Uni, Osteria Posto, Pancho's Taqueria: Reviewed

The Improper Bostonian's MC Slim JB paid a visit to Uni (formerly Clio) in Back Bay. Uni's sashimi menu features familiar dishes from when it was still Clio's tiny sibling, including lubina and spicy tuna, along with smoked urchin with quail egg and caviar. Its range of small plates includes a grilled tuna roll, or as Slim calls it, an "insane-looking savory ice cream cone." XO squid ramen features "great noodles" in a rich sauce, and "deeply satisfying" Korean rice cakes come with kalbi oxtail. He said there were some rare misses, but the small plate options grant diners approachable options.

Mat Schaffer of The Boston Globe checked out Osteria Posto, where he found a melding of "Italy meets American steakhouse." There, the cuisine justifies the cost, he wrote, with dishes like the "delectably authentic" stewed trippa, classic beef tartare, and beet carpaccio that's "almost too pretty to eat." Appetizer portions are sharable, he noted. Of the entrees, a favorite was the agnolotti dal plin — polenta-filled ravioli over a peppery goat bolognese. The beef short rib and braised pork "fall to pieces at the touch of a fork." The roast chicken "goes awry" with limp skin and dry meat, but the seafood stew is beautiful.

In Dedham, the Globe's Ellen Bhang visited Pancho's Taqueria for a taste of Mexico. She found a spicy choriza torta called La Choripanco done up with all manner of toppings, about which she wrote that "you may not think you can finish it, but you will." Tender care goes into crafting the tomato and serrano chile salsa and the guacamole, made with "pristinely ripe" avocado. The Mexican plates (featuring grilled chicken, pork carnitas, or grilled vegetables) and burritos can be split, and the elote slathered in crema is a must, along with the "robustly seasoned grilled pollock" taco — get two, Bhang wrote.