The Other Critics

Sifton Gets Excited About Tamarind Tribeca; Sietsema Tears Into Plein Sud

The design of Tamarind Tribeca “seems almost ostentatious,” says Sam Sifton, but in terms of cuisine, it’s “shaping up to be the best thing to happen to Indian food since Hemant Mathur and Suvir Saran opened Devi in 2004.” [NYT]

At Eleven Madison Park, “the food was artistry, still life,” Alan Richman says. Dining there in summer was “the best off-season French meal of my life.” [Forked & Corked/GQ]
Related: Cook Your Bird à la Eleven Madison Park

Plein Sud is a restaurant “where the food knocks your eyes out, but when you taste it—blech!” says Robert Sietsema. Chef Ed Cotton is a contestant on Top Chef, where “food that merely looks great is the objective of the show … and it seems as if a lot of that attitude has rubbed off.” [VV]
Related: A Look Inside Frederick Lesort’s Latest, the AvroKo-Designed Plein Sud

Jay Cheshes visits two ramen spots. Hidechan serves “a luscious meaty soup, more cloudy than creamy,” while Totto Ramen’s miso ramen has “wavy egg noodles are perfectly springy, and a spoonful of intensely peppery homemade chili oil turns the bowl into a fragrant, fiery masterpiece.” [TONY]

Kaz an Nou “seems determined to bring a bit of Caribbean color and hope” to its stretch of Atlantic Avenue, notes Andrea Thompson, and “the simplicity of the project shows through in the repetition of a few key ingredients.” [NYer]

“You hate beating up on so ambitious a restaurant with a warm and winning staff” as Zengo has, says Steve Cuozzo. “But black cod was inedible mush last week. ‘Crunchy’ calamari was a lie.” [NYP]
Related: Richard Sandoval Will Bring Zengo (and 500 Tequilas?) to Wild Salmon Space

“I’m quite taken with Nuela’s spiffy ambition,” says Gael Greene. “I’d come back just for the whole chicken, brined and smoked, then served with a medium boiled egg and potato, swathed in lots of creamy, garlicky huancaina mayonnaise.” [Insatiable Critic]
Related: A Report From Inside Nuevo Latino Newcomer Nuela, Opening Monday

Sifton Gets Excited About Tamarind Tribeca; Sietsema Tears Into Plein Sud