The Other Critics

Paramour’s Slips Are ‘Inexcusable’ For ‘Seriously Upscale Prices’; Arugula Serves ‘Gutsy, Flavorful’ Pastas

• Craig LaBan rings the bell just once for “swanky new destination” Paramour in Wayne. Noting that the “kitchen engine sputtered from one poorly executed dish to the next,” LaBan says such slips are “inexcusable at these prices.” “Consistent lack of cooking finesse,” evident in “barely hot” cauliflower soup, “crisped to dry oblivion” duck confit, and “underseasoned and overcooked” sea bass did not “correspond adequately to the seriously upscale prices.” [Inquirer]

• At Washington Township, N.J.’s Arugula, Adam Erace discovers “why customers come at all hours to this 70-seat spot” in the grilled Barnegat Light scallops.” “Gutsy, flavorful pastas,” “hulking” entrees, and “killer, creamy rice pudding with a tangy core of stewed cherries” combined created one of his “more memorable meals in recent memory.” [Courier-Post]

Paramour’s Slips Are ‘Inexcusable’ For ‘Seriously