Anna Roth Is Not Impressed By The Corner Store, MORE

While The Corner Store shows promise as a retro neighborhood staple, SF Weekly's Anna Roth feels the food needs work. Her major words of advice: "It needs to play well with comfort food, but not go off the rails." Aside from the Buffalo-style sweetbreads "flop," she is bored by the roast chicken ("you could get it anywhere"), but a grit and shredded pork compilation called "PB&J" was "a tasty little number." She hopes the blips are just symptoms of a "new restaurant still settling into its rhythms." [SF Weekly]

SFBG's Virginia Miller spotlights two new cozy restaurants she likes. Company in Noe Valley may not be "revolutionary destination dining," but a "warm, luxurious, almost healthy" eggplant and ricotta dish tops her list of "idyllic" lunchtime experiences. She is also "warmed" by the industrial vibe at SoMa newcomer, Jamber, where owner Jess Voss' bacon jam spread is "a highlight no matter what it's served with." "The star" of the menu here is the meatloaf: "...wrapped in bacon, accompanied by mashed potatoes and roasted carrots... [it is] about as good as meatloaf gets." [SFBG]

Following chef Sachin Chopra new Michelin star at All Spice, Michael Bauer returns for an update review, and he thinks everything is too sweet. Last year, the San Mateo restaurant earned 2 ½ stars, but now once-fiery entrées are "devoid of the roller-coaster spicing that makes Indian food so compelling." The review is a barrage of slams, and it seems like service that "hit its stride" is what saves the restaurant, and its 2 star standing. [Chron]

THE ELSEWHERE: EBX wishes Mexican spot Destino in Oakland tested more boundaries; The Merc sees potential in Pleasant Hill's Wence; Marin IJ digs the healthful offerings at Blue Barn in Corte Madera; The Chron gives Social Club Restaurant & Bar in Petaluma 2 stars.