Plump Scallop Pincushions Shine at This Swanky Boston Izakaya

Welcome back to Week in Reviews, an occasional round-up of the restaurant reviews recently written by Boston’s food critics at publications such as The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and Boston.com.

“Expectations as High as Jet-Setter-Crowd Price Points”

Julia Clancy reviews Zuma in Boston for Boston Magazine, asking the central question, “Does this restaurant accomplish the goal it has set for itself?” Her answer: yes, mostly. Clancy describes both Zuma’s service and bar program as “superlative,” discovering “the drinks deserve as deep a dive as the food.” She calls out the frothy Shojo Spritzer and the “bright and balanced” Yamatochi Cooler, also giving a nod to Zuma’s “alluring” nonalcoholic cocktails.

On the food side, Clancy addresses clear winners, including a “spot-on roster of salads” and a “sublime ” black cod in hoba leaf. Grilled scallops are “skewered like plump pincushions with buttery mentaiko (spicy cod roe),” that melt “beautifully at the suggestion of a fork.” The assorted sashimi and nigiri, “deserve their upper-echelon reputations,” Clancy writes, and she recommends a tender spicy beef tenderloin. Though the lobster dishes don’t quite land for Clancy, she ultimately awards Zuma two-and-a-half stars out of four — somewhere between “good” and “generally excellent.”

“In for a Treat” at Home Taste

Marc Hurwitz reviews Home Taste in Arlington for the Dig. An addition to the original in Watertown, Arlington’s Home Taste features the same “soft but not too soft” hand-pulled noodles, served with a slightly spicy cumin lamb or with chili oil “that will make you sweat more and more as you continue to eat it,” Hurwitz writes. There’s also a mild chopped beef dish with noodles, and a chopped pork and mushroom option that “has a kick to it.” In addition to noodles, Home Taste has either a lean stewed beef or cumin lamb burger served in pita-like bread, along with dumplings and “solid takes” on chicken wings and scallion pancakes, among other items.

• Dining Out: Zuma in One Dalton Tower [BG]
• Zuma Coverage on Eater [EBOS]
• Second Time’s a Charm for Humble Little Noodle Spot [DigBoston]
• Home Taste Coverage on Eater [EBOS]