The Other Critics

Tony Clark Has Not Forgotten How to Cook; McMichael’s Pub & Grill ‘Feels So Refreshing’

• In part one of his annual survey of Shore dining, Craig Laban says that onetime local hotshot Tony Clark “has not forgotten one bit how to cook” at the recently revamped Old Grange in Cape May. As for other Shore Points: Latin-inspired Mangos puts forth “authentic flavors for a mainstream audience” in Margate; Ventnor’s Vincent’s Seven/Seven Thirty is promising but “needs all the focus it can muster to keep its South Philly-style pile-it-high instincts in check”; Sea Isle City’s La Fontana Coast’s good value, is “a pleasant surprise [he would] travel the island for, but [he] wouldn’t cross a bridge”; Somers Point’s Baia’s “dishes were pricey but the flavors adequate”; and Ocean City’s Bongo Cafe and Grille “delivers” with “home-cooked fare that has plenty of appealing flair, if not always finesse.” [Inquirer]

• “Spunky staff,” a live Irish folk singer and a menu of “straightforward and tasty, heavy on the deep-fryer” pub fare at McMichael’s Pub & Grill in Gloucester City “feels so refreshing” for Adam Erace. [Courier-Post]

• The pieces of chops in Xiao Guan Garden’s salt baked pork “are not as good as the ones at Empress Garden,” and the steamed pork dumplings “were bursting with pork, but look “too uniform to be homemade.” [Midtown Lunch]

Tony Clark Has Not Forgotten How to Cook; McMichael’s Pub & Grill