue, which "included flabby duck confit and tough steak, but also tasty scallops on creamed corn." 

Near San Francisco, critic Michael Bauer steps into Oakland restaurant Nido, where "the dinner menu has no tacos, enchiladas, or chile rellenos, yet the food has a soulful, comforting aura missing from many paint-by-numbers places."

In New York, critic Pete Wells reviews two restaurants, Salvation Taco in Murray Hill and Taqueria Tlaxcalli in the Bronx. Of Salvation Taco, Wells recounts that although "you might think the star attraction will be a fat bundle of something hot and tasty folded inside a warm tortilla with a sauce that adds intrigue and excitement," that "describes almost none of the tacos I ate at this jammed and noisy five-month-old restaurant inside the Pod 39 hotel in Murray Hill." At Taqueria Tlaxcalli, the exterior "tells you to move on," but the interior "tells you to stay."

In other related restaurant critic news, former head critic at the Village Voice, Robert Sietsema, unexpectedly landed at Eater, where although he will not be writing restaurant reviews, he will be featured as a regular columnist.

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: 5/29/2013

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