Vettel is Impressed By Kinmont; Cavanaugh Says Knife & Tine is Disastrous; More

Kinmont's sustainable seafood features some under-the-radar standout dishes according to Phil Vettel. Wreckfish, a less popular East Coast product, is covered in a sauce with fennel and herb butter and is "so meaty and tasty, you'll be a fan after one bite." Cobia crudo is equally "delicious" while the Fisherman's Stew is a bounty of fish, shellfish and vegetables that "represents the best of the day's market, minimally fussed over." King crab gratin is a "high-class version of potluck crab dip" and parkerhouse rolls are "irresistible." Desserts are "pretty skippable" and should be passed over in favor of one of the fine cocktails that are "good enough to make Kinmont an appealing drinks-and-apps destination." [Tribune]

Amy Cavanaugh gives a harsh review of Knife & Tine, where every dish is "one disaster after another." The horseshoe sandwich, a Springfield, Illinois creation, is "soggy" and "such a salt lick it's inedible." Escolar is "overcooked and oversalted" while ricotta gnudi is "dry and gummy." The bizarre combination of ranch potstickers fails to mesh as well featuring "salty" potato filling stuffed in "hard and undercooked" wrapper. Even the desserts aren't immune to sodium: a blondie is topped with "what can only be described as 'salt sauce.'" [TOC]

Mas has "too many failures on a short menu" to compete on restaurant row, Laura Bianchi says. She samples the tacos and finds only the fried grouper with watermelon gazpacho and chili mayo worth ordering as the others are "yawners." A citrus remolacha salad has "thin, raw and scarce" slices of roasted beets, "adding nothing" to the other ingredients. The "most memorable" dishes are the fried pork cutlet sandwich and the yellowtail crudo, while desserts include "skippable" fried plantain planks and doughnut holes that are a "little raw in the center." [Crain's]