Midweek Special: NYC Restaurant Review Roundup
For his third review as the chief dining critic for the New York Times, Sam Sifton strays far from the usual fine dining galaxy occupied by first-string critics, keeping his street cred with an enthusiastic review of Imperial Palace, in Flushing, Queens. Sifton insists, "The Palace is riding high, at the zenith of Cantonese cooking in New York City... it is possible to eat brilliantly there, in the manner of an improvised Cantonese banquet. It is not a formal restaurant nor in any way a perfect one; service can be slapdash, particularly if you speak no Chinese. But the cooking is extremely sophisticated." Sifton also blows the cover on Rocky Sullivan's Friday night lobster feast in Red Hook, catered by the Red Hook Lobster Pound, calling it "worth a detour."
Robert Sietsema at the Village Voice digs Park Slope's Bark Hot Dogs, recalling that "years ago, I noted you can tell that times are bad when hot dogs become dinner, rather than just a snack. And today, just as hot dog carts have progressively disappeared from city streets, dogs have found a new kennel in semi-upscale restaurants. Bark is the most advanced evocation of this idea, styling itself as an eco-friendly hipster hang, and mounting a menu that gives tube steaks the respect they may—or may not—deserve."
Over in Williamsburg, the New Yorker's Nick Paumgarten says "there are a few gutter balls" at Brooklyn Bowl, which serves a high-end comfort food menu from the Blue Ribbon brothers. "But the score sheet shows more X’s than —’s... On a recent evening, the lanes were busy but not loud; the pins hang on strings, which helps muffle the din. Giant video screens showed montages from raunchy old B-movies like The Student Nurses' and 'Caged Heat.' Around eleven, the Roots took the stage, the dance floor filled up, and a waiter came by with Nutella-bourbon shakes, a convergence that felt like nailing a spare on a four-ten split."
Alan Richman at GQ hammers bloggers who hyped the free food they ate at Bill's Bar & Burger, where the "burger is flat, dry, and overcooked, as well as served on a second-rate bun...The writers who attended press events for Bill’s were ecstatic about the burgers. Allow me to issue a warning: Judging a restaurant by the food served at press events is like judging a baseball team by the home runs hit during batting practice." For the record, Gothamist attended one of those previews and filed a mixed early review, which Richman must have missed, because he writes, "You know what I like best about Bill’s hot dogs? I couldn’t find a single word about them in any of those press-preview blogs."
And Time Out's Jay Cheses bestows four out of five stars on the elegantly spacious new location of A Voce Columbus, in the Time Warner building: "In the end, like a gifted Don Juan, the new A Voce charms without ever trying too hard, with flawless service, a cheerful bustle and accessible food you could eat every day—assuming, that is, you’re not counting your pennies."
