Restaurant Critic Roundup: 'Deceptive Simplicity' At LA Restaurant Barnyard

This week in restaurant reviews, critic Pete Wells reviews restaurant Hog & Hominy in Memphis, Tenn. "The cooking ... reflect[s] the Italian families and Southern childhoods of the two chefs who opened Hog & Hominy," Wells' server explained.  "Many ingredients, including the pork whose leading role on the menu was foretold by the restaurant's name, came from farms within 200 miles of Memphis."

Near Los Angeles, critic Jonathan Gold visits restaurant Barnyard, where "deceptive simplicity" rules the menu. "You are fooled into thinking that this is food you could prepare yourself if you had the time," he says, "that you are at Barnyard because it is pleasant and because you forgot to go to Whole Foods last night. After a glass or two of crisp txakolina from the Basque Country or a bottle of sharply fragrant listán negro from the volcanic Canary Islands, you may even start to believe it yourself."

In Washington, D.C., restaurant Red Hen "follows a good-neighbor policy." Critic Tom Sietsema continues, "You will be greeted and seated by young people who are not only come-at-able but savvy. Most of them live nearby, and it shows in the care and feeding of their customers."

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: 7/18/2013

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.