Reviews for Doris Metropolitan, Fulton Alley, More

Ian McNulty reviews Doris Metropolitan this week, finding this "part steakhouse, part chef-driven bistro" in the Quarter to be "refreshingly unpredictable" and quite the headturner: "This restaurant seemed to have dropped out of the sky, and in a way it did. Doris Metropolitan was opened in October by Doris Rebi Chia and Itai Ben Eli, at least one of whom will be perched at the bar on any given night drinking wine and conversing in Hebrew with chef Shachar Kurgan."

The kitchen "delivers much more diverse potential than the prototypical steakhouse," but it's the dry-aged beef that truly shines: "The showstopper is called 'the classified' ($44). The restaurant refuses to identify the cut, hence its coy menu moniker. Flat and broad in shape, glistening and peppery, with a narrow, toothsomely chewy grain to the meat and a trace of minerality, it's compellingly delicious whatever it is (my guess is outside skirt steak)." Other reasons to go: a stunning revamp of the former Alpine space, a selection of Isreali wine, and oh so "many hooks to cinch a meal to the memory." [Advocate]

Scott Gold heads to Fulton Alley this week, finding a trip to the CBD spot "about as different from your grandfather's Monday-night-league alley as a luxury resort." Chef Mike Nirenberg's deviled eggs, meat pies ,and sliders impress Gold, as does a legit riff on the Sazerac, though a few menu items leave something to be desired, and he deems the service kind of "spotty." [Gambit]

Tom Fitzmorris doles out THREE WHOLE STARTS to Little Tokyo on Causeway this week. While T-Fitz notes there are currently 65 Japanese cafes in the New Orleans area right now, this original Little Tokyo (newly relocated to a space that "occupies what looks like an entire small strip mall") "always puts forth an astonishing range of both raw and cooked creations," though the longwinded menu appears to be the David Foster Wallace posthumous novel of sushi joints, ie. "a puzzling chore." Good thing "there's a karaoke bar in the rear for some after-dinner fun, especially if you've had a few Japanese beers" and at least one "burning man roll." +1 Hipness points because you know T-Fitz had a total eclipse of the heart. [CityBusiness, sub req]

· Review: Fulton Alley [Gambit]
· Mixing dry-aged steaks and an international outlook, a new French Quarter restaurant is a headturner [Advocate]
· Quality follows Causeway Little Tokyo to new site [CityBusiness, subscription required]
· All Week In Reviews [-ENOLA-]