Wednesday Food News: Early Edition

Bruni one-stars the recently reopened Russian Tea Room. He finds some of the food very appealing, some not so much. The kitchen is "bedeviled by inconsistency," he says. Also, he doesn’t love the caviar and hates the service.

Eater is off the money, having bet on the pedigree and the chef earning the Russian Tea Room an automatic two stars.

Also in the Times, Peter Meehan visits Smoke Joint in Fort Greene for barbecue. Tries to nickname barbecue "cue." Finds the short ribs and collard greens fantastic, the coleslaws rapidly improving and the place, overall, worth multiple visits.

Cuozzo finds Tonka beans on the dessert menu at Varietal. Prohibited by the FDA for use in food for humans, the beans contain coumarin, a chemical which can cause liver damage if enough is consumed. The restaurant claims there isn’t enough in a serving to cause any harm. His next problem (and perhaps a bigger one): it tastes horrible. He calls dining at Varietal "one of the strangest dining experiences in the city."

In the NY Sun, Paul Adams goes to Porchetta, finds the menu "a bit like exploring a foreign country." Luckily, it’s a country where "the local dishes are delicious." He loves the smoked sunchoke soup, the orrecchiette, and the raviolo. The simpler dishes and the desserts don't work quite as well.