Restaurant Critic Roundup: 3 New York Critics Review Restaurant Pearl & Ash

This week in restaurant reviews, a "subtle Old West ambience prevails" at Beuchert's Saloon (pronounced "BOO-kerts," as waitresses will remind you). According to critic Tom Sietsema, while the place is packed with history, the dining is packed with "hits and misses." 

In New York, critics at the New York Times, New York Daily News, and Bloomberg, all head to the same spot, Pearl & Ash. New York Times critic Pete Wells starts with wine, because "going to [restaurant] Pearl & Ash without opening a bottle or two is like buying a chocolate bar and not unwrapping it." "Some nights the dining room is so packed with grape chasers," he says, "it's as if a Bat Signal in the shape of a corkscrew were shining over the Bowery." Critic Stan Sagner of the New York Daily News, describes the food experience as a "scavenger hunt." "There are plenty of dramatic, beautifully crafted little jewels, he says, "but they're buried among less desirable dishes." Bloomberg critic Ryan Sutton calls for patience, claiming that "Pearl & Ash ... is more thoughtful than meets the eye." He does admit, however, that "no one answers the phone. Ever."

In Denver, restaurant Pho-natic "serves up big bowls of Vietnamese comfort." They also serve "the strangest dessert" critic William Porter has ever eaten, described as "a layered concoction of green Jell-O, kidney beans and coconut milk." 

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: 5/8/2013

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.