Reviews For Balise, Shaya & Wasabi

This week Ian McNulty finds the answers to 'modern cravings' at Balise, the new CBD hotspot from La Petite Grocery chef Justin Devillier: "This is a 21st century tavern, one that answers the growing expectation that high-aiming, compulsively interesting cuisine should be available on more casual terms." Must order items include a 'sculptural' crabmeat salad, lamb ragu, a "juice-gushing" pork sandwich (for lunch) and more, but "the ideal first run at Balise is from a bar seat by the garde manger," where you can watch your "chilled delicacies" being prepared before chowing down. [Advocate]

Helen Freund hits up modern Isreali dream palace Shaya, the eponymous Uptown restaurant from Beard award-winning Best Chef: South 2015 Alon Shaya and the Besh Group: "Shaya's interpretation of modern Israeli food incorporates a wide variety of cuisines that have influenced and left impressions on the country since its inception in 1948." Dishes range from chicken paprikash to the red pepper dip Lutenitsa (its Shaya's grandmother's recipe) with the wood fired pita bread serving as the "vessels" that will transport you to a a bustling Tel Aviv brasserie with a killer courtyard. [Gambit]

This week Tom Fitzmorris doles out THREE STARS to the Lakeview and Marigny locations of sushi stalwart Wasabi. Warning, "with seventy-three sushi bars around town," T-Fitz detects "a few net sushi bar closings" in the near future.  And while he's "never seen a big crowd at either Wasabi," both locations get the job done with dishes like #1 Essential Dish tempura shrimp (step aside, calamari), though sushi and sashimi takeout only land #10 on the list, with T-Fitz preferring the daily specials, especially since "they seem to have fresh sea scallops more often than I see in other sushi bars." +2 Hipness points because the Marigny location plays jazz "on the sound system."[CityBusiness, sub req]