Kin Shop is “simply, a neighborhood gem, serving heat and comfort alike, to great affect,” says Sam Sifton. “The flavors are intense and specific — squid ink and the sesame oil, long bean and soft brisket, the squid itself and a chili fire.” [NYT]
Related: Platt on Kin Shop and Bar Basque; Do Restaurant Health Grades Matter?
Osteria Morini is “a damn good, fat- and butter-friendly Italian restaurant,” writes Steve Cuozzo. “Even with glitches, all of Osteria Morini’s cooking is 2½-star stuff.” [NYP]
Bar Basque is “more style than substance,” according to Jay Cheshes. He boils it down to: “Good food, a bad space: at least Bar Basque gets half the restaurant right.” [TONY]
John Dory Oyster Bar “is a keeper, a tribute to Bloomfield’s restless culinary imagination,” raves Ed Levine. The menu is “startlingly original” and “you can depend on bracingly briny, freshly shucked oysters, some from both coasts.” [Serious Eats NY]
Related: First Look at the John Dory Oyster Bar, Where the Wait is Already Half an Hour
“Filipino food is scarce at Umi Nom,” writes Hannah Goldfield. The menu is “mostly hackneyed Asian-fusion “small plates,” with a handful of noodle and rice dishes (the tired standbys pad Thai and pad see ew among them) tacked on as if an afterthought.” Still, “the few traditional Filipino offerings are well executed and addictively comforting.” [NYer]
Related: What to Eat at Umi Nom, Kuma Inn’s Sister Spot, Opening Tomorrow
Donatella is “much more than just another Neapolitan pizzeria surrounding a bar, as it sounded in early hype,” says Gael Greene. The space is “no frills,” meaning noisy and crowded, but, she continues, “I’m weighing that against the cheery serving crew and how good the food can be. And how reasonable.” [Insatiable Critic]
