Statesman Critic Finds Uneven Fare at Peruvian Restaurant Yuyo

Statesman critic Matthew Odam reviewed Peruvian restaurant Yuyo this week and found the results highly uneven. Echoing other reviewers, he named some of the dishes as standouts while others disappointed, from the El Chile Group restaurant that opened in October 2017.

The highlights of Odam’s meal were mostly found on the appetizer menu, including a classic cebiche with an “electric citrus bite of striped bass awash in leche de tigre.” He also enjoyed the yuca croquettes that “tasted like nutty mozzarella sticks” and the international influences found in dishes like pork belly bao. His favorite dish was a corn and cheese dish that he described as “a corn-lovers Bob Armstrong Dip by way of Peru.”

However, the entrees were less consistent, showing “moments of flare mixed with mundanity and monotony.” Odam liked the pan-seared drum, but not the “stubborn stretch of underseasoned skirt steak.”

Dessert was also less than successful, where he found:

[...] a 90s-looking dessert of dry dark chocolate cake that crumbled beneath an off-putting zigzag of ganache and dulche de leche cream ($10). It was the kind of finish that made me long for the start.

On a cold day, Megan Kimble at Austin Monthly stopped by “cozy” Irish restaurant Darcy’s Donkey. Her first dish was a bowl of Irish chowder, which she called “comforting in that deep-in-your-bones way.” Next, she tried the corned beef and cabbage, which came with:

a heaping spoonful of beer mustard so deliciously spicy, it’ll clear your sinuses.

Kimble also recommended the pies and the “glorious iterations” of potatoes.

ON THE BLOGS: So Much Life blog recommends all things pesto at vegetarian restaurant Citizen Eatery; With Shayda called Malibu Poke a “slam dunk” due to all the options for diet restrictions.

• Restaurant Review: Yuyo’s Peruvian Mashup Is a Mixed Bag [Austin 360]
• All Coverage of Yuyo [EATX]
• Restaurant Review: Darcy’s Donkey [Austin Monthly]
• All Coverage of Darcy’s Donkey [EATX]