MC Slim JB Calls Strip-T's "Jaw-Dropping"

MC Slim JB's restaurant reviews for STUFF Magazine hang on a climactic single dish rather than a quantity of stars. For Strip-T's, Slim singles out the roasted apple salad, but one gets the sense that, if he did traffic in stars, he'd anoint Tim Maslow's Watertown operation with the max. Slim calls Strip-T's "a sort of food-nerd El Dorado" and describes the results of Maslow's reinvention of his father's menu as "jaw-dropping." The apple salad is "a witty, gorgeous creation" and "reads like a David Chang hallucination of breakfast hash." Slim's advice: get here while you still can. [STUFF]

Boston Globe food editor Sheryl Julian reviews Sabzi Persian Chelow Kabab in Arlington and dubs the restaurant "just about perfect." Elaborate preparations yield satisfying, multi-colored rice, and though the pita is stale, homemade yogurt is "thick, barely acidic, delicious." Skewers of various meats are "juicy, lightly charred, and beautiful on the plate." [BG]

For the Boston Phoenix, Robert Nadeau reviews The Q Restaurant and assigns it two stars. He encounters "the best Peking ravioli in Chinatown in a long time" and enjoys "dish after terrific dish" at the bar. In fact his only qualm seems to be with "two bland slices of white fish loaf." [BP]

Boston's Hidden Restaurants visits the South End's Gaslight. The interior is so "rustic and charming" that "it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there are few dining spots in Boston.. more visually appealing." Despite online rants about the service, there are no complaints in that department, and "French onion soup with truffled beef short ribs was rich, hearty, and heavenly." Perhaps the only mark against it: it's not actually hidden. [Hidden Boston]

For the Phoenix's On the Cheap column, Lindsay Crudele reviews Maximo's Takeout in Watertown. "Maximo's is often one protein shake away from a bodybuilder's paradise, its menu a parade of steaks," reports Crudele, who notes that Mediterranean influences creep up on this otherwise American menu. She finds that "the flavors aren't new, but the variety injects some life into the price point." [BP]

Tiny Urban Kitchen visits Om and loves the fried wonton strips and popcorn starters: "the aromatic use of 5-spice was deliciously fragrant." Potstickers are unforgivably salty, momos are "much more tolerable," an "Asian-inspired salad" with roasted duck breast is "solid" and homemade fusilli with mushrooms "was excellent." The verdict: "not bad, with certain dishes that were quite solid. However, certain misses have made me hesitate to return." [TUK]