Michael Bauer missed out on experiencing chef Jennie Lorenzo’s cooking at Fifth Floor during her stint there — or at least declined to review her if he did — and last had given the restaurant two and a half stars under the leadership of Laurent Manrique in 2008. He returned no fewer than four times, however, to write this past Sunday’s three-and-a-half-star update of the place, under newly crowned Hottest Chef in America David Bazirgan, working his way methodically through Bazirgan’s menus as if the place were brand new. He writes of a thyme consommé with pig’s head tortellini, “The dish has those seemingly contradictory rustic and refined elements that only those cooking at the highest level can achieve.” He also loves a slow-cooked squab wrapped in bacon, and compliments pastry chef Francis Ang’s use of savory herbs in his desserts. But he’s not a fan of the updated interior, saying he preferred the original version with the zebra carpet back in the early aughts, and sometimes the wine pairings are “less artful than what’s on the plate.” [Chron]
