Today's Review Roundup includes: Mix, ’inoteca, Bread Tribeca, Time Cafe, Lunasa, The Knickerbocker, Walkers, Cafe on Clinton, Lento's
NYTimes Diner's Journal William Grimes visits Mix (68 West 58th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Ave):
Mix in New York is Mr. Ducasse's latest experiment in populist food, a kind of follow-up to his Spoon restaurants in Paris and London. It's a tribute to home cooking and homey flavors, both French and American, with a slight bias toward the Atlantic coasts of both nations. As with many a summer Hollywood movie, it doesn't pay to think too hard about the concept. Thinking interferes with pleasure, and there's a lot to love at this highly stylized, very quirky restaurant, which brings some much-needed fun to the New York dining scene.
NYMetro reviews ’inoteca (98 Rivington Street):
There are six sections to the menu, not counting dessert, and the biggest, not surprisingly, is pane, which is also divided into three subsections called tramezzini (little tea sandwiches), panini, and bruschetta. My favorite of the tramezzini was the one made with chicken (it’s served Grandma-style, with the crusts cut off), and all of the panini combinations seemed quite superior (try the one made with salty bresaola and Fontina cheese), except the pork version, which was overstuffed and fatty. The king of the bruschetta category was a little square of toast hollowed in the middle like a toad-in-the-hole and filled with egg, bits of truffle, and more melted Fontina cheese. The best of the larger piatti category was a dense square of vegetable lasagne (made not with pasta but with layers of eggplant), and if you want to order just one of the fritti, try the prawns, which are flavored with a light sweet-and-sour sauce and intertwined with crinkly strips of bacon.
NYMetro reviews Bread Tribeca (301 Church Street):
Like lots of the food at Bread Tribeca, these uptown dishes are efficiently produced and competently presented. If you’re a devotee of the original Bread, they probably won’t make you forget the quirky pleasures of the snug little room back on Spring Street. But then, no one ever succeeded in the big city by sitting still, and ambition always has its costs.
NY Newsday's 10 Tried and True Neighborhood Restaurants:
Manhattan:
Time Cafe. NoHo's comfortable neighborhood standby is still going strong at the corner of Great Jones and Lafayette, with one of the area's best sidewalk cafes -- set far enough back from the street so you're not inhaling bus exhaust along with your grilled fish. [Reviews: Citysearch, Digital City ]
Lunasa. This is definitely not your grandfather's Irish bar. Although it's new, it's well on the way toward becoming a neighborhood hangout. The room is sleek and sophisticated and the bar food veers toward the tapas-esque. . .
The Knickerbocker. Talk about your neighborhood fave. The up-front bar at The Knick is always jammed with locals who come for classic cocktails, friendly bar staff, and a varied bar menu that ranges from pizza and buffalo wings to ribs to salmon tartare and sushi. In back is the more formal restaurant, with its wide circular booths and excellent steaks. [Reviews: Citysearch, Digital City]
Walkers. When we say this place has been around forever, we mean forever: There has been a tavern at this address since 1877. . .[Reviews: Citysearch, Digital City]
Brooklyn:
Cafe on Clinton. They have the neighborly vibe down to a T here, The crowd ranges from families early in the evening to couples as the night wears on. . . . The menu is plenty varied, but it concentrates on uncomplicated dishes like filet mignon, grilled pork chops, pastas, salads, fish, and hamburgers, just the way a neighborhood place should. [Reviews: Citysearch]
Lento's. Fans call the pizza here among the best in the city, with a thin crust, fresh-tasting tomato sauce, and just enough cheese. [Reviews: Digital City]
