Kraken Congee is Cozy In the Best Way; Three Stars for Chávez

In the past week, the city's restaurant critics have reviewed Pioneer Square's Kraken Congee and Capitol Hill's Chávez. Here's a roundup of what they're saying:

To Kathryn Robinson, Garrett Doherty and Shane Robinson's Kraken Congee is the best kind of cozy, in both place and plates: "The fan favorite is pork belly adobo, its meat unctuous and winning with Chinese broccoli, green onion, and crunchy corn nuts, along with aioli made with the Filipino citrus fruit calamansi. You mix it all around and spoon up a different global blend of flavors and textures each time, each offering its commentary on the last . . . For dessert, the purple disc of ube cheesecake offers light, almost frothy textured richness over a coconut-graham crust atop a drizzle of mango sauce. It's lush, globally inspired, gastronomically intriguing—and, like everything else at Kraken, just what you want to eat in fall."

For Providence Cicero, Gabriel Chávez delivers "some of the most refined Mexican fare in town:" "Tacos heaped high with care desebrada (shredded beef short ribs draped in silky green chile and avocado salsa) and borrego (aromatic braised lamb accented with chilaca pepper and tomato) are both superb. But so are fish tacos loaded with mahi-mahi, shredded cabbage and smoky chipotle creme." 3 stars.