The Other Critics

Sifton Enjoys the Lavo Scene; Sietsema Falls for Flushing Joint

Lavo is a “large and almost luxurious new restaurant” frequented by “women who look like beautiful giraffes and dudes tall enough to look down at them,” according to Sam Sifton. Though he warns against “the gummy pastas, the shirt-cardboard veal Milanese,” he says, “you won’t regret a beefy ribeye with green peppercorn sauce, served beside a cone of russet fries and a plate of sweetly bitter broccoli rabe.” [NYT]
Related: Lavo’s Oreo Zeppoles and One-Pound Meatballs Might Inhibit Dancing

Henan Feng Wei, a Flushing hole-in-the-wall, “seems like a clubhouse” to Robert Sietsema, who nevertheless raves, “a small pile of breaded chicken tidbits fried deep brown, spritzed with a sweet-sour vinaigrette, and decorated with star anise … is deliriously good.” [VV]

The food at Riverpark is “mostly very good, if literally (and intentionally) all over the map,” writes Ed Levine. Chef Sisha Ortuzar calls it “American food with a New York point of view.” [Serious Eats NY]
Related: First Look at Riverpark, Breaking New Ground in City Planning and Water-View Dining

Ryan Sutton goes on a truffle hunt and ends up at Per Se, where “the waiter takes a softball-sized truffle out of a jewel box. I’ll count 45-60 seconds as the edible gold falls over the snowy white grains of rice, almost covering them entirely.” [Bloomberg]

Il Matto “makes good on its promise of crazy,” says Andrea Scott. “Even the tabletops have a touch of insanity: they’re covered in white rubber mats instead of linens.” Still, “Boglione’s inventive menu is no roller coaster: the ups far outnumber the downs.” [NYer]

Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill “has grown into its bones,” Gael Greene declares. “I wasn’t expecting the food to be quite this wonderful.” Her next destination, Tre Otto, is “not worth a detour but if you live nearby you might want to schmooze with [Salvatore Fraterrigo] and check it out.” [Insatiable Critic]

Sifton Enjoys the Lavo Scene; Sietsema Falls for Flushing Joint