Eva Keeps It Interesting; Something for Everyone at Pomerol

This week, Providence Cicero of The Seattle Times revisits Eva in Tangletown, which she dubs "refreshingly unhip." Cicero awards the restaurant three stars, the same as Nancy Leson did in 2001. She says chef Amy McCray has "plenty of cool ideas" and enjoyed the quiet dining room, neighborhood feel, and well-made drinks. It's unpretentious and delicious.

At Seattle Weekly, Nicole Sprinkle checks out Pomerol, which she says sets high expectations by naming itself "after a tiny French commune in the Bordeaux region known and respected for its red wines." Sprinkle found the service friendly (and thus "un-French"), and says there's something for everyone, from "rich, savory French-style stews" cooked perfectly, to lighter fare, like the wood-fired octopus which had her nearly licking the plate. Sprinkle didn't care for the chilled tomato soup or the lamb pie appetizer, and called the desserts "fine, if not fabulous."

Bethany Jean Clement at The Stranger visits Kaisho, the former Boom Noodle on Capitol Hill. The restaurant "refresh" features food from Chef Kalen Schramke, who strays purposefully from authenticity and hits the mark on the potato cheddar dumpling and the house-smoked brisket gyoza. In sum:

Kaisho's pan-Asian menu also feels like a safe, fun piece of time-traveling; they're calling it, of course, "street fare," but when's the last time someone ate a hanger steak ($21) on a sidewalk? But the food is way better than it needs to be on party row, where an entirely mediocre (and not inexpensive) place like Poquitos stays packed. Kaisho's food is actually good. If you were drunk, it'd be great.

And finally, Julien Perry of Seattle Mag heads to Babirusa in Eastlake. She found the lunch scene "mellow and efficient" while dinnertime is "one of the funnest house parties on this side of Lake Union." Perry says the ever-changing menu "is filled with so many interesting-sounding things that it’s way too easy to order more than you’ll ever need to be comfortably satiated." She suggests the  fish and chips and chicken and waffle, with its "staggeringly good fried chicken."