The Other Critics

Sula Predicts “Bigger Things” for Ruxbin; Kramer Digs into Black Dog Gelato

A look inside Ruxbin
A look inside Ruxbin Photo: courtesy Ruxbin

Not everything works for Mike Sula at Chef Edward Kim’s Ruxbin. The salads are “uncomplicated, well balanced, and bracingly fresh,” but not quite memorable. But some of the entrees “are unforgettable,” including the pan-seared trout fillet is the “the most perfect one I’ll probably ever meet.” Sula predicts “bigger things” in the future. [Chicago Reader, first item]

Julia Kramer is transfixed by the “deep, serious expressions” of flavor at Jessica Oloroso’s Black Dog Gelato. The salted peanut tastes like“the most out-of-this-world Snickers you’ve ever tasted,” while the Goat-cheese-caramel-cashew is “tangy, nutty, not too sweet and devastatingly rich.” [TOC]

Though David Tamarkin was pleased with his apple and beet salad, which “sparkled with piquant flavors of lime and thyme,” too much of One. Six One was “middle-of-the-road.” Plus the staff was “still experiencing serious timing issues.” He concludes that “it’s not necessarily bad food—it just doesn’t taste worth paying for.” [TOC]

Phil Vettel ponders what it means to be gastro-pub, before deciding that Branch 27 is one of the best examples of the genre in the city. Most people come for the burgers and beer, but he also loved the “beautifully charred cowboy ribeye set over poblano-cheddar grits alongside panzanella bread salad.” Though the restaurant can be “powerfully noisy,” it is “close to being the ideal neighborhood restaurant.” [Trib]

Sula Predicts “Bigger Things” for Ruxbin; Kramer Digs into Black Dog