The Other Critics

Elettaria Comes Up Short; Bar Milano Does Too, But Somehow Gets Three Stars

The room looks great and (some) of chef Akthar Nawab’s food was great, says Frank Bruni in his one-star review of Elettaria. But both falter for Bruni, who has problems with the way the space flows, and who finds the dishes ranging wildly from brilliant to total letdowns. [NYT]
Related: Restaurant Tour: Elettaria

Restaurant Girl lays three stars on Bar Milano, despite the fact that the pastas are mostly lousy, and the noise is “unbearable.” Except for that, it’s great! [NYDN]

Randall Lane didn’t even order any pasta but still thought the place worthy of only three stars out of six, with pushy servers and underwhelming meat dishes. [TONY]

Jay Cheshes gives Le Cirque a whopping five stars, smitten as he is with the “vibrant, contemporary cooking of Christophe Bellanca.” He misses the old obstreperous service, though. [TONY]

Steve Cuozzo, in being the first to review the new Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel, starts off a characteristically emphatic review by finding the moment when his experience went from “merely horrible to hilariously so.” He hates the food, hates the room, hates the service … “Even the harp sounds depressing,” reports the Cuozz. [NYP]

Alan Richman got a late table at Ago, things went badly, and he takes his revenge. [GQ]

The traditionalist Brasserie Cognac and eclectic the New French come in for a double review by Paul Adams, who finds both admirably alive to their respective missions. But only Paul Adams would see in a cumin-flavored pork shoulder “a coy reference to Napoleon III’s intervention in Mexico.” You can imagine the chef saying, “I can’t believe he picked up on that!” [NYS]

Eleven Madison Park gets another inexplicable rereview, which finds its best dishes on par with anything in the city. Unfortunately, Ryan Sutton also gets some duds that lead to the denial of a fourth star. [Bloomberg]

At least on the nights Andrea Thompson was there, Mia Dona was a mess — things missing from the menu, harried service, and so forth. The result is one of the first bad reviews of the place, albeit one that praises most of the food. [NYer]

Robert Sietsema has a fiery food duel with New Orleans music legend Dr. John at Grand Sichuan House in Bay Ridge and comes up short for the second time. Was the restaurant any good? That part isn’t so clear. [VV]

Elettaria Comes Up Short; Bar Milano Does Too, But Somehow Gets Three Stars