Doretta Taverna, House of Kebab, Darcy's Village Pub: Reviewed

Boston Magazine's Jolyon Helterman reviewed Doretta Taverna & Raw Bar, finding what he called a "strangely anachronous paean to chic Greek" — and "boring." He praised the Village Salad for stepping away from "Greek salad Americanisms," noting the "excellent, velvety feta," and the "balanced, oregano perfumed dressing." He also noted the poached shrimp and the grilled octopus, which he described as "a breathtaking study in simple counterpoint." However, he called these the "exceptions" in a menu "rife with clunkers." Helterman wrote that he liked the yellowtail better than the salmon crudo, and he found the lamb meatballs a re-working of Via Matta's famous pork-veal meatballs, describing the menu as "rocking only the compulsories."

Somerville's House of Kebab, formerly Yak & Yeti, received a visit from The Boston Globe's Sheryl Julian. The restaurant retained some of the Nepalese cuisine from its former self, and Julian praised the dumpling-like mo-mos filled with cabbage and carrot, which she wrote pair nicely with a tomato dipping sauce. On the Indian side of the menu, the dosa "are strikingly good," Julian wrote. The pan-grilled aloo paratha "shows off the kitchen's skill with Indian breads," and the tandoori chicken is succulent on one night but dry on another. Overall, Julian said the restaurant's change of course was off to a good start, but some dishes could use polishing.

For Dig Boston, Boston Restaurant Talk's Marc Hurwitz reviewed what he called a distinctly Boston pub in Quincy. Darcy's Village Pub, "perhaps more of a drinking spot than a restaurant," Hurwitz wrote, "has some excellent bar pizza." The larger pies have a thin crust, unlike the smaller ones, and he recommended the tasty pasties. Something like a calzone, these come with steak and cheese or Buffalo chicken. Darcy's also serves a filled-pastry cousin of the pastie, chicken pot pie, along with some classic pub favorites. Among those, "a particularly good plate of steak tips." Hurwitz wrote that the place has "the flavor of an old-fashioned townie-feeling bar."