Reviews for Lupulo, The Happiest Hour, Gabriel Kreuther, and More

Yesterday, Ryan Sutton laid down the law and explained why Santina's breakfast is, as he says, "THE TRUTH." He also declares Santina the restaurant of the summer.

Lots of critics took the week off or filed from a vacay locale, but here's a roundup from those who stuck around:

Tejal Rao thinks the $13 price tag per individual carabinero shrimp at George Mendes's new casual Portuguese restaurant Lupulo might be worth it, if you eat them properly. But, "there's a lot more on offer, from wee little bites like salt cod fritters and shrimp turnovers, to clams in wine with crusty grilled bread and a mousse-y chicken liver pate with pickled grapes...the best dishes at Lupulo are truly unfussy: a few grilled sardines strewn with red peppers, a pot of bacalhau a gomes de sa, the traditional casserole of salt cod." One Star.

Nick Solares

The Elsewhere: Jeff Gordinier, filling in for Ligaya Mishan, finds his hunger for a Cali-style burger and a dry martini sated by the In-N-Out homage at the Happiest Hour, Jon Neidich's retro-tiki den.

Nick Solares

The Blogs: Chris Stang digs Craftbar and thinks you will too, provided that you never dined at the original Craftbar. He gives it an 8.4. And, nearby, Stang revisits his longtime former lover (and neighbor) Blue Smoke and finds he is still enamored, giving it an 8.1. Meanwhile, Joe DiStefano gives his stamp of approval to the gelato sandwich called focaccine at Amorino. And, The Pink Pig visits ex-Modern chef Gabriel Kreuther's new eponymous Midtown restaurant and finds a restaurant that is still settling into itself.