Élan Gets the Pete Wells Stamp of Approval, Aquavit Still Has It, and More Reviews

Yesterday Ryan Sutton reviewed Blenheim, the West Village farm to table restaurant helmed by Ryan Tate. Now here's a roundup of the rest of the week's restaurant reviews.

Despite some flops on the menu, Pete Wells is won over by David Waltuck's playful cooking at Elan: "The dish that made Mr. Waltuck's name, the seafood sausage in which sweet bits of scallops and shrimp are bound together by a subtle fish mousse, is back, looking hopelessly behind the times in its sauerkraut beurre blanc. Do not be fooled: It is also one of the most delicious things at Élan." Two stars. [NYT]

Zachary Feldman is impressed with the American/Chinese menu at Tuome in the East Village: "Opaque and flaky, skate with charred cauliflower and water spinach veers into amandine territory (and successfully so) thanks to a Marcona foam. Scallops wear a plaid blanket of hearty accoutrements, their sweetness melding with carrots, nutty hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, and a silky foie gras sauce." [VV]

Tejal Rao weighs in on Aquavit, newly in the hands of chef Emma Bengtsson and newly awarded a second Michelin star: "There's a beautiful dish of delicately scored, seared foie gras on the tasting menu, also available a la carte ($29), accessorized with flowers and plums. And it's what's underneath -- a dark smear of charred shallots, like a caramel cooked to its smoking point -- that elevates and complicates the dish, reminding us that even though Aquavit is 27 years old, the restaurant still has something interesting to say." Two stars. [Bloomberg]

Joshua David Stein deems the 30-year-old Le Mangeoire "by far the best bistro" in the city: "before you die, or live another week, eat the steak au poivre ($43) with a bowl of fries. Each, in their own way, are masters of crunch, mysteries of flavor. The fries are thick-ish, crunchy yet yielding. The steak, peppercorns pressed into the flesh of the sirloin, is served with a creamy au poivre sauce that in luster and texture resembles burled walnut." Five stars. [NYO]

Stan Sagner goes old school, and visits Carnegie Deli: "The perennial star, the Woody Allen ($24.99), is a teetering stack of thick-cut corned beef atop an equally ample pile of pastrami. While the nicely textured corned beef was more than respectable, I much preferred the pastrami. Moist, peppery and with just the right marbling of fat, it stole the show." Three stars [NYDN]

Adam Platt files a double review of Root & Bone and Birds & Bubbles, and decides that the latter is the better option for Southern food: "If fried chicken isn't your thing, there are two exceptional Carolina-rice dishes on the menu (a delicate rice grits "risotto" with cherry tomatoes, and the other topped with pulled chicken), along with a flavorful vegetarian curry served with a roti made, ingeniously, with flat rolled biscuit dough." Two stars for Birds & Bubbles, none for Root & Bone. [NY Mag/GS]

THE ELSEWHERE: Amelia Lester is not wooed by the too-cool Dirty French. Ligaya Mishan visits the new brick and mortar restaurant from Jackson Heights' famed Arepa Lady. Gael Greene is pleasantly surprised by a revamped Shun Lee West.

THE BLOGS: Chris Stang is satisfied with the new East Side outpost of Totto Ramen, and very disappointed by Tenpenny, Restaurant Girl loves Floyd Cardoz's cooking at White Street, The Pink Pig is charmed by La Caye in Fort Greene, Chopsticks + Marrow loves the garlic spare ribs at Dumpling Galaxy, NYC Foodie checks out Beyond Sushi, NY Journal deems Botequim worth a visit, The Food Doc notes the lingering influence of David Chang on Peter Serpico's Philly restaurant, Serpico, and Chekmark Eats likes the healthy fare at Mulberry & Vine.