Restaurant Critic Roundup: Must Be 18 And Older For Sushi Bar In Washington, D.C.

This week in restaurant reviews, Los Angeles critic Jonathan Gold reviews Bludso's Bar & Que, calling it "a mash-up of Compton's well-respected Bludso's BBQ and the gastropub Golden State, a chopped and channeled, service-intensive bar a block from Melrose Avenue that just happens to serve hot links alongside the hefeweizen and rib tips with the IPA."

In New York, critic Pete Wells describes NoHo restaurant Lafayette as "like a junior Eataly for Francophiles." "There is a pastry shop and bakery, a cocktail bar, and an all-French wine list," he continues. "Damon Wise, an ace technician from Craft and the Monkey Bar hired by Mr. Carmellini as chef de cuisine, wears a toque as he oversees an open kitchen where chickens on spits slowly give up their melting fat. All of this is packed inside the brass-and-mirrors skin of a brasserie that stays open from morning to midnight or thereabouts."

Near Washington, D.C., "the just-sprung Sushi Bar in Alexandria requires its customers to be 18 or older." Critic Tom Sietsema, who reviewed Sushi Bar this week, discussed the media frenzy over this 18-or-older stipulation, saying, "Co-owner Mike Anderson would prefer to talk up his chef and his menu, but he's willing to respond to yet another question about why kids aren't part of the clientele in the 48-seat restaurant." The reason being, he says, is Anderson meant the restaurant as "a lounge," and "an escape pod," unlike the many young-family-friendly places in Del Ray.

In other restaurant news, Time Out New York has named Daniel S. Meyer their new restaurant critic. He was previously Mark Bittman's assistant for several years.

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: 6/26/2013

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