Restaurant Critic Roundup: Jonathan Gold Visits His Favorite L.A. Sushi Spots

This week in restaurant reviews, New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells samples the fare at Alder under Chef Wylie Dufresne, who he calls "a mad chemist, weighing out colloids and starches and sugars by the gram." Wells dubbed the fish and chips "excellent" and the foie gras terine topped with a shiso leaf and yuzu-infused watermelon on a Ritz cracker "delightful beyond all reason."

In Los Angeles, Jonathan Gold takes a look at his favorite sushi spots, calling the fish of Go Mart "first-rate" and the sushi of Hide Sushi some of the cheapest in town, though not the best. Of Hiko on National Boulevard in West L.A., Gold says, "Shinji Murata is a gifted chef, and his sushi melts away on your tongue like good chocolate, leaving behind just the clean smack of fish and rice vinegar."

In Denver, William Porter took a look at Rioja's evolved menu, observing its recent shift to more contemporary American food with just a touch of Spanish inspiration. Of the restaurant, Porter said, "Service remains excellent. The staffers are fresh-faced and personable. They don't hover. And while they are knowledgeable, they don't beat you over the head with the provenance of every asparagus spear." In Porter's first trip, his octopus farfalle and Dungeness crab were over-salted, but his second, filled with pea soup and seared sea scallops, he found to be "exemplary."

Restaurant Critic Roundup: 7/11/2013