Bauer Finds Paragon "Uneven," Kauff Calls Bistro Central Parc "Magic," Reidinger Eats Cream Cheese Sushi, More

Three-Strike Mike drives by the ballpark to revisit Paragon, since it just had a redesign from the guys who did Salt House/Town Hall/Anchor & Hope. It now has a "sleek industrial edge and new energy," but chef Spencer O'Meara's food "can be uneven." Bauer is happy with a "respectable" hamburger, "excellent" garlic fries and a wild boar enchilada he calls "the envy of most Mexican restaurants." Then the host watches a guy in a wheelchair try to open the door without helping and a server only lists off the desserts that he (or she?) likes. That's really not ok. But the joint still manages to get two stars, the same amount as Plate Shop, which Bauer compared to Michael Mina. [Chron]

Blissfully free of the star system, Kauff hits Bistro Central Parc and finds "a neighborhood spot for straightforward cooking and a glass of decent, moderately priced red wine." Also: "French waiters, French owner, French chef — if you're looking for measures of authenticity here, you'll find them." He's reacquainted with "the magic of the French bistro." They even wait to drop the check until you ask. [SF Weekly]

Reidinger tries out North Beach's oddly monikered Sushi Hunter, of all places: "not only pretty wonderful, but right near the heart of things." Blue walls make it feel "like a drained swimming pool." For some "wonderful" rolls, "if you swapped in a couple of slices of rye bread for the sushi rice, you would wind up with some impressive sandwiches." Despite imitation crab and a proliferation of cream cheese, he seems to dig it. [SFBG]

The Elsewhere: The Marin IJ finds a good Vik's stand-in in Marin's Lotus Chaat and Spices, The Merc digs into the Italian trio of Bonfire Pizzeria, Ravioli's Italian Marketplace and Slow, EBX calls Trueburger's burgers a "a fine example of the classic hamburger," Bargain Bite goes to Wood Tavern spinoff Southie, Bar Bites tastes the Tropics at Hibiscus, and the second Datebook review is of Chinatown's Pot Sticker: 2 stars.