• At Fairmount’s “garden of guilt-free possibilities,” Fare, Craig LaBan uncovers a “cautionary tale” of well-intended ingredients that “can’t cook themselves.” “Careless cooking and a chronic case of underseasoning” kept many dishes sentenced “to blandness.” A braised pork shank was “tender but dull,” and duck confit with cassoulet beans that was “unpleasantly elastic due to undercooking.” A bison burger fell short of “fantastic” due to the fact that it was “both lukewarm and overcooked.” [Inquirer]
• Adam Erace gets off to rough start at Collingswood’s Little Louie’s BBQ, where shrimp and grits got bogged down by “meaningless” and “undercooked” grits. A housemade buffalo chorizo that “was inedibly salty” and had the “textural effect of pet food” fared much better. However, the “flaky pastry crust” of the empanada filled with “20-hour-cooked brisket” was better, as were the “cutely billed” ducks in a blanket, “rolled-up tacos” that “dripped cherry-chipotle barbecue sauce.” [Courier-Post]
