Pork belly with figs and pistachios at A Voce Columbus (Photograph: Marlene Rounds)

According to Jay Cheshes, A Voce Columbus “charms without ever trying too hard,” and garners four out of five stars. [TONY]

The Upper West Side’s farm-forward Recipe gets four stars for being a neighborhood restaurant that serves “reasonably priced, homespun dishes that are executed with sophistication.” [TONY]

Red Hook gets a “well-stocked bar, fresh mixers and meticulously researched cocktails” with St. John Frizell’s four-star-rated Fort Defiance. [TONY]

Sam Sifton pays a visit to Imperial Palace in Flushing, Queens, writing that it’s “at the zenith of Cantonese cooking in New York City,” and awards it one star. [NYT]

Bill’s Bar & Burger from Stephen Hanson is his “humblest, most downscale venture yet, but it might also prove to be his most satisfying and successful.” Rob and Robin give it three stars, thanks mostly to the burger. [NYMag]

Alan Richman begs to differ on Bill’s Bar & Burger: “The burger is flat, dry, and overcooked, as well as served on a second-rate bun,” and calls out bloggers for passing critical judgment based on press preview meals. [GQ]

Bark Hot Dogs, says Robert Sietsema, is an “eco-friendly hipster hang…that gives tube steaks the respect they may—or may not—deserve.” [VV]

Ryan Sutton takes a break from reviewing this week and instead saves the life of a 70-year-old lobster (dubbed Larry) at Oceana. [Bloomberg]

“Tables for Two” samples the Bromberg brothers’ Blue Ribbon menu at Brooklyn Bowl, and “the score sheet shows more X’s than —’s.” [New Yorker]

Steve Cuozzo finds that the only time Agua Dulce “really clicked was when the house knew to expect me.” [NYP]

The Insatiable Critic tries the “clean and stylish, handsomely mounted” food at Gospel Uptown. [Insatiable Critic]