D.C. Critic Defends Two Star Rating of Red Hook Lobster Pound; Noel Cruz Back in the Village

WEST VILLAGE—Grub Street reports that Noel Cruz, most recently the partner with Akhtar Nawab at Elettaria, has landed a new position. Early next month, he'll open Carmine Club Cafe with chef Joe Vigorito over on Carmine Street. [GS]

NOLITA— Travertine launches a new happy hour special: 50 percent off all wine by the glass and signature cocktails with food pruchase from 6 - 7 PM in the dining room and until 7:30 PM at the bar. [EaterWire]

WASHINGTON D.C.—Last week the Washington Post's critic Tom Sietsema released his Fall Dining Guide and awarded two out of four stars to the Red Hook Lobster Truck, a Washington, DC offshoot of the brick-and-mortar Red Hook Lobster Pound in Brooklyn. In his weekly Q&A, he replied to the reader-critics who questioned his inclusion of a food truck. [WaPo via Eater National]