Buvette

West Village
42 Grove Street, Near Bleecker Street
212-255-3590
ilovebuvette.com

Freshly reviewed on 4/21/12: We have a sick kitty at home so we wanted someplace close and quick. We walked over to Buvette and took one of their tiny two tops. We had some asparagus with chevre and shallots, oiled, crusty bread with sun dried tomatoes, slices of leg of lamb with pesto and julienned celery root, and well roasted chicken. The wines, a Valpolicella and Sauvignon Blanc were equal to the food. We left unfortunately stuffed -- no room for the fabuloso tarte tatin. Mario Batali was there when we arrived, and still there when we left. He has more room than us.
OVERALL RATING: Mario likes it

Originally reviewed on: 8/25/11

Pok Pok Wing

Lower East Side
137 Rivington Street, between Suffolk and Norfolk Streets
212-477-1299
pokpokwing.com

OMG. Does it get any worse than Pok Pok Wing? You know those Chinese takeout store fronts with pictures in the window, and above the counter, of each dish offered? Pok Pok is worse. This is a storefront in LES, mostly takeout and delivery, brought to us by a noted Portland chef, Andy Ricker. What went wrong? You'd think the good sized wings would be crispy -- at least we did. They aren't. They were actually a bit undercooked, making disassembling them an ordeal. You have to grip the pieces in two fists, getting greasy, sticky sauce all over your hands, put one foot on the floor, the other on the table, and pull. Pull pull wing. No crunch, no crisp. The sticky rice is congealed into a rubberized glom that undoubtedly has a synthetic molecular structure. The papaya salad is spicy but so what? And the papaya with more sticky rice and pulled pork is storefront pedestrian. Wow. What a mess.
OVERALL RATING: Suk suk

Battersby

Carroll Garden
255 Smith Street
718-852-8321
battersbybrooklyn.com

We watched Battersby being built in the late summer, and read about it a number of times since, including five Ls from the L Magazine. The chef from Anella, Joe Ogrodnek, along with a partner, Walker Stern from Blue Hill, opened the restaurant in part of the old Patois space in the early fall. It's probably been packed since. There are only 30 seats, with small tables and seating at the bar, and a garden to come in the spring. This is no place to have your bridal shower dinner. And shortly after we arrived, early, and took the last table, people arriving were being told the wait was an hour and a half, or longer. But it's worth it. We began with a Mexican Firing Squad with Tequila, pomegranate, soda and whatever else, a good, dry, Greek white wine, and an amuse bouche of smooth chopped chicken liver on crostini with mustard. The salad of crispy kale, apple, and kohlrabi was terrific, as was the rigatoni with pancetta, tomato, and pecorino, and the Berkshire pork, with cabbage and mustard. We really liked everything. A couple of espressos and an olive oil cake with mascarpone later, we were out the door. Not because we were eager to leave, but because those poor people waiting somewhere for a text probably wanted our table.
OVERALL RATING: Betters be early.

Please like us on Facebook and forward to friends. Who's that following us @shrinkwrapr?

Walden

North Williamsburg
502 Lorimer Street at Powers Street
347-227-7133
waldennyc.com

We'd read some good things about Walden, about its food and about its design by Jamie Gray of Matter, a home furnishing store in Park Slope and Soho that we like. So off we went with Ken and Danielle to check it out. The design is simple, minimal and sometimes even less, but where you sit, and what you see, makes for different takes on the aesthetics. Looking towards the street through rows of vertical windows that will be open come the Spring, you see dark woods, globe lights and small tables scattered across from a pretty bar. But the blonde, clunky stools at the bar seem from a different genre, and the views of the back walls of Walden are sparse and devoid of any visual attraction, save for the opening revealing the kitchen. The staff were very friendly and helpful, the Sardinian red quite good, and we liked most of the food. We had dates wrapped in bacon, grain salads with apples, market salad with fresh leaves, short ribs braised in red wine, and a chicken leg with lentils. The chicken leg limped behind the other dishes, but a fruited bread pudding stood out. We sat and chatted in this comfortable setting, unrushed and able to hear every word said. Almost like sitting beside a pond.
OVERALL RATING: Thoreauly pleasing

The Meatball Shop

West Village
64 Greenwich Avenue, near Perry Street
212-982-7815
themeatballshop.com

It took us a while to get to The Meatball Shop. Actually it took them opening a third restaurant and Tom's encouragement. The shop on Greenwich Avenue has a bar for eating on one side as you walk in, a long communal table down its center, small tables scattered on both sides, and an open kitchen to the rear. There are antique portraits covering a brick wall, and gaslight lighting in a variety of shapes and sizes throughout. And there are balls. Lots of balls. You can design your plates this way or that way, with sides or unders, a personal plethora of combinations. We had spicy pork balls -- did we say that right? -- with tomato sauce, sliders also made of pork, a side of creamy polenta, and two salads with arugula and roasted pear. All good enough, none to die for. But the prices were reasonable and the crowd just kept coming in. Why? They had balls.
OVERALL RATING: Sophomoric review

Roberta's

Bushwick, Brooklyn
261 Moore Street
718-417-1118
robertaspizza.com

We've become of two minds regarding Roberta's. One of us, the rational mind, continues to think the food is fresh and very well prepared, with excellent salads, including one with roasted carrots and ricotta, another with romaine with walnuts, a third with two squashes and onions, and a fourth with celduce, chips of smoked fish, and yogurt. The rational mind also thinks highly of the pizzas with a variety of tasty, well seasoned ingredients. The other, more paranoid mind, thinks the routine at Roberta's involves facing customers with a long wait and steering them to the heated tent in the back of the restaurant where they can load up on drinks before eating the excellent food. We're working on melding the two into a satiated folie a deux.
OVERALL RATING: A good wait for good food.

Originally reviewed on 9/19/10 and 4/3/11.

The Dove

British Virgin Islands
67 Main Street, Road Town, Tortola
284-494 0313
The Dove on Facebook

After three days of eating overpriced and okay but not good enough food at Peter Island, we took a ferry to Tortola for dinner at The Dove. Why didn't we think of this sooner? The Dove is in a small, wood framed building just off the main drag in Road Town. It's a little run down and a little distressed -- our kind of place. The staff is young and pretty hip, the crowd was mainly Brits, and the food was rocking. And the presentations were beautiful. We started with a fresh Ahi tuna sashimi, with pickled ginger, scallions and a number of other well chosen ingredients, and a Winter salad, with spinach, shaved cauliflower, toasted walnuts and green lentils in an orange vinaigrette -- delicious. Then a spinach and mint risotto, with roasted cauliflower and fennel and a ginger carrot sauce, and a special, roast flank steak roulade, cooked to perfection with an onion center, braised kale, and a corn and potato phyllo strudel. The level of sophistication in the cooking, paired with a completely relaxed, low key, island vibe, was intoxicating. So were the mojitos.
OVERALL RATING: Coooooooooool

Recipe

Upper West Side
452 Amsterdam Avenue, between 81st and 82nd Street
212-501-7755
recipenyc.com

We've eaten at Recipe on a couple of occasions despite it clearly not being a restaurant for celebrating an occasion, unless the occasion involves playing solitaire, flying solo, or singing a duet. Recipe just isn't very big. It has about 20 seats, plus a bar for eating. The menu tends to reach just one step too far, with many dishes including just one more ingredient than is necessary. But it's a casual, relaxed vibe, a minimal, comfortable decor, and reasonably good food. We had salads with bacon, crab cakes with spiced jicama, and red snapper with root vegetables. Nothing wrong with any of it but nothing good enough that we wanted to ask for the recipe.

OVERALL RATING: Not bad

Malaparte

Malaparte
West Village
353 Washington Street, corner of Bethune Street
212-255-2122
malapartenyc.com

It was a lovely evening in New York (over 60º) so we walked over to Malaparte, a northern Italian newbie in the far West Village. It's small place with a high ceiling and many nicknacks and wall objects creating a space that looks cozy and a bit medieval. The staff was welcoming and hip, in contrast to the early crowd which bordered on medieval as well. But the food was good. We started with arugula salads with sections of grapefruit and orange, fresh and zesty. The vegetarian lasagna was good enough, and the grilled Cornish hen was better, and, by portion, more like a full chicken. We shared a very full carafe of Chianti which, likewise, was good. The prices were moderate. Not a bad part about it.
OVERALL RATING: Good neighborhood cooking

Year End Summary 2011

We hope you are eating and living well. The list below represents some of our more memorable food experiences from 2011. Tell 'em the Shrinkwrapper sent you. You're guaranteed to get a good "huh?"

BEST RÖSCHTI: Cafe Select
BEST TARTE TATIN: Buvette
BEST WAIT: Roberta's
MOST DELICATE: Soto
BEST OPENING IN CT: Bodega Taco Bar
BEST ROAD TRIP: Agriturismo and Number 9
BEST IN SHOW: The Beagle
BEST IN ROW: The Boathouse
BEST SCENE: The Red Rooster
BEST NEW: Tertulia
BEST IN BALTIMORE: Woodberry Kitchen
LOUDEST: Jeffrey's Grocery
SWEETEST EVENING: Rucola

Red Rooster

Harlem
310 Malcolm X Boulevard, and 125th Street
212-792-9001
redroosterharlem.com

Freshly reviewed on December 29: We hit Red Rooster early. All the tables were booked with reservations until mid-April, or something like that. But they hold back some seating for walk-ins, and so in we walked. The bar area was hopping. That's what Red Rooster is about -- it's a great scene. We thought the cooking was down a notch from our last visit, but it hardly mattered. Red Rooster is an intersectional restaurant, a place where the neighborhood meets Manhattan, and where tourists from all over the planet flock when visiting New York. It creates a melting pot that brims with energy and sociability. The country ham, which we loved earlier, was a bit dry and constructed less appealingly, and the Yard Bird won't make the top ten chicken lists in the city, but the overall experience was happening and is what makes a stop at Red Rooster worthwhile.
OVERALL RATING: Quite the coop.

Originally reviewed on 8/10/11.

Bodega Taco Bar

Bodega
Connecticut
1700 Post Road, Fairfield
203-292-9590
bodegatacobar.com

Freshly reviewed on December 27: We took Mam up to Bodega on a rainy night to try Mexican food with Venezuelan influenced preparations offered by a chef who grew up in Brooklyn. You just can't get that nowadays in Switzerland. She loved it. So do the Fairfield residents -- the place is always packed. We ate mostly off the specials blackboard which included a fresh salad of greens and apples, an arepa with crab and avocado, a taco with lamb, another with shrimp, and guacamole with bacon strips. The skinny margarita was slim neither in taste nor impact. We ate well, drank well, and had fun. And Michael has a full head of hair. Who knew?
OVERALL RATING: Mas arriba!

Originally reviewed on 7/23/11

St. Anselm

Williamsburg
355 Metropolitan Avenue, near Havemeyer Street
718-384-5054

We did some shopping in Williamsburg with the plan of eating somewhere in that 'hood. We'd heard about St. Anselm in L Magazine, which wrote up the Fette Sau sister rather favorably. The temperature was dropping and the idea of meat grilling on a fire appeared comforting. St. Anselm is a uniquely designed space, one part chalet, one small part old New York, and one part trailer trash. It sort of almost works, but whatever, we came there for grilled meat. The grilled avocado stuffed with shrimp in some sort of aioli was good, and the grilled tomato with burrata could have been, or more, had the tomato been exposed to just a wee bit more fire. The sides of grilled cauliflower and pan fried mashed potatoes were very good but the meat, alas, was just not all that we expected. We had a butcher steak, really a hangar steak, and sliced veal flank steak, neither bad, but neither rising to the lofty level that justifies the step out into red meat terroir. The Joe's Pils we drank with it was good, the service was friendly and efficient, the vibe was relaxed, and the prices were moderate, but there just wasn't the carnivore carnival we'd hoped for.
OVERALL RATING: Close, but no cigar

The Beagle

East Village
162 Avenue A, between 10th and 11th Streets
212-228-6900
thebeaglenyc.com

We took a fast walk after a slow movie, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and wound up at The Beagle. It's a cute, carefully designed space on Avenue A with floor to ceiling windows along the sidewalk, and two small dining rooms within, each dimly lit, one with ornamental funky wallpaper. The bar in one room has pretty back lighting of the bottles. There's an emphasis on the cocktail menu, with some small dishes paired with a suggested wash, but we went with a bottle of Montsant, a herby, aromatic and complex Spanish red. We liked it and liked the food too. We had salads, one with leaves and anchovy dressing, the other with roasted beets dressed in yogurt. Then, some lamb, rare and sliced from a large chop, the bone available for chewing, although laden with fat. The dessert, a Cranachan with roasted apples, Scotch, cream and oats, was unique. We enjoyed petting The Beagle.
OVERALL RATING: Liked it a lot

Tertulia

West Village
359 6th Avenue, near Washington Place
646-559-9909
tertulianyc.com

Tertulia opened this Spring to quite a buzz. It's the latest venture from Sean Mullen who had a good run at Boqueria. Tertulia is likewise Spanish, tapas, and good. It's a newly designed space with tables in the front, and a slightly larger dining room in the back, with an open kitchen beyond. There's lots of exposed, distressed brick -- just what you'd expect from a Spanish tapas place. So it feels a little predictable. But, overall, we've certainly seen worse. And we've certainly tasted worse. This is some good cooking. We had an autumnal salad with kale and squash, mushroom toasts with ricotta and pine nuts, serrano ham, egg and potato tortilla, and very nicely charred lamb breast with farro. The glasses of Blanco Rioja and Temparanillo were a good accompaniment. We liked everything, including the conversation that sprang up between us and John and Howard, seated at the next table.
OVERALL RATING: Good food, good wine, good talk

Bernard's

Ridgefield, Connecticut
20 West Lane
203-438-8282
bernardsridgefield.com

Bernard's is a bit formal and stuffy, but they tolerated our presence nonetheless. It's housed on the ground floor (Sarah's Wine Bar is on the second floor) of what was once a large house in downtown Ridgefield. What makes it a tad less formal is a young, informal staff, and very good food. We began with tuna tartare and a squash soup and liked both. Then a nicely crisped chicken that retained its moistness, and cod with beans and root vegetables, very good. We drank and talked and enjoyed ourselves with Arnie and Janice. Who knew they own a Miele dishwasher?
OVERALL RATING: Fine dine

Wallsé

Wallsé
West Village
344 West 11th Street, at Washington Street
212-352-2300
kg-ny.com/wallse

Freshly reviewed on 11/18/11: Sometimes you just need a place for a last minute celebration. Like if you find out you're having twins and didn't even know you were pregnant. And you're a nun. So we called around and went through the typical bullshit with a number of places who didn't have a table then, but could give us a table when, blah, blah, blah. On and on it went. So we took a 6:30 table at Wallsé with the proviso that we would vacate by 8 p.m. OK. Fair enough. After all, this was a last minute thing and they probably really did need the table for a reservation made much earlier than 45 minutes before dinner. We arrived early, on purpose, to have a drink, or as it turned out, two, in the twins spirit, at the bar. And we were graciously told that 8 p.m., the vacate deadline, had by now turned into 8:30. So why the need, at 6:30 sharp, to hustle us to the table? Were we drinking too slowly? Were they worried we were with the Occupy an Austrian restaurant movement? The table was lovely, a corner in the front room which houses the bar and is accessorized with fresh floral arrangements and cool art. We'd sat there before for some excellent meals. The food tonight, however, was a letdown. The mixed green salad looked terrific but was very over salted. The spatzle with braised rabbit was good, as was the lobster with braised fennel and oranges, but the cod in pastry was almost fishy and left on the plate. We were done and ready to go by 7:40, but the carmelized bananas with chocolate cake and sauce got hung up in the kitchen, so to soothe our wait we were presented with a combo of sorbets, one better than the other. We were home by 8:30, so everyone should have been pleased. But we realized one of us did not have a scarf returned from the coat room so we called back. "Maybe you have lost it on the street", we were dismissively told. Well, if we lost it on the street, why the hell would we have called you?
OVERALL RATING: Attitudinally disappointing

Originally reviewed, and loved, on 3/15/08 and 11/28/06.

Saraghina

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
435 Halsey Street, A or C train to Utica Ave
718-574-0010
saraghinabrooklyn.com

We learned of Saraghina on remodelista.com, a design blog we like very much. The pictures looked very cute, with a distressed, old-world, whitewashed kind of look. Filled with a mix of neighborhood peeps, as it was the entire time we were there, it looked mostly distressed, but, somehow, distress is calming for us. Saraghina occupies a rambling space on a corner in Bed-Stuy, completely unremarkable from the street. The hosts and waitstaff are friendly and engaging, and the food is very good. The base element at Saraghina is pizza, but there's a sizable menu of specials every night, and we had four good ones off that list. The grilled radicchio with a good balsamic and a crispy round of cheese was the highlight. The fava bean puree with salty dandelions was quite good, as was the pasta with ragu Bolognese. The pizza with arugula, cherry tomatoes and burrata was a nice combination of crisp and chewy, and fresh as fresh can be. The house red was well selected. Remodelista may be about design, but at the end of the day, even designers have to eat.
OVERALL RATING: Bed Stylish

Wong

West Village
7 Cornelia Street, between Bleecker and W 4th
212-989-3399
wongnewyork.com

Simpson Wong used to ply his trade at The Jefferson. It was a favorite of ours until it closed about three years ago. It was elegant and minimal, and the small plates were delicate and delicious. He just opened Wong in an old New York looking space with big windows on Cornelia Street. The rows of tables, and the style of the chairs, give it a bit of a one room schoolhouse look, with woods and metals, and low voltage lighting. The menu is Asian, representing a variety of influences including Indonesia. The tastes are fresh, unique and inventive. We began with a small Naan bread, just baked in Wong's oven, served with a paneer cheese, and mint. The salad with Dinosuar kale, beets, apples and lettuces was very good, and well dressed. The wood grilled chicken with chrysanthemum leaves was requested well done -- it wasn't even close to well done, but the nutty sauce upon it made us care not. The Cha Ca La Wong, hake with fresh tumeric and rice noodles was good as well. And the apple short cake was small and sweet. So all in all, despite slow service from an otherwise friendly staff, we liked the food and the experience, even if, during the meal, we hardly liked each other.
OVERALL RATING: Worth a taste

brucie

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
234 Court Street Street
347-987-4961
brucienyc.com

We heard about Brucie when it first opened, and again recently when L Magazine gave it a big shout out. Who knew that Jessie and Ben went to college with John, the maitre d'? Well, actually, the three of them did, but not until we got there. Brucie is fairly small, with two bar areas for eating and drinking, and tables spaced nicely throughout so that no one is crowded, even when the place is filled, which is most of the time. You come for the food, which is Italian, and good, and the service, which is friendly and welcoming. We began with Caesar salads that oddly contained no romaine, but arugula, roasted beets and scallions in a zesty dressing, fried mozzarella with tomato sauce, and seared scallops, and we liked each dish. Then tagliatelle with ricotta and brussel sprouts, and spaghetti and meatballs with a healthy dose of flavorful basil, and we liked these as well. We were pretty full, but not yet ready to leave, so we had a couple of ice cream sandwiches and a pot of French pressed coffee to offset the bottles of Valpolicella and Chianti. All good.
OVERALL RATING: Very good

Perry St

West Village
176 Perry Street and the West Side Highway
212-352-1900
jean-georges.com

We love going to Perry St. We just can't decide whether we like it more by ourselves or with others. It's sedate, polished, Europeanly designed, and quiet, making it a good place to engage in conversation and watch the sunset. But if you engage in conversation, you may be distracted from the excellent food which is worthy of full attention. So we'll just say Perry St goes both ways, and you should go try it, either way.
OVERALL RATING: A favorite

Previously reviewed on December 16, 2008

Mas Grillade

West Village
28 Seventh Ave. South, across from Downing Street
212-255-1795
Mas Grillade on Facebook

We leisurely walked down Seventh Avenue South on this warm fall evening and passed the construction of the new Mas Grillade (a spinoff of Mas Farmhouse on Downing Street). To our surprise we saw people inside. Mas wasn't really open yet -- this was a soft private opening we were told at the maitre d' station. So we negotiated and wiggled ourselves in to an impromptu seat at the bar and soft opened with them. That night, the place was still under construction, the light in the coat room way too strong and the kitchen visible through a curtain in a less than flattering way. The small space is designed as a duplex, with an entry hall containing a few high tables along the wall, a small bar with a large mirror, a good looking dining room with one large leather banquette on the first floor, and an open mezzanine above. We ordered light, with a small portion of heirloom tomatoes stacked with bread, charred artichoke with chanterelles and arugula, coal grilled vegetables, and a sushi grade piece of seared salmon. We liked everything but the presentation was a bit more polished than we anticipated -- and very expensive. The wines by the glass were $17 each, especially a lot for a Fleurie. We ended with grilled figs, chocolate cake and cocoa ice cream -- delicious. It was a good party crash and a good meal, but less grilled than we expected, and much pricier than a Weber kettle.
OVERALL RATING: Expensive

Harvest Supper

Connecticut
15 Elm Street, New Canaan
203-966-5595

We always like going back to Harvest Supper. It's small, delicate and precise, and feels special when you're there. The menu has changed and now conforms to the appetizer/entree world, without the small plates that you could construct into a meal. We began with seared tuna with crispy chickpeas and fennel, then a roasted Amish chicken with speck and cippolines, and a bucatini pasta. It all was good, although the pasta was heavier than a light palate's anticipation. The Sancerre was a very good accompaniment, and the vanilla pot de creme was a sweet finish. Grace Lamb was a sweet hostess throughout the meal, as always.
OVERALL RATING: Still shines

Previously reviewed on 9/9/09, 6/27/08 and 4/11/08.

Shabu Tatsu

East Village
216 East 10th Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues
212-477-2972
tic-nyc.com

Yasmina and Luca were in the mood for shabu shabu. They ate it regularly in Switzerland and we think they were a little homesick. We had a drink at Bar Veloce, then over to Shabu Tatsu. Shabu is a pot of boiling salted water, heating in the center of the table, into which a variety of vegetables and meats are poured and dipped, and, with chopsticks, retrieved. Sort of an Asian fondue. At the end, the soup is shared. We had fun dunking and chatting, and the red bean and green tea ice creams were a cool finish. The place was continuously filled, apparently with homesick Japanese.
OVERALL RATING: not a Swiss fondue

Frankies 570

West Village
570 Hudson Street, corner of West 11th Street
212-924-0818
frankiesspuntino.com

Originally reviewed on 9/18/11: After Frankies 457 Spuntino, Frankies 17 Spuntino and Prime Meats, the Franks have taken a corner space with windows on Hudson Street and installed about 80 seats with wood floors, dark wood paneling, and a blonde wood ceiling that really should be stained to match the paneling. They've already installed lots of customers because within minutes of our 6 p.m. arrival, the place was brimming and humming. Why? Because the food is very good and reasonably priced. We began with two outstanding salads, the fennel, parsley and red onion, and the Caesar, spicy, tasty and simple. Then an absolutely terrific pasta Fiorini with funghi and bits of pancetta, and an eggplant parmigiana with a good red sauce. The bottle of Valpolicella was at least a year too young for our taste but the ricotta cheesecake was every bit as good as its outer borough sister. The whole meal was. Frankly, these guys are good, and to have them in our 'hood makes us lucky.
OVERALL RATING: Welcome to the West Village!

Already updated on 9/23/11: Jessie and Ben were in the city for some serious apartment hunting so we all went out to dinner and Frankies it was. We waited by the bar for a few minutes and the bottle of Chianti was an upgrade from our earlier bottle, but the Fiorini was prepared differently, this time without pieces of pancetta and mushroom scattered throughout the dish, but rather blended into the sauce. We liked the earlier deconstructed version much better. But we sat by one of those large windows on Hudson and chatted and tasted and just had a plain good old time. The desserts, a poached pear, poached prunes, and that ricotta cheesecake made for a delish finish.
OVERALL RATING: Good

Black Sauce Kitchen

Baltimore MD
410-864-6396
blacksaucekitchen.com

It was an early Saturday a.m. trip to the Waverly farmers' market in Baltimore, just before the line queued up at the Black Sauce Kitchen. And queue up it did, for good reason. Black Sauce is a completely mobile operation, with a food truck, catering and attendance at farmers' markets in and around the murder capital of the country. The food was worth killing for. We had soft, luscious buttermilk biscuits, two filled with twice smoked bacon and a softly turned over egg, and another with roasted chicken. We stood in the midst of a funky neighborhood offering of local vegetables and flowers and ate this comfort food right from it's aluminum foil wrappers. We did all but lick the foil. What a great way to start the day.
OVERALL RATING: Upward mobility

Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore

2010 Clipper Park Road, Baltimore MD
410-464-8000
woodberrykitchen.com

Freshly reviewed on 9/16/11: The rule we have between us is that, for a restaurant to be reviewed, we both must eat there. Every once in awhile, a meal comes along that cannot be overlooked, even when only one of us is looking. This time we sat in the high mezzanine above the bar area. The food was every bit as lofty as our perch. We began with a flat bread with heirloom tomatoes, roasted garlic, basil and ricotta that was terrific. We let our waitress decide between a garden salad with radish slices and an open ham and cheese sandwich with mustard and a fried egg atop. She chose the ham and then, feeling guilty for influencing our decision, brought the salad as well. We loved both. The sliced tavern steak with crunchy potatoes and a green sauce, the shrimp pepper pot, and the crisp chicken and a biscuit with kale were equally loved. The waitress felt more guilt from mistakenly bringing out a portion of crunchy crab cakes, so she left them. We finished with an excellent tart of peach crumble and vanilla ice cream, and some complimentary watermelon ice cream. We ate every last thing, and the Farmer's Market, a mix of Anejo tequila, basil, pepper and BBQ sauce was a liquid highlight in a meal filled with nothing but highlights. From it's architecture and design to its expert preparation of local ingredients, Woodberry Kitchen is one special place.
OVERALL RATING: Really, get there!

Originally reviewed on 10/1/10: The talk is Baltimore has discovered food, and Woodberry Kitchen is walking the walk. Nicely finished in a converted mill, the space is characterized by soaring ceilings with exposed original brick and beams, a large wood burning oven and open kitchen whose scents permeate the bar area, and people. Many people. The pace was hopping when we arrived at 9 p.m. after an afternoon and early evening of re-bonding with a lot of old friends. The menu is organized around green and local, and the staff wear flannel shirts to reinforce the granola feel. The food feels good. We had snacks of kohlrabi sprinkled with lemon juice and dusted with cumin, and delicious deviled eggs. Then a salad of local heirloom tomatoes and corn, soft-shelled shrimp a tad too buttery, a terrific corn soup, slow roasted pork shoulder crisped in the wood oven with roasted turnips and sweet potatoes, and well crisped chicken served with a biscuit for mopping. We said what the hell and had a chocolate ganache and a very good oatmeal cake for dessert, and were comped with a hot peppered ice cream. Hot-peppered ice cream? You'll just have to try it. Great call Jessie and Ben.
OVERALL RATING: Get there!

Roman's

Fort Greene, Brooklyn
243 DeKalb Avenue
718-622-5300
romansnyc.com

We were roaming around the city and when in roam, do like Romans, so we did. Roman's is an offshoot of Marlow's in Willliamsburg, a place we like very much. Roman's is Italian, as the name might suggest, and Erica's bud Stephanie has migrated there from cooking at The Spotted Pig. She was off tonight, but we went despite. This way, she wouldn't feel like we were stalking her. The space is small, with subway tiled walls, and colorful mosaic tile inserts. There's a bar and a counter by the front window, some tables on the broad sidewalk, and tables scattered throughout. The menu changes from day to day depending upon what's good in the market. Tonight we had roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic with burrata and toasts, radicchio with walnuts and gorgonzola, both very good, and two pastas, orriechiette with pork sausage and broccoli rabe, and spaghetti with eggplant and mint. Both were loaded with either parmigiana or pecorino. Who cares? It was good. The pound cake with freshly whipped cream and raspberries was terrific. By the time we left, there wasn't a seat to be found.
OVERALL RATING: Good

Rucola

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
190 Dean Street
718-576-3209
rucolabrooklyn.com

We read a sweet review about Rucola in The L-Train Magazine, so we went to check it out. It's a cute place on a quiet corner in Boerum Hill, about a block from Building on Bond, a good place for a drink if you have to wait for a Rucola table. And you probably will. The space has a long community table down the center, with smaller tables along the walls, a bar on one wall, and a couple of tables outdoors where we sat on this warm September evening. It was a nice spot to celebrate five L's and 11 years, and the bottle of Muller Thurgau didn't hurt. We started with two good salads, one of heirloom cherry tomatoes and another of arugula and parmigiana. Then a roasted chicken breast with charred cipollini onions and creamy polenta, and a Strozzapreti pasta with green garlic pesto, zucchini, and grana padano. We remember enjoying dessert but cannot remember what it was. Does this happen to the Zagats? We sat and talked and watched the neighborhood walk by. Hope we're all here in 2022.
OVERALL RATING: Sweetola

Bistro 25 at Maple Moor

New York State
1128 North Street, at the Maple Moor Golf Course, White Plains
914-437-8100

Usually when we drive down county to meet Michael, it's to play golf. This time, it was with Jerilynn, and it was to eat -- at a golf course. Bistro 25 is the restaurant at Maple Moor, a Westchester County golf operation. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch to golfers in a somewhat nondescript bar area and dining room, with a large deck outside overlooking the course. Dinner is for anyone who wants it, and we did, eager to try David Fierstein's cooking, after having tried it before at a couple of South Florida restaurants. He started us with an amuse bouche of marinated eggplant with cherry tomatoes that was smooth and spicy, a fennel and citrus salad that was light, fresh and very well dressed, chicken scarpariello with hot cherry peppers, branzino with fennel that was braised, filet of sole, and seared salmon with squash pappardelle. We liked every single thing. The setting is more golf than chic, but the food is aces.
OVERALL RATING: Teerific

Number 9

New York State
at Simmon's Way Inn, 53 Main Street, Millerton
518-592-1299
number9millerton.com

We took a late summer ride up Rt. 22 to Millerton, a town with a few shops worth exploring, to try No. 9. It's located in the rear of the Simmon's Way Inn, across from an old white barn. We ate outside, on a slate patio, under a very large and very old Shag Bark Hickory tree. Everything about the experience was delightful. We started with a plum mojito that was almost blended, and almost heaven, and a very good white Bourdeaux. The fluke crudo was fresh and covered with very small, chopped squash, peppers and Tuscan olive oil, and the duo of chilled soups, a gazpacho and a corn chowder was excellent twice. So was the grilled halibut with sauteed mustard greens. The hanger steak was merely good, but merely good is pretty damn good when you're flying at this level. The espresso, necessary for the long ride home, and the local apple strudel with vanilla ice cream, necessary because we wanted to try everything on the menu, were both, yes, excellent. It's a long way to Millerton, but we can't wait to come back.
OVERALL RATING: Almost 10

Zaza

Connecticut
122 Broad Street, Stamford
203-348-2300
zazagastrobar.com

We drove down to Stamford after Irene, having read an outstanding review about Zaza in the New York Times. They said 'don't miss it' -- the curse of high expectations. It was a Monday evening and the place was hopping. It has a nice tiled floor, and some walls have white subway tiles, and the square room is filled with red leather banquets and booths and a bar for eating and another for drinking. There's a black and white Italian movie projected onto one wall in a continuous loop, and the front of the space opens to a few tables on the sidewalk. The menu is predominantly small plates, but not exclusively. We began with a small plate of spicy garlic chicken, pieces of paillard with chopped peppers atop, and a garden salad. Both were good, but either could have easily been missed. Glasses of a Gaja and a Primitivo were quite good. Then veal parmigiana with burrata and a side of penne in tomato sauce, better, and an orichiette with sausage, garlic and broccolini, good. There was a lot of buzz buzzing about for a suburban Monday night -- a lot of people must have read the Times.
OVERALL RATING: SoSo

Buvette

West Village
42 Grove Street, Near Bleecker Street
212-255-3590
ilovebuvette.com

Freshly reviewed 5 days later: It was a rainy day in the city and we were soaked when we walked into Buvette. We froze our asses off in no time -- the AC was fully powered up. But the food was so good the shivering was worth it. A Croque Monsieur partnered with a Croque Madame with a fried egg on top made a lovely couple. And the capuchinni were very good as well. This is a finely tuned operation.
OVERALL RATING: Cool!

Jody Williams took her walnuts and moved four blocks, from Greenwich Avenue to Grove Street, and one country, from Italy to France. Buvette looks strikingly similar to Gottino, where she last presided, and the menu structure is as was as well. The space is narrow and deep, with a tin ceiling, a bar with shelves housing wine bottles and glasses along one wall, and small tables along the other, with more tables in the back. It's small plates and one was better than the next. We had baby artichokes, steamed in white wine with sun dried tomatoes, farro with cherry tomatoes and celery, cold sliced lamb with white beans, large shrimp with an aioli, and coq a vin, perfect for dipping the excellent bread into. The Muscadet and Primitivo were both excellent, but the piece de resistance was the tarte tatin at the end. No doubt the tarte will make someone's best of the year list -- ours!
OVERALL RATING: You bet!

Palma

West Village
28 Cornelia Street, between Bleecker Street and W 4th Street
212-691-2223
palmanyc.com

We've eaten at Palma a few times. It's got a rustic look, with an open front in good weather overlooking Cornelia Street, and a lovely garden in the rear. It was a beautiful late summer evening, so the flower and vine laden garden was what we were seeking. We had glasses of Primitivo and Gavi that were both acceptable, a plate of fried carciofi with parmigiana, a salad of arugula and crisp pancetta, and two pastas, a fettucini with funghi, and a pappardelle with veal and tomatoes. Everything was good enough, nothing was outstanding. Except for that cute garden.
OVERALL RATING: A fair weather friend

Jeffrey's Grocery

West Village
172 Waverly Place, Corner of Christopher Street
646-398-7630
jeffreysgrocery.com

OK. This is going to really get confusing because we've already reviewed a restaurant named Jeffrey's, and because Jeffrey's is across the street from Joseph Leonard, also owned by Jeffrey's owner. And, of course, because this review is being written by a Jeffrey. Jeffrey's is in a space once housing an animal hospital. It's been redesigned with an old New York look, with a tin ceiling, wood floors, two bars for eating, a large communal table and some small tables scattered about. If loud were a currency, Jeffrey's would be every bit as current as it is. It plays to a hip, young, downtown crowd, with good looking staff and a good playlist. We fit right in. We went, this time, for brunch and sat at one of those two bars. Since we were already at a bar, we had an El Verde bloody mary, with tomatillos and green sauce. It was easy being green. Then a smoked salmon plate with herbed cream cheese and toasts, and a crock filled with pulled pork, diced potatoes, coddled eggs, corn bread and guacamole. Both were good.
OVERALL RATING: Good, and loud -- Gloud?

Agriturismo

New York State
2938 Church Street, Pine Plains
518-398-1000
agriturismorestaurant.com

We read about Agriturismo in the early Spring and knew right away that we wanted to try it. It's a locavore venture way up in Dutchess County, owned and run by Mark Strausman, much earlier of Campagna in Flatiron, a restaurant we really liked. Agriturismo sits on one of the two streets comprising Pine Plains and, except for its bright, two tone paint job, looks rather nondescript from the road. We sat outside in a small area, covered with umbrellas, on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. The space inside is well finished, with a checkerboard floor and an open kitchen. The food was very local and very good. We began with a glass of a good white French Bordeaux and a house specialty cocktail, a Bloody Mary, that was sort of blah. It was spicy, but watery, and in the middle of all that farmland, contained no green garnish at all. The abbandanza, however, made up for it, with many varieties of tomatoes, basil, and chunks of watermelon and muskmelon, on a splash of homemade pesto. A taste of late summer. The orecchiette with broccoli rabe was really good and the bricked chicken was moist and well herbed, accompanied by sliced potatoes and green beans. We had some of those same melon chunks for dessert, along with a berry trifle -- blueberries, strawberries, jammy sauce, shortbread, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. A trifle that was absolutely not trifling. It was stupendous. We hope Agriturismo fills enough seats to stay afloat. We'd like the opportunity to visit again.
OVERALL RATING: A country pleasure

Red Rooster

Harlem
310 Malcolm X Boulevard, and 125th Street
212-792-9001
redroosterharlem.com

Red Rooster celebrates the gentrification of Harlem, and it does so in a way that makes you feel you're attending a happening or a party. You pass through a large sidewalk dining area into a U-shaped bar with communal high tables off to one side, and a dining room behind. We liked the art and the bookshelf filled with nicknacks. The staff is friendly and engaging, the music is good, and the multiracial crowd is in tune with the pulse. Marcus Samuelsson, the chef who, in a prior incantation showed his wares at Aquavit, does it again here in a style highlighting cooking from down home, home being this 'hood. We started with a good plate of curried shrimp with dirty rice, and an excellent, and large portion of country ham, thinly sliced, with melted gouda cheese over crusty bread toasts, with an onion marmalade and a currant mustard beside. This dish was a knockout. The chickpea dumplings were OK, and the suckling pig, rolled, with shaved summer vegetables beside was good. We had a shortcake with peaches and raspberries and vanilla ice cream to finish it all off. Perhaps it was the Gin and Juices we had at the bar before dinner that got us into a Red Rooster fan club sort of mind, but that's just where we find ourselves.
OVERALL RATING: Cocka Doodle Do It!

Toscana

Connecticut
43 Danbury Road, Ridgefield
203-894-8995
toscanaridgefield.com

The crowd could have been less edgy at Toscana tonight, but how? Limiting attendance to people aged over 75 or under 11? Enforcing a Bermuda shorts and knee high black socks rule? The food was OK, from veal meat balls to risotto to bricked chicken breast, but we thought we were eating in the food area at Disney World judging by the crowd. Was that Goofy in the knee highs?
OVERALL RATING: Dullicious

Kefi

Upper West Side
505 Columbus Avenue,
212-873-0200
kefirestaurant.com

We'd eaten at Kefi once before, a few years ago, when it was located in a different space. This space has a bar and tables by the windows as you walk in, then a dining room up some stairs, and another dining downstairs. It's larger than it appears. The decor works, made to look like a Greek farmhouse perhaps, with blue doors mounted on the walls and large blue cabinets for storage. We're partial to the shade of blue they used. The food is Greek, and good. We had a Kefi salad to begin, with chunks of bread, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, cucumbers, lettuce and herbs, all fresh and very good. Then meatballs in an excellent marinara sauce, dotted with chopped scallions, green and black olives, and chopped parsley, and lemon chicken, crisped the way we like it, in a lemony sauce, a bit creamy, but good nonetheless. The accompanying potatoes were more than we could swallow. We did, however, swallow a small plate of rice pudding with sliced almonds and some berries. We didn't drink -- we had some driving to do.
OVERALL RATING: Mos Defi

Bodega Taco Bar

Connecticut
1700 Post Road, Fairfield
203-292-9590
bodegatacobar.com

It's been about two months now for Bodega, a sister to Valencia Luncheria, that grand-opened in a small shopping center on the Post Road. From the outside, Bodega looks just like the dry cleaner, deli, and other shops in the center. Inside, it's relatively small but well done, with lots of two, three and four tops bunched in the front and along one wall, a bar occupying the other wall, and an open kitchen in the rear. The windows in the front are lined with tall snake plants, encapsulating the space and removing it from the parking outside. The food is tacos and margaritas, and the word is out -- the place is packed. We had a variety of soft tacos filled with fish, hanger steak, and pork, a delicious Fresca salad with watercress, mangos, papaya, and a yogurt dressing, guacamole and chips, a Cubano sandwich, grilled corn, and a ceviche of shrimp and scallops marinated in a cocktail like sauce. We liked everything. Bodega is a place to drink and graze and chat and buzz, but we'd go anywhere to eat Michael Young's cooking.
OVERALL RATING: ¡Andale!

Wicked Oyster

Wellfleet, Cape Cod
50 Main Street
508-349-3455
thewickedo.com

After a lot of interesting conversation at a cocktail party in Wellfleet, despite at least five shrinks in attendance, we headed over to the Wicked Oyster. It’s a roadside restaurant that’s housed in a house like building near Rt. 6. The space is sort of nondescript, but the food is very good. We had fresh garden salads, Wellfleet oysters on the half shell, roasted duck, grilled halibut with root vegetables, and a spicy fettucine with peas, artichokes, feta cheese and hot pepper flakes. It was all good, the fettucine being a standout. We didn’t drink, having accomplished that at the pre-dinner party, and we had no room for dessert, but the meal stood tall nonetheless.
OVERALL RATING: Wicked good

Adrian's

North Truro, Cape Cod
535 Route 6
508-487-4360
adriansrestaurant.com

Adrian's is located in a motel on Rt.6 on the road between Truro and Provincetown. It's been a good spot to eat, especially for breakfast, for years. This summer, it houses a pop up venture by a young group of restauranteurs from Boston. We sat in their covered outdoor patio with views of the bay in two directions. We were a large group so there were many plates including a beet salad with a creamy burrata, a fresh garden salad with seawater dressing, a terrific charcuterie with smoked fish and seafood mousse, hanger steak atop a crepe of grain, roasted cod with vegetables, and seared tuna, also with vegetables. We really liked everything, except for vongole with squid ink pasta -- a bit under seasoned. The drinks and the Priorat were very good, as were the two desserts we shared.
OVERALL RATING: Check in

Ten Tables

Provincetown, Cape Cod
133 Bradford Street
508-487-0106
tentables.net

We couldn't begin to describe what Ten Tables looks like, or even how many tables they have. We sat on the patio outside and never entered the restaurant. But the patio, true to name, had ten tables. Except for a mosquito here and there -- it is the Cape after all -- it was a clear, warm, pleasant evening. Ten Tables is an outpost of a sister restaurant in Boston of the same name. Maybe this one should be called Another Ten Tables, or Eleven Through Twenty? The menu emphasizes local and natural and we enjoyed our meander through it. We began with a Ten Tables salad, fresh and nicely dressed with red oak lettuces, oranges, hazelnuts and herbs, and a delicious and beautifully presented cucumber gazpacho. Then a bricked chicken breast with sugar snap peas, grapes, and asparagus, lobster sliders with avocado on small buns, and the TT burger, with cheddar cheese, fries, and a fried egg. The bottle of Priorat was a good accompaniment. We finished with an absolutely delicious cup of compoted fruits with thyme shortbread and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Superb, as well as the fatherly conversation with Stewart and Sam.
OVERALL RATING: A solid 9

PB Boulangerie Bistro

South Wellfleet, Cape Cod
15 Lecount Hollow Road
508-349-1600
pbboulangeriebistro.com

There's a bit of a scene at PB Boulangerie in the morning. We got there in the midst of it all on our ride to Truro. Getting a seat isn't so much the issue. Getting a parking space is the challenge, but the line is mostly for takeout. The boulangeie's breads and pastries are the draw. They are sometimes a bit buttery, but good. We also had a berry and yoghurt parfait that was well conceived and well delivered, save for some jam at the bottom of the bowl that was a bit sweet. By the time you read this they'll be serving dinner as well. Better car pool.
OVERALL RATING: Bon Cape carbs

Blue Hill

West Village
75 Washington Place, between 6th Ave and Washington Square Park
212-539-1776
bluehillfarm.com

We're partial to things blue, organic, local, and it was a double birthday celebration so we walked and walked and walked to Blue Hill. About a block. We didn't see the Obamas, but we saw a boringly styled dining room and a lack of precise attention to detail that we would have expected to come as part of the package. Our Andromeda bloomed in April. So, apparently, did Blue Hill's. But ours isn't still in our dining room. The food was good, or better, as was the wine, an Albinaro from Spain, but when expectations are high, so should the food be. The asparagus with watercress and a morning egg was quite good, as was a green gazpacho. The pig three ways was good, but a touch short on savory, and a touch rich. Yet touching. Inge enjoyed the chicken with morels in a pea and spinach sauce, and the tile fish was good. The blueberry and the raspberry desserts, small, custardy tarts, were excellent, even if a touch sweet. At least it was a short walk home.
OVERALL RATING: Get new flowers

Soto

West Village
357 6th Avenue, between W4th and Washington Place
212-414-3088
sotonyc.com

Where do you go when you are five Swiss speaking Swiss people and one who doesn't understand what the hell they're talking about? Soto, for Japanese. No fondue for you. Soto is understated enough to not have a sign marking it's entrance. Walking by you might think it was a gallery, with it's modern, white abstract face. The food is a special event, each time, as the waitstaff and chefs present small bites of complex taste after taste. Many pieces of sashimi are served with chives and cilantro or watercress chopped a top, but just about everything is noteworthy -- unique, charming and well combined. The conversation was multi, multi cultural, and a nice meeting.
OVERALL RATING: Bonsai pleasures

The Mermaid Inn

Upper West Side
568 Amsterdam Ave, between 87th and 88th Streets
212-799-7400
themermaidnyc.com

We sat out on the sidewalk at The Mermaid Inn. We have no idea how we got to the Upper West Side, but give us the chance to sit al fresco and we'll take it every time. At least when the weather allows. The Mermaid Inn is now a school of three restaurants, with earlier incantations in the East and then the West Village. It's got all the standard fare of a city seafood eatery. We had a ceviche of fluke, fish tacos and a few other small plates we can no longer remember. Doesn't eating fish boost memory?
OVERALL RATING: Good, but apparently forgettable

The Dutch

SoHo
131 Sullivan Street, corner of Prince Street
212-677-6200
thedutchnyc.com

We looked forward to eating at The Dutch. After all, it's a production brought to you by Andrew Carmellini of A Voce and Locanda Verde fame. A big production -- there were five hostesses to greet us when we walked in. With a Soho address and a nicely designed space, with beautiful wood paneling and subway tile brick, and an interesting lighting design, we anticipated hip, cool and good food. Well, it was a summer Saturday night, so perhaps that was part of the problem, but the crowd was decidedly bridge and tunnel, or out of towners from uptown hotels. The scene was just too polished, too many nails and coifs done just so for an evening out in the city. And it was loud. Louder than loud. Combined with the scene, all the design polish made the experience seem a lot more commercial than hip -- sort of like Andrew Carmellini does Keith McNally. The food was mixed. We liked an 'Okonomiyaki' asparagus preparation, with a poached egg, and a 'Hiramasa' tartare that tasted earthy and good. But the Asian rib was pedestrian, and the cod with tomato salsa and beans did not rise to better than OK. This large space will likely pack 'em in, like McNally's Minetta Tavern, a couple of blocks away, but we won't be part of the pack.
OVERALL RATING: Commercial

The Boathouse at Saugatuck

Connecticut
521 Riverside Avenue, Westport
203-221-7475
saugatuckrowing.com

We sat on the Boathouse balcony tonight on a warm, clear evening, overlooking the Saugatuck River. In case you haven't yet gotten the point, this is not a bad thing to do. The crowd is a little old and a little pressed and a little suburban, but it got younger as we drank a Spanish Albarino and the night went on. And the food was really good. We began with a Montauk lobster salad, with avocado, radishes, and leaves from Millstone Farm, then Montauk fluke with kumquats, baby beets, and other Spring tastes -- both just busting with flavor and a ethereal lightness. We ended with a rhurbarb and strawberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream that was amazing, although not from Montauk, and some truffled chocolates to provide just a bit of ballast. We think Alex liked it.
OVERALL RATING: Wunderbar

Originally reviewed on 2/26/11:
OVERALL RATING: Life is but a dream

Barbuto

West Village
775 Washington Street, corner of West 12th Street
212-924-9700
www.barbutonyc.com

Freshly reviewed on 05/09/11: Ben became a lawyer and Jessie was becoming a doctor, and we wanted a place to celebrate. It was a nice, warm evening, perfect for eating al fresco, so we went to Barbuto, a cool, lively space in the very West Village. Barbuto occupies the first floor of an industrial building, with garage door walls, open tonight, affording the experience of being outside even when you're in. The crowd is sometimes hip, sometimes not, usually plentiful and the cooking is good, even if a notch below heart healthy. We toasted with prosecco, then began with plates of vegetable crudi in a lemony vinagrette dressing and carciofi with burrata and arugula. Doesn't anyone speak English? We had cod and chicken and gnocchi for mains, the chicken crisp and well herbed, the gnocchi a bit heavy with oil. Some chocolate pudding and a delicious layered torte completed the meal. It's nice to share the successes of people you are close with, and Barbuto was a good place to do it.
OVERALL RATING: Professional

Originally reviewed on 6/5/07

Lalibela

Westchester
37 South Moger Avenue, Mount Kisco
914-864-1343
lalibelamountkisco.com

We think Paul and Carol are from the British section of Ethiopia but, anyway, they're the ones that took us to Lalibela, a non-British Ethiopian restaurant in Mt. Kisco. The setting and ambience are all thoroughly suburban, but the food is authentic, inexpensive and, more importantly, good. They save a fortune on tableware, enabling them to keep the cost down, by serving all of their dishes upon large plates covered with a thin, spongy bread, upon which your course, or courses, sit. You tear a piece of bread, then use it to pinch a portion of whatever you're interested in. The avocado salad we began with was terrific, sort of a non-British Ethiopian guacamole. Then a huge sampler tray of small portions of seven or eight dishes. We really liked it all. We liked the mango sorbet and the baklava too, dishes for which tableware was allowed. Obviously it pays to go with people with clean hands.
OVERALL RATING: Handy