Sycamore Scores Three Stars from The Globe

Damn, suburbs! The Globe isn't too loose with the three-star ratings, and yet here is another non-Boston restaurant racking up that score. This time it's Sycamore in Newton Centre, which Dan Zedek calls "the best kind of neighborhood spot." Drinks are "serious," starters like chorizo croquettes and pork rillettes are "exceptional" and yet - somehow - not as good as red lentil soup. Tuna crudo is "memorable" and "Soup and pasta come on small plates that I could have eaten bowls of." [BG]

Estelle's gets a mixed review from MC Slim JB in The Phoenix, but don't forget that "mixed" means part-good. For instance, Slim calls this "the South End's best beer bar." However a serving of spicy smoked-chicken-liver deviled eggs is "tiny... under-seasoned and not very liverish" (which, depending on how much you like liver, may not be the worst thing). Corn and sweet-potato chowder is "hearty and heartwarming," but the crust on the cornmeal-crusted catfish is "soggy." The buttermilk-fried chicken suffers from similar textural issues, but Estelle's is "a versatile addition to the neighborhood, family-friendly enough on school nights, a hopping beer-geek bar on weekends." [The Phoenix]

"No one at Chutney's is afraid of heat, salt, or spices" declares Globe food editor Sheryl Julian for the latest Cheap Eats column. The Indian fast-food restaurant in The Garage in Harvard Square is comparable to a Chipotle, she says, yet/and dishes like lamb on white rice are "very good." Saag paneer "should have a livelier green base" but optional toppings can "perk it up." Still, Julian "can imagine these shops everywhere, doing well, serving customers on the run who didn't even know they liked Indian food." [BG]