Ox Lot 9 Shines Again; The Great Divide at Tacos & Tequila

Ian McNulty is the latest to review Ox Lot 9 this week, the Northshore stunner in the recently revived Southern Hotel that's impressing critics through and through lately. Chef Jeffrey Hansell's Southern cooking makes a "compelling case" for a trip across the lake, and so does the "rustic and refined" foie gras app: "It's cold-smoked with perique, the Louisiana-grown tobacco variety, which lends a deep earthiness (though no perceptible tobacco flavor) beneath the hard-seared surface of the foie gras. Draped over a biscuit, it melts in the mouth with warm, caramel flavors." [Advocate]

Sarah Baird finds "inexpensive Mexican classics" at Warehouse District switcheroo Tacos & Tequila (formerly RioMar) this week: "The restaurant is divided into two sides - tacos on one, tequila on the other...The tequila side of the restaurant is visually stunning" and "ideal for a post-dinner drink or pre-show beverage" with an amazing selection and killer Paloma cocktail. The tacos side looks and functions much like a Chipotle, and seems rather plagued by the "lackluster, gummy" tortillas. [Gambit]