The Critics Ate Spiedini, Pho, and Crab Rangoon This Week

From “Admirable Skill” to “Ineptitude” and Everything in Between

The Improper Bostonian’s MC Slim JB heads to Terra, the full-service restaurant on Eataly Boston’s “becalmed” third floor, finding it “maddeningly inconsistent” despite the combination of “respected local talent” and “the out-of-town operators’ pedigrees” behind it. There’s “admirable skill” in the kitchen at times — but there’s also “odd tentativeness about traditional Italian flavors,” and worse, “ineptitude.” The service is “off-kilter,” and there are duds in each section of the menu. Focus on the “perfectly seasoned and terrific” spiedini options — such as the “stunning” cuore di manzo (beef heart skewers) — and the “frequently brilliant” pasta, such as the “ravishing” agnolotti di coniglio. Some secondi, such as the “fabulous” orata intera (whole roasted sea bream), are also winners, and the desserts “manage to impress across the board.” But the prices are too high for this level of inconsistency, and Slim knows that locals “deserve better and will demand it.”

Welcome Back, Pho So 1

The Boston Globe’s Sheryl Julian visits Pho So 1 in Fields Corner, following the reinstatement of the restaurant’s license. Julian writes that the sizzling Napoleon beef platter is a “beautiful sight, sweet, caramelized meat in a delicious garlicky soy-ketchup sauce,” and the fried chicken wings have “deliciously spicy and juicy” meat. She also tucks into the roast quail and fresh spring rolls, and she recommends the pho, which has “outstanding broth” and can come with eye-round steak and meatballs.

“Latitude With Attitude”

And for a quick Globe overview, Kara Baskin visits Lola 42, Fan Pier’s new sibling of Nantucket’s Lola 41, finding a menu that ranges from burgers to mac and cheese and sushi. There is also a Turkish lamb burger, gnocchi Bolognese, hot pepper hamachi, and small plates such as crab rangoon. Baskin recommends the signature Lola burger that comes with cheddar cheese, a red onion compote, and foie sauce. There are also cocktails and a separate sake menu. All this and more in a scene that Baskin describes as “popped collars; big dollars.”

• Rocky Terrain [IB]
• The Happy Return of Pho So 1 [BG]
• Latitude with Attitude at Lola 42 [BG]