The Lion “serves mostly comforting, occasionally very good American country-club fare,” notes Sam Sifton, and compared to its clubby restaurant brethren, embraces “a kind of populism that is more inclusive, but also far louder and less pleasant. ” [NYT]
Related: The Lion Gets Tangled Up in Fake-Ivy Fiasco
Ryan Sutton finds that the Lion “will take your calls and serve you expensive American fare that’s generally better and cheaper elsewhere.” The cavatelli’s generous dose of oregano gives it “the unmistakable aroma of a Pizza Hut pie.” [Bloomberg]
Find “an endless variety of bountiful meze” and “almost-narcotic meals” at Tanoreen, suggests Jay Cheshes, who also likes the dessert knafeh: “You’re not likely to find better outside the West Bank.” [TONY]
Torrisi Italian Specialties “offers a convincing diorama of the dwindling neighborhood,” says Lila Byock, but says of the prix fixe dinner that “the most interesting dishes tend to arrive early.” [NYer]
Related: What to Eat for Dinner at Torrisi Italian Specialties
At Nigerian restaurant Buka, Robert Sietsema “fell in love with tuwo … a cornmeal porridge. The brilliant yellow stodge flooded the shallow bowl, and a pair of Technicolor sauces had been chaotically spilled over the top.” [VV]
“The hurricane roar” at La Fonda del Sol “is staggering,” notes Gael Greene, who gives in when presented with the chef’s “vision of La Fonda [as] all about access to the best Spanish products.” [Insatiable Critic]
Related: La Fonda del Sol’s Charred Garbanzos
