Jonathan Kauffman, in his series dedicated to “restaurants that have been around so long they’ve slipped into a media black hole,” returns to the heart of the 1990s at Slow Club, which he calls “the Dorian Gray of restaurants.” He says it still has a “Great vibe. Good cocktails,” and that the “mottled gray walls and exposed metal beams still felt au courant.” As for the food, though, not so au courant. “Both the blocky, casual assembly of the entrees and the not-quite-together technique reminded me of the era when this city was delving into farm-to-table cooking but our wobbly culinary skills weren’t always up to the challenge.” [SF Weekly]
Carey Sweet gives a middling, two-star review of Cantinetta Piero in the Hotel Luca in Yountville, writing things like “As much as things can be remarkable – an heirloom tomato salad accented with watermelon, ricotta salata, a hint of mint and shaved fennel – seasoning glitches often creep in, as in perfectly roasted mussels that were marred by bitter garlic… [and] while prime sirloin was juicy, sides of Tuscan kale, cipollini onions, fingerling potatoes and chanterelles were showered in salt.” She recommends the trio of peas, and a wild boar gnocchi special, but she’s largely unimpressed. [Chron]
