The Other Critics

McCrossen’s Tavern Lets You Know a ‘Chef’s In the Kitchen’; Revolution House Pizzas Are ‘Neither Too Crispy Nor Too Floppy’

• Lacroix alum Townsend Wentz’s “superbly crisp sweetbreads” and “tender braised cubes of pork belly” served in the white bean cassoulet at Fairmount’s McCrossen’s Tavern let Craig LaBan know that a “chef’s in the kitchen (cooking for himself and fellow cooks).” Though Wentz has elevated the pub’s fare, he “still makes a very respectable crispy wing - fairly addictive once the habanero sauce flips the heat light on your taste buds,” and an “excellent burger here - made from trendy New York LaFrieda meat - with an earthy hint of dry-aged beef fat, a ripe tomato, and your choice of cheese.” [Inquirer]

Revolution House’s punny menu headers cause Adam Erace to grown, but the renovations are some of the “best-looking” he’s seen in years. Tater tots, “crispy little nuggets filled with smooth, fluffy spuds served with a zingy mustard sauce,” were “pretty terrific,” and the fried calamari’s “tumble of tender tubes and tiny crisp tentacles” and “marinara, vivid as a Naples sunset,” does justice to the Chef Luca Sena’s “clan’s Boot roots.” Pizzas, which are “neither too crispy nor too floppy,” feature “excellent” dough and crusts, but “toppings need work.” [Courier-Post]

• Two Eat Philly dig into Queen Village’s Cochon where they find escargots “immersed in a sage-scented sauce” and “complemented” with “chewy bits of salty pancetta.” Sausage cassoulet, whose sausage “oozed a spiced oil that coated the beans” was “another rich and hearty dish that is perfect for fall.” Four “enormous” fried oysters with “flaky” “golden crust” “perfection” was one of their “favorite starters.” A bacon-fried pork chop was “incredibly juicy” and a “truly decadent chop.” [Two Eat Philly]

McCrossen’s Tavern Lets You Know a ‘Chef’s In the