It's Snake Eyes for The Painted Burro

Here's who reviewed The Painted Burro in Davis Square this week: everyone and their mother. Globe restaurant critic Devra First gives the restaurant two stars. In comparison with the many upscale Mexican restaurants that opened last year, this one serves "a better version of this kind of food than most." The chupacabra taco is "quite tasty overkill," though the tortillas tend to split. Brysen A. Greene, one of two Roxbury high school students who studied with First, says "The food, which was not much my taste, was okay." His peer Gabriela Maldonado says that waitresses have "a flirty feel, with a pound of makeup on their faces and serious expressions." And for the Somerville Scout, Adam Bezigian says the fried egg tacos "made me wish I was hungover so that I, in my own personal universe of suffering, could know salvation." [BG, Dishing, SS]

For the Improper Bostonian, B.N. Lee gives JM Curley a solid three and a half stars. The "stripped-down, no-nonsense experience" is in the same vein as other industry haunts, like the Franklin Cafe. The menu "hits the sweet spot between comfort and creativity," which is saying a lot, as the two don't always go together. House-cured salmon sliders are "a particular standout" among starters: "three little hipster tea sandwiches, punched up with red-onion jam and mint-cream cheese." Some dishes are hit or miss, but drinks are all hit. [TIB]

Robert Nadeau of the Boston Phoenix begins his review of Thelonius Monkfish with a torrent of jive and jazz/sushi puns, more than you might think possible, and assigns the Central Square restaurant three out of four stars. The sushi selection is "sure-handed" though the menu itself is "long and confusing." Shumai are "lighter and fresher than the Chinatown standards" and bigger, too. An entree of tamarind duck "is a sure winner" and desserts are "a pleasant surprise." But what about the decaf? [BP]

For the JP Patch, Kate Mason reviews the newly opened Tonic, which she says "dazzles" ("in Forest Hills" - perhaps it's relative?). In terms of decor, the restaurant is "pretty" and "has some serious charisma." But the food's better. "Main dish highlights include mammoth molasses-brined pork chops with crisp sweet potato fries, a grilled rib-eye steak with salt potatoes, stilton cheese, and carrot puree, and a pan-seared scallops entrée, served over pureed parsnips, with Daikon radishes and candied grapefruit." The experience inspires Mason to dream that Tonic might turn this strip into a new restaurant row. [JP Patch]

For the Watertown Patch, Paul Angiolillo reviews Old Country Buffet in the Watertown Mall. "The secret is to choose what you like and leave the rest," says Angiolillo. Instead of the usual single recommendation in the "suggested dish" section of the review, this time "the choices are up to you," it being a buffet, after all. The review ends with two "cool factors." Number one: "Seniors get discounts on all meals and customers 60 and up are considered senior citizens." Number two: "Since it's in a mall, parking is plentiful and free." [Watertown Patch]