The Other Critics

Sifton Marvels at Il Matto; Greene, Jones Exult in Vandaag

Il Matto is “a spare and radical gallery of a dining room … odd and filled with unfamiliar marvels,” says Sam Sifton, who notes also that “the service is exceptional and the food beautifully executed.” [NYT]
Related: First Look at Il Matto, Bringing Pecorino Crème Brûlée to Tribeca

Má Pêche “is basically a temple to meat,” notes Leo Carey. As an extension of the Chang empire, “there isn’t a dud on the menu, but there’s no real triumph, either — no signature dish to seal the place’s identity.” [NYer]
Related: Má Pêche Now Takes Reservations

Long Island City Roman restaurant Testaccio “is narrow, dark, deep,” says Robert Sietsema. The pastas and other authentic dishes are good, but the wood-fired pizzas are better: “Indeed, things that fly from the wood-burning oven are so good, you wish the restaurant would make better use of it.” [VV]

Gael Greene finds “fusion comfort” in Vandaag’s hybrid of Dutch and Modern-American cuisines; icy service and microscopic portions at Recette leave her “so caught up in toxic emotion” that it takes until the next day for the excellent food to sink in. [Insatiable Critic]
Related: First Look at Recette, a Private Dining Room Going Public Tomorrow

“It’s hard to compare Vandaag to another restaurant in New York right now,” says Carey Jones. Service is still rocky, but “with very few exceptions, the caliber of the food is enough to excuse any bumps along the way.” [Serious Eats NY]

Sifton Marvels at Il Matto; Greene, Jones Exult in Vandaag