The Other Critics

Sifton Supports New Aquavit; Cuozzo Charmed by Mari Vanna

Chef Marcus Jernmark is “cooking and serving excellent food at Aquavit, bold and honest,” says Sam Sifton, pleased that the new team “has moved the menu toward a quiet, seasonal intensity that is well worth investigating.” [NYT]
Related: Aquavit Names Marcus Jernmark Executive Chef

Mari Vanna’s food “isn’t two-star stuff, but the place is a two-star experience,” says Steve Cuozzo, citing a room that’s “almost too pretty — a cozy dacha that blurs czarist, Bolshevik and Putin-era fantasies.” [NYP]
Related: Mari Vanna, a New Spot for Caviar and Horseradish Vodka

Milos in New York is one of the best Greek restaurants in the world,” raves Alan Richman. “Many fine-dining restaurants receiving acclaim lately are those adhering to the same principles: Simplicity. Purity. Perfection. Identity.” [Forked & Corked/GQ]

The atmosphere at the Plaza Food Hall “conjures a convincing facsimile of the transatlantic food hall experience,” admits Jay Cheshes, but the food is less successful. The “beautifully blistered, at once supple and crisp” pizzas are the only draw. [TONY]
Related: A Sneak Peek at the Plaza Food Hall by Todd English

A-Wah defies stereotypes of a Hong Kong–style restaurant, Robert Sietsema writes. It serves bo zai fan, rice casserole, in a “bright, plainish room whose only notable decoration is green-checked tablecloths that might have been selected by a colorblind Italian restaurateur.” [VV]

Gael Greene “can’t wait to return” to tiny Chelsea Vietnamese restaurant Co Ba; she feels “like an accidental tourist” in the too-hip dining room at Má Pêche, despite being a fan of its “muscular Vietnamese-French dishes.” [Insatiable Critic]
Related: Má Pêche’s Menu, Illustrated

The sandwiches at This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef are “dripping and spongy, with cheese like a dream … the kind of thing you gobble down in a fever,” says Lauren Collins. “You can’t do it every day, but you can’t not do it, either, one of these nights.” [NYer]
Related: Artichoke Basille’s Crew Opens Roast-Beef Sandwich Shop

Sifton Supports New Aquavit; Cuozzo Charmed by Mari Vanna