The Other Critics

Tamarkin Wants a Louder Leopold; Lopata Is Not Impressed with Wasabi

Tamarkin loves these...
Tamarkin loves these… Photo: Huge Galdones/Galdones Photography

• David Tamarkin feels like the menu at Leopold may be “loud,” but the room has a “quietness to it.” Some of the food shines in atmosphere, especially the mussels, which “are among the best in the city.” The appetizers and shared plates mostly work, but the “lower you get on the menu, though, the more risks you take.” The braised endives were “so gloppy it was almost impossible to remove from its ramekin.” Still, he feels like that in a louder room the chef’s food “would probably get raves.” [TOC]

• Rob Lopata thinks that Wasabi is “another mediocre all-in-one restaurant offering Japanese specialties,” which specializes “in nothing in particular.” The falsely named Kobe aburi was “annoying example of socially acceptable fraud,” which was “sinewy” and “too sweet.” The miso ramen was “haphazardly constructed,” “one-dimensional,” and too expensive. The fried items, on the other hand, “were worthy of recommendation.” [Chicago Reader]

• Heather Shouse finds surprisingly good food at Rewster’s Cafe, a new coffee shop in Logan Square. The sandwiches may be $10, but the “ingredients are top-notch,” and “all full sandwiches come with a side.” She’s looking forward to a proposed expansion which would add seating. Plus, you have a new place to get coffee in the area so you won’t have to deal with “a surly New Wave barista.” [TOC]

• Pat Bruno decides to visit C-House, handing it two stars. Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson might not have “stepped a foot or two into C-House in recent months,” but “Nicole Pederson is running the kitchen, and she is doing a bang-up job.” The smoked trout terrine was “excellent in every way,” while the Gulf Grouper “could not have been better.” For dessert he tried the vanilla bean cupcake, “and it was good.” [Sun Times]

Tamarkin Wants a Louder Leopold; Lopata Is Not Impressed with Wasabi