Critic Says Don’t Forget About Inferno

Round two of the reviews for this week, and Le Devoir critic Jean-Philippe Tastet is the second critic to drop by Little Italy’s Inferno in recent weeks — and while the mainstay may have been overshadowed by the arrival of Italian hits Pizzeria Gema and Impasto in recent times, Tastet reminds you that it’s still a memorable eat. From the opening charcuterie along with sorpressata, salami, and marinated eggplant, to ceviche-esque octopus with corn, lime, olive oil, and cilantro, and geometrically precise sorpresini with a calamari ragout. Tastet pretty much raves, although the not-bad but not-brilliant desserts cost Inferno a perfect review. Four stars. [Le Devoir]

Meanwhile at La Presse, Marie-Claude Lortie goes solidly under the radar to unearth Lao and Thai BYOB spot Thaï Sep on the border of St-Michel and Rosemont. Bypassing a few less-spectacular menu options such as General Tao chicken, Lortie inhales more specialty options such as sai kok esan, a Lao pork sausage cooked with kaffir lime leaves, ginger, green onion, cilantro and lemongrass, and the “totally charming” nême kao, a rice-ball salad with crispy pork and peanuts: an “explosion of flavours”, enhanced by the crunchy texture. Lortie writes that she’d definitely return. [La Presse]

• The Critics: Yes to Heavenly Hvor, No to Messy Mezcla [EMTL]
• Réjouissance dans la Petite-Italie [Le Devoir]
• Thaï Sep: coup de coeur laotien [La Presse]