• The Financial Times (yes, the salmon-colored UK newspaper) starts off their review of L2O with a bit of a smack: “The restaurant’s name sounds so awful it must be defended.” But they go on to enjoy the majority of the dishes, though some are so subtle as to be boring, and some of the more ambitious kitchen chemistry experiments — airs, foams, and the like — fail to justify their existence. On the whole, the review reads like a calculated deflation of hype.
• Chicago Business News briskly profiles South Loop pioneer Gioco, whose regional Italian menu delivers a solid business lunch.
• Unknown City really really likes the atmosphere and the service at 90 Miles Cuban Cafe, doesn’t have much to say about the food.
• Chuck Sudo at Chicagoist visually prepares would-be diners at Philly’s Best and Ramova Grill, where signage is a way of life.
• Rob at Vital Information has yet another Family Dinner at Mado, philosophizes on how all the elements of a meal contribute to the whole, and eats a hell of a lot of roasted celery root and sauteed mustard greens.
• Epicurista takes her teal high heels down to Kohan for some Korean-inflected Japanese (or is it the other way ‘round?) — it’s good, not spectacular, but good.
