Restaurant review extravaganza 46

Here are some of this week’s most noteworthy restaurant reviews from across the country:

Broward-Palm Beach

Los Perros / Borojo

Lifting this mammoth, Colombian-style hot dog from Los Perros in Lauderhill to my mouth is like looking down the barrel of a gun. I’m no longer hungry — I’m scared for my life. It’s nearly a foot long and three inches wide, and the dog’s beefy largess is coated with enough goopy pink sauce, salty crumbled potato chips, and puréed pineapple to give Takeru Kobayashi pause (he’s the man who set four world records in competitive hot dog eating). I summon up the courage and take a bite, and gobs of mayo and crushed chips tumble onto the paper plate with a thick plop. More >>

Dallas

Mario Sabino’s

A couple years ago I sat in some fancy French restaurant watching two servers wheel a polished brass cart to my table. One of them fussed about a copper chafing dish for a moment then began to splash Grand Marnier over the delicate, sugarcoated pancakes within it. Flambé presentations build with heightened anticipation. So, with a final flourish and spark, the crepe suzette erupted, flames consuming the liqueur and condensing sugar, juice and citrus peel into an exquisite sauce. More >>

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Denver

The Kitchen

At the Boulder Farmers’ Market a couple of summers back, John Long — round, garrulous, deeply knowledgeable about Colorado agriculture and the quintessential pig farmer — put his arm around my shoulders and led me to a booth where chefs from The Kitchen were serving his product: pulled pork on rolls from Udi’s, topped with a bright, sweet-sour apple-cabbage dressing. More >>

Houston

Branch Water Tavern

Popcorn tossed with duck fat instead of butter is my new favorite bar snack. I had some with a glass of St. George American single malt whiskey at Branch Water Tavern on Shepherd the other night. I love the slow-cooked meats and reasonably priced appetizers at this cool new restaurant. The duck fat popcorn is only three dollars. More >>

Kansas City

The Majestic Restaurant

It’s a new year, and there’s a new Majestic steak joint at Ninth Street and Broadway. No, not the New Majestic Steakhouse. That’s what former owner Doug Barnard called the legendary old saloon and brothel at 931 Broadway after he took it over in 1993; before Barnard, a couple of ambitious but unsuccessful restaurateurs had operated a place called Fitzpatrick’s in the century-old building. More >>

Los Angeles

Fig

The first thing you’ll want to know about Fig is that it serves bacon-wrapped bacon, which is a warning shot fired over the heaving bow of S.S. Food. Fig is the lobby-level bistro in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, a glassed-in space overlooking the pool; low, padded chairs, lounge-height tables, Staub cast iron everywhere, and napkins made out of repurposed dish towels. More >>

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Miami

Prelude by Barton G.

Since Barton G. the Restaurant opened on South Beach in 2002, it has generated passionate opinions. There are some who insist it offers more bravura showmanship than gastronomic substance, and others who laud its perpetual proffering of innovative products, presentations, and technologies. I belong to the latter camp, because almost all of the 50-plus restaurants I annually reviewed during Barton’s first few years offered essentially interchangeable menus (within the respective genres). More >>