The Critics Carbo-Loaded This Week With Lots of Bread and More

Bread drew The Boston Globe’s Sheryl Julian into her meal at Juliet in Somerville’s Union Square. The "warm, wheaty, and chewy" slices teased what was to come: "little surprises tucked into a dish, familiar tastes you can’t quite pinpoint," and technique that makes the food irresistible. Julian called the asparagus salad "a box of clever tiny gifts," and she wrote that the roasted branzino centerpiece flaked "with the touch of a fork." Chef Joshua Lewin’s sense of proportion meant no ingredient overwhelmed the sweet fish. Julian also sampled Juliet’s breakfast and lunch, including tartines, slow-scrambled eggs, pastries, and a banh mi that had "pleasurable heat and crunch."

Ellen Bhang also dove into some bread in her latest piece for the Globe. At Commune Kitchen in East Arlington, Bhang found "soulful, hand-crafted fare" in the form of the restaurant’s tartines (grilled bread with toppings) and pizza. She said the porchetta had a "sumptuous, puffed crust," and was slathered with flavorful sauce and toppings. Meanwhile, the charcuterie tartine was "a beautiful assemblage of chicken liver mousse and a thick slice of house-made pate de campagne studded with golden raisins." The bacon and egg tartine provided "pure comfort," and the seasoned house fries were a good stand-in for breakfast potatoes. Overall, the food was filling and rich, but lighter modifications were available.

Marc Hurwitz went in a cheesy direction for this week’s Dig Boston review. At Winthrop Arms (yes, in Winthrop), American and Italian-American fare take center stage. For Hurwitz, the restaurant offered good takes on bacon-wrapped scallops, crab cakes, and even veal and chicken parmigiana, but the macaroni and cheese stole the show as a "king to many" at Winthrop Arms. It’s not on the menu, but it’s "something special," he said, made with cavatappi, several cheeses, and cream. Baked to perfection, the dish is considered by some to be "the best macaroni and cheese in the entire Boston area, and also one of the cheapest," Hurwitz wrote.

• Union Square restaurant Juliet is a jewel box filled with surprises [BG]
• Arlington restaurant Commune Kitchen specializes in dough and soul [BG]
• Winthrop Arms [Dig Boston]