When chef François Maeder came to town more than three decades ago, his cuisine seemed new, and he further seduced us with a creative bakery. But 30 years on, little seems to have changed, at least not for the better. The pâté maison, a creamy rendition with fowl livers, veal, and pork, remains acceptable, but the presentation is entirely perfunctory. The house salad dressing, heavy on the tarragon, is thankfully served on the side. The bread brought to the table… [More]

We might as well just publish the walls at Cascabel; covered as they are with culinary comments such as “The food is great here. There’s no other place like it.” and “Ésta es comida mexicana!” Said walls have only become denser with opinion and attitude over the years that this singular Southtown place has been open.

And every main dish was $7.50 at press time. (Breakfast, served all day, is less expensive.) Tlacoyos, huaraches, birria … these are not… [More]