Critic Channels Jonathan Gold With Sextet of Mini Reviews of ‘Out-of-the-Way Joints’

“Wolfable Weenies” and “Canonical” Lobster Salad Rolls

In a break from form, critic MC Slim JB departs his usual “fancy-urban-restaurant beat” at The Improper Bostonian, instead providing a collection of mini reviews of several restaurants outside of Boston — “out-of-the-way joints.” Following the death of noted critic Jonathan Gold, Slim sets out to “honor his spirit” by highlighting the kinds of restaurants “that Gold especially loved and evangelized.”

Starting with Thmor Da and its “delectable aromas” in Revere, Slim feasts on a fiery beef-and-peppers salad, fried whole fish in ginger sauce, and a “sprightly, chili-laden salad of pork larb with pepper, onion and mint.”

Over in Waltham, Slim visits Taqueria el Amigo for beef cheek tacos, “brilliant” chiles rellenos, and a beef stew that he calls a “weekends-only hangover cure.” This set of reviews also takes him through some “shockingly vivid, flavorful” dishes at Kaho Hom Thai & Pho in Billerica, a “stunning” bucatini alla carrettiera at Firenze Trattoria in Salem, “wolfable weenies” at Nick’s Original Coney Island Hot Dogs in Fall River, and a “canonical” lobster salad roll at the Commons Lunch in Little Compton, Rhode Island.

Tempting, Tender Porkbelly

Simjang in Worcester gets a visit from Bob Datz of the Telegram & Gazette this week. Sibling to Deadhorse Hill, Simjang serves Korean-American food, and the “dishes are well-imagined, well-executed and well-presented,” Datz writes. He calls special attention to the tender pork belly bossam and a short rib entree that “took the prize for presentation and melded so much flavor into the dish it was almost easy to forget the lean, medium-cooked boneless rib cuts.” For some smaller bites, there are braised peanuts, blistered shishito peppers, and a corndog that’s “maybe for the kids but probably not.”

Also of note: the fried Korean chicken — smothered in a salt peppercorn rub or a “shimmering” miso soy garlic — that Datz writes is “super-crispy and tender inside.” Overall, he rates the restaurant four stars.

• The Gold Rush [IB]
• Dining Review: In Worcester, You Gotta Have Simjang [WT]