Robert Sietsema at Plein Sud; Sarah DiGregorio at Cienfuegos

This week in the Voice, Robert Sietsema finds the food looks amazing but tastes terrible at Plein Sud. Sarah DiGregorio reports hits and misses at Cienfuegos, but gives a nod to the champagne punch.

Sam Sifton approves of Tamarind Tribeca, which “might rate a pleasant shrug [in Indian cuisine-happy London]. But in Manhattan, it is shaping up to be the best thing to happen to Indian food since Hemant Mathur and Suvir Saran opened Devi in 2004.”
[NY Times]

Steve Cuozzo is disappointed in Zengo, which he notes “got the vibe right. … If only the menu kept up its end of the fun.”
[NY Post]

Adam Platt (and his kid) rather love Fatty ‘Cue, where “[chef-owner Zak] Pelaccio is the first to combine the classic salty-sweet flavor profile of the East with the bulky, messy, down-home goodness of authentic American barbecue.” He is also a fan of Balaboosta, Einat Admony’s new Israeli comfort-food haven.
[NY Magazine]

TONY raves over two ramen spots, Totto and Hide-Chan, deeming the former’s miso ramen a “fragrant, fiery masterpiece,” and the latter’s pork tonkotsu broth “a luscious meaty soup, more cloudy than creamy.”
[Time Out]

Alan Richman, a self-professed Francophile who feels French food is best enjoyed in winter, has “the best off-season French meal of … [his] life” at Eleven Madison Park.
[GQ/Forked]

Gael Greene would go back to Nuela, despite the absence of a liquor license and the prohibition of BYOB.
[Insatiable Critic]

Tables for Two falls for Kaz An Nou, which “seems determined to bring a bit of Caribbean color and hope” to the area being demolished for the Atlantic Yards project.
[New Yorker]