Jonathan Kauffman takes a crack at Thermidor this week, right after Unterman’s rave. He writes that “the decor seems of a piece with the [1950s-inspired] menu,” and he loved the warm, golden, Parker House rolls that, like the popovers at Wayfare Tavern, probably should have never gone away. Also, he says, “Binn is earnest about making the retro food work, and I’ll be damned, most of it does.” He’s not as hot as Patti was for the chicken Kiev however, calling it a “dry, rather dull reworking,” and he says one bite of the rich lobster Thermidor will “make you take back every hateful thing you’ve said about Alice Waters (this month).” [SF Weekly]
Determined to outmaneuver Kauffman with the ethnic food alley-trolling, Paul Reidinger files a review this week of Brisas de Acapulco (3137 Mission), calling their Mexican and Salvadoran food “excellent” and the tostada de camarones in particular “unimprovable.” [SFBG]
And finally, Jessica Yadegaran at the Mercury News writes that the warm vibe at Oakland’s Chop Bar ” seemed to come from within the walls,” and she recommends sticking to the grilled corn and the pork – both the ribs and the Prather Ranch pork chop. [Merc]
