Branch Line, Montien, Kelley Square Pub: Reviewed

Boston Magazine's Corby Kummer paid a visit to the buzzing Branch Line in Watertown. Kummer tried the restaurant's signature rotisserie chicken and wrote that "the skin isn't crisp or textured enough, and the meat is waterlogged," but other bird-based dishes deliver, including the lemon-chicken soup that is "transformative" and "restorative." Kummer praised the sauces, including a spicy tomato broth on the Sicilian whitefish and the briny clam juice of the steamed clams. Overall, Kummer said, the "branzino, along with a faultless marinated lamb skewer, were the best fish and meat on the menu."

The Boston Globe's Mat Schaffer reviewed a 30-year-old Thai place in the Theatre District, where he took full advantage of Montien's separate authentic menu, complete with salted crab papaya salad served with sticky rice, where the "intense, acrid salinity will knock you back in your seat and remind you how much fun dining out can be." Schaffer wrote that portions are generous and served with the customary Thai seasoning, meaning "many are uncompromisingly, exuberantly spicy hot." The crispy spiced pork is delectably addicting, the deep-fried entire fish is "perfect," and the minced pork omelet has a satisfying simplicity.

Boston Restaurant Talk's Marc Hurwitz reviewed Kelley Square Pub for Dig Boston this week, sampling some American and Italian-style comfort food. He wrote that the chicken parmigiana was one of the best in Boston and joined items like the baked gnocchi, ravioli, and meatball sub on a list of popular items. The thin-crust and Sicilian sheet-pan pizza are both "tremendous," and it's hard not to order both, he wrote. The bacon-wrapped scallops are also a highlight, along with the "sublime" Italian sausages.