• Craig LaBan goes where the strip malls blur the lines of demarcation between the City of Philadelphia and Lower Bucks to give the “region’s best new Uzbeki restaurant,” Samarkand, a shot. From the “distinctive” and “sesame-speckled” bread known as “non” to the “soulful soups,” and platters of charcoal-roasted skewers, he gets an “authentic bite” of Uzbeki dining. The “preamble of appetizers,” “steamed ‘meat pockets,’” and “ever-present” lamb are all must-order items. [Inquirer]
• Quick-serve’s the word for Adam Erace this week, as he checks out South Street’s “slick, glass-and-brick eat-in/take-away” Quick Fixx. Snacks like the “molten goat cheese whipped with shallot and chive” panzarotti are the fastest orders out of the kitchen. Chef Charles Reinhardt’s version of the “classic Caesar” salad “snapped with the salty bite of Parmesan and the silky dressing exploded with garlicky flavor.” The modernist crack at “agar-agar-spherified” basil and balsamic “caviar” in the bruschetta “sadly disintegrated.” Another misfire came in the form of the “fresh fettuccine in a sorry clump” in the The Smoky Roman entree. [Courier-Post]
