Restaurant Critic Roundup: The Menu Is 'All Over The Map' At Bar Charley

This week in restaurant news, critic Pete Wells reviews Lake Pavilion, a banquet-style Cantonese restaurant in Queens, N.Y., calling it "A Special Occasion, Seven Days a Week." Wells compares the restaurant scene to that of an immaculate wedding: "A classical white arbor stood at the entrance, threaded with silk rosebuds. Lavender swags had been draped from the rafters, and lavender napkins were propped up in the water goblets. Shiny gold curtains hung in the windows, and enormous bows in pink or burgundy flopped from the back of every chair. Servers were buzzing around, immaculately dressed in black suits with red bow ties or striped neckties," he writes. But, Wells says, "There was no wedding. Lake Pavilion looks like that every night."

In Washington, D.C., the menu at Bar Charley is "all over the map," says critic Tom Sietsema. "Just about every appetite gets addressed. Seafood? Go for the lobster roll, flanked with thick potato chips fried right here. Meat? Consider a neat sloppy Joe. Among the salads, carrots and lentils tossed with almonds and bacon catch my interest. Smoked chicken thigh on dirty rice makes me happy to camp in this cozy roost, too."

In Denver, Table Mountain Grill & Cantina "exudes warmth, thanks to the orange Mexican-tile floors and umber walls," according to critic William Porter. "The waitstaff is pleasant and quick to the table, and know their way around the menu," he says. "If you're a first-timer, bypass everything else and zero in on the green chile stack."

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: 9/25/2013

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Haley Willard is The Daily Meal's assistant editor. Follow her on Twitter at @haleywillrd.