The Other Critics

Allen Matthews Does Two-Star Duty at The Brixton; Bauer Returns to Mantra

Allen Matthews heads over to The Brixton, six months after they opened in Cow Hollow, and finds a few stand-out salads and “solid” comfort food dishes, enough to warrant two stars overall. He says chef Jon Hara’s ahi tuna salad and chicken breast salad, while not very exciting sounding, are “are of particular note.” And he says the “juicy” Prather Ranch burger is “is worth the adventure of finding parking.” But he finds a couple of the starters and the hangar steak presentation to be like “chain food” and generally “ho-hum” — but he’s still kinder than John Birdsall, who called the place “fake” and “sad.” [Chron]

Michael Bauer files his Thursday update on Mantra, the once upscale Indian place in Palo Alto that has revamped, like everyone else these days, into a more casual restaurant with shareable plates. Bauer observes that “the restaurant has maintained its upscale splashy decor,” and the dishes tend to be on the spicy side. The cocktails tend to be a little sweet, but he enjoys the crispy greens to go with them, “spinach and arugula lightly coated in a batter, fried and served with a tamarind sauce.” He says the service is “weak,” however, and maybe that’s their idea of more casual. All told: two and a half stars. [Chron]

Allen Matthews Does Two-Star Duty at The Brixton; Bauer Returns to Mantra