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It is mostly well-prepared haute nursery food with a vague Continental accent. For those who thrill to the idea of a lobster-bedecked Cobb salad with crisp bacon and slick avocado to accompany an evening gibson, or who might protest at the appearance of a dish of truffle-oiled macaroni and cheese (and then consume it happily), the restaurant is a balm. Desmond’s is a Caprice where you might actually wish to eat dinner.There's Dover sole and lamb chops and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and whole lobster and you pretty much get the picture. As Sifton says, it's "pensioner food for those who run pension funds." [NYT]
Ryan Sutton files a full on rave for Andrew Carmellini's The Dutch: "The Dutch is Carmellini’s return to form, a proper stage to show off his clever flavor combinations...Order the $45 strip steak...The broiled beef is perfect: Charred and salted, with a hint of minerality and just a touch of juice. The only difference from Minetta is the price; it’s $9 cheaper here...Everything has acid balance; this pedigreed chef doesn’t slack off amid the pubby digs." [Bloomberg]
Robert Sietsema tries the four pie varieties at 900 degrees: "The Margherita ($16) is fantastic...Pizza Siciliana offers a choice of four thicker-crusted pies, in the $23 to $29 range. These tend to be rib-sticking, but unremarkable...The most annoying category is Pizza Romana—humongous pies nearly a meter in length divided into three segments, each with its own arbitrary set of toppings...As for the so-called Tomato Pies—they're round, inflated with hot air, and generally agreeable." [VV]
Jay Cheshes is charmed by Jody Williams' work at Buvette: "Williams packs an awful lot of flavor into these dishes. They arrive all at once as a bountiful spread, designed to be shared like an indoor picnic...This self-consciously retro cooking is a showcase not of the chef’s creativity but of her very good taste."
THE ELSEWHERE: Oliver Strand checks in on the food options at the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk, Tables for Two questions the rooftop farm conceit but finds some enjoyable dishes at Bell, Book, and Candle, Lauren Shockey enjoys her feast at David Bouley's new Brushstroke, and Gael Greene has okay food but probably won't return to Duo.
THE BLOGS: The Food Doc has a rave for Gastroarte, Serious Eats gives a B+ to Eataly Beer Garden Birreria, NY Journal finally gets around to eating at Cafe Luxembourg and likes it, Gotham Gal has a wonderful dinner at Annisa, and Feisty Foodie treks out to Flushing to try Snopo in the mall's food court.
