Reviews for Estela, Juni, East 12th Osteria, and More

Adam Platt, Ryan Sutton, Pete Wells, Steve Cuozzo, and Joshua David Stein are all taking the week off from writing restaurant reviews. But a few critics are still at it:

Although he has some issues with the service, Daniel S. Meyer is impressed by Ignacio Mattos's food at Estela: "A mountain of charred sweet leeks towers above two cherubic slices of juicy, crusty rib eye. The mineral-rich beef fronts this smoky ensemble—melting eggplant prolongs the meat's lusciousness on the tongue, and anchovy fine-tunes its funky pitch. This is campfire cooking so seductive, you want to run to the kitchen and beg Mattos for the whole steak." Meyer gives the restaurant three stars out of a possible five. [TONY]

Michael Kaminer gives four stars out of five to East 12th Osteria, the new restaurant from former Armani Ristorante chef Roberto Deiaco: "Generous fritto di mare ($22) flash-fries plump shrimp, delicate baby calamari, firm red mullet and meaty zucchini blossom. Clean and light, it's the antidote to the tragic fishsticks most Gotham kitchens pass off. Even a simple spinach salad ($12) comes beautifully composed, the deep-green leaves dotted with subtle ricotta and layered over whisper-thin slivers of pear. Deiaco brings an expert hand to pastas. His maltagliati — rough-cut pasta made from scraps of other pasta — emerges al dente in a mellow Bolognese ($20) that mamma herself probably couldn't match." [NYDN]

Shaun Hergatt's food at Juni is a bit too precious for Gael Greene. Still, she understands that this restaurant will appeal to some diners: "It would be viscous and cheap to dismiss Juni after just one very early meal, even though we tasted nearly every maquette the artist envisioned for summer. I am not dismissing it at all. I am recommending it for aesthetes and adventurous eaters, and for bruised and battered New Yorkers who long to be coddled and fed in a civilized haven. Yes, there are rugs on the floor." [Insatiable]

[Umami Burger by Krieger]
THE ELSEWHERE: Hannah Goldfield of Tables for Two likes the signature dish at Umami Burger in the West Village, Ligaya Mishan discovers excellent Persian stews at the Taste of Persia counter inside Pizza Paradise, and Serious Eats editor Max Falkowitz encounters some hits and misses at La Vie en Szechuan in Midtown.

[Quality Italian by Krieger]
THE BLOGS: Chris Stang of Immaculate Infatuation gives an 8.1 rating to Quality Italian, NYC Foodie has a sensational first meal at Sushi Nakazawa on Commerce Street, Joe DiStefano samples two Thai soups at Pata Paplean in Elmhurst, The Food Doc wishes the menu at Charlie Bird matched the quality of the wine program, Brownie gives a thumbs up to the Schnitz stand at Smorgasburg, Chekmark Eats digs the Mexican fare at Rosarito Fish Shack in Williamsburg, the Pink Pig loves the mix of Italian and Scottish dishes at Incognito, and NY Journal is slightly disappointed by Estela in Nolita.

[Top Photo: Estela by Krieger]

· All Coverage of Reviews [~ENY~]