Sam Sifton of the New York Times and Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle aren't the only restaurant critics food lovers should be reading on a weekly basis. Each Wednesday, we'll post links to noteworthy reviews from critics across the country. This week, RDG + Bar Annie in Houston, Woodward in Boston, and more.
Restaurant: Oakville Grocery Co.
Verdict: Napa's 130 year-old Oakville Grocery expands to Scottsdale. This "stylish enclave with no heart or soul" has a menu that features locally-baked desserts and daily soup specials but sub-par salads ("tastes average"), sandwiches ("messy"), and pizzas ("an embarrassment"). Stock up on the gourmet grocery's local and artisanal food products but skip the dining experience.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
Restaurant: RDG + Bar Annie
Verdict: Chef Robert del Grande--of the famed, now-defunct Cafe Annie--opens a more casual, modern bar/lounge/restaurant featuring "three distinct menus and six distinct spaces [which] takes some getting used to." Expect del Grande's Southwestern cuisine-with ranging highs and lows--and "the best people-watching in town." "RDG has life and heart and Houston soul, even if it is not quite the ambitious, technically precise place that Cafe Annie once was."
3 out of 4 stars.
Restaurant: Baker & Banker
Verdict: Husband and wife team "Jeffrey Banker and Lori Baker have pulled off a coup in reinventing the old Quince location" in Pacific Heights. Banker's "ability to weave together cultures" is apparent in his New American cuisine and Baker's desserts "shouldn't be skipped."
3 out of 4 stars.
Restaurant: Woodward
Verdict: This "self-described 'modern-day tavern' at the new Ames hotel from nightclub mogul/restaurateur Seth Greenberg" is the "see-and-be-seen scene spread over two busy bars and two noisy floors." "Chic farmhouse-meets-lounge ambiance" combines with the New England and Mediterranean-inspired food of Chef Mark Goldberg (Mistral) with "big flavors and seasonal sensibilities."
B+
Restaurant: The Tar Pit
Verdict: Celebrated LA chef Mark Peel of Campanile pays tribute to the supper clubs of yesteryear with a "swell, Art Deco-inspired bar cum restaurant." The menu features cocktails created by Pegu Club's mixologist Audrey Saunders and "mostly small plates [that] weaves Mediterranean dishes with old-school items like deviled eggs, clams casino, lobster thermidor or steak Diane", though inconsistently cooked by the kitchen. "Dress up. Have fun. Eat and drink with abandon."
2 out of 4 stars.