Midweek Special: NYC Restaurant Review Roundup

This week Sam Sifton at the Times bestows three precious stars on Marea, the refined yet approachable Italian seafood restaurant from chef Michael White (Alto, Convivio). To Sifton, Marea declares, "This recession’s over. At least that’s the message the knights in white broadcloth are sending out at Marea, the elegant Italianate restaurant Chris Cannon and Michael White opened this spring in the space on Central Park South that used to be San Domenico. Cue the prosecco. Take a look at that Dover sole!"

New York's Adam Platt files a twofer on twee West Village restaurant Joseph Leonard and Civetta, an Italian restaurant on Kenmare Street. Each gets a measly one star out of five; "Joseph Leonard’s very standard bistro menu isn’t inspired enough to add to this festive atmosphere, but neither is it so horrible that it detracts from the proceedings." At Civetta, "if you choose wisely, it’s possible to have a decent meal." Meanwhile, Jay Cheshes at Time Out finally gets around to reviewing Graydon Carter's Monkey Bar, giving it three out of five stars and noting that, "There are still some rich people in New York City, and they eat here."

The New Yorker's Shauna Lyon also files a twofer on a couple banh mi joints, one old, one newish: "If you find yourself on jury duty at lunch hour, you could do much worse than Sau Voi Corp.’s exemplary bánh mì dac biet (the requisite No. 1), stuffed by amiable counter ladies with pâté, pork roll (ingredients can include pork, cornstarch, fish sauce, MSG, salt, garlic, and baking powder), and Vietnamese ham (which often contains pig ear, for crunch), garnished with pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber, spicy garlic sauce, and foot-long sprigs of cilantro." Baoguette, "a chainlet of slick banh-mi joints," gets a mixed review.