The Carlile Room & European Foods Have Much to Offer; Orfeo & Naka Less Impressive

The past two weeks, the city's restaurant critics have reviewed downtown's Carlile Room, Aurora's European Foods, Belltown's Orfeo, and Capitol Hill's Naka.  Here's a roundup of what they're saying:

For Nicole Sprinkle, the Carlile Room is stylish, playful, and classic Tom Douglas: "Plant entrées, of which there are 14 compared to seven meats, are inventive and hearty . . . Less successful are the the two curries, served together: fried eggplant in a melon curry, and chickpea masala . . . [But] the only real downside to our dining experience was the sudden appearance of every single dish we ordered delivered at once by two servers: six large plates vying for table space and our attention."

Angela Garbes finds the 17-year-old European Foods to be sensible, practical, and delicious: "For an entrée, look no further than the cabbage rolls ($7.99)—squat parcels of ground pork wrapped in cabbage leaves and served in a light sweet-and-sour tomato sauce, topped with sour cream. The cabbage, which tasted more vinegary than I was expecting, held up nicely rather than falling apart, making it especially satisfying to slice through with a knife."

Providence Cicero feels that Orfeo, from the crew behind Steelhead, has growing to do: "Pasta, all made in house, could use some improvement. Bulky, badly wrapped tortellini, filled with a bland, gristly mix of chicken and mozzarella, sat in lackluster chicken broth, weighed down with grated Parmesan, spinach and still-crunchy chopped carrots . . . Service was exasperating at every turn. Flatware was collected but not replaced." 1 star.

Cicero also was disappointed with Shota Nakajima's Naka, where plates were beautiful but grew tedious: "With too much repetition of ingredients, too many soft, squishy textures and a climax that fizzled, it was like a scenic road trip with not enough points of interest along the way to warrant getting out of the car." 2 stars.