“Madangsui is not much to look at, really, just a long fluorescent-illuminated room with chocolate accents … But jiminy crickets, is the dining fine,” says Sam Sifton, who calls it “Manhattan’s best Korean barbecue restaurant.” [NYT]
“I’m an admirer of Bloomfield,” writes Alan Richman of the Breslin, “but I’m not certain her cooking is what most folks want to tuck into at lunch or brunch, unless they’re planning to sleep the rest of the day.” [Forked & Corked/GQ]
Related: Ken Friedman Is Ready to Say ‘Yes’ to You at the Breslin
“Unless you’re an ocean-hopping regular at CapriceHoldings’ celebrity-full London joints, forget about Twittering epiphanies from this beautiful, boring, restaurant any time soon,” Steve Cuozzo complains about Le Caprice. [NYP]
Related: A Closer Look at Le Caprice, Now Serving Plebeians in the Pierre Hotel
“In a repeat visit to Café Boulud, Jay Cheshes compares the recent renovation to “good plastic surgery; the nips and tucks by Jeffrey Beers are so understated, it’s not immediately clear what’s changed.” Gavin Kaysen’s food is noteworthy, too: “Though the menu combines the young American’s whimsy with the older Frenchman’s understated refinement, the restaurant remains a reflection of the icon whose name adorns the marquee.”
[TONY]
Compared to Bar Pléiades, the revamped Café Boulud “feels rather stodgy … But isn’t a nice healthy dose of stodginess exactly what I crave?” writes Gael Greene, who is as charmed by the food as she is the adult setting. [Insatiable Critic]
“Café Boulud is to New York’s Upper East Side what Balthazar is to SoHo. It’s a mostly all-day brasserie where the first-rate cuisine keeps pace with the high-society scene,” agrees Ryan Sutton. [Bloomberg]
“While it’s true that the menu of a typical Roman trattoria often borrows recipes from other regions of the country, mainly to the north, it often seems as if Trattoria Cinque isn’t trying hard enough to be Roman,” says Robert Sietsema after trying some out-of-place entrées. [VV]
Related: What to Eat at Trattoria Cinque, Home of the Cesarista
“Bark is a fierce reproach to the aqueous cart fare of Times Square and Central Park. The dogs here aren’t pinkish-gray or wizened. They’re about seven inches long, too big for their buns, and the ends curl upward,” writes Mike Peed. [NYer]
Related: First Look at Bark Hot Dogs, Bringing Artisanal Wieners to Park Slope
