Wells Gives Two Stars to Oringer and Bissonnette's Toro

Pete Wells is impressed by the variety of dishes coming out of Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's kitchen at Toro in Chelsea. It's a huge space, and the long menu has a few weak spots. But overall, Wells digs Oringer and Bissonnette's version of tapas:

I was happy to sink into the profoundly Spanish flavors of a vegetable stew called escalivada, with smoked eggplant in olive oil that carried the sweetness of simmered red peppers and onions. I immediately wanted more of the hot blowfish tails seared in a crust of North African spices. And I wondered how the simple combination of potatoes, octopus, harissa and charred onions could result in a contender for the best octopus dish in a city that's gone cephalopod-mad.