Restaurant review extravaganza 51 page 2

Red Sea 47

It wasn’t until the third visit that I developed an affection for Red Sea 47, a new Ethiopian restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. My previous meals there had been lackluster–the food had had a reheated quality (Ethiopian is one of the world’s most microwavable cuisines), and most of the fare had been mind-numbingly bland. More >>

Caleb Ferguson

“A few wrong notes from the Horn of Africa.”

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Orange County

OltreMare

A pasta pot pie. That’s the most accurate description I can offer for what OltreMare calls Trionfo de OltreMare, or “The Triumph,” a dish that, once and for all, brings together two of Italy’s most popular culinary exports: pizza and pasta. More >>

Phoenix

Yo Mama’s Good Cook’n

Uh-oh, not again!

I’ve found another restaurant that I’d love to keep a secret. As a critic, this happens to me pretty regularly, and every time, I force myself to spill the beans anyway. More >>

Jackie Mercandetti

“We’re not sure if the food at Yo Mama’s is actually good for your waistline — fried chicken and waffles, anyone? — but it’s definitely soul-satisfying.”

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San Francisco

Commis

Musicians know that a note is not just a note. The fundamental note they play is bolstered by dozens of other tones that thrum above and below it — octaves, fourths, major thirds — in realms we can’t quite consciously detect. Just listen to the ringing chords of a piano with the sustain pedal held down: The strings seem to multiply as the harmonics quiver into hearing, auditory ghosts manifesting through some rift in space. More >>

Seattle

Taqueria La Venadita

Seriously, dude? Seattle? What are you going to do there?”

“Same thing I do here, I guess.” I leaned back on my stool and sipped my drink, still collecting on owed markers at my neighborhood bar. “Eat. Write about it. Just a different time zone, is all.” More >>

St. Louis

The Vine

Is there a better place to be hungry in St. Louis than South Grand Boulevard? Only if you are terminally indecisive. In the six blocks between Arsenal Street and Utah Place, you can feast on pho, sea urchin, beef tongue, fresh pasta and gelato. Feeling adventurous? Try kitfo, a fiery dish of minced raw beef at Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant — or just venture inside City Diner after the 3 a.m. bars close. More >>