Pig Brownie Causes Ecstasy; Kimchee-and-Spam Sandwich, AmbivalenceIn this week’s review lineup, a motley crew of relative newcomers, including a noodle bar serving a kimchee-and-Spam sandwich, join some of the usual suspects, like Eleven Madison Park.
Having dissed the old-school last week, Alan Richman turns to the “epicenter of alternative dining” (the Spotted Pig, natch) but, disappointingly, fails to deliver any shockers: It’s “a ridiculously cramped gastro-pub in the West Village where you suffer physically and usually eat well.” [Bloomberg]
Bruni’s off blogging in Italy, but Julia Moskin doesn’t miss a beat dissecting Francois Payard’s InTent. The crowd consists of “headbangers and headbands.” The waiters “must be imported in carloads from Ann Arbor, Mich., or Madison, Wis.” The wine menu has categories that “suggest personality profiles at friendster.com.” And the food? “Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes the softness dissolves into mush.” [NYT]
Eschewing the newer, trendier steaks the Daily News has been drooling over, Moira Hodgson revisits Craftsteak hoping Tom Colicchio is running a tighter ship post-Gramercy Tavern. [NYO]
Andrea Strong gets her “buzz buzzing” at Eleven Madison Park, where new chef Daniel Humm’s “seductively piggy” confit, which she calls a “pig brownie,” nearly makes her weep with joy. [Strong Buzz]
Checking in on Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Andrea Thompson dismisses the three-terrine sandwich lauded by our own Underground Gourmet: “Who wants to spend nine bucks on a glorified burrito bar?” [NYer]
Meanwhile, the Spam-and-kimchee Asian-Cuban sandwich at Quentin Danté’s Noodle Bar has Robert Sietsema at a critical crossroads: “Some love this sandwich, while others hate it.” [VV]