At Osteria Morini, Sam Sifton thinks Michael White is stretched too thin. “Consistency matters,” he writes, “But with the exception of the hugely rich desserts from Heather Bertinetti, also the pastry chef at Marea, it is not a strong suit of the Morini kitchen.” [NYT]
Related: Platt Digs In at Osteria Morini; All About Edible Deliveries
Jay Cheshes disagrees, calling Osteria Morini a “terrific downtown homage to a classic Bolognese tavern.” This latest White expansion is “his most accessible yet, offering food that lives up to the chef’s reputation but doesn’t break the bank” and may, he predicts, “position White as a worthy successor to Mario Batali’s throne.” [TONY]
At Lincoln, “so much has gone wrong,” according to Steve Cuozzo. He writes, “So far, Lincoln suggests a new opera production where neither conductor, singers nor stagehands have fully mastered the score.” [NYP]
Related: Platt Finds Lincoln Lacking; Totes for All
Kuma Inn offshoot Umi Nom is “superb,” Robert Sietsema declares. It mixes Filipino food with pan-Asian touches, resulting in “a menu that pleases everyone without pulling its flavor punches — though the portions are larger than at its parent restaurant.” [VV]
Related: First Look at Kuma Inn’s Brooklyn Sister, Umi Nom
Rouge et Blanc, Gael Greene writes, has “considerable verve.” The French-Vietnamese menu is mostly “inventive but not belligerently provocative.” [Insatiable Critic]
Beer Table has “a daily-changing list of twenty-five obscure international micro-batches in bottles, a few on tap, and a thoughtful selection of beer-friendly food” that shows owners Justin and Tricia Philips’s “exuberance,” writes Shauna Lyon. “After knocking back a few, it’s hard to resist dreaming up your own beer descriptions, as one table did: “Prunes, diatomaceous earth, macaroni and cheese. Pine shavings, but a winter pine.” [NYer]
