Both Ryan Sutton and Robert Sietsema are off this week, but here's a roundup of the rest of the big reviews from other critics around town:
Pete Wells is impressed by Andrew Carmellini's pasta-focused Bar Primi:
Most of the...pasta is fresh and very good. Its finest use may be the fiore di carciofi, a long, fat spiral filled with creamy artichoke and mascarpone. The sauce (a hot ladleful of fried bacon, garlic, chopped parsley and white wine) works mysteriously well with this mutant, vaguely flower-shaped cannelloni.He also likes chef Sal Lamboglia's simple starters, and (like everyone else) the roast beef sandwich, and gives the restaurant two stars. [NYT]
Adam Platt also files on Bar Primi, alongside the Nomad Bar. He likes the more classic options at the former, and is not into the scene at the latter, although he finds a few things to like on the menu: " The tenders-style fried chicken looked a bit too much like 'glorified airport food' to the tasters at my table, although you won't find anything at your local landing strip like the addictive little wheels of duck sausage (with cherries and pickled ramps), or the yakitori-style skewers of fat, tender skirt steak...or the superb dry-aged Cheddar burger that's leavened with sinful amounts of suet and bone marrow." Both restaurants get two stars. [NYM/GS]
Zachary Feldman visits Selamat Pagi, the Greenpoint Indonesian restaurant from the team behind Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: "Curries are top-notch; the beef rendang in particular falls apart and smacks of chiles, coconut milk, and ginger. A market catch — crisp tenders of pollock the night we tried it — makes its way into a lighter, coconut milk-based sauce flavored with turmeric and lemongrass, a fine complement for a mild fish. Tamarind glaze coats fried cubes of tempeh. Dusted with sesame seeds, the mock meat looks like Chinese takeout but tastes infinitely better." [VV]
Joshua David Stein has an early look at Egg Shop, and wishes eggs were allowed to shine more: "[Nick] Korbee is an inventive guy...The Panini in the B.E.C., from Pain d'Avignon, has a splendid slight crustiness with a more robust than usual interior. The caperberry mustard in concert with the caraway rye, the silky smoked salmon (more texture than taste) and fresh dill are real-deal Russ & Daughters quality. But does either sandwich showcase the egg? Neither does." Three stars. [NYO]
[Root & Bone by Krieger]
Stan Sagner visits Root & Bone, and is impressed with more than just the fried chicken: "Flawless Shrimp and Grits ($22) pairs the sweet, tender crustacean with creamy, flavorful cornmeal. The dish is fortified (as if it needed it) with flecks of smoky Virginia ham, melted red onion and is smartly gilded with a glossy Brooklyn Lager jus that cuts the fat." Three stars. [NYDN]
Steve Cuozzo is impressed by David Waltuck's cooking at élan: "Élan's most original dishes might be called Chinese-Modern American...Tea-smoked salmon was an inspired take on an overworked fish. Scented with jasmine, spices and Szechuan peppercorns beneath candy-crisp skin, it came on stir-fried julienned vegetables complexioned with tamarind-vadouvan vinaigrette." Three stars. [NYP]
[elan by Krieger]
THE ELSEWHERE: Shauna Lyon is most impressed by David Waltuck's technique at élan. Ligaya Mishan tries the Eastern European fare at Moldova.
[Marlow & Sons by Krieger]
THE BLOGS: Jackie Bryant reviews Colonia Verde for The Infatuation, while Andrew Steinthal gives Marlow & Sons an 8.4, The Pink Pig tries the Aussie cuisine at Flinders Lane, Chopsticks + Marrow eats noodles at Java Village, NY Journal visits élan, and Chekmark Eats rounds up the best tacos in the city,.
