Devra First Gives Storyville Two Stars

Devra First's review of Storyville in the Globe is built around one central, backhanded compliment: that the food deserves a better venue. Now you might think that a club having surprisingly good food would be an asset, but First interprets this scenario as a detriment. If she were a club reviewer, perhaps Storyville would have won higher marks. As is, it's too loud for her to enjoy her fried oysters. Also, the food is unexpectedly good, but someone in the kitchen seems to lose track of time, and more than one dish arrives "badly burned." Hard to come back from that no matter what your atmosphere. Hence the two stars. [BG]

Another restaurant rolls snake eyes when Robert Nadeau of the Boston Phoenix gives two stars to Catalyst. "You have to ask what half the dishes on the menu are, and then look them up on the Internet and find out what you ate," he says. Bread is "fabulous" and "nothing misses in Jerusalem artichoke soup, gourmet baby food from the first spoonful." In a review of The Brahmin, Nadeau called a sidecar "a smooth and rapid delivery system for cognac." Here he notes that "for some people, a good cocktail is a smooth delivery system for alcohol." Despite the low ranking, Nadeau likes most of what he tries. [BP]

Boston's Hidden Restaurants soaks up the atmosphere - especially the rays emanating from the neon - at The Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale. "This homey Italian restaurant" is praised for its "out of the way" feel (this is Boston's Hidden Restaurants, after all) and throwback decor. "Indeed, there are some who say that the Pleasant Cafe makes the best pizza in this section of Boston, and it is tough to disagree with that assessment." [Boston's Hidden Restaurants]

The international blog Please Add Salt digs into pig's ear terrine with yuzu aioli at Coppa. The reviewer positively gushes; there isn't a critical word to be found among the ooing and aahing over various pig parts. "Coppa is perfect for any food lover, and I will be sure to return back on my next trip home." [PAS]

For the Globe's latest Cheap Eats column, food editor Sheryl Julian steps out from behind her desk to visit the teensy Seven Star Street Bistro, also in Roslindale. The father-son team who run the restaurant serve "modern versions of the Taiwanese street food" they experienced abroad. Orange-soy glazed baby back ribs are "extraordinary," Taiwan-style pork chop "contains a medley of fun textures with a chewy chop, fried egg and its runny yolk, and slices of pickled radish," even though there is no bathroom and a curtain that keeps out the cold doesn't really keep out the cold. [BG]

JustLuxe visit the Oceanaire Seafood Room for surf (oysters) and turf (steak). The Connecticut Blue Points are "enormous and delicious" and the ribeye "could certainly give some of the other steakhouses in town a run for their money."[JustLuxe]

Jen Che of Tiny Urban Kitchen took advantage of the brief window of actually wintry temperatures to have "the best hot chocolate in Boston" at L.A. Burdick in Harvard Square. She notes that the cafe's hot chocolate is so chocolatey that "if you take it home and try to refrigerate it, it solidifies into a solid mass of chocolate." She promises to eat a mouse or penguin next time. [TUK]

BakingMeHungry declares the Union Bar and Grille to be the best bar in the South End. "The ambiance of Union is very cozy and lush, but not pretentious. The service is very conscientious, constantly refilling coffee, and the food was spot on." [BMH]