Posted by Greg Clow in in the papers, news and media on February 2, 2008 at 4:33 pm

Tapas, buffets, and restaurants that turn into nightclubs at 10 PM: a truly terrible trio to most serious foodies. Each of the three gets tackled in this weekend's restaurant reviews, with predictably mixed results.

First up, the National Post's Gina Mallet hits Eleven, the barely-opened new place from ex-Xacutti chef Brad Moore. While not exclusively a tapas joint, Mallet still experiences some small plate fatigue, which she expresses in her usual slightly scattered but always entertaining style:

A couple of fritters with spicy dips and my appe-stat sinks, and when I look over the menu, I suspect that such other appetizers as yam fries, honey chicken, root vegetable rice cakes with tomato-mustard sauce are also competing with the entree to come.

I call this tapas creep: A menu is no longer a dinner's game plan but a tipsheet for assorted offerings. Once upon a time, hors d'oeuvres prepped the palate without overwhelming it. Wasn't that why oysters and caviar were invented, and smoked salmon and smoked eel? They got the gastro-juices going for the meals' big event (the Djokovic-Tsonga final), long, intense, complicated and served with maximum drama and skill. A restaurant's menu should be designed to guide the eater to the heights.

Also in the Post:

• Margaret Swaine is the new wine writer, and she also brings a new format to the column, with six informative reviews to be featured each week.
• In a series of articles celebrating Chinese New Year, Jason Chow reveals some of the secrets of Chinese-only menus; Ben Kaplan goes on a drunken late night search for (ahem) "cold tea"; Sarah Treleaven shops for mysterious teas and herbs; and burbchompers Jon Bricker and Kate Swoger chow down on dumplings at Hi Shanghai.
• Jason Rehel reports on the first annual vegan chili cook-off held last weekend at vegan footwear shop Left Feet.
• Sarah B. Hood checks out a chocolate-making class at Stubbe Chocolates.

In the Toronto Star, Amy Pataki investigates the lunch buffet - or as they call it in Italy, tavole calde ("hot table") - at Rosticceria Dolce e Salato in Woodbridge. Unlike the steam-table glop found at most buffets, the food at this place is fresh and homey, and Pataki is quite impressed:

From the partially hidden kitchen comes the gold standard of stuffed peppers, firm grains of rice suspended in a cheesy matrix with ground veal and tomato flecks. Humongous osso bucco ($11.95) is cooked in a staggeringly good pulpy tomato sauce. The buttered rice on the side is studded with carrots and green beans, while mushrooms are slow-cooked until dry and meaty.

"From the beginning, we didn't want any meatballs or sausages. We make all the dishes that nonna used to make," explains chef Maria Schneider, whose grandmother was Neapolitan.

Those without Italian relatives can still recognize the homey simplicity of crumpled chicory strewn with romano beans, or rustic cabbage stewed in garlic with white beans. The vegetable dishes aren't to be missed. Rapini has a pleasant bite and, in the late summer Schneider makes fried zucchini flowers and supplì, the cheesy rice balls beloved in central Italy.

Also in the Star:

• Pataki shares a bit of local restaurant news in her "Word of Mouth" sidebar.
• Gord Stimmell reviews five wines from the Vintages "90 Plus" promotion, although he personally scores two of the five under 90.
• Mark Bittman's syndicated column gives tips on working with cabbage.

Over in the Globe & Mail, Joanne Kates feels rushed at Satori Supper Club, one of those places that evacuates diners at 10 PM in order to transform into a boozy hangout for the beautiful people. And as is usual for such places, she finds the food to be hit and miss:

Confit of chicken is confusing: Confit is fowl cooked (and crisped) in its own fat, but this confit features pale flaccid skin and ho-hum flesh. Another item is somewhat overcooked poached grouper. The kitchen does a better job bringing strong flavour to mushroom and asparagus risotto. And steak is their big love: Tenderloin is smothered in a splendid buttery crab-inflected béarnaise and strip loin is another big bold steak, perfectly cooked and beautifully seasoned. Methinks this kitchen may be too fond of meat: Undistinguished scallops are overwhelmed by a thick sauce made from shredded chorizo in tomato sauce, a sophomoric attempt at the exotic.

Also in the Globe:

• Beppi Crosariol checks in from the Caribbean, where he's in charge of the wines on the Globe's Caribbean Odyssey foodie cruise, featuring Food Network chefs Anna Olson, Lynn Crawford and Anthony Sedlak and Globe food columnist Lucy Waverman. Nice work if you can get it...
• Speaking of Lucy Waverman, she visited Portland, Oregon before heading off to sea, and shares some recipes from her trip.