The Other Critics

Kauffman Feels Like a Douche Asking for a Stem Glass at Heart; Reidinger Says ‘Hai’ to Nihon

Jonathan Kauffman pays a visit to Heart, Jeff Segal’s wine and food bar with those provocative Mason jars, on Corey Haim tribute night. He makes the mistake of asking for a stem glass and ends up feeling like a douche. He says the plays “feel[s] like a party” and calls Kitchenette chef Douglas Monsalud’s day and night menus inventive. But he concludes, “I wish Segal and Monsalud would devote less energy to change for change’s sake and more to bringing out the best in everything they serve. Investing in proper kitchen equipment or one top-notch line cook, for one.” [SF Weekly]

Paul Reidinger writes that his “skeptical lips smacked with pleasure” over many of the small plates at Nihon whisky lounge (Folsom and 14th), calling out the octopus in particular as “beautifully tender,” even if it did suffer from a little “chili overload.” [SFBG]

Carey Sweet at the Chron heads up to Sebastopol to try P/30, the new restaurant from husband and wife team Patrick and Christine Tafoya. She writes, “They had me at candy cap mushroom ice cream,” and adds that the “breakfast for dinner” dish “is both filling and fun, a silky bake of eggs, pancetta and cream over fingerling potatoes, the richness cut by a mound of peppery arugula.” [Chron]


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/25/DDFC1CK64L.DTL&type;=food#ixzz0jE7Ycxjo

Kauffman Feels Like a Douche Asking for a Stem Glass at Heart; Reidinger Says