The Other Critics

‘Fork-Tender’ Pork Belly Is Fette Sau’s ‘Best Cut of Swine’; Fieni’s ‘Distinguishes Itself From the Red Gravy-Splashed Masses’

• With three bells, Craig LaBan enthusiastically approves of Fette Sau, and goes as far as saying the Brooklyn export is “the barbecue destination we’ve been waiting for.” The “juicy, fork-tender” pork belly is the Frankford Ave. smoke shack’s “best cut of swine,” while the brisket arrives with a smoke ring “so vivid it could have been colored by Crayola,” and the “massive” short rib comes “almost caramelized from a basting of its own fat to velvety tenderness.” But the St. Louis-cut ribs have “just a bit more chew than [he] would have preferred.” [Inquirer]

• Adam Erace writes the food is where Vorhees, New Jersey’s Fieni’s “distinguishes itself from the red gravy-splashed masses” in the Garden State. He offers a “soulful scrippelle soup” with “thin egg crepes unspooled like Persian carpets,” and a “lemony and earthy and rich” Veal Costa Smeralda as proof. He adds that the eggplant Parmigiana, “layered with deeply crimson, cooked-all-day-tasting tomato sauce and melted mozzarella,” was “something to behold.” [Courier-Post]

‘Fork-Tender’ Pork Belly Is Fette Sau’s ‘Best Cut of