Juliet Underwhelms Odam; The Chronicle is Tickled Pink by Saffron

The Statesman's Matthew Odam is back on his reviewing horse and visited new Italian eatery Juliet. He found the Barton Springs restaurant's service "sluggish," "bumbling," and "harried." The kitchen's execution fell well below his expectations, with one exception:

tender grilled octopus with fried cuts of crunchy potatoes in a Calabrese-shallot agrodolce and a ruby-centered and well-seasoned beef tenderloin with pancetta-wrapped green beans and enlivening salsa verde.

Ultimately, Odam doesn't find much to love in an otherwise beautiful building.

Across town, The Chronicle’s Rachel Feit celebrates Austin’s cosmopolitan status in her review of Nepalese cafe, Saffron, located in Northwest Hills. Though Feit was mildly concerned about the blurring of genres (The restaurant was most recently occupied by an Indian restaurant, the traces of which linger in dishes like Bombay Brussels.), the "generally solid cuisine" attenuates any "initial awkwardness." While the Indian fare is fine, it was the Nepalese dishes that shine, particularly the momo dumplings and the gobi Manchurian:

These are hybrids that reflect the tastes and cooking techniques of the mountainous country sandwiched between northern India and western China.

THE BLOGS: Mike Sutter hit up Mr. Natural for some timely vegetarian tacos and Forks Up happy hour-ed at Gardner.

— Melanie Haupt