The Other Critics

Comal, Radio Africa Kitchen, and Original Joe’s All Get Newly Reviewed

Comal
Comal

Luke Tsai at the East Bay Express files the first full review of Comal, and he’s not in love. He first notes the recent dustup spurred by Francis Lam and Eddie Huang in a piece in the Times and a subsequent dialogue on Gilt Taste about American chefs co-opting, “elevating” and/or “mastering” immigrant cuisines. So if you know that the chef at Oaxacan-inspired Comal is a white guy who used to work at Delfina named Matt Gandin, you know where this is headed. Tsai is mostly unimpressed with the place, though he doesn’t state too many complaints. He says the pork enchiladas are a “showstopper” and the rock-cod tacos are “perfectly cooked.” Prices seem high, but the restaurant is “gorgeous” inside. He concludes “despite Gandin’s desire to move beyond taqueria fare, Comal’s best dishes are its simplest,” and he ends up saying the guacamole was his “favorite bite in two visits.” [EBX]

Then we have a new pinch-hitter at SF Weekly, Camila McHugh, penning a review of Radio Africa & Kitchen, however she only seems to have been there for lunch. She says a “kabocha squash and chestnut soup radiated a warm flavor” and a baked fish sandwich with tomato confit and arugula was “excellent,” however the bread was sort of stale. And, basically, that’s all she wrote. [SF Weekly]

And Virginia Miller at the Guardian writes a full-length review of Original Joe’s, which she says satisfies her “East Coast cravings” for “red sauce Italian.” She writes that the place has “an amped-up dose of quality compared to the old days on Taylor [Street],” noting things like a daily burrata special that “could have come from any current SF restaurant.” The spaghetti and meatballs, she says, is “not the superlative version, [but] it hits the spot.” And like Bauer she is “tickled” to find that all house cocktails are six dollars and still pretty “well made.” [SFBG]

Comal, Radio Africa Kitchen, and Original Joe’s All Get Newly Reviewed