Pizzoccheri with brussels sprouts and fontina at L'Artusi

Jay Cheshes gives L’Artusi three stars out of six, and writes that it “strives to deliver so much more than its cozy precursor [dell'anima], while in fact delivering far less.” [TONY]

TONY enjoys the Black Iron Burger Shop’s no-frills patty, calling the East Village dive “a refreshing throwback.” [TONY]

Red Hook’s first cocktail lounge, Brooklyn Botanica, gets four stars: “The bones are there for a beautiful neighborhood bar.” [TONY]

Frank Bruni bestows one star to the “pleasant, but inconsistent” Shang. [NYT]

And in the Times‘ “$25 and Under” column, Ligaya Mishan explores Fort Greene’s “four corners of Africa [that] can be reached within a few blocks.” [NYT]

L’Artusi earns a solo star from Adam Platt, who compares it to “a wine bar that’s less intimate than other wine bars.” [NYM]

Robert Sietsema sets out on a quest for pupusa, “the heart of El Salvador’s cuisine,” in Jamaica, Queens. [VV]

Lauren Collins, in “Tables for Two,” suggests ordering with caution at Txikito, because “at these portions and prices…a lackluster dish feels like a squandered opportunity.” [The New Yorker]

L’Artusi also gets reviewed by Ryan Sutton. In his eyes, it’s a “recession-ready restaurant” worthy of two stars. [Bloomberg]

Restaurant Girl gives the homey Bar Breton three stars, writing that “the best dishes on the dinner menu are items you’d order for breakfast.” [Restaurant Girl, The Daily News]

Steve Cuozzo praises the economical efforts of eighty one, which “serves the Upper West Side’s best food ever.” [NY Post]