Tamarkin Digs Three Aces; Kramer, Not So Into le Fleur de Lis

There's nothing worse than having too much bread overshadow the rest of the ingredients in a sandwich, and that's Julia Kramer's big issue with the po' boys at le Fleur de Lis. But once she eats a bit into the catfish po' boy at this new Bronzeville New Orleans-style joint, there's some redemption. The rest of the food? Not so much. "Crab cakes? They’re formed to order: small pieces of bland crab meat barely bound together, ready to be dipped in the same reddish rémoulade as the po’ boys." And desserts? Unless they work on them, Kramer says to pass on by. "Where I expected a momentary journey to New Orleans’ Café du Monde, what these little fritters most needed was a trip back to the fryer." Ultimately she gives the restaurant just two stars. [TOC]

Not much farther north, David Tamarkin makes his way through Three Aces, mostly with delight—at least with the food. Tamarkin has professed his admiration for chef Matt Troost in the past and, while the bar's owners want the focus on drinking, Tamarkin said "with Troost (the chef last seen at Fianco) rolling fresh pasta and frying pig ears in the kitchen, it’s hard not to pay attention." The space screams more bar than bistro, which Tamarkin has issue with. "Troost’s food is the kind that would feel more at home in a proper restaurant ... if this isn’t white-tablecloth fare, it is at least appropriate for a communal-table, Italian gastropub setting." He thinks the food fits more with a carafe of wine than a pint of beer, which Three Aces has a lot of. "Even the pizza—pizza, a beer’s best friend—has trouble fitting in. The pies come in variations such as a rich egg-parmesan-ricotta-pancetta and a fiery chicken thigh-garlic-squash-thyme. Any drink would have a hard time taking precedence in its presence." Three Aces rolls with three stars. [TOC]