Michael Bauer is positively delighted by the food that chef Bridget Batson (Gitane) and chef de cuisine Caleb Jones are doing at Claudine (8 Claude Lane), the newish casual FiDi spot from owner Franck LeClerc (Cafe Claude, Gitane). He says he’s “obsessed” with the the meatball, kale and fregola soup with a broth that’s “tart, rich and clean.” He also loves the salad, the roast chicken, and the New York strip surrounded by “plump king trumpet mushrooms arranged around the crisp-seared meat.” The service, he says, can be a comedy of errors, and the place is a little sterile, so he gives them two and a half overall, but three stars for food. [Chron]
Patty U. returns to her most favored restaurant beat this week: the random Asian places of the Sunset/Richmond, etc. In her Friday review, Patty returns to Riverside Seafood Restaurant (1201 Vicente Street at 23rd Avenue), which just underwent a change of ownership and chefs, and she’s thrilled with just about everything. It sounds like quite the deal, too! $32 a person for ten courses at dinner, including “giant” spot prawns with roe, squab, and her new favorite: chrysanthemum greens. Also she recommends their homemade fish-cake porridge at lunch. [Examiner]
