Wednesday Food News: Early Edition

Bruni no-stars Kobe Club, Jeffrey Chodorow's contribution to the steakhouse scene. Finds the Kobe "rapturous," but the restaurant as a whole crazily overpriced and gimmicky. Says it presents "too many insipid or insulting dishes at prices that draw blood from anyone without a trust fund or an expense account."

And Eater (scroll down) is off by a star this week, having put their money on one-star for Kobe Club.

Also in the Times, Peter Meehan goes for kosher at Taam-Tov in the diamond district for $25 and Under. "Rarely has a restricted diet tasted as good as it does here," he says. He loves the samsa (pastries filled with onions and braised beef), the manty (dumplings), and the grilled meat.

In the Post, Cuozzo also visits Kobe Club this week, along with its competitor just across the street, Quality Meats. He's most horrified that neither steakhouse sells USDA Prime, "the gold standard for serious steak lovers." As for the Japanese Kobe? "Unspeakably rich and a barrel of fun if you don't mind an oily film in your mouth."

In the NY Sun, Paul Adams goes for Thai at Hurapan Kitchen in the West Village. He finds "polished Thai cooking, seamlessly broadened and Westernized without losing its vernacular edge."