Robert Sietsema at Land of Plenty; Lauren Shockey at Parm

This week in the Voice, Robert Sietsema samples Sichuan in his review of Land of Plenty: “At the end of the last century, who could have predicted Manhattan would someday be speckled with Sichuan restaurants? But as old-school takeaways vanished, pricier Sichuan places appeared in Chelsea and Midtown, where the core menu was not only unfamiliar to most diners, but also hot as hell.”

Lauren Shockey lunches at Parm. In her review, she gives a glowing rec to the mozz sticks: “They say a good man is hard to find, but you know what’s even tougher? A good mozzarella stick. … After nearly giving up hope, you meet the perfect specimen: pliant and gooey with a whisper of crunch, yet astonishingly creamy and milky.”

Pete Wells does not relish in Romera’s garnishes: “The flag that was both a garnish and a little signature also became an emblem, one that stood for the larger problem posed by Romera New York. A restaurant willing to send out a garnish meant to be interpreted rather than eaten is a restaurant that wants to be admired, not enjoyed.”
[New York Times]

Steve Cuozzo says that Kutsher’s Tribeca is JDate-approved: “Owner Zach Kutsher — a grandson of the founders of the “legendary” Kutsher’s Hotel, who no longer run it — strikes a suave balance between sentimentality and palatability. Latkes and kreplach are more Manhattan than mountain-like. Certain waiters lend just a touch of Borscht Belt crankiness.”
[NY Post]

Tables for Two dishes on Do or Dine, and is generally impressed that the restaurant is “aggressively irreverent”: “The food is just as berserk, but it also happens to be mostly delicious.”
[New Yorker]