“The good news is the Standard approaches Keith McNally’s Pastis and Balthazar as one of the city’s better all-day hangouts for glamorous, if not complete, gustatory bliss,” says Ryan Sutton. [Bloomberg]
Related: A Closer Look at the Standard Grill
Prime Meats “bears all of the hallmarks of a second-wave hot spot, with generous portions of fuss-free food, locavore sourcing, and a cultish appreciation for the butcher’s and charcutier’s arts,” writes Jay Cheshes. [TONY]
Related: Empire Building [NYM]
At the new, more spacious Oceana, “I am so impressed by the complex flavor kicks in a first tasting on Monday that I’m back again four nights later,” reports Gael Greene. [Insatiable Critic]
Related: What to Expect From the New Oceana
“The service at Joseph Leonard is good,” and despite a crowded kitchen, “the food they produce is often spectacular,” affirms Robert Sietsema. [VV]
Related: First Look at Joseph Leonard, Bar and (American) Brasserie
At Locanda Verde, “everything feels new — the backlit mirrored shelves, the giant-hooded stainless-steel pendant lights, even the bricks — but the chef Andrew Carmellini’s blissfully homey Italian food serves as a reminder that cooking what you grow is a very old, and very good, idea,” says Shauna Lyon. [NYer]
Related: A Closer Look Inside Andrew Carmellini’s Locanda Verde
In a hunt to track down Michael Bao Huynh, Alan Richman assesses BarBao and Baoguette, which offers better food, prices, and value than its loud uptown sibling. Plus, his crew got a kick out of “eating limp penis on Christopher Street.” [Forked/GQ]
Related: A First Look at Michael Huynh’s Bia Garden, Opening Soon
