The Other Critics

Sula Visits ‘Conservative’ Bistronomic; Tamarkin Approves of La Taberna

The cheese course at Bistronomic.
The cheese course at Bistronomic. Photo: Huge Galdones/Galdones Photography

• At first, Mike Sula thinks that the atmosphere seems “dusky” and the menu “snoozy,” at Martial Noguier’s Bistronomic. Luckily Noguier “isn’t phoning it in,” as there are a few “clever” dishes “that stand out immediately.” That includes the cauliflower veloute, and the grilled cheese du jour, which was “surprisingly light.” Though it’s a little “conservative,” in the end the Bistronmoic “ought to serve its neighborhood well.” [Chicago Reader]

• David Tamarkin thinks that “things seem right at La Taberna.” Which is odd, because he “can’t remember the last time,” a new a tapas restaurant “didn’t operate as anything more than a culinary theme park, with Disneyland-quality food to match.” The meatballs in tomato sauce exhibit “complexity…that entices beyond the life of the meatballs.” Even the dishes that aren’t as “impressive,” are still “executed with finesse.” [TOC]

• Pat Bruno believes that Mastro’s has “a certain style, especially if you like to eat in the dark.” Luckily, his waiter was a “purveyor of sunshine in a dark forest of tables and swooping drapery.” Over all, he “enjoyed” it, but “not to the point that I want to rush back.” The Caesar salad was “one of the best” he’d had “in a long time.” The flavor of the petite fillet “outdid that of the strip,” due to “pockets of gristle” in the strip. [Sun Times]

Sula Visits ‘Conservative’ Bistronomic; Tamarkin Approves of La