The Other Critics

Bruni Gets Fresh With Charles; Cuozzo Charmed by Armani/Ristorante

Frank Bruni writes a letter to “Graybee baby” in his impish review of Charles. “The food wasn’t yummy enough,” he complains in his zero-star pan. [NYT]

Steve Cuozzo gets a kick out of Armani/Ristorante, “a dazzling uptick to the dismal Fifth Avenue dining scene.” [NYP]
Related: Inside Armani/Ristorante

Some of Thomas Keller’s dishes “don’t translate in the salon” at Per Se, says Ryan Sutton, who worries that “with lean, mean competitors, Per Se needs to improve its value. Dramatically.” [Bloomberg]
Related: Per Se’s À La Carte Menu

Minetta Tavern “sure knows how to do lamb,” writes Alan Richman, but wishes more dishes from Balthazar were on the menu. [Forked/GQ]
Related: Minetta Tavern’s Menu

Jay Cheshes sees how Daniel is holding up in this economy, and finds that presentations were “much more up to date” and the portions generous, concluding that “Boulud and his team make a powerful case for keeping the genre alive.” [TONY]
Related: Inside the New Daniel

“I love everything about Kesté Pizza & Vino but the pizza,” writes Gael Greene, who isn’t crazy about the crusts. [Insatiable Critic]
Related: Kesté Oven Putting On Its Game Face

Scuderia is “really an Italian diner,” explains Danyelle Freeman, who advises diners to BYO salt. [NYDN]
Related: A First Look at Scuderia

The dining room and waiters at Walter Foods “convey an air of formality that is propagated by the menu,” says Shauna Lyon. The filet mignon was “charred to such perfection that it seemed to challenge Peter Luger … to a steak throwdown.” [NYer]
Related: What to Eat at Walter Foods

Xochimilco in Sunset Park is more than just Mexico City food, praises Robert Sietsema. “The reactor core of the menu is fare associated with the sere southern regions of Puebla and Guerrero” and the mole al estilo Xochimilico is a soup that he could “eat every day.” [VV]

Bruni Gets Fresh With Charles; Cuozzo Charmed by Armani/Ristorante