Frank Bruni calls Fatty Crab “the culinary equivalent of a stoner’s foggy contentment.” [NYT]
“La Fonda del Sol could be the place that finally popularizes modern Spanish cuisine in New York,” predicts Steve Cuozzo. “The food’s mostly grand and has steadily improved since the opening last winter.” [NYP]
“Minetta Tavern’s “big flavors, with portions to match, are made for tough times,” writes Jay Cheshes. The Black Label burger “is the first pricey burger I’ve tasted that’s worth every penny.” [TONY]
Alan Richman samples a variety of prix fixe lunch menus, but his favorite is Café Boulud: “Here you will find superb value plus ridiculously good service.” [Forked/GQ]
Leo Carey enjoys eviscerating Delicatessen, which “demonstrates many of the faults of the neighborhood: style over substance, a poorly designed menu, and indifferent execution.” [NYer]
“A- listers and alcohol are the main event” at Monkey Bar, and “food is a simian sideshow,” says Ryan Sutton, whose $18 tequila mojito “expertly evokes $10 versions elsewhere.” [Bloomberg]
Bar Artisanal’s menu “looks gentle enough for troubled times,” says Gael Greene, but “the meter does run up when you’re having fun.” [Insatiable Critic]
Fried-fish spots have mostly disappeared from Harlem and points north, but Robert Sietsema can satisfy his urge for whiting sandwiches at A Taste of Seafood on 125th: “In a spacious open kitchen at the rear of the first floor, a congregation of cooks cooperate to produce fried seafood with standards of perfection rarely seen in fancier establishments.” [VV]
