Reviews for Pizzicare, the Velvet Cactus, and More

More reviews this week, including Robert Peyton in Haute Plates for MyNewOrleans.com. Peyton reviewed the new New York-style pizza joint in Mid City, Pizzacare, writing (dryly) that "the toppings are not all that unusual" for 2011, meaning an eclectic group of offerings including peppadews, brussels sprouts, broccoli raab, and more. Also:

Crust is essential to good pizza; the best toppings can't overcome a mediocre crust, but that's not a worry at Pizzicare. The crust is thin, crispy on the bottom, and resilient enough to pick up and fold in half to eat by hand.

Meanwhile, in the Times-Pic, Brett Anderson gave two beans to the new Mexican restaurant in Lakeview, The Velvet Cactus. Anderson writes that, while this isn't "molecular gastronomy" by any stretch of the imagination, the Cactus at least "steps easily over the low bar others have set for it." So, it's better than Chevy's. [TP]

Go NOLA's Will Woldenburg went to the Hermes Bar at Antoine's, writing that he needs to "temper [his] Ignatius Reilly-like judgments" and give a place like the Hermes Bar its due, as it's "a separate entity from the restaurant, where you can catch a beer in a t-shirt or some Champagne in a cocktail dress." [GoNOLA]

And in the blogs, Rene at Blackened Out compares the wings at The Irish House to the best he had while working one summer in the British Virgin Islands, where wings were the rage: "While I may not be 20 anymore, a few dozen wings and a good dose of beer after a hard day's work can take me right back." And He Said/She Said NOLA went to Bullet's in the Treme to catch Kermit Ruffins, a trip that prompted the remark, "I can't believe we've never been here before now."

· All Weeks in Review on Eater New Orleans [-ENOLA-]