Three Stars for the Maple Street Café

Tom Fitzmorris, in this week's CityBusiness, engages in a little bit of whimsy, starting out his review of the Maple Street Café with this hypothetical:

It’s an old story: A young hotshot comes to town to take a job. This person works so relentlessly that when the holidays roll around, he or she isn’t close enough to anyone to earn an invitation to dinner.

So this person calls others in the same boat and they all go to a restaurant for dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. They want a nice place, but no big production.

But more importantly (and less seasonally), the café is good enough to earn three stars. To wit:"The half-Italian, half-Creole menu is appealing and well turned out, and the prices are attractive." He especially recommends the osso buco, writing that while it "runs somewhat unpredictably as a special," it "is a contender for best version of that dish in town."

In My New Orleans, Robert Peyton reviewed GW Fins, focusing on the work of chef Tenney Flynn. Flynn, it should be know, puts a whole lot of effort into sourcing the freshest fish available, which means that the restaurant's menu changes daily to reflect what he can get. "Given this focus on securing the best fish possible, it makes sense that Flynn's approach to cooking is minimalist." Peyton's "main complaint" was that GW Fins is rarely open for lunch. It's a good sign when a critic's only negative words are about the hours.

And onto the blogs: Emily Smith of Fleurdelicious visited the new Warehouse District restaurant Root. Having heard great things, her experience "was good but it wasn’t great," but she's willing to give it a second shot. And Peter Thriffiley, Jr of Blackened Out gave a "birdie" to a Mano, the above average rating reflected in Thriffiley's praise for just about every dish there.

· All Tom Fitzmorris Coverage on Eater NOLA [-ENOLA-]
· All Weeks in Reviews on Eater NOLA [-ENOLA-]

[Photo: yelp / Scott S.]