The Other Critics

Shouse Thinks Joy Yee Plus Shabu Shabu’s Name is Silly But Not the Food

Joy Yee Plus Shabu Shabu
Joy Yee Plus Shabu Shabu Photo: Nick Kindelsperger

Though she has some issues with the name (“The name sounds like a dolphin show at SeaWorld”), Heather Shouse is impressed enough with the hot pots at Joy Yee Plus Shabu Shabu to give the Chinatown restaurant three stars. She’s especially taken with the seafood hot pot, which is “a stunner.” [TOC]

Elaine Glusac from the New York Times finds Balsan’s menu “both daring and satisfying,” which is a change from most hotel restaurants which “play it relatively safe.” She’s pleased with the use of offal, and with the intense focus on seasonal ingredients. [New York Times]

David Tamarkin claims Al Primo Canto is the “most generous and least pushy” of the new Brazilian restaurants to open in River North. Most of the thanks goes to the chicken, which is “dinner’s only bright spot.” He recommends forgoing any of the side dishes or appetizers: “Al Primo pads the beginning of its feasts with enough starches to plug BP’s next oil spill.” [TOC]

Julia Kramer finds neither the crêpes or the latte at Crêpes À Latte worth the visit. The crêpes are “fine, undistinguished, coffeehouse crêpes.” And the latte is “thick, gloopy and sure to be deemed delicious by anyone interested in coffee beverages that bear absolutely no resemblance to coffee.” [TOC]

Shouse Thinks Joy Yee Plus Shabu Shabu’s Name is Silly But Not the Food